2008–09 Boston Celtics season explained

Team:	Boston Celtics
Divisionwin:	yes
End Year:	2009
Wins:	62
Losses:	20
Division:	Atlantic
Division Place:	1
Conf Place:	2
Coach:	Doc Rivers
Gm:	Danny Ainge
President:	Danny Ainge
Owners:	Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C.
Arena:	TD Banknorth Garden
Playoffs:	Conference Semifinals (lost to Magic 3–4)
Bbr Team:	BOS
Television:	CSN New England
Radio:	WEEI

The 2008–09 Boston Celtics season was the 63rd season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They started the season as the defending NBA champions, where they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, winning their seventeenth NBA championship, as well as marking their ninth series victory over the Lakers in the NBA Finals. 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. However, the Celtics lost seven out of the following nine games, and eventually finished with a 62–20 record. The Celtics had the fifth best team offensive rating in the NBA.^[2]

The team's star power forward Kevin Garnett suffered a season-ending injury in February.^[3] Despite not having Garnett, they defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round in seven games, However, they lost to the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals in seven games, eliminating them from the playoffs. The Magic would go on to the NBA Finals, their second NBA Finals appearance, only to lose to last year's Finals runner-up, the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

Until 2024, this was the last time that the Celtics won 60 or more games.

Key dates

• June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City.
• July 1: The free agency period started.
• October 8: The pre-season started with a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
• October 28: The regular season started with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which Boston won 90–85.
• December 11: Recorded the best season start in franchise history, starting at 21–2.^[4]
• December 23: Recorded the longest winning streak in franchise history at 19, and the best season start in NBA history with 27–2.

Summary

NBA Draft 2008

See 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. 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.^[5] 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,^[6] but suffered the third knee injury in his career during a workout at the Golden State Warriors facility on June 15.^[7] However, he remained in the draft despite the injury,^[8] and was expected to have minor surgery in July that would keep him out for three to four weeks.^{[9] [10]} 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.

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,^[11] who, in a widely anticipated move,^[12] opted out of the second and final year of his contract with the Celtics on June 30,^[13] but stated that he wanted to return to the Celtics on a new contract.^[12] P.J. Brown, who made key contributions during the 2008 NBA Playoffs, was leaning towards retirement,^[14] 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.^[11] Later it was revealed that the Celtics did not extend a qualifying offer to Allen, making him an unrestricted free agent.^[15] 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.^[16]

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.^[17] On July 11, the Celtics addressed their need for a backup center by signing Patrick O'Bryant to a 2-year, $3 million contract,^[18] after he had an impressive workout with the team a week earlier,^[19] and consequently ruled out the return of Scot Pollard and P.J. Brown.^[18] 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.^{[20] [21]} Compensating for the loss of Posey,^[22] 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.^[23]

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,^[24] to a non-guaranteed contract,^[25] and expected him to fight for a roster spot at training camp.^[26] He worked out twice with the team and impressed with his health and attitude,^[26] 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.^{[27] [28]} 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.^[29] On October 20, Miles was waived, a move which finalized the roster for the start of the season.^[30] On February 27, Stephon Marbury signed with the Celtics. In the following season he was offered a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum for $1.3 million but declined the contract.^[31]

Draft picks

See main article: 2008 NBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Team
1	30	J. R. Giddens	SG		New Mexico
2	60	Semih Erden	C		Fenerbahçe Ülker

