I Watched the Entire 1986 NBA Finals Between Boston and Houston; This Is What I Saw

[Im Still Ballin]

Watched all 6 games on YouTube.

Larry Bird was a great help defender

He knew when to double at the right time. There were multiple possessions where he provided the help defense on Hakeem, creating a turnover.

Bill Walton was arguably the best backup center ever

He provided everything you'd want in a backup center: scoring, rebounding, defense, and passing.

Boston's starting backcourt -- Ainge and DJ -- was awesome

Both Danny and Dennis protected the ball well and made outside shots. They were crucial to Boston's transition offense.

Kevin McHale deserves more respect

Kevin guarded Hakeem for most of the series while leading the team in scoring. He was such an important player for that team; he was a huge reason they won the paint battle. Both the best rim protector and paint scorer.

Ralph Sampson was ineffective

Ralph had a couple of good games but Houston played its best basketball in game 5 when he got ejected.

Boston's defensive plan to double Hakeem worked well

Although McHale had the one-on-one matchup, the Celtics sent a double team to Hakeem frequently. It worked well for the first 4 games but Houston eventually figured it out. Boston played him straight up in game 6.

Hakeem vs. McHale was fun to watch

Despite Hakeem being doubled, we got to see a lot of one-on-one possessions between McHale and Olajuwon. Kevin blocked him multiple times in the post, while Hakeem blocked Kevin from the weakside because he guarded Parish and Walton. McHale had the length to contest but Hakeem used his strength advantage at times to get deep easy buckets.

Kevin McHale should've been more of a focal point on offense

He missed a lot of easy shots yet I was surprised to see a graphic appear that he was shooting 60% for the series. It felt like he could've done a lot more offensively; half the battle for him was actually getting his teammates to make the post entry pass.

Larry Bird was clutch

Larry always made a big basket when the team needed it. He psychologically broke teams by hitting big three-pointers.

Pick and roll offense was much harder

Because of the lack of floor spacing, the pick and roll offense was much harder. Barely any three-pointers were taken. Because of the illegal defense rules, post-up play was ideal.

Bill Fitch vs. KC Jones was an interesting talking point

Fitch was the former coach who was there for the 1981 championship up until 1983. KC was his assistant coach and took over in 1984 and won a championship that season and in 1986.

[L.Kizzle]

A veteran team beats a young team.
If Sampson doesn't get injured the next season who knows how far they could have gone. This was their 2nd season together and they beat the defending champs Lakers in the Conference Finals and takes the supposedly best team ever to 6 games.

[jlip]

It's just refreshing to see this type of actual basketball analysis on this board.

[pandiani17]

Great post. Any thoughts on the backourt of the Rockets? Mitchell Wiggins, Lewis Lloyd, etc.? All the talk about that Houston team usually revolves around the Twin Towers, and the perimeter players are rarely mentioned.

[jayfan]

It's just refreshing to see this type of actual basketball analysis on this board.


+1

[jayfan]

Watched all 6 games on YouTube.

Larry Bird was a great help defender

He knew when to double at the right time. There were multiple possessions where he provided the help defense on Hakeem, creating a turnover.

Bill Walton was arguably the best backup center ever

He provided everything you'd want in a backup center: scoring, rebounding, defense, and passing.

Boston's starting backcourt -- Ainge and DJ -- was awesome

Both Danny and Dennis protected the ball well and made outside shots. They were crucial to Boston's transition offense.

Kevin McHale deserves more respect

Kevin guarded Hakeem for most of the series while leading the team in scoring. He was such an important player for that team; he was a huge reason they won the paint battle. Both the best rim protector and paint scorer.

Ralph Sampson was ineffective

Ralph had a couple of good games but Houston played its best basketball in game 5 when he got ejected.

Boston's defensive plan to double Hakeem worked well

Although McHale had the one-on-one matchup, the Celtics sent a double team to Hakeem frequently. It worked well for the first 4 games but Houston eventually figured it out. Boston played him straight up in game 6.

Hakeem vs. McHale was fun to watch

Despite Hakeem being doubled, we got to see a lot of one-on-one possessions between McHale and Olajuwon. Kevin blocked him multiple times in the post, while Hakeem blocked Kevin from the weakside because he guarded Parish and Walton. McHale had the length to contest but Hakeem used his strength advantage at times to get deep easy buckets.

Kevin McHale should've been more of a focal point on offense

He missed a lot of easy shots yet I was surprised to see a graphic appear that he was shooting 60% for the series. It felt like he could've done a lot more offensively; half the battle for him was actually getting his teammates to make the post entry pass.

Larry Bird was clutch

Larry always made a big basket when the team needed it. He psychologically broke teams by hitting big three-pointers.

Pick and roll offense was much harder

Because of the lack of floor spacing, the pick and roll offense was much harder. Barely any three-pointers were taken. Because of the illegal defense rules, post-up play was ideal.

Bill Fitch vs. KC Jones was an interesting talking point

Fitch was the former coach who was there for the 1981 championship up until 1983. KC was his assistant coach and took over in 1984 and won a championship that season and in 1986.

+1

[ShawkFactory]

DJ never missed a top of the key jumper.

