1990–91 Boston Celtics season

The 1990–91 Boston Celtics season was the 45th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Celtics had the 19th overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, and selected point guard Dee Brown out of Jacksonville University.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agent Derek Smith, and hired Chris Ford as their new head coach.^[5][6][7] After playing overseas in Italy the previous season, former Celtics guard Brian Shaw would return to the team after a one-year absence.^[8][9] The Celtics started their season without John Bagley, who would miss the entire regular season due to tendinitis in his right knee; Bagley later on had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in March.^[10][11]

After failing to advance past the first round of the NBA playoffs in the previous two seasons, it appeared that the Celtics were fading as NBA title contenders. However, under Ford and with the addition of Brown, and the return of Shaw, the Celtics posted two eight-game winning streaks between November and December, and posted a six-game winning streak in January, leading to a 29–5 start to the regular season, reminiscent of their title years of the 1980s, and once again established themselves as contenders.^[12] Beginning in January, Larry Bird began to miss significant playing time due to back injuries, missing 22 games as the team struggled in his absence,^[13][14][15] but managed to hold a 35–12 record at the All-Star break.^[16] The Celtics finished in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 56–26 record, and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference;^[17] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the twelfth consecutive year.^[18]

Bird averaged 19.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while Reggie Lewis averaged 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and sixth man Kevin McHale provided the team with 18.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game off the bench. In addition, Kevin Gamble contributed 15.6 points per game, while Robert Parish averaged 14.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Shaw provided with 13.8 points, 7.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Off the bench, Brown contributed 8.7 points and 4.2 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Ed Pinckney averaged 5.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Joe Kleine provided with 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.^[19]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bird, McHale and Parish were all selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while Ford was selected to coach the Eastern Conference, although Bird did not participate due to injury; it was the final All-Star appearance for both McHale and Parish.^[20][21][22] Meanwhile, Brown won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[23][21][24] Bird finished tied in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Parish finished in 14th place, and McHale finished tied in 19th place;^[25] McHale also finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,^[26][25] while Gamble finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting, behind Scott Skiles of the Orlando Magic,^[27][25] Brown finished in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting,^[28][25] and Ford finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.^[29][25]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the Celtics faced off against the 7th–seeded Indiana Pacers, a team that featured All-Star guard Reggie Miller, Chuck Person, and Sixth Man of the Year, Detlef Schrempf. The Celtics took a 2–1 series lead over the Pacers, before losing Game 4 on the road, 116–113 at the Market Square Arena as the Pacers evened the series. In Game 5 at the Boston Garden, and during the second quarter, Bird fell down on the court and landed hard on the right side of his face, as he had to go to the locker room; despite the injury, Bird returned to the game and finished with 32 points, as the Celtics defeated the Pacers, 124–121 to win in a hard-fought five-game series.^[30][31][32]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the All-Star trio of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Defensive Player of the Year, Dennis Rodman. However, Bird missed Game 1 due to injury as the Pistons defeated the Celtics at the Boston Garden, 86–75.^[33][34] Bird returned for the remainder of the series, as the Celtics won Game 2 at home, 109–103 to even the series, and then won Game 3 over the Pistons on the road by a blowout win, 115–83 at The Palace of Auburn Hills to take a 2–1 series lead.^[35][36] However, the Pistons won the next three games, as the Celtics lost Game 6 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in overtime, 117–113, thus losing the series in six games.^[37][38][39]

The Celtics finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 611,537 at the Boston Garden during the regular season.^[19][40] Following the season, Derek Smith, and second-year forward Michael Smith were both released to free agency.