Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin McHale On The Mentality Of The Dominant 67-Win 1986 Celtics Team: "We're Better Than You, And We'll Show You We're Better Than You"

Originally posted on Fadeaway World | By Divij Kulkarni | Last updated 1/11/23

The 1986 Boston Celtics won 67 games and were one of the best groups in NBA history. Kevin McHale explained what it was that made them as good as they were.

The Boston Celtics are a franchise defined by success, they are basketball's original dynasty. In the 60s, the Celtics ran the show, racking up over 10 NBA titles before most teams even have 1 to call their own. Their dominance in terms of winning championships waned a bit as time went on but in the 80s, they won 3 titles in 5 years.

Between 1981 and 1986, the Celtics had an incredibly stacked team, led by none other than the legendary Larry Bird. He was assisted ably by other stars like Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, both of whom are legends in their own right. And McHale knew exactly how good the team was at that time, so much so that he was confident they could get better of an explosive young Michael Jordan in 1986.

Kevin McHale On How The 1986 Boston Celtics Dominated

In 1986, the Boston Celtics were so ready to win it all, they went through the Eastern Conference playoffs dropping just 1 game. The Bulls, Hawks, and Bucks barely even registered on their radar and they eventually beat the Houston Rockets in 6 in the Finals. And Kevin McHale explained on NBC Sports what the team was thinking throughout this legendary season.

“We still had some scars from ’83 when we lost to Milwaukee. We took it out on people. It’s hard to describe that to people. I don’t think it was arrogance. It’s just, we’re better than you, and we’ll show we’re better than you.

“There was never a doubt in my mind at all. There was a joyousness about that team and how we played and how we got together. Having Danny and DJ and Bill and Robert and Larry and all these guys. Nothing was too big for that team.

“Whatever you put in front of us, we were going to find a way to get it done. It helped developed such a strong bond. We went out and we partied a lot.”

The Boston Celtics have won just 1 championship since that title in 1986, and that was in 2008. So the franchise is a little starved for a win, and the expectations from this season's group are quite high. They look like the best team in the league this season though, so if they can channel whatever these Celtics had harnessed, then they might just get the same result as well.