The 1986–87 Boston Celtics season was the 41st season of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). The Celtics entered the season as the defending NBA Champions, having defeated the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

in the 1986 NBA Finals in six games, winning their sixteenth NBA championship. In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the First Round in three games, defeated the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in the Semi-finals in seven games, and the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in the conference finals in seven games to reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

for the fifth time in the 1980s. In the Finals, the Celtics faced off against their long time rival, the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, in their third and final matchup in the NBA Finals in the 1980s. The Celtics would lose in six games to the Lakers, and it marked the last time the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals until

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. Remarkably, the 1987 NBA Finals was the first playoff series for the Celtics in the Bird era in which they did not have the home court advantage, as they had played 24 consecutive series with the home court advantage starting in 1980.

NBA draft

Thanks to the 1984 trade of Gerald Henderson and the subsequent fall of the Seattle SuperSonics, at the end of the 1985–86 season the Celtics owned not only the best team in the NBA but also the second pick in the 1986 NBA draft. The Celtics drafted

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

Len Bias with the pick and had high hopes for the young

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...

star. The hope was that his presence would ensure that the franchise would remain a powerhouse after Bird, McHale, and Parish retired. Unfortunately, Bias died 48 hours after he was drafted, after using

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

at a party and overdosing. Unlike the prior year, the Celtics were forced to endure major injuries to several key players including Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. With a road record of 20–21, the Celtics were a sub-.500 road team for the first time in the Larry Bird era and the first time since the 1978–79 season. However, they continued with the previous season's historic dominance at home with a record of 39–2 at Boston Garden.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 1 , , Fri. Oct. 31 , , Washington Bullets , , 120-102 , , Boston Garden , , 1-0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 2 , , Sat. Nov. 1 , , @ Milwaukee Bucks , , 105-111 , , Milwaukee Arena (MECCA) , , 1-1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 3 , , Wed. Nov. 5 , , Indiana Pacers , , 133-102 , , Boston Garden , , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 4 , , Fri. Nov. 7 , , @Washington Bullets , , 88-86 , , Capital Centre , , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 5 , , Tue. Nov. 11 , , @ New Jersey Nets , , 110-114 , ,

Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

, , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 6 , , Wed. Nov. 12 , , Milwaukee Bucks , , 124-116 , , Boston Garden , , 4–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 7 , , Fri. Nov. 14 , , @ Chicago Bulls , , 124-105 , ,

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago from 1929 to 1995. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and ...

, , 5-2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 8 , , Sat. Nov. 15 , , @ Detroit Pistons , , 118-111 , ,

Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the fi ...

, , 6–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 9 , , Wed. Nov. 19 , , Atlanta Hawks , , 111-107 , , Boston Garden , , 7–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 10 , , Fri. Nov. 21 , , Golden State Warriors , , 135-120 , , Boston Garden , , 8–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 11 , , Sat. Nov. 22 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 96-97 , , The Omni , , 8–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 12 , , Tue. Nov. 25 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 100-102 , , The Spectrum , , 8–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 13 , , Wed. Nov. 26 , , New York Knicks , , 101-90 , , Boston Garden , , 9–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 14 , , Fri. Nov. 28 , , San Antonio Spurs , , 111-96 , , Boston Garden , , 10–4 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 15 , , Tue. Dec. 2 , , Washington Bullets , , 109-117 , ,

Hartford Civic Center Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...

, , 10–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 16 , , Wed. Dec. 3 , , Denver Nuggets , , 119-113 , , Boston Garden , , 11–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 17 , , Fri. Dec. 5 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 108-106 , , Boston Garden , , 12–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 18 , , Sat. Dec. 6 , , @ Cleveland Cavaliers , , 86-88 , ,

Richfield Coliseum Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,27 ...

