My Favorite Celtics Moment: 1987 Eastern Conference Finals
In an effort to battle the hum-drum months that we know as the NBA offseason, we here at Hardwood Houdini are sharing some of our favorite Boston Celtics players and/or moments.
My favorite Boston Celtics moment? The 1987 Eastern Conference Finals.
There is little doubt in my mind that the 1986 Boston Celtics were one of the fives best teams to ever play in the NBA. I would put Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton against any team in league history and feel damn good about their chances of winning a best of seven series. That roster had everything you want in a basketball team, and I am lucky enough to have been able to witness their magical run to championship banner number 16.
Still, there was something about watching the 1987 version of the Celtics limp its way through the playoffs that filled me with more pride than anything the 1986 team did.
In other words, if you had to find ONE roster that defined what Celtic Pride means, the 1987 Boston Celtics would be that team, and the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals would be the perfect seven games to watch to understand why.
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The buildup began in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Celtics needed 7 games to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks, thanks to back-to-back losses at home in game 5 and on the road in game 6. With a bench that was incapable of getting much done, it took a Herculean effort from Boston’s starting five to send the Bucks home, setting the stage for an Eastern Conference Finals that has produced some of the most intense basketball ever to be seen in the NBA.
The 1987 ECF contain so many unforgettable moments – Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas tearing it up in game 2 for 31 and 36 points, respectively; Bird stealing the ball from Isaiah Thomas in game 5 to narrowly avoid defeat; Thomas saying if Bird was black he’d be “just another guy” – but more than anything it made me proud to be a Boston Celtics fan. Watching these guys push themselves to the limit in order to make it back to the NBA Finals was awe-inspiring.
The 1987 NBA Final may have ended in disappointing fashion, but let’s face it: the Boston Celtics had no business even making it that far that season. Pure determination and heart propelled them into another bout with the Los Angeles Lakers, and established the standard that every player who suits up for the Boston Celtics since then should strive to meet. Great series, great memories! Enjoy the ECF’s defining moment, and let me know what your favorite Boston Celtics memory is!