Regular season

Record vs. opponents

2008-09 NBA Records
width=100	Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOH	NYK	OKC	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	TOR	UTA	WAS
	—	0–4	3–1	3–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	3–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–2	2–0	1–3	1–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–1	1–1	4–0
Boston	4–0	—	2–1	2–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	3–0
	1–3	1–2	—	2–1	0–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–0	3–1
	0–3	1–2	1–2	—	1–3	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	2–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–0	3–1
	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	—	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–0	2–0	2–2
	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	—	0–4	2–0	2–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	0–3	2–2	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–0
	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	4–0	—	0–2	2–1	1–3	1–1	4–0	1–3	3–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–2	2–2	3–1	2–1	2–0	2–2	2–0
	0–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–3	0–2	2–0	–	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	3–0	1–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	3–0	0–2	3–1
	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–2	0–2	—	0–4	1–1	3–1	0–4	0–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–1	2–2	0–4	1–1	2–2	1–1
	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	—	0–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	0–2	2–1	2–1	3–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	1–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–1
	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	—	0–4	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	0–3	2–0	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–3	1–1
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	—	4–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	3–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–1	2–0	2–1	2–0
	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–3	1–1	3–0	2–2	1–1	2–1	0–4	—	1–1	1–1	0–3	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	0–4	1–1	0–4	2–0
	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–1	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–2	2–0	4–0
Milwaukee	1–3	1–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–2	—	0–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–3	0–3	0–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	3–0
	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	1–1	2–1	0—4	3—0	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–2
	3–1	0–4	2–1	1–3	0–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–1	—	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–2
	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–0	3–0	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	—	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	0–3	2–0
	2–1	1–3	2–2	1–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–0	—	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–3	0–2	1–3	0–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	–	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–3	2–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–1
	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	0–3	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	–	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	4–0
	2–1	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–0	1–1	0–4	0–2	4–0	1–1	0—3	–	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	4–0
	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–1	2–0	3–1	1–2	1–1	4–0	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	–	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	2–2	2–0
	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–3	2–2	2–0	1–2	1–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	0–2	2—2	–	3–0	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–0
	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	2–2	0–3	0–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–3	–	0–3	0–2	0–4	0–2
	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	1–2	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	4–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	3–0	–	1–1	3–0	2–0
	1–3	0–4	2–2	3–1	0–3	0–2	0–2	0–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–1	2–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	—	0–2	2–1
	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–2	1–2	4–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–0	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	0–3	2–0	—	1–1
Washington	0–4	0–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–3	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–2	1–1	—

Game log

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 1| October 28| Cleveland| | Paul Pierce (27)| Kendrick Perkins (8)| Rajon Rondo (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 1–0|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 2| October 31| Chicago| | Kevin Garnett (18)| Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins (10)| Rajon Rondo (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 2–0

|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 3| November 1| @ Indiana| | Kevin Garnett (18)| Kevin Garnett (14)| Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (4)| Conseco Fieldhouse
18,165| 2–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 4| November 4| @ Houston| | Ray Allen (29)| Kevin Garnett (11)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Toyota Center
18,291| 3–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 5| November 5| @ Oklahoma City| | Paul Pierce (20)| Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins (9)| Rajon Rondo (11)| Ford Center
19,136| 4–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 6| November 7| Milwaukee| | Paul Pierce (18)| Paul Pierce (10)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 5–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 7| November 9| @ Detroit| | Tony Allen (23)| Kevin Garnett (12)| Rajon Rondo (5)| The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076| 6–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 8| November 10| Toronto| | Paul Pierce (36)| Kevin Garnett (10)| Paul Pierce (4)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 7–1|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 9| November 12| Atlanta| | Paul Pierce (34)| Kevin Garnett (12)| Rajon Rondo (10)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 8–1|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 10| November 14| Denver| | Ray Allen (26)| Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins (9)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 8–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 11| November 15| @ Milwaukee| | Paul Pierce (28)| Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett (7)| Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (6)| Bradley Center
17,952| 9–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 12| November 18| New York| | Paul Pierce (22)| Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo (8)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 10–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 13| November 20| Detroit| | Rajon Rondo (18)| Kendrick Perkins (10)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 11–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 14| November 21| @ Minnesota| | Kevin Garnett (17)| Paul Pierce, Leon Powe (11)| Ray Allen (6)| Target Center
19,107| 12–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 15| November 23| @ Toronto| | Ray Allen (21)| Kendrick Perkins (8)| Kevin Garnett (5)| Air Canada Centre
19,800| 13–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 16| November 26| Golden State| | Ray Allen (25)| Kevin Garnett (13)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 14–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 17| November 28| Philadelphia| | Ray Allen (23)| Kendrick Perkins (7)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 15–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 18| November 29| @ Charlotte| | Paul Pierce (19)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (9)| Time Warner Cable Arena
19,177| 16–2

