1987–88 Boston Celtics season

The 1987–88 NBA season was the 42nd season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. The Celtics had the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Reggie Lewis out of Northeastern University.^[1][2][3]

1987–88 Boston Celtics season
Division champions
Head coach	K. C. Jones
General manager	Jan Volk
Owners	Don Gaston Alan N. Cohen Paul Dupee
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	57–25 (.695)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Eastern Conference finals (lost to Pistons 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	SportsChannel New England (Mike Gorman, Tom Heinsohn) WLVI, WTXX, WTIC-TV (Gil Santos, Bob Cousy)
Radio	WEEI, WTIC Radio (Johnny Most, Glenn Ordway)
< 1986–87 1988–89 >

Coming from an NBA Finals defeat to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, the Celtics won their first six games of the regular season, then later on posted a 7-game winning streak in January, and held a 32–13 record at the All-Star break.^[4] At mid-season, the team traded Jerry Sichting to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jim Paxson.^[5][6][7] The Celtics posted an 8-game winning streak between March and April, but then lost four of their final six games of the season afterwards, winning the Atlantic Division title with a 57–25 record, and earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference.^[8]

Larry Bird averaged 29.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, contributed 98 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Kevin McHale averaged 22.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, led the league with .604 in field-goal percentage, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and Danny Ainge provided the team with 15.7 points, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and also led them with 148 three-point field goals. In addition, Robert Parish provided with 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while Dennis Johnson contributed 12.6 points and 7.8 assists per game. Off the bench, Paxson contributed 8.7 points per game in 28 games with the Celtics after the trade, while Fred Roberts provided with 6.1 points per game, and Mark Acres averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.^[9]

During the NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, Illinois, Bird, McHale and Ainge were all selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game,^[10][11][12] and Bird won the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the third consecutive year.^[13][11][14] Bird also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting behind Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls,^[15][16] and head coach K.C. Jones finished tied in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[16]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in four games.^[17] In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team trailed 3–2 to Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, but won the final two games, thus winning the series in seven games.^[18] The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive year, becoming the first team to do so since the 1968–69 Boston Celtics (which reached the previous thirteen). However, they would lose to Isiah Thomas, and the 2nd-seeded Detroit Pistons in six games; this was the first time since the 1982–83 season that the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals.^[19] The Pistons would reach the Finals for the first time, but would lose in seven games to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.^[20][21][22]

Following the season, Roberts was left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Miami Heat expansion team, who then traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks.^[23][24][25]

Draft picks

Main article: 1987 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	22	Reggie Lewis	SF	United States	Northeastern
2	45	Brad Lohaus	C/PF	United States	Iowa
4	70	Tom Sheehey		United States	Virginia
4	91	Darryl Kennedy		United States	Oklahoma
5	114	David Butler		United States	California
6	137	Tim Naegeli		United States	Wisconsin–Stevens Point
7	160	Jerry Corcoran		United States	Northeastern

Roster

1987–88 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From C 42 Mark Acres 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1962–11–15 Oral Roberts G 44 Danny Ainge 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU F 33 Larry Bird 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State C 53 Artis Gilmore 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1949–09–21 Jacksonville G 3 Dennis Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954–09–18 Pepperdine G/F 35 Reggie Lewis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–11–21 Northeastern F/C 54 Brad Lohaus 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–09–29 Iowa F/C 32 Kevin McHale 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota G 11 Dirk Minniefield 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961–01–17 Kentucky C 00 Robert Parish 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary G 4 Jim Paxson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1957–07–09 Dayton C 5 Bill Walton (IN) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1952–11–05 UCLA F 31 Fred Roberts 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1960–08–10 BYU

Head coach K. C. Jones Assistant(s) Ed Badger Chris Ford Jimmy Rodgers Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Roster Notes

• Center Bill Walton was on the injured reserve list due to a right foot injury, and missed the entire regular season.

