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The 2011–12 Boston Celtics season was the 66th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with a 39–27 won-loss record, which was the 4th best in the East, winning their 21st Atlantic Division title. Their longest winning and losing streaks were 5 games. The leading scorer was Paul Pierce, averaging 19.4 PPG. The leading rebounder was Kevin Garnett (8.2 RPG). Rajon Rondo led the team and the league in assists per-game with 11.7. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 66 due to the lockout. The Celtics made a relatively deep playoff run, where they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the First Round, and the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the Semifinals, eventually challenging the Miami Heat for the third consecutive season (the team who defeated them in last season's Semifinals), in the Eastern Conference finals. They ultimately lost the series in seven games to the eventual NBA champion.

Following the season, Ray Allen departed via free agency for the eventual champion Miami Heat, effectively ending the Big 3 era in Boston. During his 2 years as a Heat, Allen would help them win a second-straight title the following year over the San Antonio Spurs in seven games, and appear again in the 2014 Finals against the same Spurs team.

It was also the NBA's first time without Shaquille O'Neal since 1991–92, as he retired in May 2011 and played his final season as a Celtic.

Key dates

• June 23: The 2011 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
• December 25: The regular season begins with a matchup against the New York Knicks in a rematch from the previous season's playoffs.
• April 18: The Celtics secure the Atlantic Division title in a 102–98 win against the Orlando Magic.
• April 29: The 2012 NBA Playoffs started.
• May 10: The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, defeating the Atlanta Hawks.
• May 25: The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers
• June 9: The Celtics were defeated by the Miami Heat and were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Club Team
1	27	JaJuan Johnson (traded from the New Jersey Nets)	PF	United States	Purdue
2	55	E'Twaun Moore	SG	United States	Purdue

Roster

Roster notes

• Forward Jeff Green missed the entire season due to recovery from a heart surgery.

Pre-season

Game log

Regular season

Standings

Game log

Playoffs

Game log

Player statistics

Season

• Statistics with the Boston Celtics.

Awards, records and milestones

• Paul Pierce was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice (January 30 – February 5 and March 26 – April 1).
• Kevin Garnett was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (April 9 – 15).
• Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo participated in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. It was their 10th and 3rd appearance respectively.
• On March 22 Paul Pierce surpassed Clyde Drexler on the All-time scoring leaders table in a 100–91 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Injuries and suspensions

• Jeff Green was not available for the 2011–12 season due to recovery from a heart surgery.
• Chris Wilcox was out for the season in March with a cardiac irregularity.
• Jermaine O'Neal was out for the season on March to have surgery on his left wrist.
• Rajon Rondo earned a two-game suspension for throwing the ball to a referee during a game against the Detroit Pistons on February 19 and was suspended for one game during the playoffs for bumping a referee on game 1 of the first round against the Atlanta Hawks.

Transactions

Overview

Trades

Free agents

Many players signed with teams from other leagues due to the 2011 NBA lockout. FIBA allows players under NBA contracts to sign and play for teams from other leagues if the contracts have opt-out clauses that allow the players to return to the NBA if the lockout ends. The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.

See also

• 2011–12 NBA season
• Uncut Gems, a 2019 film by the Safdie brothers starring Adam Sandler, set around the 2012 conference semi-finals; features Kevin Garnett as himself, with archival footage of Games 5–7.

References

1. "Report: NBA draft moving to Newark". ESPN.com. October 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
2. Boston Celtics clinch NBA Atlantic division title, Yahoo! News. April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
3. Celtics' Pierce, Spurs' Parker named Players of the Week Archived December 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. February 6, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
4. C's Pierce, Clippers' Paul named Players of the Week Archived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. April 2, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
5. Celtics' Garnett and Lakers' Bynum named Players of the Week Archived April 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. April 16, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
6. Boston–Milwaukee Game recap, Celtics.com. March 22, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
7. Celtics F Jeff Green to miss season after surgery, USA Today. December 17, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
8. Forsberg, Chris. "Boston Celtics' Chris Wilcox out for season with cardiac irregularity". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
9. Celtics' O'Neal plans season-ending wrist surgery Archived March 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. March 19, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
10. Rajon Rondo suspended two games, ESPN.com. February 22, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
11. Rajon Rondo suspended for bumping referee, Yahoo! Sports. April 30, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
12. "FIBA: NBA stars can play overseas". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 30, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
13. Xiaochen (August 21, 2011). "New rule shuts door on NBA stars". China Daily. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011.
14. "CSKA puts veteran Krstic at center". Euroleague.net. Euroleague. June 22, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
15. Forsberg, Chris (July 28, 2011). "E'Twaun Moore signs Italian deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
16. "Colpo grosso di Cremona, preso anche Wafer" [Big Shot in Cremona, Also Took Wafer]. CorriereDelloSport.it (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
17. "Hapoel Jerusalem nabs Bradley". EurocupBasketball.com. Euroleague. October 5, 2011. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

• Boston Celtics seasons
• 2011–12 NBA season by team
• 2011 in sports in Massachusetts
• 2012 in sports in Massachusetts
• 2011 in Boston
• 2012 in Boston