2008–09 Boston Celtics season

2008–09 Boston Celtics season
Division Champions
Head coach Doc Rivers
General manager Danny Ainge
Owner(s) Wycliffe Grousbeck
Stephen Pagliuca
H. Irving Grousbeck
Arena TD Banknorth Garden
Results
Record 62–20 (.756)
Place Division: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish Lost East Semi-Finals to Magic 3-4

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television CSN New England
Radio WEEI

The 2008–09 Boston Celtics season was the 63rd season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA), starting out as the defending NBA champions. The Celtics started the season 27–2, which surpassed a mark set by the 1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers for the best two-loss start in NBA history.[1] This run also included a 19-game winning streak, which improved a Celtics franchise record set in 1981–82.[1] However, the Celtics lost seven out of the following nine games, and eventually finished with a 62–20 record.

They failed to defend their title as they lost Kevin Garnett to a season-ending injury. Without their All-Star, the Celtics were knocked out of the playoffs, losing to the Orlando Magic in the Conference Semifinals. The Magic would go on the NBA Finals, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

Key dates

Summary

NBA Draft 2008

Main article: 2008 NBA draft

On June 26, the Celtics selected shooting guard J. R. Giddens with the 30th and center Semih Erden with the 60th overall picks in the 2008 NBA draft, and traded cash considerations in exchange for small forward Bill Walker, who had been selected by the Washington Wizards with the 47th overall pick.[4] Giddens had worked out with the Celtics before the draft for three days, and received praises from head coach Doc Rivers, who thought he could fight for minutes on the team right away.[4] He was already familiar with future teammates Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins, who were his teammates at the 2003 McDonald's High School All-American Game. Walker was considered a lottery pick,[5] but suffered the third knee injury in his career during a workout at the Golden State Warriors facility on June 15.[6] However, he remained in the draft despite the injury,[7] and was expected to have minor surgery in July that would keep him out for three to four weeks.[8][9] Erden was not expected to join the roster this season, and was seen by general manager Danny Ainge as their first-round pick in 2009.[10]

Free agency

The Celtics headed into the off-season with several free agents and tried to gather a group to repeat as the NBA Champions, with a key decision on unrestricted free agent James Posey,[10] who, in a widely anticipated move,[11] opted out of the second and final year of his contract with the Celtics on June 30,[12] but stated that he wanted to return to the Celtics on a new contract.[11] P.J. Brown, who made key contributions during the 2008 NBA Playoffs, was leaning towards retirement,[13] and the status of restricted free agent Tony Allen remained uncertain after the first-round selection of J. R. Giddens, who was seen as a possible replacement.[10] Later it was revealed that the Celtics did not extend a qualifying offer to Allen, making him an unrestricted free agent.[14] The Celtics also hoped to keep unrestricted free agent Eddie House, and decisions were to be made on unrestricted free agents Sam Cassell and Scot Pollard.[15]

The Celtics were interested in small forward Corey Maggette as a replacement for James Posey, but Maggette signed with the Golden State Warriors on a much higher contract than the Celtics were able to offer, which added to the urgency to re-sign Posey.[16] On July 11, the Celtics addressed their need for a backup center by signing Patrick O'Bryant to a 2-year, $3 million contract,[17] after he had an impressive workout with the team a week earlier,[18] and consequently ruled out the return of Scot Pollard and P.J. Brown.[17] Eventually, James Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets on July 16, since the Celtics were reluctant to offer him more than a three-year deal at the mid-level exception.[19][20] Compensating for the loss of Posey,[21] the Celtics re-signed Tony Allen to a 2-year, $5 million contract, and were also able to re-sign Eddie House to a 2-year, $5.6 million contract, using the mid-level exception only on House.[22]

On August 22, the Celtics signed small forward Darius Miles, who was forced to sit out the previous two seasons due to microfracture surgery on his right knee and thought to have a career-ending injury,[23] to a non-guaranteed contract,[24] and expected him to fight for a roster spot at training camp.[25] He worked out twice with the team and impressed with his health and attitude,[25] but would sit out the first ten games of the regular season for violating the league's substance abuse policy if he made the roster.[26][27] This signing ultimately put the roster up to the league maximum of 15 players, of which 14 players had fully guaranteed contracts. On September 29, the first day of training camp, Sam Cassell re-signed with the team, which put the roster one player over the maximum.[28] On October 20, Miles was waived, a move which finalized the roster for the start of the season.[29]

