The Boston Celtics were a team that, during the 2010s, saw consistent success for the most part, despite great roster turnover.
The Boston Celtics found themselves in the middle of the pack when compared to other teams in the 2010s.
For instance, teams like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and even the Miami Heat had periods of consistent success. Some, like the San Antonio Spurs, continued their dominance that originated in the late 90s.
On the other end, teams like the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and even the Minnesota Timberwolves had a decade filled with mediocre play, and rarely any playoff appearances.
Towards the top of the decade rankings, the Celtics missed the playoffs just once from 2010-11 to 2019-20 – assuming they make it to the postseason this year (they are currently third in the East). That is nine seasons of consistent play from the team in green.
In the eight playoff runs so far, the Celtics made to the NBA Finals zero times, lost in the Conference Finals three times, lost in the second round twice, and lost in the opening round three times (BasketballRealGM).
Therefore, while the Celtics have had playoff exposure, they haven’t done a crazy amount with their multitude of opportunities.
What makes the Celtics’ playoff appearances is the amount of roster turnover that plagued the team from 2010-11 until 2019-20. Teams typically lose a few players each season, but it felt like some seasons were consisting of primarily new players for Boston.
In those nine seasons, the Celtics saw exactly 100 different players suit up in the green and white. That is an absurd amount of players. Most of those players came and went through trades, of which 35 of them were made by Danny Ainge throughout the decade.
With all of those players coming in and out, it would be cool to hand out individual team awards for each season, so that’s exactly what is about to happen. Starting with the 2010-11 season, and ending with 2018-19, let’s hand out some awards! Each season will be given a season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Fan Favorite. At the end, the All-Decade Celtics team will be shared as well.