The 1985–86 Houston Rockets season saw the Rockets lose the 1986 NBA Finals to the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics in six games.
In the playoffs, the Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings in three games in the First Round, then defeated the Denver Nuggets in six games in the Semifinals, before dethroning the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the conference finals after Ralph Sampson hit a 20-foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum to reach the NBA Finals.
In the NBA Finals, the Rockets faced off against the heavily favored[1] Boston Celtics in a rematch of the 1981 NBA Finals, where the Celtics won in six games.
Just like in their previous NBA Finals meeting, the Rockets would lose in six games against the Celtics.