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2014-15 Season Recap

addByline("Taylor C. Snow","Celtics.com","Celtics"); addPhoto("https://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/celtics/sites/default/files/2014-15recap1.jpg","Mid-season acquisition Isaiah Thomas scored a team-high 19 points per game during the regular season.","Fernando Medina/NBAE","recap-div");

The 2014-15 season was a year of change for the Boston Celtics. From July 10 to Feb. 19, they made 11 separate trades and 22 different players suited up for them. It seemed as if there were new faces appearing in the locker room everyday, prompting second-year head coach Brad Stevens to make constant adjustments on the fly.

But for all the transition, there was hardly any suffrage; in one year, the new-look C’s went from a 25-57 lottery team to a 40-42 playoff squad, all the while overcoming persistent changes in the midst of the post-Big Three rebuild.

The Celtics approached the summer of 2014 ready to make amends following their arduous 2013-14 campaign. They entered the draft with the sixth overall pick –their first lottery pick since 2007 – and chose Marcus Smart, an experienced college point guard with tenacity and defensive grit, a piece around whom they hoped to build their future.

On July 10, the C’s made the first of many trades they would formulate during the next seven months, as they participated in a three-team deal with Cleveland and Brooklyn. They received Tyler Zeller and a future first-round draft pick from the Cavaliers, and Marcus Thornton from the Nets, while only having to release a future conditional second-round pick to the Cavaliers in exchange. It appeared to be a minuscule move at first, but Zeller proved a to be a reliable addition, notching the fifth-highest field goal percentage (.549) in the NBA during the ensuing season.

Over the following few months they traded away veterans Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans and Joel Anthony. Then, on Dec. 18, they compiled a blockbuster deal, trading their four-time All-Star centerpiece Rajon Rondo and rookie Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks for Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, Brandon Wright, a 2015 first round draft pick, a 2016 second round draft pick and a $13 million trade exception. Wright and Nelson were later traded to Phoenix and Denver, respectively.

The overhaul continued on Jan. 12, when Boston traded leading scorer Jeff Green to the Memphis Grizzlies, in exchange for Tayshaun Prince and a future first-round draft pick. They also landed Austin Rivers – son of former C’s head coach Doc Rivers – from the New Orleans Pelicans in the three-way deal, but traded him to Doc’s Los Angeles Clippers three days later.

Still, the most impactful deal was yet to come …

On Feb. 19, the final day of the All-Star break, Boston sat at 20-31. It was also the trading deadline, marking one final chance for the C’s to make a significant roster move for a potential playoff push. They made that move by acquiring 5-foot-9 point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns, for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick they had received from Cleveland in the Zeller deal. A few days after the deadline, the Celtics received news that leading scorer and rebounder Jared Sullinger had sustained a stress fracture in his left foot and was expected to miss the remainder of the season. Luckily for the C’s, they had a new high-volume scorer in Thomas, who would average a team-high 19 points per game off the bench, and guide the Celtics to a 20-11 post-All-Star record.

From that point forward the C’s gelled tremendously, despite having minimal time to familiarize themselves with each other’s playing styles. Offseason free agent signee Evan Turner ended up being the Celtics’ primary ball handler in the second half, and proved to be the team’s most versatile player; he logged three triple-doubles from Feb. 25 to April 1. He, Zeller and Brandon Bass played in all 82 regular season games for the C’s; they were the only team in the league to have at least three players appear in every game. Avery Bradley started a team-high 77 games and played staunch defense along with Smart, an All-Rookie Second Team selection. As a team, the Celtics were not afraid to shoot the ball. They attempted a league-high 7,211 field goals; their most since the 1990-91 season. They also scored 101.4 points per game, which was their highest output in 19 years. And ball control was one of their biggest strengths throughout the season; they averaged just 13.8 turnovers per game, which is their second lowest average since the league started keeping track of turnovers in 1973.

Boston finished off the regular season with six straight W’s; its longest win streak of the year, which included five victories against playoff-bound teams. At 40-42 they not only increased their win total from the previous year by 15, but they also claimed the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The C’s opened up the postseason against a star-studded Cleveland squad. Boston had beaten the Cavs in back-to-back games during the final week of the regular season, when Cleveland rested many of its starters; but with its full cast back, the Celtics could not muster a win in the quick four-game series.

Boston got off to a quick start in Game 1, leading 31-27 after the first quarter, but Cavalier guard Kyrie Irving could not be contained in his playoff debut, scoring 30 points in a 113-100 Cleveland win. The C’s held their own in the second game, trailing 51-50 at halftime, but once again, a hero emerged in Cleveland as James poured in 30 points – including 15 in the fourth quarter – to guide the Cavs to a 99-91 win. The King arrived at the Garden two nights later with 31-point, 11-rebound Game 3 performance, leading Cleveland to a 103-95 win, and pushing Boston to the brink. The C’s looked lost during the first half of Game 4, going to the break with a 57-36 disadvantage. But they clawed back and outscored Cleveland 25-13 in the third quarter. Jared Sullinger, who made a surprise return earlier in April despite his initial season-ending diagnosis two months earlier, brought Boston within eight, when he nailed a 3-pointer with 10:14 remaining. But the Celtics could not close the gap; they succumbed to Cleveland, 101-93, solidifying the four-game sweep and the end to their season.

But the season’s end was a mark of progression for an up-and-coming Celtics team. With an average age of 25.1, Boston was the fourth-youngest team following the 2014-15 campaign, and had a plethora of draft picks awaiting them over the next few years. After a one-year playoff hiatus amidst a rebuild, the Celtics appeared to be back in business, with the hope of soon contending for Banner 18.