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 19| December 1| Orlando| | Paul Pierce (24)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 17–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 20| December 3| Indiana| | Ray Allen (31)| Kevin Garnett (14)| Rajon Rondo (17)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 18–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 21| December 5| Portland| | Ray Allen (19)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 19–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 22| December 7| @ Indiana| | Ray Allen (35)| Kevin Garnett (20)| Paul Pierce (8)| Conseco Fieldhouse
16,102| 20–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 23| December 11| @ Washington| | Ray Allen, Paul Pierce (22)| Kevin Garnett (12)| Paul Pierce (8)| Verizon Center
20,173| 21–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 24| December 12| New Orleans| | Paul Pierce (28)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Paul Pierce (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 22–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 25| December 15| Utah| | Rajon Rondo (25)| Kendrick Perkins (14)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 23–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 26| December 17| @ Atlanta| | Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce (18)| Kendrick Perkins (10)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Philips Arena
18,729| 24–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 27| December 19| Chicago| | Ray Allen (27)| Kendrick Perkins (8)| Rajon Rondo (15)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 25–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 28| December 21| New York| | Rajon Rondo (26)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Kevin Garnett (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 26–2|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 29| December 23| Philadelphia| | Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo (18)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Paul Pierce (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 27–2|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 30| December 25| @ L. A. Lakers| | Kevin Garnett (22)| Paul Pierce (10)| Rajon Rondo (12)| Staples Center
18,997| 27–3|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 31| December 26| @ Golden State| | Paul Pierce (21)| Rajon Rondo (10)| Rajon Rondo (9)| Oracle Arena
19,596| 27–4|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 32| December 28| @ Sacramento| | Kevin Garnett (21)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (6)| ARCO Arena
16,029| 28–4|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 33| December 30| @ Portland| | Paul Pierce (28)| Kevin Garnett (8)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Rose Garden
20,651| 28–5

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 34| January 2| Washington| | Paul Pierce (26)| Kendrick Perkins (10)| Rajon Rondo (14)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 29–5|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 35| January 4| @ New York| | Paul Pierce (31)| Kevin Garnett (9)| Paul Pierce (4)| Madison Square Garden
19,763| 29–6|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 36| January 6| @ Charlotte| | Paul Pierce (28)| Kevin Garnett (13)| Rajon Rondo (6)| Time Warner Cable Arena
17,112| 29–7|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 37| January 7| Houston| | Paul Pierce (26)| Kevin Garnett (8)| Ray Allen (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 29–8|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 38| January 9| @ Cleveland| | Kevin Garnett (18)| Kevin Garnett (15)| Rajon Rondo (13)| Quicken Loans Arena
20,562| 29–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 39| January 11| @ Toronto| | Ray Allen (36)| Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis (11)| Rajon Rondo (11)| Air Canada Centre
19,800| 30–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 40| January 12| Toronto| | Paul Pierce (39)| Kevin Garnett (12)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 31–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 41| January 14| New Jersey| | Paul Pierce (22)| Kevin Garnett (9)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 32–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 42| January 17| @ New Jersey| | Ray Allen (25)| Kevin Garnett (10)| Rajon Rondo (14)| Izod Center
17,578| 33–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 43| January 19| Phoenix| | Rajon Rondo (23)| Glen Davis (9)| Paul Pierce (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 34–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 44| January 21| @ Miami| | Ray Allen (27)| Kevin Garnett (13)| Rajon Rondo (10)| American Airlines Arena
19,600| 35–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 45| January 22| @ Orlando| | Paul Pierce (27)| Paul Pierce (10)| Paul Pierce (4)| Amway Arena
17,461| 36–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 46| January 25| Dallas| | Eddie House, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett (23)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Rajon Rondo (14)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 37–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 47| January 28| Sacramento| | Eddie House (28)| Tony Allen, Kevin Garnett (8)| Rajon Rondo (9)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 38–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 48| January 30| @ Detroit| | Kevin Garnett (22)| Kevin Garnett (9)| Rajon Rondo (12)| The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076| 39–9

