2011–12 Boston Celtics season

The 2011–12 Boston Celtics season was the 66th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with a 39–27 won-loss record, which was the 4th best in the East, winning their 21st Atlantic Division title. Their longest winning and losing streaks were 5 games. The leading scorer was Paul Pierce, averaging 19.4 PPG. The leading rebounder was Kevin Garnett (8.2 RPG). Rajon Rondo led the team and the league in assists per-game with 11.7. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 66 due to the lockout. The Celtics made a relatively deep playoff run, where they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the First Round, and the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the Semifinals, eventually challenging the Miami Heat for the third consecutive season (the team who defeated them in last season's Semifinals), in the Eastern Conference finals. They ultimately lost the series in seven games to the eventual NBA champion.

2011–12 Boston Celtics season
Division champions
Head coach	Doc Rivers
President	Danny Ainge
General manager	Danny Ainge
Owners	Boston Basketball Partners
Arena	TD Garden
Results
Record	39–27 (.591)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Eastern Conference finals (lost to Heat 3–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	CSN New England
Radio	WEEI-FM
< 2010–11 2012–13 >

Following the season, Ray Allen departed via free agency for the eventual champion Miami Heat, effectively ending the Big 3 era in Boston. During his 2 years as a Heat, Allen would help them win a second-straight title the following year over the San Antonio Spurs in seven games, and appear again in the 2014 Finals against the same Spurs team.

It was also the NBA's first time without Shaquille O'Neal since 1991–92, as he retired in May 2011 and played his final season as a Celtic.

Key dates

• June 23: The 2011 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.^[1]
• December 25: The regular season begins with a matchup against the New York Knicks in a rematch from the previous season's playoffs.
• April 18: The Celtics secure the Atlantic Division title in a 102–98 win against the Orlando Magic.^[2]
• April 29: The 2012 NBA Playoffs started.
• May 10: The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, defeating the Atlanta Hawks.
• May 25: The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers
• June 9: The Celtics were defeated by the Miami Heat and were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.

Draft picks

Main article: 2011 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Club Team
1	27	JaJuan Johnson (traded from the New Jersey Nets)	PF	United States	Purdue
2	55	E'Twaun Moore	SG	United States	Purdue

Roster

2011–12 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From SG 20 Ray Allen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) July 20, 1975 Connecticut PF 30 Brandon Bass 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) April 30, 1985 LSU G 0 Avery Bradley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) November 26, 1990 Texas G/F 4 Marquis Daniels 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) January 7, 1981 Auburn G 51 Keyon Dooling 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) May 8, 1980 Missouri F/C 5 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 253 lb (115 kg) May 19, 1976 Farragut Academy (IL) F 8 Jeff Green 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1986–08–28 Georgetown C 50 Ryan Hollins 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) October 10, 1984 UCLA PF 12 JaJuan Johnson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) February 8, 1989 Purdue G 55 E'Twaun Moore 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) February 25, 1989 Purdue SF 11 Aleksandar Pavlović 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) November 15, 1983 Montenegro F 34 Paul Pierce 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) October 13, 1977 Kansas G/F 28 Mickaël Piétrus 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) February 7, 1982 Guadeloupe PG 9 Rajon Rondo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 186 lb (84 kg) February 22, 1986 Kentucky C 54 Greg Stiemsma 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) September 26, 1985 Wisconsin F/C 56 Sean Williams 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) September 13, 1986 Boston College

Head coach Doc Rivers Assistant(s) Kevin Eastman Armond Hill Mike Longabardi Tyronn Lue Jamie Young Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate Injured Roster Updated: October 28, 2012

Roster notes

• Forward Jeff Green missed the entire season due to recovery from a heart surgery.