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	57	25	.695	–	36–5	21–20	19–5
x-Washington Bullets	38	44	.463	19	25–16	13–28	13–11
x-New York Knicks	38	44	.463	19	29–12	9–32	10–14
Philadelphia 76ers	36	46	.439	21	27–14	9–32	12–12
New Jersey Nets	19	63	.232	38	16–25	3–38	6–18

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Boston Celtics	57	25	.695	–
2	y-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	3
3	x-Chicago Bulls	50	32	.610	7
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	7
5	x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	15
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	15
7	x-Washington Bullets	38	44	.463	19
8	x-New York Knicks	38	44	.463	19
9	Indiana Pacers	38	44	.463	19
10	Philadelphia 76ers	36	46	.439	21
11	New Jersey Nets	19	63	.232	38

Record vs. opponents

1987-88 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	2–4	2–3	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–0	3–3	6–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–3
Boston	4–2	–	3–3	2–3	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–0	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–1	5–1	4–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	5–1
Chicago	3–2	3–3	–	3–3	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	2–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–1	5–1	3–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Cleveland	1–5	3–2	3–3	–	1–1	1–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	5–1	2–4	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	6–0
Dallas	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	–	3–3	1–1	4–1	4–2	2–0	5–0	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–0	3–2	5–1	5–1	3–2	3–3	1–1
Denver	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–3	–	1–1	4–1	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–2	2–3	4–2	5–1	4–1	2–4	2–0
Detroit	4–2	3–3	4–2	5–1	1–1	1–1	–	2–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	4–2	5–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2
Golden State	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–4	1–4	0–2	–	0–5	0–2	3–3	0–6	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–5	2–3	3–2	1–5	1–4	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–1	5–0	–	2–0	3–2	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–4	3–2	3–3	2–0
Indiana	2–4	0–5	3–3	2–4	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	–	1–1	1–1	3–3	6–0	2–3	2–4	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	0–5	1–1	3–3	2–3	1–1	–	1–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	0–6	3–2	0–5	1–5	1–4	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–3	2–0	6–0	4–1	1–1	5–1	–	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	3–3	4–1	5–0	4–2	4–1	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	1–5	4–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	–	3–2	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	0–6	2–0	0–2	2–3	–	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–6
New York	3–3	1–5	2–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	3–3	–	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Philadelphia	0–6	2–4	2–4	2–3	1–1	0–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	0–2	4–2	4–2	3–3	–	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	2–3	0–2	4–2	1–4	0–2	4–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	–	0–6	3–2	2–3	2–4	2–3	0–2
Portland	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	1–1	5–1	1–4	2–0	6–0	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	6–0	–	4–1	5–0	3–3	1–4	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–4	0–2	3–2	2–4	0–2	2–3	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	–	3–3	1–4	1–5	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	1–5	1–1	2–3	4–2	0–2	5–0	0–5	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–5	3–3	–	3–2	3–3	0–2
Seattle	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–4	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	3–3	4–1	2–3	–	1–4	2–0
Utah	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–3	4–2	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	4–1	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	4–1	5–1	3–3	4–1	–	2–0
Washington	3–3	1–5	3–3	0–6	1–1	0–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–4	6–0	3–3	3–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