Bird was always in the right place at the right time. That’s what separates great players from really good ones. Always made the right move.

[Kblaze8855]

The Hakeem and Bird matchup feels like it should be lopsided but it just isn’t. Two supremely skilled players arguably the most skilled in their positions history….but one is also an elite athlete and GOAT tier defender. The better player seems obvious but it just doesn’t work that way on the court all the time. Larry was so much more than the sum of his parts it sounds like hyperbole when you describe it.

[getting_old]

A veteran team beats a young team.
If Sampson doesn't get injured the next season who knows how far they could have gone. This was their 2nd season together and they beat the defending champs Lakers in the Conference Finals and takes the supposedly best team ever to 6 games.


The Rockets downfall was so sudden with multiple tragedies (for various reasons) that i could believe the Lakers put a Deep State hit on the team.

I also believe the Lakers threw the series with Houston because they didn't want to get swept by a the best Bird C's team that would have torn them apart.

[Soundwave]

Holy sh*t, an actual post about basketball on this forum and not the usual "LeBron Vs. Jordan!" wank fest (formerly the Kobe Vs. Jordan wank fest).

Bravo sir. And yeah Ralph Sampson was not very good in the Finals but I think he was breaking down already even at age 25.

[mr4speed]

The Hakeem and Bird matchup feels like it should be lopsided but it just isn’t. Two supremely skilled players arguably the most skilled in their positions history….but one is also an elite athlete and GOAT tier defender. The better player seems obvious but it just doesn’t work that way on the court all the time. Larry was so much more than the sum of his parts it sounds like hyperbole when you describe it.

I always looked at Bird as the guy you wanted on your team because he had such a great feel for the game. There have been plenty of players that could beat Bird in a 1 on 1 contest because of their quickness and agility from an athletic standpoint but Bird in a 5 on 5 game setting was unbelievable. Bird not only understood what his own teammates could and could not do, but he was aware of the other teams players, plays, and match-ups and their tendencies and habits. His steal from Isiah and pass to DJ is a great example. Another is his play during the entire 4th quarter of game 4 of the 85 Finals in LA where DJ hit the buzzer beater at the last second. Somebody made a highlight (you tube) video of this quarter and Bird was doing everything at both ends of the floor to help his team.

[Full Court]

I always looked at Bird as the guy you wanted on your team because he had such a great feel for the game. There have been plenty of players that could beat Bird in a 1 on 1 contest because of their quickness and agility from an athletic standpoint but Bird in a 5 on 5 game setting was unbelievable. Bird not only understood what his own teammates could and could not do, but he was aware of the other teams players, plays, and match-ups and their tendencies and habits. His steal from Isiah and pass to DJ is a great example. Another is his play during the entire 4th quarter of game 4 of the 85 Finals in LA where DJ hit the buzzer beater at the last second. Somebody made a highlight (you tube) video of this quarter and Bird was doing everything at both ends of the floor to help his team.

Exactly. That's why people who are obsessed with just crunching numerical stats don't get a good feel for the game. There are too many intangibles that stats by themselves don't capture.

[Im Still Ballin]

What people sometimes forget about Larry Bird is that he was 6-9 barefoot, while Magic was 6-9 in shoes. He's close to the same height as Dwight Howard; obviously, he doesn't have the same wingspan and standing reach, but he had decent arm length.

In the modern era, he'd be listed as 6-10, and at that height, how athletic does he really have to be? Jokic is lighting the league up and he's almost a center-sized version of Larry.

[Im Still Ballin]

He definitely had his flaws, but he had fantastic frontcourt support. For example, McHale would often cover the faster, more explosive SFs that caused Larry issues. Kevin held Dominique Wilkins to well below average shooting efficiency in the 1986 playoffs.

[Round Mound]

GOAT Team! :bowdown:

[Micku]

What people sometimes forget about Larry Bird is that he was 6-9 barefoot, while Magic was 6-9 in shoes. He's close to the same height as Dwight Howard; obviously, he doesn't have the same wingspan and standing reach, but he had decent arm length.

In the modern era, he'd be listed as 6-10, and at that height, how athletic does he really have to be? Jokic is lighting the league up and he's almost a center-sized version of Larry.

Yup yup.

Imo, like you said, Jokic is a bigger Larry bird. Just less agile, less scoring. They both do crazy passes. Both do good touch passes and could pass from the top of the key or in the post. And their game is more similar than any other player that I seen in a Bird comparison. Bird played more off the ball tho while Jokic handles the ball a bit more even though he's a center, but Jokic also plays off the ball and doesn't need the ball to be effective. Bird could handle the ball too in a similar way Jokic could've. Both aren't crazy athletic, but they beat teams with their skills and IQ.

I think if you ever wondered how Bird would play in today's game, I would imagine Jokic would be the most accurate comparison. Their playstyles are the most similar. Like a MJ Kobe lol

Kevin Mchale tho was pretty unstoppable. It's crazy how large his wingspan was which aided him a lot on both offense and defense. It's been a while since I watched the games, but the criticism of him is that he never pass. Which isn't completely true, if I can recall. But Mchale didn't really need to. He was a monster in the post. And he could shoot a mid range jumper. Like he wasn't even that fast, but his wingspan and his footwork helped him a lot to keep up with quicker SFs like Wilkins and Worthy. I remember when Pau Gasol got comparisons to Mchale. And naw, Mchale was just a better scorer and defender. But Gasol was a better passer.