Pre-season

Game log

2011 pre-season game log
Pre-season: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 18 @ Toronto W 76–75 Ray Allen (12) Kevin Garnett (7) Rajon Rondo (8) Air Canada Centre 16,721 1–0 2 December 21 Toronto W 81–73 Rajon Rondo (12) Ray Allen (6) Rajon Rondo (6) TD Garden 18.624 2–0
2011–12 season schedule

Regular season

Standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y-Boston Celtics	39	27	.591	–	24–9	15–18	8–6	66
x-New York Knicks	36	30	.545	3	22–11	14–19	8–6	66
x-Philadelphia 76ers	35	31	.530	4	19–14	16–17	7–6	66
Toronto Raptors	23	43	.348	16	13–20	10–23	7–8	66
New Jersey Nets	22	44	.333	17	9–24	13–20	5–9	66

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	z-Chicago Bulls	50	16	.758	–	66
2	y-Miami Heat *	46	20	.697	4.0	66
3	x-Indiana Pacers *	42	24	.636	8.0	66
4	y-Boston Celtics	39	27	.591	11.0	66
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	40	26	.606	10.0	66
6	x-Orlando Magic	37	29	.561	13.0	66
7	x-New York Knicks	36	30	.545	14.0	66
8	x-Philadelphia 76ers	35	31	.530	15.0	66
9	Milwaukee Bucks	31	35	.470	19.0	66
10	Detroit Pistons	25	41	.379	25.0	66
11	Toronto Raptors	23	43	.348	27.0	66
12	New Jersey Nets	22	44	.333	28.0	66
13	Cleveland Cavaliers	21	45	.318	29.0	66
14	Washington Wizards	20	46	.303	30.0	66
15	Charlotte Bobcats	7	59	.106	43.0	66

