The 1987 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986–87 season.

The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

They reached the Western Conference Finals, where they were swept by the Lakers.

As of 2025, they are the most recent team with a sub-.500 record (39–43) to win a playoff series.

One of the most memorable moments of the playoffs occurred in the final moments of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals when, with Boston down 107–106, Isiah Thomas had his inbounds pass stolen by Larry Bird, who passed to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

The only dent in the Lakers' run to the Finals came in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Warriors, when Sleepy Floyd scored a playoff record 39 points in the second half, with a record 29 coming in the fourth quarter, to seal a 129–121 win.

This was last time a 7 seed went to the Western Conference Finals until 2023 when the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in 4 games.