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 49| February 1| Minnesota| | Paul Pierce (36)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 40–9|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 50| February 3| @ Philadelphia| | Paul Pierce (29)| Glen Davis (11)| Rajon Rondo (8)| Wachovia Center
16,831| 41–9|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 51| February 5| L. A. Lakers| | Ray Allen (22)| Kendrick Perkins (9)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 41–10|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 52| February 6| @ New York| | Paul Pierce (26)| Kevin Garnett (11)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Madison Square Garden
19,763| 42–10|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 53| February 8| San Antonio| | Kevin Garnett (26)| Kevin Garnett (12)| Rajon Rondo (16)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 42–11|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 54| February 11| @ New Orleans| | Paul Pierce (30)| Kevin Garnett (10)| Rajon Rondo (11)| New Orleans Arena
18,080| 43–11|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 55| February 12| @ Dallas| | Paul Pierce (31)| Rajon Rondo (15)| Rajon Rondo (14)| American Airlines Center
20,285| 44–11|- align="center"| colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;" | All-Star Break|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 56| February 19| @ Utah| | Paul Pierce (20)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Rajon Rondo (7)| EnergySolutions Arena
19,911| 44–12|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 57| February 22| @ Phoenix| | Rajon Rondo (32)| Eddie House, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe (6)| Rajon Rondo (10)| US Airways Center
18,422| 45–12|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 58| February 23| @ Denver| | Ray Allen (26)| Rajon Rondo (8)| Rajon Rondo (8)| Pepsi Center
19,784| 46–12|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 59| February 25| @ L. A. Clippers| | Paul Pierce (20)| Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe (9)| Ray Allen (6)| Staples Center
18,609| 46–13|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 60| February 27| Indiana| | Ray Allen (30)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Rajon Rondo (17)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 47–13

|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 61| March 1| Detroit| | Paul Pierce (26)| Glen Davis, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins (6)| Rajon Rondo (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 47–14|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 62| March 4| @ New Jersey| | Paul Pierce (31)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (5)| Izod Center
15,791| 48–14|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 63| March 6| Cleveland| | Paul Pierce (29)| Leon Powe (11)| Rajon Rondo (10)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 49–14|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 64| March 8| Orlando| | Ray Allen (32)| Ray Allen (9)| Paul Pierce (3)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 49–15|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 65| March 11| @ Miami| | Ray Allen (27)| Leon Powe (13)| Stephon Marbury (4)| American Airlines Arena
19,600| 49–16|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 66| March 13| Memphis| | Leon Powe (30)| Leon Powe (11)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 50–16|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 67| March 15| @ Milwaukee| | Kendrick Perkins (26)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (8)| Bradley Center
18,134| 50–17|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 68| March 17| @ Chicago| | Paul Pierce (37)| Kendrick Perkins, Mikki Moore (10)| Rajon Rondo (10)| United Center
22,107| 50–18|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 69| March 18| Miami| | Paul Pierce (36)| Paul Pierce (11)| Rajon Rondo (10)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 51–18|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 70| March 20| @ San Antonio| | Ray Allen (19)| Paul Pierce (12)| Rajon Rondo (12)| AT&T Center
18,797| 52–18|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 71| March 21| @ Memphis| | Glen Davis (24)| Rajon Rondo (7)| Rajon Rondo (10)| FedExForum
18,119| 53–18|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 72| March 23| L. A. Clippers| | Ray Allen (20)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 54–18|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 73| March 25| @ Orlando| | Paul Pierce (26)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo (5)| Amway Arena
17,461| 54–19|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 74| March 27| @ Atlanta| | Ray Allen (22)| Glen Davis (12)| Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (5)| Philips Arena
20,054| 55–19|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 75| March 29| Oklahoma City| | Paul Pierce (27)| Mikki Moore (11)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 56–19

|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 76| April 1| Charlotte| | Paul Pierce (32)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (9)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 57–19|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 77| April 3| Atlanta| | Paul Pierce (21)| Kendrick Perkins (10)| Rajon Rondo (6)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 58–19|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 78| April 8| New Jersey| | Rajon Rondo (31)| Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Mikki Moore (9)| Rajon Rondo, Stephon Marbury (5)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 59–19|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 79| April 10| Miami| | Paul Pierce (28)| Rajon Rondo (10)| Rajon Rondo (12)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 60–19|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 80| April 12| @ Cleveland| | Paul Pierce (14)| Kendrick Perkins (6)| Rajon Rondo (6)| Quicken Loans Arena
20,562| 60–20|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 81| April 14| @ Philadelphia| | Paul Pierce (31)| Kendrick Perkins (12)| Tony Allen, Stephon Marbury (5)| Wachovia Center
17,752| 61–20|- bgcolor="#bbffbb"| 82| April 15| Washington| | Glen Davis (21)| Leon Powe (13)| Stephon Marbury (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 62–20