Game log

2011–12 game log Total: 39–27 (home: 24–9; road: 15–18)
December: 1–3 (home: 1–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 25 @ New York L 104–106 Rajon Rondo (31) Brandon Bass (11) Rajon Rondo (13) Madison Square Garden 19,763 0–1 2 December 27 @ Miami L 108–115 Ray Allen (28) Rajon Rondo (8) Rajon Rondo (12) American Airlines Arena 20,166 0–2 3 December 28 @ New Orleans L 78–97 Ray Allen (15) Kevin Garnett (7) Rajon Rondo (12) New Orleans Arena 17,802 0–3 4 December 30 Detroit W 96–85 Jermaine O'Neal (17) Jermaine O'Neal (7) Paul Pierce (5) TD Garden 18,624 1–3
January : 9–7 (home: 5–6; road: 4–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 5 January 1 @ Washington W 94–86 Kevin Garnett (24) Rajon Rondo (11) Rajon Rondo (14) Verizon Center 17,458 2–3 6 January 2 Washington W 100–92 Ray Allen (27) Paul Pierce (8) Rajon Rondo (13) TD Garden 18,624 3–3 7 January 4 New Jersey W 89–70 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (12) TD Garden 18,624 4–3 8 January 6 Indiana L 74–87 Ray Allen (23) Paul Pierce, Jermaine O'Neal (7) Rajon Rondo (9) TD Garden 18,624 4–4 9 January 11 Dallas L 85–90 Rajon Rondo (24) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (7) TD Garden 18,624 4–5 10 January 13 Chicago L 79–88 Ray Allen (16) Brandon Bass (9) Rajon Rondo (11) TD Garden 18,624 4–6 11 January 14 @ Indiana L 83–97 Paul Pierce (21) Jermaine O'Neal (12) Rajon Rondo (9) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 14,203 4–7 12 January 16 Oklahoma City L 88–97 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (9) TD Garden 18,624 4–8 13 January 18 Toronto W 96–73 Rajon Rondo (21) Brandon Bass (9) Paul Pierce (7) TD Garden 18,624 5–8 14 January 20 Phoenix L 71–79 Ray Allen (14) Ray Allen, Brandon Bass (6) Paul Pierce (6) TD Garden 18,624 5–9 15 January 22 @ Washington W 100–94 Paul Pierce (34) Brandon Bass (9) Paul Pierce (10) Verizon Center 15,818 6–9 16 January 23 Orlando W 87–56 Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass (19) Kevin Garnett (10) Paul Pierce (7) TD Garden 18,624 7–9 17 January 26 @ Orlando W 91–83 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett (10) Paul Pierce (10) Amway Center 18,952 8–9 18 January 27 Indiana W 94–87 Paul Pierce (28) Paul Pierce (10) Paul Pierce (8) TD Garden 18,624 9–9 19 January 29 Cleveland L 87–88 Ray Allen (22) Kevin Garnett (7) Paul Pierce (5) TD Garden 18,624 9–10 20 January 31 @ Cleveland W 93–90 Paul Pierce (20) Brandon Bass (6) Ray Allen (8) Quicken Loans Arena 14,798 10–10
February : 7–7 (home: 6–2; road: 1–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 21 February 1 Toronto W 100–64 Paul Pierce (17) Brandon Bass (9) Paul Pierce (8) TD Garden 18,624 11–10 22 February 3 New York W 91–89 Paul Pierce (30) Kevin Garnett (8) Rajon Rondo (7) TD Garden 18,624 12–10 23 February 5 Memphis W 98–80 Kevin Garnett (24) Kevin Garnett (9) Rajon Rondo (14) TD Garden 18,624 13–10 24 February 7 Charlotte W 94–84 Kevin Garnett (22) Paul Pierce, Jermaine O'Neal (8) Rajon Rondo (14) TD Garden 18,624 14–10 25 February 9 L. A. Lakers L 87–88 Ray Allen (22) Kevin Garnett (12) Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (7) TD Garden 18,624 14–11 26 February 10 @ Toronto L 74–86 Kevin Garnett (17) Kevin Garnett (8) Rajon Rondo (7) Air Canada Centre 19,207 14–12 27 February 12 Chicago W 95–91 Rajon Rondo (32) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (15) TD Garden 18,624 15–12 28 February 15 Detroit L 88–98 Rajon Rondo (35) Chris Wilcox (9) Rajon Rondo (6) TD Garden 18,624 15–13 29 February 16 @ Chicago L 80–89 Kevin Garnett (18) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (8) United Center 22,592 15–14 30 February 19 @ Detroit L 81–96 Paul Pierce (18) Jermaine O'Neal (11) Rajon Rondo (10) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 15–15 31 February 20 @ Dallas L 73–89 Paul Pierce (20) Mickaël Piétrus (12) Mickaël Piétrus (4) American Airlines Center 20,364 15–16 32 February 22 @ Oklahoma City L 104–119 Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (13) Paul Pierce (8) Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203 15–17 All-Star Break 33 February 28 @ Cleveland W 86–83 Ray Allen (22) Chris Wilcox (11) Rajon Rondo (11) Quicken Loans Arena 15,971 16–17 34 February 29 Milwaukee W 102–96 Kevin Garnett (25) Chris Wilcox (13) Rajon Rondo (10) TD Garden 18,624 17–17
