✕
Jump to content

1988–89 Boston Celtics season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1988–89 Boston Celtics season
Head coachJimmy Rodgers
PresidentRed Auerbach
General managerJan Volk
OwnersDon Gaston
Alan N. Cohen
Paul Dupee
ArenaBoston Garden
Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record42–40 (.512)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Atlantic)
Conference: 8th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Pistons 0–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWLVI
(Gil Santos, Bob Cousy)
SportsChannel New England
(Mike Gorman, Tom Heinsohn)
RadioWEEI
(Johnny Most, Glenn Ordway)
< 1987–88 1989–90 >

The 1988–89 Boston Celtics season was the 43rd season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.[1] After the resignation of K.C. Jones, the Celtics hired assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers as their new head coach.[2][3][4] The team had the 24th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Brian Shaw from the University of California, Santa Barbara.[5][6][7]

This season was severely hindered by the loss of All-Star forward Larry Bird to a heel injury, which required surgery to have bone spurs removed from both heels; Bird only played just six early-regular season games for the Celtics before being lost to injury, averaging 19.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, without any three-point field-goal attempts.[8][9][10] Initially, Bird was expected to be back in March, but it was delayed and ultimately became a season-ending injury.[11][12][13]

Under Rodgers and without Bird, along with the addition of Shaw, the Celtics struggled and played around .500 in winning percentage, holding a 23–23 record at the All-Star break.[14] At mid-season, the team traded Danny Ainge, and second-year forward Brad Lohaus to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Ed Pinckney, and Joe Kleine.[15][16][17] The results were dramatic as the Celtics finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a mediocre 42–40 record, and earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, clinching an NBA playoff spot in the final game of the regular season.[18] Before this season, the Celtics averaged over 60 wins per season thus far in the 1980s, and had been the Eastern Conference's first seed for five consecutive seasons.

Kevin McHale averaged 22.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Robert Parish averaged 18.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and second-year guard Reggie Lewis showed improvement becoming the Celtics' starting small forward in Bird's absence, as he provided the team with 18.5 points and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, Pinckney provided with 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 29 games after the trade, while Dennis Johnson contributed 10.0 points, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Shaw averaged 8.6 points and 5.8 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Meanwhile, Jim Paxson contributed 8.6 points per game, and Kleine averaged 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 28 games.[19]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, McHale was selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team,[20][21][22] while before the mid-season trade, Ainge participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[23][24] Parish finished tied in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,[25][26] while Lewis finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting, behind Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns.[27][26] The Celtics posted a successful 32–9 home record at the Boston Garden, but struggled on the road, failing to record a road win over a team above .500 in winning percentage.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, and for the third consecutive year, and the fourth time in five seasons, the Celtics faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer. The Pistons were heavily favored, but hope arose for a competitive series when the Celtics activated Bird for their playoff roster; however, Bird never suited up for a game, as the Celtics lost the first two games to the Pistons on the road at The Palace of Auburn Hills, before losing Game 3 at home, 100–85 at the Boston Garden, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.[28][29][30] This was the first time since 1956 that the Celtics lost their opening round playoff series; the Celtics had won their previous 28 opening round playoff series dating back to 1957.

The Pistons would advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, and defeat the 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep in the 1989 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.[31][32][33] The Celtics finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 611,537 at the Boston Garden during the regular season.[19][34]

Draft picks

[edit]
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 24 Brian Shaw SG Image United States UCSB
3 74 Gerald Paddio SF/SG Image United States UNLV

Roster

[edit]
1988–89 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
C 42 Mark Acres 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1962–11–15 Oral Roberts
F 33 Larry Bird 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State
G 12 Otis Birdsong 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1955–12–09 Houston
G/F 34 Kevin Gamble 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1965–11–13 Iowa
PF 31 Ron Grandison 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1964–07–06 LSU New Orleans
G 3 Dennis Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954–09–08 Pepperdine
C 53 Joe Kleine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1962–01–04 Arkansas
G/F 35 Reggie Lewis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–11–21 Northeastern
F 32 Kevin McHale 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota
C 00 Robert Parish 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–09–30 Centenary
G 4 Jim Paxson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1957–07–09 Dayton
F 54 Ed Pinckney 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963–03–27 Villanova
C 45 Ramón Rivas 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1966–06–03 Temple
G 20 Brian Shaw 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–03–22 UC Santa Barbara
G 7 Kelvin Upshaw 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1963–01–12 Utah
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster Notes

[edit]
  • Small forward Larry Bird played 6 games but missed the majority of the season after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from both of his heels.