Regular season

1987–88 game log Total: 57–25 (home: 36–5; Away: 21–20)
November: 10–4 (home: 6–1; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 6, 1987 8:00 p.m. EST Milwaukee W 125–108 Bird (28) Bird (15) Bird, Johnson (8) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 November 7, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST @ Washington W 140–139 (2 OT) Bird (47) Parish (13) Johnson (17) Capital Centre 19,643 2–0 3 November 9, 1987 @ New York W 96–87 Madison Square Garden 3–0 4 November 11, 1987 Indiana W 120–106 Boston Garden 4–0 5 November 13, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Cleveland W 128–114 Bird (34) Parish (16) Johnson (13) Boston Garden 14,890 5–0 6 November 15, 1987 @ Indiana W 103–98 Market Square Arena 6–0 7 November 17, 1987 8:00 p.m. EST @ Cleveland L 88–109 Johnson (16) Acres (8) Bird (4) Richfield Coliseum 14,621 6–1 8 November 18, 1987 New York W 111–109 (2OT) Boston Garden 7–1 9 November 20, 1987 @ Philadelphia L 85–116 The Spectrum 7–2 10 November 21, 1987 @ New Jersey W 107–97 Brendan Byrne Arena 8–2 11 November 23, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Chicago (at Hartford, Connecticut) L 102–107 Johnson (23) Lohaus, Parish (9) Johnson (7) Hartford Civic Center 15,134 8–3 12 November 25, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Atlanta W 117–102 Daye (26) Parish (13) Ainge (10) Boston Garden 14,890 9–3 13 November 27, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Seattle W 117–112 Daye (27) Bird (10) Bird (9) Boston Garden 14,890 10–3 14 November 28, 1987 9:00 p.m. EST @ Milwaukee L 97–112 Bird (28) Parish (13) Johnson (9) MECCA Arena 11,052 10–4
December: 7–5 (home: 3–2; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 15 December 1, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST @ Atlanta L 106–120 McHale (22) Bird, Lohaus (8) Johnson (8) The Omni 16,451 10–5 16 December 2, 1987 New Jersey W 130–99 Boston Garden 11–5 17 December 4, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST @ Detroit L 105–128 Bird (27) Parish (11) Johnson (6) Pontiac Silverdome 34,523 11–6 18 December 9, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Denver L 119–124 Bird (40) Parish (14) Johnson (15) Boston Garden 14,890 11–7 19 December 11 8:00 p.m. EST L.A. Lakers L 114–115 Bird (35) Bird, Parish (9) Bird (8) Boston Garden 14,890 11–8 20 December 15, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST @ Washington W 122–102 Bird (27) McHale (8) Johnson (8) Capital Centre 15,890 12–8 21 December 16, 1987 7:30 p.m. EST Utah W 121–111 Bird (38) Parish (14) Johnson (11) Boston Garden 14,890 13–8 22 December 20, 1987 Philadelphia W 124–87 Boston Garden 14–8 23 December 22, 1987 @ Philadelphia W 118–115 The Spectrum 15–8 24 December 26, 1987 @ L.A. Clippers W 106–97 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 16–8 25 December 27, 1987 @ Sacramento W 114–102 ARCO Arena 17–8 26 December 30, 1987 10:30 p.m. EST @ Seattle L 105–111 Bird (36) Bird (15) Bird (8) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,850 17–9
January: 14–3 (home: 9–0; road: 5–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 27 January 2, 1988 @ Golden State W 115–110 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 18–9 28 January 4, 1988 9:30 p.m. EST @ Utah W 107–99 Bird (28) Parish (10) Johnson (12) Salt Palace 12,212 19–9 29 January 6, 1988 New York W 117–108 Boston Garden 20–9 30 January 8, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST Washington W 125–109 Bird (35) Bird (11) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 21–9 31 January 9, 1988 @ New York L 98–106 Madison Square Garden 21–10 32 January 12, 1988 8:00 p.m. EST @ Chicago W 104–97 Bird (38) Parish (16) Ainge, Minniefield (9) Chicago Stadium 18,676 22–10 33 January 13, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST Detroit W 143–105 McHale (31) Bird, McHale (7) Bird (13) Boston Garden 14,890 23–10 34 January 15, 1988 Sacramento W 122–86 Boston Garden 24–10 35 January 16, 1988 @ New Jersey W 103–96 Brendan Byrne Arena 25–10 36 January 18, 1988 Golden State W 121–101 Boston Garden 26–10 37 January 20, 1988 Phoenix W 131–115 Boston Garden 27–10 38 January 22, 1988 8:00 p.m. EST Atlanta W 124–106 Bird (25) Parish (12) Ainge (11) Boston Garden 14,890 28–10 39 January 23, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST @ Cleveland L 100–119 Bird (32) McHale (17) Johnson (5) Richfield Coliseum 20,900 28–11 40 January 26, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST @ Atlanta W 102–97 McHale (21) Parish (14) Ainge (10) The Omni 16,451 29–11 41 January 27, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST Washington W 106–100 Bird (49) Parish (12) Ainge (13) Boston Garden 14,890 30–11 42 January 29, 1988 8:00 p.m. EST @ Detroit L 108–125 Bird (25) Bird (11) Bird (8) Pontiac Silverdome 61,983 30–12 43 January 31, 1988 Philadelphia W 100–85 Boston Garden 31–12