Playoffs

Game log

|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 1| April 18| Chicago| | Rajon Rondo (29)| Rajon Rondo (9)| Rajon Rondo (7)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 0–1|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 2| April 20| Chicago| | Ray Allen (30)| Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins (12)| Rajon Rondo (16)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 1–1|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 3| April 23| @ Chicago| | Paul Pierce (24)| Rajon Rondo (11)| Glen Davis, Stephon Marbury (6)| United Center
23,072| 2–1|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 4| April 26| @ Chicago| | Paul Pierce (29)| Glen Davis (12)| Rajon Rondo (11)| United Center
23,067| 2–2|- bgcolor="ccffcc"| 5| April 28| Chicago| | Rajon Rondo (28)| Kendrick Perkins (19)| Rajon Rondo (16)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 3–2|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 6| April 30| @ Chicago| | Ray Allen (51)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Rajon Rondo (19)| United Center
23,430| 3–3|- bgcolor="ccffcc"| 7| May 2| Chicago| | Ray Allen (23)| Kendrick Perkins (13)| Rajon Rondo (11)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 4–3

|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 1| May 4| Orlando| | Paul Pierce (23)| Kendrick Perkins (16)| Rajon Rondo (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 0–1|- bgcolor="ccffcc"| 2| May 6| Orlando| | Eddie House (31)| Rajon Rondo (11)| Rajon Rondo (18)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 1–1|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 3| May 8| @ Orlando| | Paul Pierce (27)| Kendrick Perkins (7)| Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (6)| Amway Arena
17,461| 1–2|- bgcolor="ccffcc"| 4| May 10| @ Orlando| | Paul Pierce (27)| Rajon Rondo (14)| Ray Allen (4)| Amway Arena
17,461| 2–2|- bgcolor="ccffcc"| 5| May 12| Orlando| | Glen Davis (22)| Kendrick Perkins (11)| Paul Pierce (8)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 3–2|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 6| May 14| @ Orlando| | Rajon Rondo (19)| Rajon Rondo (16)| Rajon Rondo (6)| Amway Arena
17,461| 3–3|- bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 7| May 17| Orlando| | Ray Allen (23)| Kendrick Perkins (15)| Rajon Rondo (10)| TD Banknorth Garden
18,624| 3–4

Player statistics

Regular season

|-| | 79 || 79 || 36.4 || .480 || .409 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | .952 || 3.5 || 2.8 || 0.87 || 0.16 || 18.2|-| | 46 || 2 || 19.3 || .482 || .222 || .725 || 2.3 || 1.4 || 1.17 || 0.50 || 7.8|-| | 76 || 16 || 21.5 || .442 || .400 || .730 || 4.0 || 0.9 || 0.70 || 0.25 || 7.0|-| | 57 || 57 || 31.1 || .531 || .250 || .841 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 8.5 || 2.5 || 1.11 || 1.19 || 15.8|-| | 6 || 0 || 1.3 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | .667 || .000 || .000 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.17 || 0.00 || 0.7|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 81 || 0 || 18.3 || .445 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | .444 || .792 || 1.9 || 1.1 || 0.75 || 0.09 || 8.5|-| | 23 || 4 || 18.0 || .342 || .240 || .462 || 1.2 || 3.3 || 0.43 || 0.13 || 3.8|-| | 24 || 0 || 19.0 || .600 || .000 || .737 || 4.4 || 1.0 || 0.17 || 0.21 || 4.8|-| | 26 || 0 || 4.2 || .516 || .000 || .667 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.12 || 0.31 || 1.5|-| | 76 || 76 || 29.6 || .577 || .000 || .600 || 8.1 || 1.3 || 0.29 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.97 || 8.5|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 81 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 81 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 37.5 || .457 || .391 || .830 || 5.6 || 3.6 || 0.99 || 0.33 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 20.5|-| | 70 || 7 || 17.5 || .524 || .000 || .689 || 4.9 || 0.7 || 0.34 || 0.54 || 7.7|-| | 47 || 0 || 7.8 || .307 || .292 || .810 || 0.9 || 0.8 || 0.32 || 0.06 || 2.0|-| | 80 || 80 || 33.0 || .505 || .313 || .642 || 5.2 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 8.2 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.86 || 0.14 || 11.9|-| | 39 || 8 || 12.9 || .421 || .393 || .889 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.18 || 0.26 || 3.5|-| | 29 || 0 || 7.4 || .621 || .000 || .696 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.21 || 0.07 || 3.0|}*Statistics with the Boston Celtics

