Paul Pierce Era Begins

Lore & Background

The Celtics finished the regular season with a 41–40 won-loss record, which was the 3rd best in the Atlantic division, bringing an end to the 5-year run as Atlantic Champs and 7th best in the East. Their longest winning and losing streaks were 7 and 6 games respectively. The leading scorer was Paul Pierce, averaging 18.6 PPG. The leading rebounder was Kevin Garnett (7.8 RPG).

Rajon Rondo led the team and the league in assists per-game with 11.1 despite only playing 38 games due to ACL injury. The Celtics only played 81 games as their April 16 game against the Indiana Pacers was cancelled in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and was not rescheduled because it would not have changed any part of the final Eastern Conference standings anyway. The Celtics would go on to lose in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Knicks in six games, marking the first time the Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs since the 2004–05 season.

For the first time since 2006–07, Ray Allen was not on the roster as he signed with the Miami Heat where he won his second title. This season would mark the end of the Pierce and Garnett era in Boston as they, along with Jason Terry, were traded to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013 off-season.

Reader's Guide

Key dates: June 28, 2012 – The 2012 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. October 30 – The regular season begins with a 120–107 loss to the Miami Heat in a rematch from the previous season's playoffs. January 25 – Rajon Rondo suffered a partially torn ACL injury in his right knee after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks and will miss the remainder of the season but is expected to be back by training camp for the 2013/14 season. February 1 – Jared Sullinger underwent lumbar disc surgery in his back and will also miss the remainder of the season. February 11 – Leandro Barbosa suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, along with a sprained MCL. He will be out for the rest of the season. April 3 – Clinched a Playoffs berth with a win over the Detroit Pistons.