The 2011–12Boston Celtics season was the 66th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association. 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. 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, 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 3 years as a Heat, Allen would help them win a second-straight title the following year over the San Antonio Spurs, and appear again in the 2014 Finals. 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.
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
Trades
Free agents
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.
