Before the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and 2015-16 Golden State Warriors made their respective statements, many believed the 1985-86 Boston Celtics were the greatest team in NBA history.
It’s easy to understand why.
That Celtics team finished atop the NBA with a 67-15 regular-season record, largely thanks to the stellar play of the “Big Three”: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Of course, players such as Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and Bill Walton also played key roles on arguably the greatest team in Celtics history.
Boston carried its regular-season success into the postseason, only losing one game over three Eastern Conference playoff rounds. The memorable campaign culminated in an NBA Finals victory over the Houston Rockets in six games.
Monday marked the 34th anniversary of the night the Celtics captured their 16th championship. The 114-97 Game 6 win at TD Garden was headlined by Bird’s iconic triple-double, which included 29 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds from the Hall of Famer.
Take a trip down memory lane in the video below:
#OnThisDay in the 1986 #NBAFinals, Larry Bird notched a triple-double!
With 29 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in Game 6, Larry Legend helped the @Celtics win their 16th NBA title & earned his 2nd Finals MVP in three years. pic.twitter.com/EtXnTFF7ft— NBA India (@NBAIndia) June 8, 2020
Bird was a force during the 1986 playoffs, to say the least.
The do-everything small forward averaged 25.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.1 steals over 18 games. Yet another example of why they call him “Larry Legend.”
