Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers

Lore & Background

The Celtics were coming off of an NBA Finals loss to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games. On June 30, 2010, Doc Rivers announced that he would return to coach the Celtics after speculating that he would resign in order to spend time with his family. With the off-season acquisitions of former all-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal, the Celtics started the year at 41–14 and were on top of the Eastern Conference standings during the All-Star break. However, after center Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder mid-season, the Celtics only won 15 of their final 27 games. Still, they managed a 56–26 record and entered the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, they swept the New York Knicks in the first round to advance to the conference semifinals, where they faced the Miami Heat. The Heat had added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade. The new-look Heat proved too much for the Celtics and easily won the series in five games, knocking Boston out of the playoffs. Following the season, Shaquille O'Neal retired after playing 19 seasons in the league.

In Their Own Story

Boston Garden. Game 7. The final seconds of a series that had stretched to its limit. Larry Bird stood at the line, the crowd's roar fading into a singular hum in his ears. Across the court, Julius Erving leaned forward on the baseline, hands on knees, watching every movement. No words were needed; the weight of seven years of playoff history hung on the release of that ball. When it swished through the net, the silence before the eruption was louder than any cheer.

Reader's Guide

The Big Four of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and coach Rivers represented the Eastern Conference in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

Did You Know?

• Rajon Rondo was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week for October 26–31, 2010.
• Doc Rivers was named Eastern Conference's Coach of the Month for November 2010.
• Paul Pierce was named Eastern Conference's Player of the Week for December 13–19, 2010.
• Paul Pierce became the 3rd Celtics player in history to score 20,000 points, joining Larry Bird and John Havlicek.
• On January 8, 2011, the Boston Celtics joined the Los Angeles Lakers to be the only franchises to reach 3,000 wins.