Draft picks

Main article: 2008 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Team
1 30 J. R. Giddens SG  United States New Mexico
2 60 Semih Erden C  Turkey Fenerbahçe Ülker

Roster

Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G 20 United States Allen, Ray 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1975-07-20 Connecticut
G 42 United States Allen, Tony 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1982-01-11 Oklahoma State
F 11 United States Davis, Glen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 289 lb (131 kg) 1986-01-1 LSU
F/C 5 United States Garnett, Kevin  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1976-05-19 Farragut
G 4 United States Giddens, J. R. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1985-02-13 New Mexico
G 50 United States House, Eddie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1978-04-15 Arizona State
G 8 United States Marbury, Stephon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1977-02-20 Georgia Tech
C 7 United States Moore, Mikki 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1975-04-11 Nebraska
C 43 United States Perkins, Kendrick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1984-11-10 CJOHS
G/F 34 United States Pierce, Paul (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1977-10-13 Kansas
F 0 United States Powe, Leon  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984-01-22 UC Berkeley
G 13 United States Pruitt, Gabe 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1986-04-19 Southern California
G 9 United States Rondo, Rajon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 171 lb (78 kg) 1986-02-22 Kentucky
F 44 United States Scalabrine, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1978-03-18 Southern California
F 12 United States Walker, Bill 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1988-09-10 Kansas State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Standings

Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Boston Celtics 62 20 .756 — 35–6 27–14 15–1
x-Philadelphia 76ers 41 41 .500 21 24–17 17–24 6–10
New Jersey Nets 34 48 .415 28 19–22 15–26 8–8
Toronto Raptors 33 49 .402 29 18–23 15–26 6–10
New York Knicks 32 50 .390 30 20–21 12–29 5–11
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Cleveland Cavaliers 66 16 .805 —
2 y-Boston Celtics 62 20 .756 4
3 y-Orlando Magic 59 23 .720 7
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 47 35 .573 19
5 x-Miami Heat 43 39 .524 23
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers 41 41 .500 25
7 x-Chicago Bulls 41 41 .500 25
8 x-Detroit Pistons 39 43 .476 27
9 Indiana Pacers 36 46 .439 30
10 Charlotte Bobcats 35 47 .427 31
11 New Jersey Nets 34 48 .415 32
12 Milwaukee Bucks 34 48 .415 32
13 Toronto Raptors 33 49 .402 33
14 New York Knicks 32 50 .390 34
15 Washington Wizards 19 63 .232 47

Game log

2008–09 game log
Total: 62–20 (Home: 35–6; Road: 27–14)
October: 2–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–0)
November: 14–2 (Home: 7–1; Road: 7–1)
December: 12–3 (Home: 8–0; Road: 4–3)
January: 11–4 (Home: 6–1; Road: 5–3)
February: 8–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 6–2)
March: 9–6 (Home: 5–2; Road: 4–4)
April: 6–1 (Home: 5–0; Road: 1–1)
2008–09 season schedule

Playoffs

Game log

2009 playoff game log
First Round: 4–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 1–2)
Conference Semifinals : 3–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 1–2)
2009 playoff schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game Source: [30]

