1987 CelticsDeath of Len Bias.
Walton and Wedman, two main pieces of their championship team the season prior, barely play.
Sweep Jordan in the first round.
Win in 7 games vs the Bucks in the ECSF.
Win in 7 games vs the Pistons in the ECF. A series that included Parish dropping Laimbeer, Bird throwing a ball at Laimbeer, and Bird steals the ball.
After Game 7 vs Detroit is when Rodman and Thomas said Bird was overrated because he was white. This caused a ton of controversy and media attention, that led up to a news conference involving both Bird and Thomas just prior to the finals.
Lose in 6 games vs the Lakers, which were one of the greatest teams ever. That was were Magic hit the hook in game 4. McHale played with a fractured foot, Parish was dealing with a badly sprained ankle, Ainge had a deep thigh bruise, and I believe Bird's back with tightening up.
We even had the Home of the Brave video made, which is basically unprecedented for a team that didn't win a title. Great team, but it was even greater was watching that team continue to fight round after round despite all the injuries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVPluuKfuLQ