The Boston Celtics won the 1986 NBA title, and based on their playoff run, they hardly encountered resistance. Led no less by the legendary Larry Bird , the stiffest challenge they got that season was from the Houston Rockets in the Finals.
Looking at how they got there, they lost only once before the last dance, dropping one contest to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, 106-94.
Bird’s brimming confidence
Larry Legend stood out for the Cs, averaging 25.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in 18 playoff games. He went on to capture the regular season and Finals MVP honors that year for his brilliant performance.
When the postseason started, the Celtics were undefeated in six straight games. They swept the Chicago Bulls in the first round and won the first three games against the Hawks in the ECF semifinals.
At that point, the 12-time All-Star was beaming with confidence. Larry was aware that at the rate they were performing, it would take much for any team to string up wins and ruin their plans.
Bird weighed in on the predicament of the Hawks, who desperately needed to win Game 4 of their best-of-7 NBA playoff series. But considering how the team had been rolling that year, 'The Hick from French Lick' admitted it would take a lot to take the C's down.
“There may be some team in the league that can beat us four straight, but I've yet to see one,” Bird said at the time via UPI.com .
Only a perfect game could beat the Celtics
No NBA team had ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a series. Dominique Wilkins gave it his all for the Hawks, but he lacked the support to succeed. 'The Human Highlight Film' admitted that only a perfect game could give any team a chance against the Cs.
“They are beatable, but you have to play 48 minutes and not 47 or 46,” Wilkins said. “You have to play the entire game.”
Nique and the Hawks were able to avert a sweep by the Celtics, winning Game 4, 106-94. But that was only a short spell of success, with Boston returning in Game 5 to rout the Hawks 132-99. It was a testament that the C's had one of the finest starting units in NBA history that year.
“Any five guys they put out there are capable of beating you. No matter what we do, they seem to explode at the right moment,” Wilkins said.
After eliminating Atlanta, the Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. They then faced the Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson-led Houston Rockets, but they won in six games for their 16th Larry O’Brien title.
The two losses to Houston in the final were the stiffest challenge the Celtics had in the 1986 playoff run. Little did the C's know that it would be their last gasp of glory, and they would wait until 2008 to win their 17th and last title.
Related: "We can't play any better" - Don Nelson couldn't believe it when the Boston Celtics clean swept his Milwaukee Bucks in the 1986 EC Finals
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