1986β87 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | October 31, 1986 β April 19, 1987 April 23 β May 30, 1987 (Playoffs) June 2β14, 1987 (Finals) |
Number of teams | 23 |
TV partner(s) | CBS, TBS |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Brad Daugherty |
Picked by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Los Angeles Lakers |
Season MVP | Magic Johnson ( L.A. Lakers) |
Top scorer | Michael Jordan ( Chicago) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
Eastern runners-up | Detroit Pistons |
Western champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
Western runners-up | Seattle SuperSonics |
Finals | |
Champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
Runners-up | Boston Celtics |
Finals MVP | Magic Johnson ( L.A. Lakers) |
The 1986β87 NBA season was the 41st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their fourth championship of the decade, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
Offseason | ||
---|---|---|
Team | 1985β86 coach | 1986β87 coach |
San Antonio Spurs | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Bob Weiss |
Portland Trail Blazers | Jack Ramsay | Mike Schuler |
Chicago Bulls | Stan Albeck | Doug Collins |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Gene Littles | Lenny Wilkens |
Indiana Pacers | George Irvine | Jack Ramsay |
Golden State Warriors | Johnny Bach | George Karl |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
New York Knicks | Hubie Brown | Bob Hill |
Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod | Dick Van Arsdale |
Sacramento Kings | Phil Johnson | Jerry Reynolds |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | β | 39β2 | 20β21 | 15β9 |
x- Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 | 28β13 | 17β24 | 12β12 |
x- Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 | 27β14 | 15β26 | 13β11 |
New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 19β22 | 5β36 | 12β12 |
New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 18β23 | 6β35 | 8β16 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | β | 35β6 | 22β19 | 17β13 |
x- Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5 | 32β9 | 20β21 | 17β13 |
x- Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7 | 32β9 | 18β23 | 17β13 |
x- Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16 | 28β13 | 13β28 | 13β16 |
x- Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 17 | 29β12 | 11β30 | 17β12 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26 | 25β16 | 6β35 | 8β22 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Dallas Mavericks | 55 | 27 | .671 | β | 35β6 | 20β21 | 19β11 |
x- Utah Jazz | 44 | 38 | .537 | 11 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 19β11 |
x- Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 13 | 25β16 | 17β24 | 19β11 |
x- Denver Nuggets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 18 | 27β14 | 10β31 | 14β16 |
Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 26 | 20β21 | 9β32 | 10β20 |
San Antonio Spurs | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 | 21β20 | 7β34 | 9β21 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | β | 37β4 | 28β13 | 24β6 |
x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 | 34β7 | 15β26 | 17β13 |
x- Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 | 25β16 | 17β24 | 17β13 |
x- Seattle SuperSonics | 39 | 43 | .476 | 26 | 25β16 | 14β27 | 15β15 |
Phoenix Suns | 36 | 46 | .439 | 29 | 26β15 | 10β31 | 14β16 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 12 | 70 | .146 | 53 | 9β32 | 3β38 | 3β27 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | c- Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | β |
2 | y- Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2 |
3 | x- Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7 |
4 | x- Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 |
5 | x- Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 |
6 | x- Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 |
7 | x- Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 18 |
8 | x- Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 |
9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 |
10 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
11 | New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | β |
2 | y- Dallas Mavericks | 55 | 27 | .671 | 10 |
3 | x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 |
4 | x- Utah Jazz | 44 | 38 | .537 | 21 |
5 | x- Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 |
6 | x- Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 |
7 | x- Seattle SuperSonics | 39 | 43 | .476 | 26 |
8 | x- Denver Nuggets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 28 |
9 | Phoenix Suns | 36 | 46 | .439 | 29 |
10 | Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 36 |
11 | San Antonio Spurs | 28 | 54 | .341 | 37 |
12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 12 | 70 | .146 | 53 |
Notes
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Atlanta* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Atlanta* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Denver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Golden State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Golden State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Houston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Dallas* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 3 |
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 37.1 |
Rebounds per game | Charles Barkley | Philadelphia 76ers | 14.6 |
Assists per game | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 12.2 |
Steals per game | Alvin Robertson | San Antonio Spurs | 3.21 |
Blocks per game | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 4.06 |
FG% | Kevin McHale | Boston Celtics | .604 |
FT% | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | .910 |
3FG% | Kiki Vandeweghe | Portland Trail Blazers | .481 |
|
|
|
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.