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ray Allen 79 79 36.4 .480 .409 .952 3.5 2.8 0.87 0.16 18.2
Tony Allen 46 2 19.3 .482 .222 .725 2.3 1.4 1.17 0.50 7.8
Glen Davis 76 16 21.5 .442 .400 .730 4.0 0.9 0.70 0.25 7.0
Kevin Garnett 57 57 31.1 .531 .250 .841 8.5 2.5 1.11 1.19 15.8
J. R. Giddens 6 0 1.3 .667 .000 .000 0.5 0.0 0.17 0.00 0.7
Eddie House 81 0 18.3 .445 .444 .792 1.9 1.1 0.75 0.09 8.5
Stephon Marbury 23 4 18.0 .342 .240 .462 1.2 3.3 0.43 0.13 3.8
Mikki Moore* 24 0 19.0 .600 .000 .737 4.4 1.0 0.17 0.21 4.8
Patrick O'Bryant* 26 0 4.2 .516 .000 .667 1.3 0.3 0.12 0.31 1.5
Kendrick Perkins 76 76 29.6 .577 .000 .600 8.1 1.3 0.29 1.97 8.5
Paul Pierce 81 81 37.5 .457 .391 .830 5.6 3.6 0.99 0.33 20.5
Leon Powe 70 7 17.5 .524 .000 .689 4.9 0.7 0.34 0.54 7.7
Gabe Pruitt 47 0 7.8 .307 .292 .810 0.9 0.8 0.32 0.06 2.0
Rajon Rondo 80 80 33.0 .505 .313 .642 5.2 8.2 1.86 0.14 11.9
Brian Scalabrine 39 8 12.9 .421 .393 .889 1.3 0.5 0.18 0.26 3.5
Bill Walker 29 0 7.4 .621 .000 .696 1.0 0.4 0.21 0.07 3.0

*Statistics with the Boston Celtics

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ray Allen 14 14 40.4 .403 .350 .948 3.9 2.6 1.07 0.36 18.3
Tony Allen 10 0 6.0 .500 .000 1.000 0.9 0.3 0.20 0.00 0.9
Glen Davis 14 14 36.4 .491 .000 .710 5.6 1.8 1.29 0.57 15.8
Eddie House 14 0 16.6 .519 .486 .909 1.4 0.9 0.79 0.00 7.7
Stephon Marbury 14 0 11.9 .303 .250 1.000 0.9 1.8 0.07 0.00 3.7
Mikki Moore 10 0 6.6 .500 .000 .833 1.5 0.4 0.20 0.50 1.5
Kendrick Perkins 14 14 36.6 .575 .000 .667 11.6 1.4 0.43 2.64 11.9
Paul Pierce 14 14 39.7 .430 .333 .842 5.8 3.1 1.07 0.36 21.0
Leon Powe 2 0 12.0 .429 .000 .667 4.5 0.0 0.00 0.00 5.0
Gabe Pruitt 4 0 2.8 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.5 0.00 0.25 0.0
Rajon Rondo 14 14 41.2 .417 .250 .657 9.7 9.8 2.50 0.21 16.9
Brian Scalabrine 12 0 20.5 .423 .448 1.000 2.2 1.0 0.17 0.42 5.1
Bill Walker 4 0 2.5 .000 .000 1.000 0.0 0.0 0.50 0.00 0.5

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

Week/Month

Records

Milestones

Injuries and surgeries

Transactions

Trades

June 26, 2008
 To Miami Heat
The 47th pick in the 2008 NBA draft (Bill Walker)		 To Washington Wizards
Cash considerations
February 17, 2009
To Boston Celtics
Conditional 2nd-round draft pick and cash considerations		 To Los Angeles Clippers
Sam Cassell[48]
February 19, 2009
To Boston Celtics
Conditional 2nd-round draft pick from Sacramento		 To Portland Trail Blazers
Patrick O'Bryant[49]