Playoffs

|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 40.4 || .403 || .350 || .948 || 3.9 || 2.6 || 1.07 || 0.36 || 18.3|-| | 10 || 0 || 6.0 || .500 || .000 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.000 || 0.9 || 0.3 || 0.20 || 0.00 || 0.9|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 36.4 || .491 || .000 || .710 || 5.6 || 1.8 || 1.29 || 0.57 || 15.8|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 0 || 16.6 || .519 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | .486 || .909 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 0.79 || 0.00 || 7.7|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 0 || 11.9 || .303 || .250 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.000 || 0.9 || 1.8 || 0.07 || 0.00 || 3.7|-| | 10 || 0 || 6.6 || .500 || .000 || .833 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 0.20 || 0.50 || 1.5|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 36.6 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | .575 || .000 || .667 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 11.6 || 1.4 || 0.43 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 2.64 || 11.9|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || 39.7 || .430 || .333 || .842 || 5.8 || 3.1 || 1.07 || 0.36 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 21.0|-| | 2 || 0 || 12.0 || .429 || .000 || .667 || 4.5 || 0.0 || 0.00 || 0.00 || 5.0|-| | 4 || 0 || 2.8 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 0.00 || 0.25 || 0.0|-| | style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 14 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 41.2 || .417 || .250 || .657 || 9.7 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 9.8 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 2.50 || 0.21 || 16.9|-| | 12 || 0 || 20.5 || .423 || .448 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.000 || 2.2 || 1.0 || 0.17 || 0.42 || 5.1|-| | 4 || 0 || 2.5 || .000 || .000 || style="background:#efe196;color:#008040;" | 1.000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.50 || 0.00 || 0.5|}

Salaries

!Player!Salary

Kevin Garnett	$24,751,934
Ray Allen	$18,388,430
Paul Pierce	$18,077,903
Kendrick Perkins	$4,578,880
Brian Scalabrine	$3,206,897
Eddie House	$2,650,000
Tony Allen	$2,500,000
Rajon Rondo	$1,315,080
J.R. Giddens	$957,120
Leon Powe	$797,581
Glen Davis	$711,517
Gabe Pruitt	$711,517
Bill Walker	$542,114

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

Week/Month

• Head coach Doc Rivers was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in October and November.^{[32] [33]}

All-Star

• Ray Allen was selected to his 9th NBA All–Star Game
• Paul Pierce was selected to his 7th NBA All–Star Game
• Kevin Garnett was selected as a starter to his 12th NBA All–Star Game

Season

Records

• On February 22, Ray Allen broke the team record for consecutive free-throws made with 72, eclipsing the previous mark of 71 by Larry Bird.^[34]
• With 7 blocks against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 7, Kendrick Perkins had the most blocks in a game by a Celtics player since Kevin McHale had 8 on January 9, 1987.^[35]
• With 22 points in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors on November 10, Paul Pierce had the most points in a quarter by a Celtics player since Todd Day had 24 in 1995.^[36]
• Head coach Doc Rivers became the third coach in NBA history to win the Coach of the Month award for three straight months, joining Flip Saunders (2005–06) and Larry Brown (2002–03).^[33]
• Rajon Rondo had the first triple-double by a Celtics player since Paul Pierce accomplished it on February 2, 2005, in a win against the Indiana Pacers on December 3.^[37]
• With 19 straight wins, the Celtics recorded the longest winning streak in franchise history with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 23, breaking the previous record of 18 straight wins held by the Celtics, and matched the fourth longest winning streak in NBA history.^[38]
• With a 27–2 season start, the Celtics were off to the best opening in franchise history and NBA history.^[38]
• The Celtics matched their 6th biggest win in franchise history with a 108-63 blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings on December 28, 2008.^[39]
• The Celtics lost four games in a row for the first time since acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.^[40]
• The Celtics recorded the most points in overtime (22) in franchise history, breaking the previous record of 21 set on January 2, 1963 against the Golden State Warriors.^[41]

