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1991–92 Boston Celtics season

NBA basketball team season

Hartford Civic Center Alan N. Cohen Paul Dupee (Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy) SportsChannel New England (Mike Gorman, Tom Heinsohn) (Glenn Ordway, Doug Brown) (lost to Cavaliers 3–4)

The 1991–92 Boston Celtics season was the 46th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. The Celtics had the 24th overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, and selected small forward Rick Fox from the University of North Carolina. This marked the 13th and final NBA season for All-Star forward, and Celtics legend Larry Bird, who would retire after the season. Bird missed nearly half of the season due to a nagging back injury, only playing just 45 games.

In January, the team traded Brian Shaw to the Miami Heat in exchange for Sherman Douglas. The Celtics trailed the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division for the first half of the regular season, holding a 28–18 record at the All-Star break. The Celtics won the Atlantic Division title with a 51–31 record, and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference; the team also qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 13th consecutive year.

Bird averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, while Reggie Lewis averaged 20.8 points and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, Robert Parish averaged 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and surpassed the 20,000 point mark during the regular season, while sixth man Kevin McHale provided the team with 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game off the bench, but only played 56 games due to a leg injury, Kevin Gamble provided with 13.5 points per game, and second-year guard Dee Brown contributed 11.7 points and 5.3 assists per game, but only played just 31 games due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, Fox contributed 8.0 points per game off the bench, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Ed Pinckney averaged 7.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, John Bagley was the team's starting point guard this season, averaging 7.2 points and 6.6 assists per game, and Joe Kleine provided with 4.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, Bird and Lewis were both selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, although Bird did not participate due to injury; it was Bird's final All-Star selection, and the first and only All-Star appearance for Lewis. In addition, Bird was also selected to participate in the NBA Three-Point Shootout, but withdrew due to injury, and was replaced with Dell Curry of the Charlotte Hornets.

One of the regular season highlights for Bird was a 49-point performance in a nationally televised double-overtime win over the eventual Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers. It was the most points for Bird since February 15, 1988, when he scored 49 against the Phoenix Suns. Bird also finished in 14th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while head coach Chris Ford finished tied in seventh place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Celtics faced off against the 7th–seeded Indiana Pacers, a team that featured Reggie Miller, Chuck Person, and Sixth Man of the Year, Detlef Schrempf. Despite starting the series without Bird and Brown due to injuries, the Celtics won the first two games over the Pacers at home at the Boston Garden, before winning Game 3 on the road, 102–98 at the Market Square Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by the trio of All-Star center Brad Daugherty, All-Star guard Mark Price, and Larry Nance. Despite the Celtics winning the Atlantic Division title, the Cavaliers had home-court advantage in the series, since they finished with a better regular-season record. After losing Game 1 on the road, 101–76 at the Coliseum at Richfield, the Celtics won the next two games over the Cavaliers to take a 2–1 series lead. Bird returned to play in Game 4, in which the Celtics lost at home to the Cavaliers in overtime, 114–112 at the Boston Garden. With the series tied at 3–3, the Celtics lost Game 7 to the Cavaliers at the Coliseum at Richfield, 122–104, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.

Following the loss, the Celtics would not win an NBA playoff series for another ten years.

Draft picks

Main article: 1991 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	24	Rick Fox	SF	Canada	North Carolina

Roster

Chris Ford
Don Casey
Jon Jennings
Ed Lacerte (trainer)

Regular season

Season standings

:y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot :z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Playoffs