February: 9–5 (home: 5–0; road: 4–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 3, 1988 Indiana W 118–103 Boston Garden 32–12 45 February 4, 1988 8:30 p.m. EST @ Milwaukee L 101–111 McHale (25) Bird (12) Johnson (6) MECCA Arena 11,052 32–13 All-Star Break 46 February 9, 1988 @ Houston L 120–129 The Summit 32–14 47 February 10, 1988 @ San Antonio W 139–120 HemisFair Arena 33–14 48 February 12, 1988 8:30 p.m. EST @ Dallas W 105–104 Bird (39) McHale, Parish (15) Johnson (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 34–14 49 February 14 3:30 p.m. EST @ L.A. Lakers L 106–115 Bird (25) Bird (17) Johnson (10) The Forum 17,505 34–15 50 February 15, 1988 @ Phoenix W 107–106 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 35–15 51 February 17, 1988 9:30 p.m. EST @ Denver L 125–138 McHale (33) McHale (11) Minniefield (6) McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 35–16 52 February 19, 1988 @ Portland W 124–104 Memorial Coliseum 36–16 53 February 22, 1988 New York W 95–93 Hartford Civic Center 37–16 54 February 24, 1988 Portland W 113–112 Boston Garden 38–16 55 February 26, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST Milwaukee W 132–96 Bird (32) McHale (8) Bird, Johnson (8) Boston Garden 14,890 39–16 56 February 28, 1988 12 Noon EST @ Detroit L 101–106 McHale (33) McHale (11) Bird (9) Pontiac Silverdome 37,462 39–17
March: 11–4 (home: 8–2; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 57 March 1, 1988 8:00 p.m. EST @ Milwaukee L 116–117 Bird (31) Bird, McHale (7) Ainge (10) MECCA Arena 11,052 39–18 58 March 2, 1988 New Jersey L 107–117 Boston Garden 39–19 59 March 4, 1988 L.A. Clippers W 121–90 Boston Garden 40–19 60 March 6, 1988 1:00 p.m. EST Cleveland W 127–98 Bird (31) McHale (8) Ainge, Johnson (6) Boston Garden 14,890 41–19 61 March 9, 1988 San Antonio W 117–116 Boston Garden 42–19 62 March 11, 1988 Indiana W 122–112 Hartford Civic Center 43–19 63 March 13, 1988 12 Noon EST Atlanta W 117–100 Bird (28) Acres (11) Johnson (9) Boston Garden 14,890 44–19 64 March 15, 1988 @ Indiana W 119–113 Market Square Arena 45–19 65 March 18, 1988 8:30 p.m. EST @ Chicago L 103–113 McHale (33) Bird, McHale (10) Ainge (9) Chicago Stadium 18,676 45–20 66 March 20, 1988 1:00 p.m. EST Chicago W 137–107 Bird (33) McHale (10) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 46–20 67 March 23, 1988 7:30 p.m. EST Washington W 104–89 Bird (37) Bird (14) Bird (8) Boston Garden 14,890 47–20 68 March 25, 1988 Philadelphia L 93–97 Boston Garden 47–21 69 March 26, 1988 @ New York W 118–106 Madison Square Garden 48–21 70 March 28, 1988 @ New Jersey W 106–105 Brendan Byrne Arena 49–21 71 March 30, 1988 Houston W 117–110 Boston Garden 50–21
April: 7–4 (home: 6–0; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 1, 1988 8:00 p.m. EST Detroit W 121–110 Bird (32) Bird, McHale (11) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 51–21 73 April 3, 1988 1:00 p.m. EDT Dallas W 110–101 Bird (32) McHale (7) McHale (10) Boston Garden 14,890 52–21 74 April 8, 1988 New Jersey W 127–90 Boston Garden 53–21 75 April 10, 1988 @ Philadelphia W 117–108 The Spectrum 54–21 76 April 13, 1988 7:30 p.m. EDT Milwaukee W 123–104 Bird (26) Bird McHale (10) Bird (10) Boston Garden 14,890 55–21 77 April 15, 1988 7:30 p.m. EDT @ Cleveland L 109–120 Bird (30) Parish (9) Bird (8) Richfield Coliseum 20,149 55–22 78 April 17, 1988 3:30 p.m. EDT @ Washington L 92–98 Bird (23) Bird (7) Ainge (9) Capital Centre 18,643 55–23 79 April 19, 1988 7:30 p.m. EDT Detroit W 121–110 McHale (33) Parish (12) Bird (9) Boston Garden 14,890 56–23 80 April 21, 1988 7:30 p.m. EDT Chicago W 126–119 Bird (44) Bird, Parish (10) Johson (15) Boston Garden 14,890 57–23 81 April 22, 1988 7:30 p.m. EDT @ Atlanta L 106–133 Ainge (25) Parish (7) Ainge, Johnson, ,Parish, Roberts (4) The Omni 16,451 57–24 82 April 24, 1988 3:30 p.m. EDT @ Chicago L 108–115 Ainge (20) Acres (9) Ainge (11) Chicago Stadium 18,636 57–25
1987–88 schedule

