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Celtics Decade Night: Recapping the 2010s

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2010s Night Sponsored By Wellesly Mazda


On Monday night, the Celtics will host their fifth “Decade Night” of the season in celebration of theirs and the NBA’s 75th anniversary.

So far, the team has already commemorated the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 2000s. Next up on the list is the 2010s, upon which they’ll look back during a matchup against the Miami Heat.

Throughout the night, fans at TD Garden will be taken back in time to relive some of the team’s most memorable moments from the 2010s, many of which we have included in our decade recap below.

May 9, 2010 – Playoff Rondo Outduels LeBron

Rajon Rondo had the tendency to rise to the occasion in the postseason, earning him the nickname “Playoff Rondo” as each spring rolled around. On May 9, 2010, he lived up to the moniker with his best career playoff performance in a winning effort, outdueling reigning two-time MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Rondo put up a monster triple-double performance of 29 points, a career-high 18 rebounds, 13 assists, and two steals, leading the Celtics to a 97-87 win over the Cavaliers. He played all but 72 seconds of the game, turning the ball over only twice in that span despite a usage rate of 31.1 percent. No other Celtics player played more than 38 minutes.

James nearly achieved a triple-double of his own with 22 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists; though he turned the ball over seven times and shot only 7-of-18 from the field, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range.

With the victory, Boston tied the series at two games apiece and went on to win the next two as well, earning a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando.

2010 Finals – Big 3 Makes Last Championship Appearance

The 2010 NBA championship was the one that got away from the Celtics, but it was still a masterful playoff run and the last Finals appearance for Boston’s Big 3 of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce.

After plowing through the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Orlando Magic in the first three rounds, the C’s were set up in a rematch of the 2008 championship series against their archrival Los Angeles Lakers.

After dropping Game 1 in LA, Boston bounced back with a 103-94 Game 2 victory, during which Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record with eight 3-point makes in 11 attempts.

Splitting the first two games on the road put Boston in an ideal position. However, the tide of the series was turned when the C’s lost starting center Kendrick Perkins to a knee injury early in Game 3.

After losing Game 3 in Boston, the Celtics bounced back with two straight wins to take a 3-2 lead. However, the Lakers blew out Boston in Game 6 back in LA before winning an old-fashioned, 83-79, defensive showdown in Game 7, earning revenge following their defeat in 2008.

Although the end result wasn’t a fond memory, the journey in itself was, because it was the last great run by the trio of Celtics greats who dominated the Eastern Conference for more than half a decade.

July 12, 2013 – Celtics Trade Pierce, KG, Begin Rebuild Under Stevens

July 12, 2013, was a bittersweet day for the Celtics franchise. Bitter because it marked the official end of an era under Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Doc Rivers; sweet because it marked the beginning of a new era under Brad Stevens and a rebuilding roster.

Former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, in the most difficult decision of his tenure in the team’s front office, dealt Garnett, Pierce, Jason Terry, D.J. White and a 2017 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a whopping package that included Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, and first-round picks in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

During that same period of time, the Celtics also traded head coach Doc Rivers to the LA Clippers in exchange for a future first-round pick. Ainge then made what was considered to be a surprising hire at the time by naming 36-year-old Brad Stevens as his new head coach.

Coming from a college environment at Butler University, Stevens would thrive in his new role with a rebuilding NBA team, as his ability to get the most out of his young players allowed the Celtics to rise back up to a playoff contender after just two seasons.

2016, 2017 Drafts – Celtics Select Future Cornerstones in Brown, Tatum

In attaining Boston’s aging stars, the Brooklyn Nets were hoping to become a championship contender. However, they never even sniffed a Finals appearance, as their plans came crashing down, forcing them to start from scratch. Though, they faced one major problem: they had just traded most of their future to Boston, much to Danny Ainge’s delight.

The Celtics primarily capitalized on the 2016 and 2017 draft picks, which they used to select future All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Brown was taken with the third pick of the 2016 Draft and went on to play a significant role in Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals the following season.

Boston hit the jackpot at the 2017 Draft Lottery by earning the No. 1 overall selection with the pick it had acquired from Brooklyn. However, Ainge decided to trade that pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick and a 2019 first-round pick. He knew that the 76ers would select Markelle Fultz with that pick and that the Lakers would select Lonzo Ball at No. 2, ultimately leaving him with the player he wanted all along: Tatum.