1–0
2
April 25
Indiana
W 119–112 (OT)
John Bagley (35)
Robert Parish (14)
John Bagley (15)
Boston Garden
14,890
2–0
-
3
April 27
@ Indiana
W 102–98
Reggie Lewis (32)
Ed Pinckney (14)
John Bagley (11)
Market Square Arena
16,530
3–0
-
-
1
L 76–101
Kevin Gamble (22)
Ed Pinckney (10)
John Bagley (8)
Richfield Coliseum
17,496
0–1
-
2
W 104–98
Robert Parish (27)
Robert Parish (8)
John Bagley (11)
Richfield Coliseum
20,273
1–1
-
3
W 110–107
Reggie Lewis (36)
Robert Parish (17)
Reggie Lewis (7)
Boston Garden
14,890
2–1
-
4
L 112–114 (OT)
Reggie Lewis (42)
Robert Parish (18)
John Bagley (7)
Boston Garden
14,890
2–2
-
5
L 98–114
Reggie Lewis (27)
Joe Kleine (11)
John Bagley (5)
Richfield Coliseum
20,273
2–3
-
6
W 122–91
Reggie Lewis (26)
Dee Brown (8)
Larry Bird (14)
Boston Garden
14,890
3–3
-
7
L 104–122
Reggie Lewis (22)
Ed Pinckney (9)
Bagley, Brown (5)
Richfield Coliseum
20,273
3–4
-

Player statistics

Regular season

|- | 73 || 59 || 23.9 || .441 || .238 || .716 || 2.2 || 6.6 || .8 || .1 || 7.2 |- | 8 || 0 || 5.8 || .750 || || 1.000 || 1.1 || .0 || .1 || .0 || 1.8 |- | 45 || 45 || 36.9 || .466 || .406 || .926 || 9.6 || 6.8 || .9 || .7 || 20.2 |- | 31 || 20 || 28.5 || .426 || .227 || .769 || 2.5 || 5.3 || 1.1 || .2 || 11.7 |- | 37 || 0 || 17.7 || .455 || .111 || .680 || 1.5 || 4.1 || .6 || .2 || 7.3 |- | 81 || 5 || 19.0 || .459 || .329 || .755 || 2.7 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .4 || 8.0 |- | 82 || 77 || 30.4 || .529 || .290 || .885 || 3.5 || 2.7 || .9 || .5 || 13.5 |- | 26 || 0 || 14.1 || .447 || .250 || .722 || .9 || 2.6 || .7 || .0 || 4.1 |- | 70 || 3 || 14.2 || .491 || .500 || .708 || 4.2 || .5 || .3 || .2 || 4.7 |- | 82 || 82 || 37.4 || .503 || .238 || .851 || 4.8 || 2.3 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 20.8 |- | 7 || 0 || 6.6 || .444 || || .500 || 1.3 || .0 || .0 || .1 || 1.4 |- | 56 || 1 || 25.0 || .509 || .000 || .822 || 5.9 || 1.5 || .2 || 1.1 || 13.9 |- | 79 || 79 || 28.9 || .535 || || .772 || 8.9 || .9 || .9 || 1.2 || 14.1 |- | 81 || 36 || 23.7 || .537 || .000 || .812 || 7.0 || .8 || .9 || .7 || 7.6 |- | 11 || 0 || 12.4 || .471 || .000 || .778 || 1.0 || 2.7 || .3 || .4 || 4.2 |- | 1 || 0 || 6.0 || .200 || || || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0 |- | 17 || 3 || 25.6 || .427 || .000 || .875 || 4.1 || 5.2 || .7 || .6 || 10.3 |- | 19 || 0 || 5.8 || .469 || || .583 || 1.5 || .3 || .0 || .9 || 1.9 |}

Playoffs

|- | 10 || 10 || 30.8 || .442 || .250 || .703 || 2.7 || 8.5 || .9 || .1 || 11.1 |- | 4 || 2 || 26.8 || .500 || .000 || .750 || 4.5 || 5.3 || .3 || .5 || 11.3 |- | 6 || 0 || 20.0 || .500 || .000 || .667 || 2.0 || 5.2 || .2 || .7 || 8.0 |- | 6 || 0 || 10.8 || .360 || .000 || .500 || .7 || 1.7 || .0 || .0 || 3.2 |- | 8 || 0 || 8.4 || .478 || .500 || 1.000 || .8 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 3.6 |- | 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .473 || .000 || .800 || 4.2 || 2.3 || 1.2 || .6 || 13.6 |- | 9 || 0 || 9.1 || .409 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.4 || .1 || .0 || .1 || 2.2 |- | 10 || 10 || 40.8 || .528 || .333 || .762 || 4.3 || 3.9 || 2.4 || .8 || 28.0 |- | 10 || 0 || 30.6 || .516 || .000 || .795 || 6.7 || 1.3 || .5 || .5 || 16.5 |- | 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .495 || || .714 || 9.7 || 1.4 || .7 || 1.5 || 12.0 |- | 10 || 8 || 31.4 || .603 || .000 || .839 || 8.4 || .7 || 1.2 || .9 || 9.6 |- | 1 || 0 || 3.0 || 1.000 || || || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0 |}

† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Rick Fox, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

References

[https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1992.html 1991-92 Boston Celtics]
(June 27, 1991). "UNLV's Johnson Is No. 1: NBA Draft: Coaches' Attempts in Charlotte and New Jersey to Select Billy Owens Are Overruled. Three UNLV Players Are Taken in the First Round". Los Angeles Times.
(June 27, 1991). "As Expected, Hornets Select Johnson No. 1". Deseret News.
"1991 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
Brown, Clifton. (August 19, 1992). "BASKETBALL; Bird Unlaces His Sneakers and Says Goodbye". The New York Times.
Heisler, Mark. (August 19, 1992). "LARRY BIRD RETIRES: It Was Just a Hate-Love Relationship: Basketball: The Lakers Wanted to Kill the Mocking Bird, Until They Got to Know Him. Then They Just Wanted to Beat Him". Los Angeles Times.
Arace, Michael. (August 19, 1992). "A Final Buzzer Bird Can't Beat". Hartford Courant.
(January 7, 1992). "PRO BASKETBALL; Bird Is Placed on Injured List". The New York Times.
(January 7, 1992). "Bird Is Put on Injured List, Because of Inflammed Back". Los Angeles Times.
(July 7, 1992). "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Bird Begins Therapy and Hopes for Best". The New York Times.
(January 11, 1992). "Celtics Trade Shaw to Heat for Douglas". Los Angeles Times.
Winderman, Ira. (January 11, 1992). "Douglas to Celtics for Shaw". Sun Sentinel.
Brown, Clifton. (January 12, 1992). "PRO BASKETBALL; Injured Celtics Send Shaw to the Heat for Douglas". The New York Times.
"NBA Games Played on February 6, 1992". Basketball-Reference.
"1991–92 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"Boston Celtics". Basketball-Reference.
(January 18, 1992). "BASKETBALL; For Parish, 20,000 Points and Counting". The New York Times.
Aldridge, David. (April 29, 1992). "Parish a Chief at Peace". Los Angeles Times.
(October 30, 1991). "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Walter Davis Waived by Trail Blazers". The New York Times.
Arace, Michael. (November 1, 1991). "Ready or Not, Here Come the Celtics". Hartford Courant.
"1991–92 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Heisler, Mark. (February 9, 1992). "Comeback or Farewell, a Magical All-Star Game". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1992 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
"1992 NBA All-Star Game: West 153, East 113". Basketball-Reference.
(February 4, 1992). "Adams Replaces Bird on All-Star Team". United Press International.
(February 8, 1992). "Pro Basketball". Gadsden Times.
(March 16, 1992). "Results Plus". The New York Times.
Hafner, Dan. (March 16, 1992). "NBA ROUNDUP: Bird Gets 49; Celtics Win in Two Overtimes". Los Angeles Times.
"1991–92 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
(April 28, 1992). "PRO BASKETBALL; One Down, How Many to Go? Depleted Celtics Sweep Pacers". The New York Times.
Arace, Michael. (April 29, 1992). "Look Who's Talking". Hartford Courant.
"1992 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Pacers vs. Celtics". Basketball-Reference.
(May 9, 1992). "BASKETBALL; Late Rally Puts Celtics One Up on the Cavaliers". The New York Times.
Arace, Michael. (May 9, 1992). "Bird Still Needs Time, But Brown Going Strong". Hartford Courant.
George, Thomas. (May 18, 1992). "BASKETBALL; Cavalier Youth Serves Up a Blowout of Aging Celtics". The New York Times.
(May 18, 1992). "Cavaliers Step Up Into Conference finals: NBA Playoffs: Daugherty Scores 16 Points in the First Quarter as Cleveland Beats Celtics". Los Angeles Times.
"1992 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Celtics vs. Cavaliers". Basketball-Reference.

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