Free agents

References

  1. 1 2 "Celtics Make It 19 Straight. Lakers Await". New York Times. December 24, 2008.
  2. ↑ Big 3 carry streaking Celtics to 13th straight win, Associated Press, December 11, 2008
  3. 1 2 3 Celts now 27-2 after winning 19th straight game, Associated Press, December 23, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Julian Benbow, Taking a shot with J.R., The Boston Globe, June 27, 2008.
  5. ↑ Mark Murphy, Danny Ainge again busy late, Boston Herald, June 27, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Gary Parrish, K-State's Walker injures knee in draft workout, CBSSports.com, June 16, 2008.
  7. ↑ Walker stays in draft, despite knee; UCLA's Mbah a Moute, too, ESPN.com, June 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Walker looking to trade in his run of bad luck, The Boston Globe, June 29, 2008.
  9. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Walker to have surgery, The Boston Globe, July 1, 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 Steve Bulpett, Celts drafting offseason plan, Boston Herald, June 28, 2008.
  11. 1 2 Chris Forsberg, Posey to opt out today, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2008.
  12. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Posey out; offer to Allen?, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2008.
  13. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Ainge braces for free agency, The Boston Globe, June 25, 2008.
  14. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Posey is Celtics' top target, The Boston Globe, July 1, 2008.
  15. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Might 'The Birdman' cometh?, The Boston Globe, June 29, 2008.
  16. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Posey officially on market, The Boston Globe, July 9, 2008.
  17. 1 2 3 Marc J. Spears, Celtics get their 'big', The Boston Globe, July 12, 2008.
  18. ↑ Steve Bulpett, C's make big move, Boston Herald, July 12, 2008.
  19. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Posey bolts Celtics for Hornets, The Boston Globe, July 17, 2008.
  20. ↑ Marc Stein, Posey agrees to four-year deal with Hornets, ESPN.com, July 16, 2008.
  21. ↑ Frank Dell'Apa, Allen will be ready to jump in, The Boston Globe, July 24, 2008.
  22. 1 2 3 Frank Dell'Apa, Celtics rebound, re-sign Allen, House, Boston Globe, July 22, 2008.
  23. ↑ Miles, thought to have career-ending injury, signs with Celtics, ESPN.com, August 22, 2008.
  24. ↑ Marc J. Spears, Celtics bring in Miles, The Boston Globe, August 22, 2008.
  25. 1 2 3 Celtics sign Darius Miles, Boston Herald, August 22, 2008.
  26. ↑ Ian Thomsen, A onetime phenom, Miles trying for unprecedented comeback, Sports Illustrated, July 17, 2008.
  27. ↑ Marc Stein, Warriors want Williams, Miles wants in, Smith wants out, ESPN.com, July 19, 2008.
  28. 1 2 Frank Dell'Apa, Repeat performance would suit Cassell, The Boston Globe, September 30, 2008.
  29. ↑ Gary Dzen, Celtics waive Miles, The Boston Globe, October 20, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.
  31. ↑ Rivers, Jackson garner Coach of Month honors, NBA.com, December 1, 2008.
  32. 1 2 Rivers Named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, Celtics.com, December 1, 2008.
  33. ↑ http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=442842&publicationSubCategoryId=200
  34. 1 2 Celtics start slow, rebound to coast by Bucks, Associated Press, November 7, 2008.
  35. ↑ Frank Dell'Apa, The Truth hurts, The Boston Globe, November 11, 2008.
  36. ↑ Rondo's triple-double lifts Celts to 10th straight win, Associated Press, December 3, 2008.
  37. ↑ Celts bounce back from back-to-back losses with rout, Associated Press, December 28, 2008.
  38. ↑ James dazzles on both ends to prolong Celts' struggles, Associated Press, January 9, 2009.
  39. 1 2 Pierce, Celtics beat Raptors in overtime, Associated Press, January 12, 2009.
  40. ↑ Garnett becomes youngest to reach 1,000 games, leads Celtics past Bulls, Associated Press, October 31, 2008.
  41. ↑ Frank Dell'Apa, Rondo's deal is extended, The Boston Globe, November 1, 2008.
  42. ↑ Allen's 35 helps Celts beat Pacers in OT, extend win streak, Associated Press, December 7, 2008.
  43. ↑ Wafer hits 3 to push Rockets past reeling Celtics, Associated Press, January 7, 2009.
  44. ↑ Career Leaders and Records for Points, Basketball-Reference
  45. 1 2 Mark Murphy, Celtics Notebook: Giddens goes home; no offer for Maggette; Perkins surgery, Boston Herald, July 2, 2008.
  46. 1 2 Monique Walker, Operation Green, The Boston Globe, July 3, 2008.
  47. ↑ Steve Bulpett, Pierce's knee OK, Boston Herald, July 12, 2008.
  48. ↑ http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2009/02/ainge_confirms.html
  49. ↑ http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/press021909-obryant-trade.html
  50. 1 2 3 4 NBA.com: July 2008 Transactions

External links

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