Playoffs

1988 playoff game log
First round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 29 New York W 112–92 McHale, Bird (29) Robert Parish (13) Dennis Johnson (9) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 May 1 New York W 128–102 Larry Bird (36) Kevin McHale (12) Dennis Johnson (9) Boston Garden 14,890 2–0 3 May 4 @ New York L 100–109 Kevin McHale (24) Robert Parish (11) Larry Bird (12) Madison Square Garden 19,591 2–1 4 May 6 @ New York W 102–94 Larry Bird (28) Robert Parish (12) Dennis Johnson (12) Madison Square Garden 19,591 3–1
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 11, 1988 8:30 p.m. EDT Atlanta W 110–101 Bird (38) Parish (14) Ainge (12) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 May 13, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT Atlanta W 108–97 McHale (32) Parish (14) Johnson (9) Boston Garden 14,890 2–0 3 May 15, 1988 1:00 p.m. EDT @ Atlanta L 92–110 Bird (22) Parish (13) Bird (8) The Omni 16,451 2–1 4 May 16, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT @ Atlanta L 109–118 Bird (30) McHale (12) Johnson (10) The Omni 16,451 2–2 5 May 18, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT Atlanta L 104–112 Parish (24) Parish (13) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 2–3 6 May 20, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT @ Atlanta W 102–100 McHale (26) Bird (11) Ainge (14) The Omni 16,451 3–3 7 May 22, 1988 1:00 p.m. EDT Atlanta W 118–116 Bird (34) McHale (13) Ainge (10) Boston Garden 14,890 4–3
Eastern Conference Finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 25, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT Detroit L 96–104 McHale (31) Parish (13) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 0–1 2 May 26, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT Detroit W 119–115 (2OT) Parish (26) Bird (12) Johnson (10) Boston Garden 14,890 1–1 3 May 28, 1988 3:30 p.m. EDT @ Detroit L 94–98 McHale (32) Bird (11) Bird (8) Pontiac Silverdome 26,481 1–2 4 May 30, 1988 3:00 p.m. EDT @ Detroit W 79–78 Bird (20) Bird (10) Bird, Johnson (6) Pontiac Silverdome 26,625 2–2 5 June 1, 1988 8:00 p.m. EDT Detroit L 96–102 (OT) Bird (27) Bird (17) Johnson (8) Boston Garden 14,890 2–3 6 June 3, 1988 9:00 p.m. EST @ Detroit L 90–95 McHale (33) Bird (14) Johnson (9) Pontiac Silverdome 38,912 2–4
1988 schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Playoffs

The Celtics would end up losing to the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals, as an aging Celtics team was beginning to falter against a younger and fresher Pistons team led by Isiah Thomas. This also marked that franchise's "Bad Boy" era, noted for the team's penchant for fighting and rough, physical play. This would be the first time in five years that the Celtics would not make it to the finals and would not return to another finals until 2008.

Awards and records

• Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team
• Kevin McHale, NBA All-Defensive First Team

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