Brown and Tatum would go on to help lead the Celtics to multiple Eastern Conference Finals appearances in their first few seasons, and the young star duo is still just getting started.

Feb. 5, 2017 – The Truth’s Last Shot Inside TD Garden

Even though Paul Pierce couldn’t spend his last NBA season in green and white, he still made sure to give Celtics fans one final treat. He did so by knocking down one of the most dramatic walk-off shots in TD Garden’s storied history.

Pierce entered the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2017, having not appeared in a game since New Year’s Eve, but LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers inserted him into starting lineup so that the soon-to-be-retired legend could be introduced one more time in front of Celtics Nation.

Pierce played the opening five minutes of the first quarter and shot 0-for-1 during that span before Rivers subbed him out of the game for what appeared to be the final time. However, the fans inside TD Garden chanted Pierce’s name relentlessly throughout the remainder of the contest, and finally Rivers gave in.

With 19 seconds left in the game and the Clippers trailing 106-99, Rivers motioned Pierce over the scorers’ table. When he checked in, he was met with a roaring ovation, and he responded with a shot for the ages.

Fans stood on their feet as Rivers’ son Austin dribbled up the floor; they all knew he would dish it off to Pierce once he reached center court. Sure enough, Pierce was fed the ball at the top of the arc. He then turned, stepped into his shot, and pulled the trigger.

It’s worth noting that Pierce had never gone scoreless at TD Garden, and he wasn’t about to let that change in his final game.

The high-arcing shot fell through the net, which prompted Celtics fans inside TD Garden to erupt into pandemonium. Pierce backpedaled while smiling with his arm raised in the air in one final salute to his faithful fans.

The roaring applause continued well after the final buzzer as Pierce took his time leaving the parquet floor for the last time.

May 2, 2017 – Isaiah Thomas Scores 53 on Late Sister’s Birthday

Isaiah Thomas battled through emotional adversity throughout the first round of the 2017 Playoffs after the sudden passing of his sister, Chyna. During the second round, he had to fight through physical adversity as well.

Unable to catch a break, Thomas had his left front tooth knocked out and fractured two others during Game 1 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Wizards, resulting in roughly 11 hours of dental procedures. None of that stopped him from suiting up and delivering a career-high 53-point effort in Game 2.

According to C’s coach Brad Stevens, Thomas was “not feeling good at all” heading into the May 2 contest, but the point guard discovered an emotional boost that pushed him through any physical pain he was enduring. Thomas’ will to play came from the spirit of his sister, who on that day would have been celebrating her 23rd birthday. He wanted to honor her by putting forth the best effort of his life.

Thomas shot 18-of-33 from the field, 5-of-12 from 3-point range, and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line to lead Boston to a 129-119 overtime win. Per usual, the All-Star took over late in the game, delivering 29 points during the fourth quarter and OT.

IT finished just one point shy of John Havlicek’s team playoff record 54 points, though he admitted that records were the last thing on his mind as he fought tooth-and-nail, through both physical and mental adversity, to drive his team to a win and a 2-0 series lead.

May 27, 2018 – Rookie Tatum Booms LeBron in Game 7 of ECF

Every NBA star remembers his welcome-to-the-NBA moment. For Jayson Tatum, it arrived on May 27, 2018, when he threw down a monstrous dunk on LeBron James in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics were trailing 71-67 with less than seven minutes remaining and needed a momentum-boosting play, which Tatum provided. After receiving a pass at the top of the 3-point arc from Marcus Smart, Tatum drove right down the middle between Kyle Korver and Tristan Thompson. The only body standing between Tatum and the basket was that of James.

The rookie didn’t shy away from challenging his childhood idol, as he rose up, reached over James’ contesting right hand, and threw it down right in James’ face. The normally mild-mannered Tatum couldn’t contain his emotions on this special occasion, as he let out an echoing scream and chest-bumped James on his way back up the court.

Tatum then gave the Celtics a one-point lead on the next possession, knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer which gave him 24 points in the game. However, the Cavs responded with a 13-2 run before eventually walking away with an 87-79 victory.

At the time, it was a brutal defeat with the Celtics coming so close to making it to the Finals. But looking back, it was also the first great moment of Tatum’s career, and one of the most memorable plays of the entire decade.