Week | Player |
---|---|
October 31 β November 9 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
November 10 β November 16 | Robert Parish ( Boston Celtics) |
November 17 β November 23 | Alvin Robertson ( San Antonio Spurs) |
November 24 β November 30 | Hot Rod Williams ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
December 1 β December 7 | Tom Chambers ( Seattle SuperSonics) |
December 8 β December 14 | Dominique Wilkins ( Atlanta Hawks) |
December 15 β December 21 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
December 22 β December 28 | Patrick Ewing ( New York Knicks) |
December 29 β January 4 | Larry Bird ( Boston Celtics) |
January 5 β January 11 | Isiah Thomas ( Detroit Pistons) |
January 12 β January 19 | Otis Thorpe ( Sacramento Kings) |
January 20 β January 26 | Alex English ( Denver Nuggets) |
January 27 β February 1 | Fat Lever ( Denver Nuggets) |
February 2 β February 15 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
February 16 β February 22 | Moses Malone ( Washington Bullets) |
February 23 β March 1 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
March 2 β March 8 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
March 9 β March 15 | Karl Malone ( Utah Jazz) |
March 16 β March 22 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
March 23 β March 29 | Larry Smith ( Golden State Warriors) |
March 30 β April 5 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
April 6 β April 12 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
April 13 β April 15 | Julius Erving ( Philadelphia 76ers) |
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.
Month | Player |
---|---|
November | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
December | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
January | Charles Barkley ( Philadelphia 76ers) |
February | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
March | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.
Month | Rookie |
---|---|
November | Chuck Person ( Indiana Pacers) |
December | Ron Harper ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
January | Ron Harper ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
February | Chuck Person ( Indiana Pacers) |
March | Brad Daugherty ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.
Month | Coach |
---|---|
November | Pat Riley ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
December | Frank Layden ( Utah Jazz) |
January | Bill Fitch ( Houston Rockets) |
February | Mike Schuler ( Portland Trail Blazers) |
March | George Karl ( Golden State Warriors) |
1986β87 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | October 31, 1986 β April 19, 1987 April 23 β May 30, 1987 (Playoffs) June 2β14, 1987 (Finals) |
Number of teams | 23 |
TV partner(s) | CBS, TBS |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Brad Daugherty |
Picked by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Los Angeles Lakers |
Season MVP | Magic Johnson ( L.A. Lakers) |
Top scorer | Michael Jordan ( Chicago) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
Eastern runners-up | Detroit Pistons |
Western champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
Western runners-up | Seattle SuperSonics |
Finals | |
Champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
Runners-up | Boston Celtics |
Finals MVP | Magic Johnson ( L.A. Lakers) |
The 1986β87 NBA season was the 41st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their fourth championship of the decade, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
Offseason | ||
---|---|---|
Team | 1985β86 coach | 1986β87 coach |
San Antonio Spurs | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Bob Weiss |
Portland Trail Blazers | Jack Ramsay | Mike Schuler |
Chicago Bulls | Stan Albeck | Doug Collins |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Gene Littles | Lenny Wilkens |
Indiana Pacers | George Irvine | Jack Ramsay |
Golden State Warriors | Johnny Bach | George Karl |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
New York Knicks | Hubie Brown | Bob Hill |
Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod | Dick Van Arsdale |
Sacramento Kings | Phil Johnson | Jerry Reynolds |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | β | 39β2 | 20β21 | 15β9 |
x- Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 | 28β13 | 17β24 | 12β12 |
x- Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 | 27β14 | 15β26 | 13β11 |
New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 19β22 | 5β36 | 12β12 |
New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 18β23 | 6β35 | 8β16 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | β | 35β6 | 22β19 | 17β13 |
x- Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5 | 32β9 | 20β21 | 17β13 |
x- Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7 | 32β9 | 18β23 | 17β13 |
x- Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16 | 28β13 | 13β28 | 13β16 |
x- Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 17 | 29β12 | 11β30 | 17β12 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26 | 25β16 | 6β35 | 8β22 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Dallas Mavericks | 55 | 27 | .671 | β | 35β6 | 20β21 | 19β11 |
x- Utah Jazz | 44 | 38 | .537 | 11 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 19β11 |
x- Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 13 | 25β16 | 17β24 | 19β11 |
x- Denver Nuggets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 18 | 27β14 | 10β31 | 14β16 |
Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 26 | 20β21 | 9β32 | 10β20 |
