Bill Walton was the missing piece for the Boston Celtics during the 1985-86 season. It did, however, get off to a rocky start.
The Celtics needed to bolster their bench and give Kevin McHale and Robert Parish some frontcourt help. With Larry Bird leading a stacked team, the Celtics didn’t have enough bench help the previous season and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals.
The Celtics brought in Walton, who died Monday, May 27, at age 71, via an offseason trade. He made all the difference in the world, spelling McHale and Parish and winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year honor. while that 85-86 season ended up with a Celtics championship, Walton’s first game with Boston had Bird losing his mind.
The Celtics won 67 games during the 1985-86 regular season, but they lost their season opener in overtime against the New Jersey Nets.
In that game, Walton’s first in Boston, Walton struggled mightily. He played 19 minutes off the bench and finished with four points, five fouls, and a team-leading seven turnovers. Walton, known for being long-winded, apologized to his teammates in the locker rook after the game. Walton harped on his performance before Bird had to cut him short.
I remember Larry taking off his shoes and Bill standing up and going, ‘I would like to apologize to everybody who ever put on a Boston Celtics uniform…’” McHale recalled in 2016, per NBC Sports.
“I remember Larry getting about halfway through his shoe, and he goes, ‘I sure as hell hope we play better because I can’t stand listening to that 81 more times.’ We all just started laughing.
Bill was so sincere, and Larry was like, ‘It’s just one game, man, but just don’t play like that again because I can’t stand to hear that speech every night.’”
Walton Was the Perfect Fit With Bird and the Celtics
Walton began his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers after they made him the top pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. He led the Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977, and he was also named MVP in 1978 before he missed three full seasons with foot injuries.
Walton played 14 games in four years before returning to play with the San Diego Clippers. After four lackluster seasons with the Clippers, he came to the Celtics in a trade involving Cedric Maxwell. The oft-injured Walton played 80 games in his first year with Boston and averaged 7.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes off the bench, playing a significant role in Boston’s championship
Injuries limited Walton to 10 regular-season games the following year, and the Celtics fell short in the 1987 NBA Finals.
That Celtics team was special. Some consider it the best NBA team ever. McHale said Walton’s first-game woes were an anomaly, and it just took thew team a few games to get used to playing with each other.
“I remember just laughing and going, man, what a bad game,” McHale recalled. “New group of guys. One of 82. It was just a bad game. We were a team that always found ways to win. The reason I remember that game is because we did everything we could to lose. With that team, it just took a little while for us to catch the right groove.”