, , 12–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 19 , , Wed. Dec. 10 , , New Jersey Nets , , 108-98 , , Boston Garden , , 13–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 20 , , Fri. Dec. 12 , , Los Angeles Lakers , , 110-117 , , Boston Garden , , 13–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 21 , , Sat. Dec. 13 , , @ Washington Bullets , , 105-98 , , Capital Centre , , 14–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 22 , , Tue. Dec. 16 , , @ New York Knicks , , 107-96 , ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, , 15–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 23 , , Wed. Dec. 17 , , Indiana Pacers , , 113-101 , , Boston Garden , , 16–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 24 , , Fri. Dec. 19 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 100-122 , , The Spectrum , , 16–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 25 , , Sat. Dec. 20 , , @ Milwaukee Bucks , , 100-120 , , Milwaukee Arena (MECCA) , , 16–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 26 , , Fri. Dec. 26 , , @ Phoenix Suns , , 122-112 , , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , , 17–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 27 , , Sat. Dec. 27 , , @ Los Angeles Clippers , , 114-101 , , L.A. Sports Arena , , 18–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 28 , , Mon. Dec. 29 , , @ Sacramento Kings , , 119-102 , , ARCO Arena I , , 19–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 29 , , Tue. Dec. 30 , , @ Seattle SuperSonics , , 104-102 , , Seattle Center Coliseum , , 20–9 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 30 , , Fri. Jan. 2 , , Chicago Bulls , , 113-99 , , Boston Garden , , 21–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 31 , , Wed. Jan. 7 , , Milwaukee Bucks , , 119-92 , , Boston Garden , , 22–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 32 , , Fri. Jan. 9 , , Sacramento Kings , , 109-99 , , Boston Garden , , 23–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 33 , , Sat. Jan. 10 , , @ Detroit Pistons , , 101-118 , , Pontiac Silverdome , , 23–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 34 , , Tue. Jan. 13 , , @ New Jersey Nets , , 123-117 , , Brendan Byrne Arena , , 24–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 35 , , Wed. Jan. 14 , , Dallas Mavericks , , 117-108 , , Boston Garden , , 25–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 36 , , Fri. Jan. 16 , , Cleveland Cavaliers , , 133-128 (OT) , , Boston Garden , , 26–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 37 , , Sun. Jan. 18 , , Houston Rockets , , 122-99 , , Boston Garden , , 27–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 38 , , Mon. Jan. 19 , , @ New York Knicks , , 109-111 , , Madison Square Garden , , 27–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 39 , , Wed. Jan. 21 , , Indiana Pacers , , 130-100 , , Boston Garden , , 28–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 40 , , Fri. Jan. 23 , , Atlanta Hawks , , 126-106 , , Boston Garden , , 29–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 41 , , Sun. Jan. 25 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 111-96 , , Boston Garden , , 30–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 42 , , Tue. Jan. 27 , , @ Chicago Bulls , , 105-97 , , Chicago Stadium , , 31–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 43 , , Wed. Jan. 28 , , Chicago Bulls , , 132-103 , , Boston Garden , , 32–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 44 , , Fri. Jan. 30 , , @ Indiana Pacers , , 100-94 , , Market Square Arena , , 33–11 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 45 , , Tue. Feb. 3 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 123-126 (OT) , , The Omni , , 33–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 46 , , Wed. Feb. 4 , , Cleveland Cavaliers , , 104-102 , , Boston Garden , , 34–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 47 , , Tue. Feb. 10 , , @ Denver Nuggets , , 119-105 , ,

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sp ...

, , 35–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 48 , , Thu. Feb. 12 , , @ Golden State Warriors , , 134-112 , ,

Oakland Coliseum Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, often shortened to the Oakland Coliseum, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It serves as part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, located next to Oakland Arena. In 2 ...

, , 36–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 49 , , Fri. Feb. 13 , , @ Portland Trail Blazers , , 131-116 , , Memorial Coliseum , , 37–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 50 , , Sun. Feb. 15 , , @ Los Angeles Lakers , , 103-106 , , The Forum , , 37–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 51 , , Mon. Feb. 16 , , @ Utah Jazz , , 89-109 , , Salt Palace , , 37–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 52 , , Wed. Feb. 18 , , @ Dallas Mavericks , , 113-96 , ,

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...

, , 38–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 53 , , Thu. Feb. 19 , , @ Houston Rockets , , 99-92 , , The Summit , , 39–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 54 , , Sat. Feb. 21 , , @ San Antonio Spurs , , 121-113 , ,

HemisFair Arena HemisFair Arena (also known as the San Antonio Convention Center Arena) was an indoor arena located in San Antonio, Texas. It was home to the ABA/NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1973 to 1993 and the San Antonio Force of the AFL during the 1992 sea ...

