1986 NBA Playoffs

The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won their 16th NBA championship, their last until 2008. Larry Bird was awarded his second NBA Finals MVP trophy. The Rockets made the NBA Finals when Ralph Sampson made an off balance jumper at the buzzer against the Lakers at the Great Western Forum in G5 of the Western Finals.

This was the second NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Rockets; the teams also met in the 1981 series, with the same result. It was the third of four consecutive Eastern Conference championships for the Celtics, who won an impressive 67 games that year, and lost just one game in the regular season at home out of 41 played. The Rockets, meanwhile had won just their second conference title in franchise history.

Second-year player Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls put on an ageless performance in game two of the Bulls' first-round series against the Celtics, scoring 63 points in an overtime loss, which still stands as the All-Time NBA Playoffs Record. Jordan averaged 43.7 points per game in the series, but was unable to prevent the Bulls from being swept by a more experienced, more talented Celtics team considered by many among the greatest of all-time. The Bulls set a dubious mark by posting the second worst record for a playoff-qualifying team in history, going just 30-52 during the season.

The 1986 playoffs marked the third time in four years that the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it would be their last appearance in the series until 2001.

Bracket

16TeamBracket

RD1=First Round
RD2=Conference Semifinals
RD3=Conference Finals
RD4=NBA Finals
group1=Western Conference
group2=Eastern Conference

RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=L.A. Lakers
RD1-score01=3
RD1-seed02=8
RD1-team02=San Antonio
RD1-score02=0

RD1-seed03=4
RD1-team03=Dallas
RD1-score03=3
RD1-seed04=5
RD1-team04=Utah
RD1-score04=1

RD1-seed05=3
RD1-team05=Denver
RD1-score05=3
RD1-seed06=6
RD1-team06=Portland
RD1-score06=1

RD1-seed07=2
RD1-team07=Houston
RD1-score07=3
RD1-seed08=7
RD1-team08=Sacramento
RD1-score08=0

RD1-seed09=1
RD1-team09=Boston
RD1-score09=3
RD1-seed10=8
RD1-team10=Chicago
RD1-score10=0

RD1-seed11=4
RD1-team11=Atlanta
RD1-score11=3
RD1-seed12=5
RD1-team12=Detroit
RD1-score12=1

RD1-seed13=3
RD1-team13=Philadelphia
RD1-score13=3
RD1-seed14=6
RD1-team14=Washington
RD1-score14=2

RD1-seed15=2
RD1-team15=Milwaukee
RD1-score15=3
RD1-seed16=7
RD1-team16=New Jersey
RD1-score16=0

RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=L.A. Lakers
RD2-score01=4
RD2-seed02=4
RD2-team02=Dallas
RD2-score02=2

RD2-seed03=3
RD2-team03=Denver
RD2-score03=2
RD2-seed04=2
RD2-team04=Houston
RD2-score04=4

RD2-seed05=1
RD2-team05=Boston
RD2-score05=4
RD2-seed06=4
RD2-team06=Atlanta
RD2-score06=1

RD2-seed07=3
RD2-team07=Philadelphia
RD2-score07=3
RD2-seed08=2
RD2-team08=Milwaukee
RD2-score08=4

RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=L.A. Lakers
RD3-score01=1
RD3-seed02=2
RD3-team02=Houston
RD3-score02=4

RD3-seed03=1
RD3-team03=Boston
RD3-score03=4
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Milwaukee
RD3-score04=0

RD4-seed01=W2
RD4-team01=Houston
RD4-score01=2
RD4-seed02=E1
RD4-team02=Boston
RD4-score02=4

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1986.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1986 NBA Playoffs page]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXwuZUAZtL0&feature=PlayList&p=99A5889A72809DB4&index=0&playnext=1 Eastern Conf. First round Game 2 "Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls" on Youtube.com]