March : 12–5 (home: 6–0; road: 6–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 35 March 2 New Jersey W 107–94 Paul Pierce (27) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (13) TD Garden 18,624 18–17 36 March 4 New York W 115–111 Paul Pierce (34) Rajon Rondo (17) Rajon Rondo (20) TD Garden 18,624 19–17 37 March 6 Houston W 97–92 Paul Pierce (30) Kevin Garnett (13) Rajon Rondo (12) TD Garden 18,624 20–17 38 March 7 @ Philadelphia L 71–103 Paul Pierce (16) Kevin Garnett, JaJuan Johnson (13) Rajon Rondo (8) Wells Fargo Center 18,508 20–18 39 March 9 Portland W 104–86 Paul Pierce Ray Allen (22) Kevin Garnett (8) Rajon Rondo Avery Bradley (5) TD Garden 18,624 21–18 40 March 11 @ L. A. Lakers L 94–97 Rajon Rondo (24) Kevin Garnett (11) Rajon Rondo (10) Staples Center 18,997 21–19 41 March 12 @ L. A. Clippers W 94–85 Paul Pierce (25) Brandon Bass (9) Rajon Rondo (10) Staples Center 19,464 22–19 42 March 14 @ Golden State W 105–103 Kevin Garnett (24) Brandon Bass (9) Rajon Rondo (14) Oracle Arena 19,596 23–19 43 March 16 @ Sacramento L 95–120 Ray Allen (26) Kevin Garnett (9) Rajon Rondo (12) Power Balance Pavilion 17,317 23–20 44 March 17 @ Denver L 91–98 Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett (22) Kevin Garnett (9) Rajon Rondo (16) Pepsi Center 19,003 23–21 45 March 19 @ Atlanta W 79–76 Ray Allen (19) Brandon Bass (10) Rajon Rondo (13) Philips Arena 16,412 24–21 46 March 22 @ Milwaukee W 100–91 Paul Pierce (25) Brandon Bass Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (14) Bradley Center 15,171 25–21 47 March 23 @ Philadelphia L 86–99 Kevin Garnett Paul Pierce (20) Paul Pierce (9) Rajon Rondo (17) Wells Fargo Center 19,583 25–22 48 March 25 Washington W 88–76 Avery Bradley (23) Paul Pierce (8) Rajon Rondo (11) TD Garden 18,624 26–22 49 March 26 @ Charlotte W 102–95 Paul Pierce (36) Paul Pierce (10) Rajon Rondo (13) Time Warner Cable Arena 16,357 27–22 50 March 28 Utah W 94–82 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (14) TD Garden 18,624 28–22 51 March 30 @ Minnesota W 100–79 Kevin Garnett (24) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (17) Target Center 19356 29–22
April : 10–5 (home: 6–1; road: 4–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 52 April 1 Miami W 91–72 Paul Pierce (23) Rajon Rondo (11) Rajon Rondo (14) TD Garden 18,624 30–22 53 April 4 San Antonio L 86–87 Avery Bradley (19) Paul Pierce (10) Rajon Rondo (11) TD Garden 18,624 30–23 54 April 5 @ Chicago L 86–93 Paul Pierce (22) Kevin Garnett (14) Rajon Rondo (12) United Center 22,423 30–24 55 April 7 @ Indiana W 86–72 Paul Pierce (24) Greg Stiemsma (9) Rajon Rondo (12) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 16,892 31–24 56 April 8 Philadelphia W 103–79 Kevin Garnett (20) Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett, Sasha Pavlovic (6) Rajon Rondo (15) TD Garden 18,624 32–24 57 April 10 @ Miami W 115–107 Paul Pierce (27) Brandon Bass (10) Rajon Rondo (15) American Airlines Arena 19,954 33–24 58 April 11 Atlanta W 88–86 Kevin Garnett (22) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (20) TD Garden 18,624 34–24 59 April 13 @ Toronto L 79–84 Paul Pierce (18) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (12) Air Canada Centre 17,270 34–25 60 April 14 @ New Jersey W 94–82 Kevin Garnett (21) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (15) Prudential Center 18,711 35–25 61 April 15 @ Charlotte W 94–82 Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley (22) Brandon Bass (9) Rajon Rondo (16) Time Warner Cable Arena 15,169 36–25 62 April 17 @ New York L 110–118 Paul Pierce (43) Brandon Bass, Rajon Rondo (6) Rajon Rondo (13) Madison Square Garden 19,763 36–26 63 April 18 Orlando W 102–98 Paul Pierce (29) Kevin Garnett (9) Paul Pierce (14) TD Garden 18,624 37–26 64 April 20 @ Atlanta L 92–97 Avery Bradley (28) Marquis Daniels (8) Sasha Pavlovic, Brandon Bass, Keyon Dooling, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels (3) Philips Arena 37–27 65 April 24 Miami W 78–66 Sasha Pavlovic (16) Brandon Bass (8) Marquis Daniels (4) TD Garden 18,624 38–27 66 April 26 Milwaukee W 87–74 Avery Bradley (14) Brandon Bass (9) Rajon Rondo (15) TD Garden 18,624 39–27
2011–12 season schedule