, , 40–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 55 , , Mon. Feb. 23 , , New Jersey Nets , , 116-103 , , Hartford Civic Center , , 41–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 56 , , Wed. Feb. 25 , , Portland Trail Blazers , , 122-116 , , Boston Garden , , 42–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 57 , , Fri. Feb. 27 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 105-115 , , The Omni , , 42–15 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 58 , , Sun. Mar. 1 , , Detroit Pistons , , 112-102 , , Boston Garden , , 43–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 59 , , Wed. Mar. 4 , , Utah Jazz , , 123-105 , , Boston Garden , , 44–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 60 , , Fri. Mar. 6 , , Los Angeles Clippers , , 132-111 , , Boston Garden , , 45–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 61 , , Sun. Mar. 8 , , @ Detroit Pistons , , 119-122 (OT) , , Pontiac Silverdome , , 45-16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 62 , , Wed. Mar. 11 , , Phoenix Suns , , 118-109 , , Boston Garden , , 46-16 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 63 , , Fri. Mar. 13 , , @ Indiana Pacers , , 109-116 , , Market Square Arena , , 46-17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 64 , , Sun. Mar. 15 , , New York Knicks , , 113-104 , , Boston Garden , , 47-17 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 65 , , Tue. Mar. 17 , , @ Milwaukee Bucks , , 115-123 , , Milwaukee Arena (MECCA) , , 47-18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 66 , , Wed. Mar. 18 , , Milwaukee Bucks , , 120-102 , , Boston Garden , , 48-18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 67 , , Fri. Mar. 20 , , Seattle SuperSonics , , 112-108 , , Boston Garden , , 49-18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 68 , , Sun. Mar. 22 , , New Jersey Nets , , 116-104 , , Boston Garden , , 50-18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 69 , , Tue. Mar. 24 , , Cleveland Cavaliers , , 111-88 , , Hartford Civic Center , , 51-18 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 70 , , Thu. Mar. 26 , , @ Washington Bullets , , 103-106 , , Capital Centre , , 51-19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 71 , , Fri. Mar. 27 , , @ Chicago Bulls , , 111-106 , , Chicago Stadium , , 52-19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 72 , , Sun. Mar. 29 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 118-100 , , Boston Garden , , 53-19 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 73 , , Tue. Mar. 31 , , @ New York Knicks , , 120-128 , , Madison Square Garden , , 53-20 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 74 , , Wed. Apr. 1 , , Washington Bullets , , 103-86 , , Boston Garden , , 54-20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 75 , , Fri. Apr. 3 , , Detroit Pistons , , 119-115 (OT) , , Boston Garden , , 55-20 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 76 , , Sun. Apr. 5 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 104-106 (OT) , , The Spectrum , , 55-21 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 77 , , Tue. Apr. 7 , , @ Cleveland Cavaliers , , 83-107 , , Richfield Coliseum , , 55-22 , - align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" , 78 , , Fri. Apr. 10 , , @ New Jersey Nets , , 108-117 , , Brendan Byrne Arena , , 55-23 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 79 , , Sun. Apr. 12 , , New York Knicks , , 119-107 , , Boston Garden , , 56-23 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 80 , , Wed. Apr. 15 , , @ Indiana Pacers , , 108-85 , , Market Square Arena , , 57-23 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 81 , , Fri. Apr. 17 , , Chicago Bulls , , 108-105 , , Boston Garden , , 58-23 , - align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" , 82 , , Sun. Apr. 19 , , Atlanta Hawks , , 118-107 , , Boston Garden , , 59-23 , - , -
1986-87 Schedule

Roster

Player stats

''Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Scoring Average''

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 23 ,

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W 108–104
, Kevin McHale (21) ,

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

(11) ,

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

(13) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 26 ,

W 105–96
,

(29) , McHale,

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(10) ,

(8) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 28 , @

W 105–94
,

(32) ,

(14) ,

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

(10) ,

18,122 , 3–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 5 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

W 111–98
,

(40) ,

(12) ,

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(7) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 6 ,

W 126–124
,

, Ainge (30) ,

(10) ,

(10) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 8 , @

L 121–126 (OT)
,

(32) ,

(16) ,

(14) , MECCA Arena
11,052 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 10 , @

W 138–137 (2OT)
,

(42) , Kevin McHale (11) ,

(12) , MECCA Arena
11,052 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 13 ,

L 124–129
,

(30) ,

(16) ,

(12) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 15 , @

L 111–121
,

(25) , Kevin McHale (16) ,

(14) , MECCA Arena
11,052 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 17 ,

W 119–113
,

(31) ,

(19) ,

(10) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 19 ,

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W 104–91
,

(31) ,

(16) ,

(11) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 21 ,

W 110–101
,

(31) ,

(9) ,

(12) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 23 , @

L 104–122
, Sam Vincent (18) ,

(11) ,

(8) ,

23,525 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 24 , @

L 119–145
, Sam Vincent (18) , Kevin McHale (9) , Sam Vincent (7) ,

27,387 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 26 ,

W 108–107
,

(36) ,

(12) ,

(9) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 28 , @

L 105–113
,

(35) , Kevin McHale (12) ,

(11) ,

28,383 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 30 ,

W 117–114
,

(37) ,

(11) ,

(11) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , June 2 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 113–126
,

(32) ,

(7) ,

(13) , The Forum
17,505 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , June 4 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 122–141
,

(23) ,

(14) ,

(9) , The Forum
17,505 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , June 7 , L.A. Lakers
W 109–103
,

(30) ,

(12) , Ainge, McHale (5) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , June 9 , L.A. Lakers
L 106–107
, Kevin McHale (25) , Kevin McHale (13) ,

(14) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , June 11 , L.A. Lakers
W 123–108
,

(25) , Kevin McHale (14) ,

(11) , Boston Garden
14,890 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , June 14 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 93–106
,

(33) ,

, McHale (10) ,

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

(6) , The Forum
17,505 , 2–4 , -

Award winners

* Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team * Kevin McHale, All-NBA First Team * Kevin McHale, All-NBA Defensive First Team

References

*
Celtics on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1986-87 Boston Celtics Season Boston Celtics seasons

Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons

Celtics Celtics