Regular season

[edit]

Season standings

[edit]
Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-New York Knicks 5230.634–35–617–2418–12
x-Philadelphia 76ers 4636.561630–1116–2519–11
x-Boston Celtics 4240.5121032–910–3119–11
Washington Bullets 4042.4881230–1110–3117–13
New Jersey Nets 2656.3172617–249–329–21
Charlotte Hornets 2062.2443212–298–338–22
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Detroit Pistons6319.768–
2 y-New York Knicks5230.63411
3 x-Cleveland Cavaliers5725.6956
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5230.63411
5 x-Milwaukee Bucks4933.59814
6 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57316
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers4636.56117
8 x-Boston Celtics4240.51221
9 Washington Bullets4042.48823
10 Indiana Pacers2854.34135
11 New Jersey Nets2656.31737
12 Charlotte Hornets2062.24443

Game log

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
1988–89 game log
Total: 42–40 (home: 32–9; Away: 10–31)
November: 8–7 (home: 6–3; road: 2–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
December: 5–7 (home: 4–2; road: 1–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
January: 7–8 (home: 6–2; road: 1–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
February: 6–7 (home: 3–1; road: 3–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
March: 11–4 (home: 10–0; road: 1–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
April: 5–7 (home: 3–1; road: 2–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1988–89 schedule

Playoffs

[edit]
1989 playoff game log
First round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 28 @ Detroit L 91–101 Kevin McHale (27) Robert Parish (12) Brian Shaw (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 0–1
2 April 30 @ Detroit L 95–102 Reggie Lewis (21) Kevin McHale (11) Lewis, Johnson (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 0–2
3 May 2 Detroit L 85–100 Reggie Lewis (20) Joe Kleine (11) Brian Shaw (7) Boston Garden
14,890		 0–3
1989 schedule

Player statistics

[edit]
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

[edit]

Playoffs

[edit]

Awards and records

[edit]

Season

[edit]

Transactions

[edit]

February 23, 1989: Danny Ainge was traded with Brad Lohaus to Sacramento Kings for Joe Kleine & Ed Pinckney.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ 1988-89 Boston Celtics
  2. ↑ Berger, Jerry (May 3, 1988). "Boston Celtics Coach K.C. Jones Said Tuesday, He Will..." United Press International. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  3. ↑ "K. C. Jones to Retire as Coach". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 4, 1988. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Cart, Julie (November 25, 1988). "A Celtic Crossroad: After 16 Years as an Assistant, Rodgers Lands Job He Wanted Most". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Weil, Mike (June 28, 1988). "The Los Angeles Clippers Today Attained Some of the..." United Press International. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  6. ↑ Goldaper, Sam (June 29, 1988). "N.B.A. Draft; Manning, Then 3-Way Trade Give Hope to Lowly Clippers". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  7. ↑ "1988 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  8. ↑ Justice, Richard (November 18, 1988). "Bird Opts for Surgery on Heels Now". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ Thomas Jr., Robert Mcg. (November 20, 1988). "Surgery for Bird". The New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ McCallum, Jack (November 28, 1988). "The Bird Is Grounded; The Struggling Celtics Have Lost Larry Bird to Bone Spurs Until at Least March". Sports Illustrated Vault. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Bird's Back, But Celtic Fans Still Have a Wait". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 28, 1989. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ Waterman, Frederick (March 10, 1989). "Larry Bird's Return from Foot Surgery Suffered Another Delay..." United Press International. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ Brown, Clifton (April 26, 1989). "Bird's Status Is Still to Be Decided". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Boston Celtics traded Guard Danny Ainge and Second-Year..." United Press International. February 23, 1989. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Thomas Jr., Robert Mcg. (February 24, 1989). "BASKETBALL; Knicks, In a Surprise, Get Vandeweghe; Celtics Trade Ainge". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  17. ↑ Cotton, Anthony (February 25, 1989). "Several Teams Make Moves Before Trading Deadline". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  18. ↑ "1988–89 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  19. 1 2 "1988–89 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  20. ↑ McManis, Sam (February 12, 1989). "Today's All-Star Game May Lack the Usual Magic: Without Johnson and Bird, NBA Showcase Just Won't Be the Same". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  21. ↑ "1989 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  22. ↑ "1989 NBA All-Star Game: West 143, East 134". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  23. ↑ "All-Star Lineups". Ocala Star-Banner. February 11, 1989. p. 5D. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  24. ↑ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  25. ↑ "NBA MVP Voting". The Victoria Advocate. May 23, 1989. p. 3B. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  26. 1 2 "1988–89 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  27. ↑ "IN BRIEF: Suns' Johnson "Most Improved"". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. May 15, 1989. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ Gold, Allan R. (May 3, 1989). "Pistons' Defense Smothers Celtics' Season". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  29. ↑ Aldridge, David (May 3, 1989). "Pistons Finish Sweep of Celtics". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  30. ↑ "1989 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Celtics vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  31. ↑ Goldaper, Sam (June 14, 1989). "Pistons Earn First Title by Sweeping Lakers". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  32. ↑ McManis, Sam (June 14, 1989). "Pistons End a Reign, Cap a Career: Detroit Sweeps Lakers, 105-97". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  33. ↑ "1989 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  34. ↑ "1988–89 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1988–89_Boston_Celtics_season&oldid=1362514338"