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1989–90 Boston Celtics season

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The 1989–90 NBA season was the 44th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.[1] With Larry Bird returning after only playing just six games in the 1988–89 season due to heel injuries,[2][3][4][5] and with last year's first round draft pick Brian Shaw leaving the team to play overseas in Italy,[6][7][8] the Celtics struggled around .500 during the first month of the season, but would win 11 of their next 15 games, holding a 28–18 record at the All-Star break,[9] finishing second in the Atlantic Division with a solid 52–30 record.[10] The Celtics also qualified for the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season.[11]

1989–90 Boston Celtics season
Head coachJimmy Rodgers
General managerDave Gavitt
OwnersDon Gaston
Alan N. Cohen
Paul Dupee
ArenaBoston Garden
Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record52–30 (.634)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Knicks 2–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWLVI
(Mike Crispino, Bob Cousy)
SportsChannel New England
(Mike Gorman, Tom Heinsohn)
RadioWEEI
(Johnny Most, Glenn Ordway, Doug Brown)
< 1988–89 1990–91 >

Bird led the way averaging 24.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, while being named to the All-NBA Second Team, while sixth man Kevin McHale averaged 20.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Robert Parish provided the team with 15.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Bird, McHale and Parish were all selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game.[12][13][14][15] In addition, Reggie Lewis contributed 17.0 points per game, and Dennis Johnson provided with 7.1 points and 6.5 assists per game.[16]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Celtics looked ready to make a serious run as they jumped out to a 2–0 series lead over the 5th-seeded New York Knicks, with a 157–128 home win in Game 2, which was a playoff record of the most points scored in a game.[17][18][19][20] However, they would collapse as they lost three straight games, losing 3–2 to the Knicks.[21][22][23][24]

Following the season, Johnson retired,[25][26][27][28] and head coach Jimmy Rodgers was fired after coaching the Celtics for two seasons.[29][30][31]

Draft picks

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Main article: 1989 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 13 Michael Smith SF/PF   United States Brigham Young
2 40 Dino Rađa PF   Yugoslavia KK Jugoplastika

Roster

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1989–90 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 5 Bagley, John 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1960–04–23 Boston College
F 33 Bird, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State
G/F 34 Gamble, Kevin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1965–11–13 Iowa
G 3 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954–09–18 Pepperdine
C 53 Kleine, Joe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1962–01–04 Arkansas
G 35 Lewis, Reggie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–11–21 Northeastern
F 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota
C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary
G 4 Paxson, Jim 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1957–07–09 Dayton
F 54 Pinckney, Ed 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963–03–27 Villanova
G 13 Smith, Charles 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1967–11–29 Georgetown
F 11 Smith, Michael 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1965–05–19 BYU
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Regular season

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Larry Bird, the Celtics star player, was coming back after surgery to both heels the previous season and later said he never felt the same. Despite the injury, the Celtics were able to rise to 2nd place in the Atlantic Division.[32] By the end of the regular season, the Celtics had scored an average of 110 points per a game, and allowed an average of 106 points per game. During the playoffs against the Knicks that year, the Celtics quickly took the first 2 games of the series, but the New York Knicks would come back and rally to win 3 games in a row, sending the Celtics home.[10]

Season standings

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Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers 53 29 .646 – 34–7 19–22 19–7
x-Boston Celtics 52 30 .634 1 30–11 22–19 19–7
x-New York Knicks 45 37 .549 8 29–12 16–25 17–9
Washington Bullets 31 51 .378 22 20–21 11–30 10–16
Miami Heat 18 64 .220 35 11–30 7–34 4–22
New Jersey Nets 17 65 .207 36 13–28 4–37 9–17
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons 59 23 .720 –
2 y-Philadelphia 76ers 53 29 .646 6
3 x-Chicago Bulls 55 27 .671 4
4 x-Boston Celtics 52 30 .634 7
5 x-New York Knicks 45 37 .549 14
6 x-Milwaukee Bucks 44 38 .537 15
7 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 17
8 x-Indiana Pacers 42 40 .512 17
9 Atlanta Hawks 41 41 .500 18
10 Washington Bullets 31 51 .378 28
11 Miami Heat 18 64 .220 41
12 Orlando Magic 18 64 .220 41
13 New Jersey Nets 17 65 .207 42