Playoffs

Game log

2012 playoff game log
First round: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 29 @ Atlanta L 74–83 Kevin Garnett Rajon Rondo (20) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (11) Philips Arena 19,292 0–1 2 May 1 @ Atlanta W 87–80 Paul Pierce (36) Paul Pierce (14) Kevin Garnett (5) Philips Arena 19,292 1–1 3 May 4 Atlanta W 90–84 (OT) Paul Pierce (21) Rajon Rondo (14) Rajon Rondo (12) TD Garden 18,624 2–1 4 May 6 Atlanta W 101–79 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett Ray Allen Brandon Bass (5) Rajon Rondo (16) TD Garden 18,624 3–1 5 May 8 @ Atlanta L 86–87 Paul Pierce (16) Kevin Garnett Brandon Bass (7) Rajon Rondo (12) Philips Arena 19,292 3–2 6 May 10 Atlanta W 83–80 Kevin Garnett (28) Kevin Garnett (14) Rajon Rondo (8) TD Garden 18,624 4–2
Conference semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 12 Philadelphia W 92–91 Kevin Garnett (24) Rajon Rondo (12) Rajon Rondo (17) TD Garden 18,624 1–0 2 May 14 Philadelphia L 81–82 Ray Allen (17) Kevin Garnett (12) Rajon Rondo (13) TD Garden 18,624 1–1 3 May 16 @ Philadelphia W 107–91 Kevin Garnett (27) Kevin Garnett (13) Rajon Rondo (14) Wells Fargo Center 20,351 2–1 4 May 18 @ Philadelphia L 83–92 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett (11) Rajon Rondo (15) Wells Fargo Center 20,411 2–2 5 May 21 Philadelphia W 101–85 Brandon Bass (27) Kevin Garnett Brandon Bass (6) Rajon Rondo (14) TD Garden 18,624 3–2 6 May 23 @ Philadelphia L 75–82 Paul Pierce (24) Kevin Garnett (11) Rajon Rondo (6) Wells Fargo Center 20,403 3–3 7 May 26 Philadelphia W 85–75 Kevin Garnett Rajon Rondo (18) Kevin Garnett (13) Rajon Rondo (10) TD Garden 18,624 4–3
Conference finals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 28 @ Miami L 79–93 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (10) Rajon Rondo (7) American Airlines Arena 19,912 0–1 2 May 30 @ Miami L 111–115 (OT) Rajon Rondo (44) Brandon Bass (10) Rajon Rondo (10) American Airlines Arena 19,973 0–2 3 June 1 Miami W 101–91 Kevin Garnett (24) Kevin Garnett (11) Rajon Rondo (10) TD Garden 18,624 1–2 4 June 3 Miami W 93–91 (OT) Paul Pierce (23) Kevin Garnett (14) Rajon Rondo (15) TD Garden 18,624 2–2 5 June 5 @ Miami W 94–90 Kevin Garnett (26) Kevin Garnett (11) Rajon Rondo (13) American Airlines Arena 20,021 3–2 6 June 7 Miami L 79–98 Rajon Rondo (21) Brandon Bass (7) Rajon Rondo (10) TD Garden 18,624 3–3 7 June 9 @ Miami L 88–101 Rajon Rondo (22) Rajon Rondo (10) Rajon Rondo (14) American Airlines Arena 20,114 3–4
2012 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

Season

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Ray Allen	46	42	34.0	.458	.453	.915	3.1	2.4	1.1	.2	14.2
Brandon Bass	59	39	31.7	.479		.810	6.2	.9	.6	.9	12.5
Avery Bradley	64	28	21.4	.498	.407	.795	1.8	1.4	.7	.2	7.6
Marquis Daniels	38	0	12.7	.364	.000	.739	1.7	1.2	.6	.2	3.2
Keyon Dooling	46	2	14.4	.405	.333	.742	0.8	1.1	.3	.0	4.0
Kevin Garnett	60	60	31.1	.503	.333	.857	8.2	2.9	.9	1.0	15.8
Ryan Hollins[1]	15	1	10.7	.643		.300	1.7	.2	.1	.3	2.8
JaJuan Johnson	36	0	8.3	.446		.667	1.6	.2	.1	.4	3.2
E'Twaun Moore	38	0	8.7	.381	.378	1.000	.9	.9	.3	.1	2.9
Jermaine O'Neal[1]	25	24	22.8	.433		.677	5.4	.4	.3	1.7	5.0
Sasha Pavlović	45	7	11.7	.391	.293	.375	1.6	.4	.4	.3	2.7
Paul Pierce	61	61	34.0	.443	.366	.852	5.2	4.5	1.1	.4	19.4
Mickaël Piétrus	42	6	21.9	.385	.335	.645	3.1	.6	.5	.2	6.9
Rajon Rondo	53	53	36.9	.448	.238	.597	4.8	11.7	1.8	.1	11.9
Greg Stiemsma	55	3	13.9	.545		.707	3.2	.5	.7	1.5	2.9
Chris Wilcox[1]	28	4	17.2	.598		.615	4.4	.4	.4	.3	5.4
Sean Williams[1]	3	0	14.0	.333		1.000	4.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	3.7

• ¹ Statistics with the Boston Celtics.