[1987_Lakers]

Yup yup.

Imo, like you said, Jokic is a bigger Larry bird. Just less agile, less scoring. They both do crazy passes. Both do good touch passes and could pass from the top of the key or in the post. And their game is more similar than any other player that I seen in a Bird comparison. Bird played more off the ball tho while Jokic handles the ball a bit more even though he's a center, but Jokic also plays off the ball and doesn't need the ball to be effective. Bird could handle the ball too in a similar way Jokic could've. Both aren't crazy athletic, but they beat teams with their skills and IQ.

Kevin Mchale tho was pretty unstoppable. It's crazy how large his wingspan was which aided him a lot on both offense and defense. It's been a while since I watched the games, but the criticism of him is that he never pass. Which isn't completely true, if I can recall. But Mchale didn't really need to. He was a monster in the post. And he could shoot a mid range jumper. Like he wasn't even that fast, but his wingspan and his footwork helped him a lot to keep up with quicker SFs like Wilkins and Worthy. I remember when Pau Gasol got comparisons to Mchale. And naw, Mchale was just a better scorer and defender. But Gasol was a better passer.

Some people don't understand just how good a peak McHale was. In my eyes a peak McHale was better than Karl Malone, Malone just had the longevity.

[mr4speed]

Some people don't understand just how good a peak McHale was. In my eyes a peak McHale was better than Karl Malone, Malone just had the longevity.
Yeah, McHale for the 86-87 season finished with a 60% FG % and a 83.6% FT% while putting in 26.3 pts per game. Its a shame he broke his foot late in 87 and never fully recovered. What other forward ever shot 60 and 80 % for a season? Neither Duncan or Karl Malone did that during their entire careers! I feel like McHale could have continued like that for a few more seasons.

[Micku]

Some people don't understand just how good a peak McHale was. In my eyes a peak McHale was better than Karl Malone, Malone just had the longevity.

Peak Mchale reminds me of bubble AD. Not terms of style, because they play completely different. But in terms of ability. Like you pass it to Mchale, he'll give you a bucket. He is solid at the FT line. He is unguardable in the post and he could shoot a mid jumper.

He was probably their best defender. A very good rim protector and could guard the post and quick SFs.

I don't know how peak Mchale can carry a team tho. We'll never know. We saw post broken foot Mchale tho. But peak Mchale was a beast that can hang with the best PFs.


Yeah, McHale for the 86-87 season finished with a 60% FG % and a 83.6% FT% while putting in 26.3 pts per game. Its a shame he broke his foot late in 87 and never fully recovered. What other forward ever shot 60 and 80 % for a season? Neither Duncan or Karl Malone did that during their entire careers! I feel like McHale could have continued like that for a few more seasons.

There is only handful of guys who average 26+ppg and 60% period, let alone 80% from the FT line. Add to that with his defense? Mchale was a beast.

[Im Still Ballin]

Some people don't understand just how good a peak McHale was. In my eyes a peak McHale was better than Karl Malone, Malone just had the longevity.

I agree. He was one of the rarest talents ever. He was an elite two-way star who could've easily been the man on his own team.

The more I watch of him the more I realize the Celtics benefited from him more than he benefited from the Celtics. He was routinely double and triple-teamed on offense; on defense he was the primary shot-blocker who anchored the defense. Even though he was listed as a PF, he routinely guarded the centers like Kareem and Hakeem.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMqPW3WjtIA&ab_channel=KentBlazemore

[L.Kizzle]

McHale problem is he has no longevity or individual accolades. It's like you had to witness him.
I've even made a thread stating if he was so great where are his accolades?
Not trying to derail the thread just responding to the McHale talk

[Airupthere]

Damn. Got to commend the OP for creating a read-worthy thread. :applause:

[StrongLurk]

Nice job OP.

[1987_Lakers]

McHale problem is he has no longevity or individual accolades. It's like you had to witness him.
I've even made a thread stating if he was so great where are his accolades?
Not trying to derail the thread just responding to the McHale talk

Still upset he got voted ahead of Hayes? :lol

[3ba11]

. Because of the illegal defense rules, post-up play was ideal.





^^^ False

in ANY game where threes aren't used, post-uo play (close range 2's) will be optimal

The only reasons post-ups went away is because better options started to be used (threes)

If we limited teams to less than 5 threes a game like the 80's, post-ups would return as the primary strategy

[ArbitraryWater]

This is a classy thread OP

Very classy

[L.Kizzle]

Still upset he got voted ahead of Hayes? :lol
Lol oh no.

[Thenameless]

McHale was a nightmare for us Laker fans. Magic and Bird sort of offset each other. McHale was always a headache for us. It was exacerbated by the fact that we were kind of weak at power forward.

And yes, at their best, he was better than Karl Malone. The torture chamber was a thing.