Milestones

• Kevin Garnett became the youngest player (32 years, 165 days) in NBA history to reach 1,000 career games by passing Shawn Kemp (33 years, 24 days) against the Chicago Bulls on October 31.^{[42] [43]}
• Paul Pierce moved up to 2nd in made free throws in Celtics history by passing Bob Cousy with a free-throw in the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors on November 10.^[35]
• Paul Pierce moved up to 4th on Boston's all-time scoring list by passing Kevin McHale with a layup in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers on December 7.^[44]
• Kevin Garnett moved up to 26th in points in NBA history by passing Walt Bellamy with a jumper in the first quarter against the Houston Rockets on January 7.^{[45] [46]}
• Kevin Garnett passed 21,000 points for his career with a field goal in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors on January 12.^[41] \
• Rajon Rondo completed his first career triple-double December 3, 2008 with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 17 assists. He followed up with his second career triple-double February 12, 2009 with 19 points, 15 rebounds (career high), and 14 assists.

Injuries and surgeries

• July 2: Kendrick Perkins underwent surgery on his left strained shoulder which he injured during the 2008 NBA Finals.^{[47] [48]}
• July 2: Bill Walker underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee which he suffered during a workout at the Golden State Warriors facility prior to the 2008 NBA draft on June 15, 2008.^{[7] [47] [48]}
• July 11: Paul Pierce had an MRI on his right knee which showed no significant problem. He suffered the injury during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, which was later diagnosed as a sprained MCL and a bone bruise.^[49]

Transactions

Free agents

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Patrick O'Bryant	July 16^[52]	Portland Trail Blazers
Tony Allen	July 23	Memphis Grizzlies
Eddie House	July 23	Los Angeles Clippers
Darius Miles	August 22	Indiana Pacers
Sam Cassell	September 29	Los Angeles Clippers
Mikki Moore	February 24	Phoenix Suns
Stephon Marbury	February 27	New York Knicks

Departures

Player	Left	New team
P.J. Brown	July 1	New Orleans Hornets
Scot Pollard	July 1	Detroit Pistons
James Posey	July 23	New Orleans Hornets
Darius Miles	October 20	Indiana Pacers
Sam Cassell	February 17	Los Angeles Clippers
Patrick O'Bryant	February 19	Portland Trail Blazers

