2009–10 Boston Celtics season
The 2009–10 Boston Celtics season was the 64th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. The Celtics finished with a record of 50–32, a 12 win drop off from the previous season. They finished 1st in the Atlantic Division and 4th in the Eastern Conference.
In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the First Round, then defeated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Semifinals, and finally, defeated the Orlando Magic in six games in the Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the twenty-first time in franchise history.
The Celtics made it back to the NBA Finals after a one-year hiatus and played against the defending NBA champion and their rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. In a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, in which the Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games to capture their seventeenth championship, the Celtics were defeated this time by the Lakers in seven games.
Key dates
- June 25 – The 2009 NBA draft took place in New York City.
- July 8 – The free agency period started.
- October 27 – The regular season started with a 95–89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- March 24 – The Celtics clinched a spot in the Playoffs with a 113–99 win over the Denver Nuggets.
- March 26 – The Celtics clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 94–86 win over the Sacramento Kings.
- April 17 – The Celtics won Game 1 in their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat.
- April 27 – The Celtics won their series against the Miami Heat 4–1 and advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals after a 96–86 win in Game 5.
- May 13 – The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals after they won their series 4–2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers following a 94–85 win in Game 6.
- May 28 – The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals after they defeated the Orlando Magic 96–84 in Game 6 to win the series 4–2.
- June 17 – The Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 83–79 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and failed to capture their 18th NBA Championship.
Summary
NBA Draft 2009
Free agency
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Team |
| 2 | 58 | Lester Hudson | PG | United States | Tennessee-Martin |
Roster
Pre-season
Regular season
Standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
Game log
Player statistics
Season
1Stats with the Celtics.Playoffs
Awards, records and milestones
Awards
Week/Month
- On December 7, 2009 Kevin Garnett was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week.
- On March 22, 2010 Paul Pierce was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week.
All-Star
- Kevin Garnett was voted to his 11th consecutive All-Star Game as a starter.
- Paul Pierce was selected to his 8th All-Star Game.
- Rajon Rondo was selected to play in the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
- Paul Pierce won the Three-Point Contest.
Season
- Rajon Rondo was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Records
- Rajon Rondo set two new single-season franchise records. On March 26, he grabbed his 168th steal of the season and broke Rick Fox's record of 167 steals in a season with the Boston Celtics. On April 2, he dished out his 716th assist of the season, thus breaking Bob Cousy's franchise record of 715 assists made in a season. Rondo dished out 794 assists and stole the ball 189 times in the 2009–10 season.
Milestones
- On October 27, 2009 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Kevin Garnett passed Hall of Famer Moses Malone for 21st place on the NBA's career blocking list, having blocked 1,736 shots.
- On October 28, 2009 game against the New Orleans Hornets Paul Pierce passed Dan Majerle for 17th place on the NBA's career 3-pointer list with 1,363 3-pointers.
- On October 30, 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls Ray Allen passed Hall of Famer John Stockton for 33rd place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,715 points.
- On November 13, 2009 game against the Atlanta Hawks Paul Pierce passed Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo for 49th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 18,790 points.
- On November 18, 2009 game against the Golden State Warriors Paul Pierce passed Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas for 48th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 18,824 points.
- On November 20, 2009 game against the Orlando Magic Paul Pierce passed Chet Walker for 47th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 18,845 points.
- On November 25, 2009 game against the Philadelphia 76ers Paul Pierce passed Antoine Walker for 16th place on the NBA's career 3-pointer list with 1,389 3-pointers.
- On December 1, 2009 game against the Charlotte Bobcats Paul Pierce passed Scottie Pippen for 46th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 18,946 points.
- On December 3, 2009 game against the San Antonio Spurs Rasheed Wallace passed Clifford R. Robinson for 34th place on the NBA's career blocking list, having blocked 1,391 shots.
- On December 8, 2009 game against the Milwaukee Bucks Kevin Garnett passed Hall of Famer Hal Greer for 25th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 21,601 points, and Micheal Ray Richardson for 36th place on career steal list with 1,465 steals.
- On December 10, 2009 game against the Washington Wizards Paul Pierce passed Brent Barry for 15th place on the NBA's career 3-pointer list with 1,397 3-pointers.
- On December 12, 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls Paul Pierce passed Dale Ellis and Reggie Theus for 44th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,016 points.
- On December 18, 2009 game against the Philadelphia 76ers Kevin Garnett passed Artis Gilmore for 20th place on the NBA's career blocking list, having blocked 1,751 shots.
- On December 20, 2009 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Ray Allen passed Tom Chambers for 32nd place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 20,059 points.
- On December 28, 2009 game against the Golden State Warriors Kevin Garnett passed Kevin Willis for 21st place on the NBA's career rebounding list with 11,903 rebounds.
- On January 8, 2010 game against the Atlanta Hawks Rasheed Wallace passed Mark West for 33rd place on the NBA's career blocking list, having blocked 1,404 shots.
- On January 13, 2010 game against the Brooklyn Nets Paul Pierce passed Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich for 43rd place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,191 points.
- On January 14, 2010 game against the Chicago Bulls Paul Pierce passed Eddie Johnson for 42nd place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,211 points.
- On January 25, 2010 game against the Los Angeles Clippers Paul Pierce passed Hall of Famer Bob Lanier for 41st place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,257 points.
- On February 1, 2010 game against the Washington Wizards Kevin Garnett passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird for 24th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 21,792 points and Dennis Johnson for 35th place on the steals list with 1,478 steals.
- On February 5, 2010 game against the Brooklyn Nets Kevin Garnett passed Gary Payton for 23rd place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 21,816 points.
- On February 7, 2010 game against the Orlando Magic Kevin Garnett passed Dennis Rodman for 20th place on the NBA's career rebounding list with 11,960 rebounds.
- On February 7, 2010 game against the Orlando Magic Paul Pierce passed T. R. Dunn for 50th place on the NBA's career steals list with 1,318 steals.
- On February 21, 2010 game against the Denver Nuggets Kevin Garnett passed Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes for 19th place on the NBA's career blocking list, having blocked 20,521 points.
- On February 21, 2010 game against the Denver Nuggets Ray Allen passed Mitch Richmond for 31st place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 20,510 points.
- On February 23, 2010 game against the New York Knicks Kevin Garnett became the 20th player in NBA history to reach 12,000 rebounds in his career.
- On March 3, 2010 game against the Charlotte Bobcats Paul Pierce passed Terry Cummings for 40th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,482 points.
- On March 10, 2010 game against the Memphis Grizzlies Paul Pierce passed Walter Davis for 39th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,532 points.
- On March 15, 2010 game against the Detroit Pistons Ray Allen passed Hall of Famer George Gervin for 31st place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 20,510 points.
- On March 17, 2010 game against the New York Knicks Paul Pierce passed Clifford Robinson for 38th place on the NBA's career scoring list, having scored 19,614 points.
Injuries and surgeries
- Kendrick Perkins tore two ligaments in his right knee in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and missed the rest of the playoffs
Transactions