San Antonio Spurs | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 | 21β20 | 7β34 | 9β21 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | β | 37β4 | 28β13 | 24β6 |
x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 | 34β7 | 15β26 | 17β13 |
x- Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 | 25β16 | 17β24 | 17β13 |
x- Seattle SuperSonics | 39 | 43 | .476 | 26 | 25β16 | 14β27 | 15β15 |
Phoenix Suns | 36 | 46 | .439 | 29 | 26β15 | 10β31 | 14β16 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 12 | 70 | .146 | 53 | 9β32 | 3β38 | 3β27 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | c- Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | β |
2 | y- Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2 |
3 | x- Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7 |
4 | x- Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 |
5 | x- Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 |
6 | x- Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 |
7 | x- Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 18 |
8 | x- Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 |
9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 |
10 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
11 | New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | 17 | .793 | β |
2 | y- Dallas Mavericks | 55 | 27 | .671 | 10 |
3 | x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16 |
4 | x- Utah Jazz | 44 | 38 | .537 | 21 |
5 | x- Golden State Warriors | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 |
6 | x- Houston Rockets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23 |
7 | x- Seattle SuperSonics | 39 | 43 | .476 | 26 |
8 | x- Denver Nuggets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 28 |
9 | Phoenix Suns | 36 | 46 | .439 | 29 |
10 | Sacramento Kings | 29 | 53 | .354 | 36 |
11 | San Antonio Spurs | 28 | 54 | .341 | 37 |
12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 12 | 70 | .146 | 53 |
Notes
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Atlanta* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Atlanta* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Boston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Denver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Golden State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Golden State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Houston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Dallas* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Seattle | 3 |
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 37.1 |
Rebounds per game | Charles Barkley | Philadelphia 76ers | 14.6 |
Assists per game | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 12.2 |
Steals per game | Alvin Robertson | San Antonio Spurs | 3.21 |
Blocks per game | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 4.06 |
FG% | Kevin McHale | Boston Celtics | .604 |
FT% | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | .910 |
3FG% | Kiki Vandeweghe | Portland Trail Blazers | .481 |
|
|
|
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.
Week | Player |
---|---|
October 31 β November 9 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
November 10 β November 16 | Robert Parish ( Boston Celtics) |
November 17 β November 23 | Alvin Robertson ( San Antonio Spurs) |
November 24 β November 30 | Hot Rod Williams ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
December 1 β December 7 | Tom Chambers ( Seattle SuperSonics) |
December 8 β December 14 | Dominique Wilkins ( Atlanta Hawks) |
December 15 β December 21 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
December 22 β December 28 | Patrick Ewing ( New York Knicks) |
December 29 β January 4 | Larry Bird ( Boston Celtics) |
January 5 β January 11 | Isiah Thomas ( Detroit Pistons) |
January 12 β January 19 | Otis Thorpe ( Sacramento Kings) |
January 20 β January 26 | Alex English ( Denver Nuggets) |
January 27 β February 1 | Fat Lever ( Denver Nuggets) |
February 2 β February 15 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
February 16 β February 22 | Moses Malone ( Washington Bullets) |
February 23 β March 1 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
March 2 β March 8 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
March 9 β March 15 | Karl Malone ( Utah Jazz) |
March 16 β March 22 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
March 23 β March 29 | Larry Smith ( Golden State Warriors) |
March 30 β April 5 | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
April 6 β April 12 | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
April 13 β April 15 | Julius Erving ( Philadelphia 76ers) |
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.
Month | Player |
---|---|
November | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
December | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
January | Charles Barkley ( Philadelphia 76ers) |
February | Michael Jordan ( Chicago Bulls) |
March | Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.
Month | Rookie |
---|---|
November | Chuck Person ( Indiana Pacers) |
December | Ron Harper ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
January | Ron Harper ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
February | Chuck Person ( Indiana Pacers) |
March | Brad Daugherty ( Cleveland Cavaliers) |
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.
Month | Coach |
---|---|
November | Pat Riley ( Los Angeles Lakers) |
December | Frank Layden ( Utah Jazz) |
January | Bill Fitch ( Houston Rockets) |
February | Mike Schuler ( Portland Trail Blazers) |
March | George Karl ( Golden State Warriors) |