The Boston Celtics were so much better than the Chicago Bulls in 1986 that Kevin McHale didn't even care about bringing extra clothes before elimination games.
The Boston Celtics were one of the powerhouses in the 80s, winning several championships while starring in big battles against the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons.
Moreover, they had to face a young player that was already showing flashes of greatness, but his youth and the team he had behind him didn't help him win many games or playoff series.
Michael Jordan was basically the entire Chicago Bulls team during his first 3 or 4 years there. He had the difficult task to go against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoff, and it's not a secret that MJ only could do so much to help his team against the 3-headed monster he had in front of him.
Kevin McHale Was So Confident The Celtics Would Beat Michael Jordan In 1986 That He Didn't Even Bring A Change Of Clothes
They were so much superior to the Bulls that Kevin McHale only brought a set of clothes for their trip to Chicago. That's how confident he was in the Celtics and how great they were compared to the Bulls and almost everybody in the Eastern Conference at the time.
In the end, McHale was right, as the Celtics beat the Bulls 122-108 in Game 3 of the first round of the 1986 NBA playoffs. MJ only scored 19 points that game, which was understandable after he set a record that's yet to be broken in the past game.
Jordan dropped 63 on the Celtics in Game 2 of that series, setting a record that remains unbeaten after all these years. That performance was so incredible that even Larry Bird compared Jordan to God after he went off on his Celtics.
Unfortunately, His Airness couldn't do much against the Boston Celtics, who were just unstoppable in front of him. A couple of years later, he would overcome the competition in the East and lead the Chicago Bulls to dominate the NBA in the 90s, winning six titles shared in two three-peats.
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