Boston owned the No. 2 pick in the 1986 NBA Draft and took forward Len Bias, a promising young player from Maryland. Two days later Bias died from a cocaine overdose. The selection of Bias had been designed to rejuvenate an aging Celtics lineup. Injuries to key bench players forced Coach K. C. Jones to rely almost exclusively on his starters in 1986-87. By the time the playoffs rolled around, the wear and tear was beginning to take its toll.
Larry Bird, however, provided one of the greatest moments in playoff history in the conference finals against Detroit. The Pistons had a one-point lead and possession of the ball with five seconds left in the pivotal Game 5 at Boston Garden. Bird stole an inbounds pass from Isiah Thomas and fed Dennis Johnson for a layup and a shocking victory. Detroit won Game 6, but the Celtics prevailed in Game 7, 117-114, to advance.
After surviving their duel with the Pistons, Boston faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the third time in four seasons. The Lakers' "Showtime" offense was firing on all cylinders, however, and Los Angeles took the series in six games.
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