Record vs. opponents

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1989-90 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta – 1–3 2–0 0–5 2–3 0–2 1–1 3–2 2–0 2–0 2–3 1–1 0–2 4–0 3–2 1–1 2–2 1–3 5–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–2
Boston 3–1 – 2–0 2–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 5–0 2–2 1–1 5–1 4–1 4–0 3–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3
Charlotte 0–2 0–2 – 0–2 1–1 1–3 3–2 0–2 2–2 1–4 1–1 2–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–3 0–5 0–4 0–5 0–2
Chicago 5–0 2–2 2–0 – 5–0 2–0 1–1 1–4 2–0 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 3–2 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–1
Cleveland 3–2 1–3 1–1 0–5 – 0–2 0–2 1–4 1–1 0–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 3–2 1–1 4–0 2–2 4–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1
Dallas 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 – 2–3 1–1 3–1 4–1 2–0 3–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 0–4 3–1 3–2 2–2 1–3 1–1
Denver 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–0 3–2 – 0–2 2–2 4–1 0–2 2–2 0–4 2–0 1–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 4–0 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–1
Detroit 2–3 2–2 2–0 4–1 4–1 1–1 2–0 – 1–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 5–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0
Golden State 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 – 2–2 1–1 3–1 1–4 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–5 2–2 3–2 1–3 2–3 2–2 1–1
Houston 0–2 0–2 4–1 1–1 2–0 1–4 1–4 1–1 2–2 – 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 4–0 2–2 2–2 3–2 1–1
Indiana 3–2 3–1 1–1 3–2 2–3 0–2 2–0 1–4 1–1 1–1 – 0–2 0–2 3–1 3–2 1–1 4–0 1–3 4–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1
L.A. Clippers 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 – 1–4 0–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–4 0–5 2–3 0–4 3–2 0–4 1–1
L.A. Lakers 2–0 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–1 2–2 2–0 4–1 – 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–3 5–0 2–2 4–0 2–2 1–1
Miami 0–4 0–5 1–1 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 – 2–2 1–1 1–4 1–5 3–1 0–5 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–3
Milwaukee 2–3 2–2 2–0 1–4 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 – 2–0 4–0 2–2 5–0 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–1
Minnesota 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–4 0–5 0–2 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–3 0–4 1–1 0–2 – 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–4 1–3 0–5 1–1
New Jersey 2–2 1–5 1–1 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 4–1 0–4 1–1 – 1–4 1–3 1–4 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–3
New York 3–1 1–4 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 5–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 – 2–2 2–3 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–0
Orlando 0–5 0–4 1–1 2–3 1–4 0–2 0–2 0–5 0–2 0–2 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–5 1–1 3–1 2–2 – 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–4
Philadelphia 2–2 2–3 2–0 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 5–0 3–1 1–1 4–1 3–2 2–2 – 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–1
Phoenix 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 3–1 0–2 5–0 2–2 1–1 4–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 – 2–3 5–0 0–4 3–2 3–1 2–0
Portland 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–1 5–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–2 – 4–0 3–1 3–2 2–2 1–1
Sacramento 1–1 0–2 3–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 2–3 0–4 1–1 3–2 0–5 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–5 0–4 – 0–4 2–2 1–3 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 1–1 5–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 – 3–1 3–2 2–0
Seattle 1–1 0–2 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 3–2 2–2 1–1 2–3 0–4 2–0 0–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3 2–3 2–2 1–3 – 1–3 2–0
Utah 1–1 1–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 2–2 2–3 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 5–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–3 3–1 – 2–0
Washington 2–2 3–2 2–0 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 3–2 1–3 1–1 3–2 0–5 4–0 1–5 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 —

Game log

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Playoffs

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1990 playoff game log
First round: 2–3 (home: 2–1; road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 26 New York W 116–105 Larry Bird (24) Larry Bird (18) Larry Bird (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		1–0
2 April 28 New York W 157–128 Kevin McHale (31) Robert Parish (16) Larry Bird (16) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–0
3 May 2 @ New York L 99–102 Larry Bird (31) Robert Parish (10) Larry Bird (8) Madison Square Garden
18,212 		2–1
4 May 4 @ New York L 108–135 Kevin McHale (24) Larry Bird (8) Johnson, Bagley (6) Madison Square Garden
18,212 		2–2
5 May 6 New York L 114–121 Larry Bird (31) Bird, Parish (9) Dennis Johnson (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–3
1990 schedule

Player statistics

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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

