# 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.
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.
* 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.
* 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

| 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
### 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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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 Divisionvte | 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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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
### 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 | 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 | 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 | 28 | 4 | 17.2 | .598 | | .615 | 4.4 | .4 | .4 | .3 | 5.4 |
| Sean Williams | 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 (January 30 – February 5 and March 26 – April 1).
* Kevin Garnett was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (April 9 – 15).
* 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.

## Injuries and suspensions

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

## 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 CelticsDraft rights to JaJuan Johnson Conditional 2014 second round pick | To New Jersey NetsDraft rights to MarShon Brooks |
| December 9, 2011 | To Boston CelticsKeyon Dooling Conditional 2012 second round pick | To Milwaukee BucksDraft rights to Albert Miralles |
| December 12, 2011 | To Boston CelticsBrandon Bass | To Orlando MagicGlen 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. The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.
Played in other leagues during lockout :
| Player | Date signed | New team | Opt-out clause |
| Nenad Krstić | June 22 | CSKA Moscow (Russia) | No |
| E'Twaun Moore | July 28 | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | Yes |
| Von Wafer | August 3 | Vanoli Cremona (Italy) | Yes |
| Avery Bradley | October 5 | Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel) | No |