Awards, records and milestones

• Paul Pierce was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice^[3][4] (January 30 – February 5 and March 26 – April 1).
• Kevin Garnett was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (April 9 – 15).^[5]
• Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo participated in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. It was their 10th and 3rd appearance respectively.
• On March 22 Paul Pierce surpassed Clyde Drexler on the All-time scoring leaders table in a 100–91 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.^[6]

Injuries and suspensions

• Jeff Green was not available for the 2011–12 season due to recovery from a heart surgery.^[7]
• Chris Wilcox was out for the season in March with a cardiac irregularity.^[8]
• Jermaine O'Neal was out for the season on March to have surgery on his left wrist.^[9]
• Rajon Rondo earned a two-game suspension for throwing the ball to a referee during a game against the Detroit Pistons on February 19^[10] and was suspended for one game during the playoffs for bumping a referee on game 1 of the first round against the Atlanta Hawks.^[11]

Transactions

Main article: List of 2011–12 NBA season transactions

Overview

Players Added Via draft JaJuan Johnson E'Twaun Moore Via free agency Marquis Daniels Ryan Hollins Mickaël Piétrus Greg Stiemsma Chris Wilcox Sean Williams Via trade Brandon Bass Keyon Dooling

Players Lost Via trade Glen Davis Von Wafer Via free agency Carlos Arroyo Nenad Krstić Troy Murphy Delonte West Negated Contract due to Injury Jeff Green Waived Jermaine O'Neal Chris Wilcox Retired Shaquille O'Neal

Trades

June 23, 2011	To Boston Celtics Draft rights to JaJuan Johnson Conditional 2014 second round pick	To New Jersey Nets Draft rights to MarShon Brooks
December 9, 2011	To Boston Celtics Keyon Dooling Conditional 2012 second round pick	To Milwaukee Bucks Draft rights to Albert Miralles
December 12, 2011	To Boston Celtics Brandon Bass	To Orlando Magic Glen Davis (sign and trade) Von Wafer (sign and trade)

Free agents

Additions
Player	Date signed	Former team
Marquis Daniels	December 9	Sacramento Kings
Chris Wilcox	December 9	Detroit Pistons
Greg Stiemsma	December 9	Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League)
Aleksandar Pavlović	December 12	Re-signed
Mickaël Piétrus	December 24	Phoenix Suns
Ryan Hollins	March 23	Cleveland Cavaliers
Sean Williams	April 20	Dallas Mavericks

Subtractions
Player	Date signed	New team
Nenad Krstić	June 22	CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Glen Davis	December 12	Orlando Magic
Von Wafer	December 12	Orlando Magic
Delonte West	December 13	Dallas Mavericks
Troy Murphy	December 18	Los Angeles Lakers
Carlos Arroyo	December 22	Beşiktaş Milangaz (Turkey)

Many players signed with teams from other leagues due to the 2011 NBA lockout. FIBA allows players under NBA contracts to sign and play for teams from other leagues if the contracts have opt-out clauses that allow the players to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.^[12] The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.^[13]

Played in other leagues during lockout
Player	Date signed	New team	Opt-out clause
Nenad Krstić	June 22	CSKA Moscow (Russia)	No[14]
E'Twaun Moore	July 28	Benetton Treviso (Italy)	Yes[15]
Von Wafer	August 3	Vanoli Cremona (Italy)	Yes[16]
Avery Bradley	October 5	Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel)	No[17]

See also

• 2011–12 NBA season
• Uncut Gems, a 2019 film by the Safdie brothers starring Adam Sandler, set around the 2012 conference semi-finals; features Kevin Garnett as himself, with archival footage of Games 5–7.