Regular season

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Boston Celtics statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
John Bagley 54 17 20.3 .459 .056 .744 1.6 5.5 .7 .1 4.3
Larry Bird 75 75 39.3 .473 .333 .930 9.5 7.5 1.4 .8 24.3
Kevin Gamble 71 10 13.9 .455 .167 .794 1.6 1.7 .4 .1 5.1
Dennis Johnson 75 65 27.1 .434 .042 .843 2.7 6.5 1.1 .2 7.1
Joe Kleine 81 4 16.9 .480 .000 .830 4.4 .6 .2 .3 5.4
Reggie Lewis 79 54 31.9 .496 .267 .808 4.4 2.8 1.1 .8 17.0
Kevin McHale 82 25 33.2 .549 .333 .893 8.3 2.1 .4 1.9 20.9
Robert Parish 79 78 30.3 .580 .747 10.1 1.3 .5 .9 15.7
Jim Paxson 72 25 17.8 .453 .250 .811 1.1 1.9 .5 .1 6.4
Ed Pinckney 77 50 14.1 .542 .000 .773 2.9 .9 .4 .5 4.7
Charles Smith 60 0 8.7 .444 .000 .697 1.2 1.7 .6 .1 2.9
Michael Smith 65 7 9.5 .476 .071 .828 1.5 1.2 .1 .0 5.0
Kelvin Upshaw† 14 0 9.4 .308 .400 .667 .9 2.0 .1 .1 2.1

Playoffs

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Boston Celtics statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
John Bagley 5 0 14.0 .533 .000 .750 .8 3.4 .8 .2 3.8
Larry Bird 5 5 41.4 .444 .263 .906 9.2 8.8 1.0 1.0 24.4
Kevin Gamble 3 0 2.7 .600 .3 .7 .0 .0 2.0
Dennis Johnson 5 5 32.4 .484 .333 1.000 2.8 5.6 .4 .4 13.8
Joe Kleine 5 0 15.8 .765 .000 .833 2.8 .4 .4 .6 6.2
Reggie Lewis 5 5 40.0 .597 .000 .771 5.0 4.4 1.4 .4 20.2
Kevin McHale 5 5 38.4 .609 .333 .862 7.8 2.6 .4 2.0 22.0
Robert Parish 5 5 34.0 .574 .944 10.0 2.6 1.0 1.4 15.8
Jim Paxson 5 0 12.4 .500 .000 .750 .0 1.4 1.0 .0 3.8
Ed Pinckney 4 0 6.3 .857 .778 1.5 .0 .0 .0 4.8
Charles Smith 3 0 3.0 .500 .3 1.0 .3 .0 .7
Michael Smith 4 0 4.0 .625 .000 1.000 .0 .0 .3 .0 4.3

Awards and records

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Transactions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1989-90 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Brown, Clifton (October 13, 1989). "With Bird Walking Normally, Celtics Prepare to Walk Tall". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Aldridge, David (October 31, 1989). "Bird Has the Floor, with Motion Being Considered". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Eisenberg, John (November 12, 1989). "Boston's Bird Still Scraping Off the Rust: Comeback: Celtics' Star Is Finally Able to Run Up and Down the Court Without Feeling Pain in His Feet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Goldaper, Sam (November 27, 1989). "Bird Not Bringing Celtics Much Magic". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Celtics' Shaw Reportedly Will Play in Italy". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1989. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Celtics' Shaw Signs with Italian club". United Press International. August 10, 1989. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Another Up-and-Comer Joins Italian Team". The New York Times. August 11, 1989. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "1989–90 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Boston Celtics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  12. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bird, Johnson Return Magic to All-Star Game". Sun Sentinel. February 11, 1990. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "1989–90 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Goldaper, Sam (April 29, 1990). "Boston Massacre: Knicks Lose Historically". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  18. ^ Hafner, Dan (April 29, 1990). "NBA ROUNDUP: Celtics Run Knicks Out of Town, 157-128". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  19. ^ Aldridge, David (April 29, 1990). "Celtics' 157-128 Win Pushes Knicks to Embarrassing Edge". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Game 2: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 28, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  21. ^ Goldaper, Sam (May 7, 1990). "Breakthrough in Boston: Knicks Roll, 121-114". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  22. ^ "Knicks Bury Celtics in the Garden, 121-114: NBA Playoffs: New York Rallies from 2-0 Deficit to Take Best-of-Five Series, Winning in Boston for First Time Since 1984". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 7, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  23. ^ Aldridge, David (May 7, 1990). "Knicks Nix Jinx, Celtics in Game 5". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "1990 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Knicks vs. Celtics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  25. ^ "Celtics Won't Re-Sign Dennis Johnson". United Press International. October 1, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  26. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Johnson Not Offered Contract by Celtics". The New York Times. October 2, 1990. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  27. ^ "The Boston Celtics Have Decided Not to..." Los Angeles Times. October 2, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  28. ^ "Celtics Said Goodbye to D.J." Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1990. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  29. ^ Thomas Jr., Robert McG. (May 9, 1990). "Celtics Drop Rodgers as Coach After 2 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  30. ^ "Rodgers Is Fired by Celtics". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. May 9, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  31. ^ Ryan, Bob (May 9, 1990). "Celtics' Rodgers Fired by Bosses; He's Better Off". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  32. ^ "Sports Apparel, Jerseys and Fan Gear at Fanatics.com Sports Shop". www.footballfanatics.com. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
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