External links

• 2008–09 Boston Celtics season at Basketball Reference

Notes and References

1. News: Celtics Make It 19 Straight. Lakers Await . . December 24, 2008 .
2. Web site: Offensive Rating. NBA.com. April 30, 2021.
3. Web site: Celtics vs. Jazz - Game Recap - February 19, 2009 - ESPN. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103110243/http://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=290219026. dead. January 3, 2019. ESPN.com. en. 2019-06-14.
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20081214185720/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281211027 Big 3 carry streaking Celtics to 13th straight win
5. Julian Benbow, Taking a shot with J.R., The Boston Globe, June 27, 2008.
6. Mark Murphy, Danny Ainge again busy late, Boston Herald, June 27, 2008.
7. Gary Parrish, K-State's Walker injures knee in draft workout, CBSSports.com, June 16, 2008.
8. https://www.espn.com/nba/draft2008/news/story?id=3446626 Walker stays in draft, despite knee; UCLA's Mbah a Moute, too
9. Marc J. Spears, Walker looking to trade in his run of bad luck, The Boston Globe, June 29, 2008.
10. Marc J. Spears, Walker to have surgery, The Boston Globe, July 1, 2008.
11. Steve Bulpett, Celts drafting offseason plan, Boston Herald, June 28, 2008.
12. Chris Forsberg, Posey to opt out today, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2008.
13. Marc J. Spears, Posey out; offer to Allen?, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2008.
14. Marc J. Spears, Ainge braces for free agency, The Boston Globe, June 25, 2008.
15. Marc J. Spears, Posey is Celtics' top target, The Boston Globe, July 1, 2008.
16. Marc J. Spears, Might 'The Birdman' cometh?, The Boston Globe, June 29, 2008.
17. Marc J. Spears, Posey officially on market, The Boston Globe, July 9, 2008.
18. Marc J. Spears, Celtics get their 'big', The Boston Globe, July 12, 2008.
19. Steve Bulpett, C's make big move, Boston Herald, July 12, 2008.
20. Marc J. Spears, Posey bolts Celtics for Hornets, The Boston Globe, July 17, 2008.
21. Marc Stein, Posey agrees to four-year deal with Hornets, ESPN.com, July 16, 2008.
22. Frank Dell'Apa, Allen will be ready to jump in, The Boston Globe, July 24, 2008.
23. Frank Dell'Apa, Celtics rebound, re-sign Allen, House, Boston Globe, July 22, 2008.
24. https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3549061 Miles, thought to have career-ending injury, signs with Celtics
25. Marc J. Spears, Celtics bring in Miles, The Boston Globe, August 22, 2008.
26. http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/2008_08_22_Celtics_sign_Darius_Miles/srvc=celt&position=1 Celtics sign Darius Miles
27. Ian Thomsen, A onetime phenom, Miles trying for unprecedented comeback, Sports Illustrated, July 17, 2008.
28. Marc Stein, Warriors want Williams, Miles wants in, Smith wants out, ESPN.com, July 19, 2008.
29. Frank Dell'Apa, Repeat performance would suit Cassell, The Boston Globe, September 30, 2008.
30. Gary Dzen, Celtics waive Miles, The Boston Globe, October 20, 2008.
31. Web site: Marbury rips Knicks, coach, says he'll sit out season. Berman. Marc. October 16, 2009. nypost.com.
32. http://www.nba.com/2008/news/12/01/octnovcoachofmonth/index.html Rivers, Jackson garner Coach of Month honors
33. http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/press120108-rivers-coach.html Rivers Named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month
34. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=442842&publicationSubCategoryId=200{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
35. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211180940/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281107002 Celtics start slow, rebound to coast by Bucks
36. Frank Dell'Apa, The Truth hurts, The Boston Globe, November 11, 2008.
37. https://archive.today/20120714220428/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281203002 Rondo's triple-double lifts Celts to 10th straight win
38. https://archive.today/20130103083443/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281223002 Celts now 27-2 after winning 19th straight game
39. https://archive.today/20120714091129/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281228023 Celts bounce back from back-to-back losses with rout
40. https://archive.today/20120714084448/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290109005 James dazzles on both ends to prolong Celts' struggles
41. https://archive.today/20130103072105/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290112002 Pierce, Celtics beat Raptors in overtime
42. https://archive.today/20120723025947/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281031002 Garnett becomes youngest to reach 1,000 games, leads Celtics past Bulls
43. Frank Dell'Apa, Rondo's deal is extended, The Boston Globe, November 1, 2008.
44. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211020042/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281207011 Allen's 35 helps Celts beat Pacers in OT, extend win streak
45. https://archive.today/20120719222400/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290107002 Wafer hits 3 to push Rockets past reeling Celtics
46. https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html Career Leaders and Records for Points
47. Mark Murphy, Celtics Notebook: Giddens goes home; no offer for Maggette; Perkins surgery, Boston Herald, July 2, 2008.
48. Monique Walker, Operation Green, The Boston Globe, July 3, 2008.
49. Steve Bulpett, Pierce's knee OK, Boston Herald, July 12, 2008.
50. News: KG to see doctor in Boston on Saturday. Boston.com.
51. Web site: Celtics Trade O'Bryant.
52. Web site: NBA.com: July 2008 Transactions . August 15, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090710010335/http://www.nba.com/transactions/jul2008_transactions.html . July 10, 2009 . dead .