The 1979–80 Boston Celtics season was the 34th season of the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). Bolstered by the play of 23-year-old rookie
Larry Bird, the Celtics improved from 29-53 the previous year, to 61-21, at the time the best NBA single season turnaround ever, and would cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals but lose to the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1.
Draft picks
* Forward
Larry Bird was selected in the
previous year's draft, then played his senior season at
Indiana State
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Regular season
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 1
, October 12
,
Houston
W 114–106,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 1–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 2
, October 13
, @
Cleveland
W 139–117,
,
,
,
Richfield Coliseum
, 2–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 3
, October 17
,
Cleveland
W 127–108,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 3–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 4
, October 19
,
Washington
W 130–93,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 4–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 5
, October 20
, @
Indiana
L 128–131 (OT),
,
,
,
Market Square Arena
, 4–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 6
, October 23
, @
San Antonio
L 120–129,
,
,
,
HemisFair Arena
, 4–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 7
, October 24
, @
Houston
W 100–99,
,
,
,
The Summit
, 5–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 8
, October 27
, @
Atlanta
W 100–95,
,
,
,
The Omni
, 6–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 9
, October 31
, @
New Jersey
W 116–79,
,
,
,
Rutgers Athletic Center
, 7–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 10
, November 3
, @
Washington
W 118–97,
,
,
,
Capital Centre Capitol Center or Capitol Centre or Capital Center or Capital Centre may refer to:
Singapore
*Capitol Centre, Singapore
United Arab Emirates
*Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi)
United Kingdom
*Capitol Centre, Cardiff, a shopping mall
United States
* Ca ...
, 8–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 11
, November 7
,
San Antonio
W 117–105,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 9–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 12
, November 9
,
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
W 127–119,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 10–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 13
, November 10
, @
Philadelphia
L 94–95,
,
,
,
The Spectrum
, 10–3
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 14
, November 14
,
Detroit
W 115–111,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 11–3
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 15
, November 16
,
Utah
W 113–97,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 12–3
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 16
, November 17
, @
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
L 109–113,
,
,
,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, 12–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 17
, November 21
,
New Jersey
W 111–103,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 13–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 18
, November 23
,
Indiana
W 118–103,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 14–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 19
, November 24
, @
Atlanta
W 106–101,
,
,
,
The Omni
, 15–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 20
, November 28
,
Denver
W 119–97,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 16–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 21
, November 30
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
W 100–97,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 17–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 22
, December 1
, @
Indiana
W 106–102 (OT),
,
,
,
Market Square Arena
, 18–4
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 23
, December 2
, @
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
L 88–94,
,
,
,
Municipal Auditorium
, 18–5
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 24
, December 4
, @
Detroit
W 118–114 (OT),
,
,
,
Pontiac Silverdome
, 19–5
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 25
, December 5
,
Atlanta
L 92–120,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 19–6
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 26
, December 7
,
Phoenix
W 100–92,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 20–6
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 27
, December 8
, @
Cleveland
L 100–116,
,
,
,
Richfield Coliseum
, 20–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 28
, December 9
, @
Milwaukee
W 113–108,
,
,
,
MECCA Arena
, 21–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 29
, December 12
,
New Jersey
W 116–102,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 22–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 30
, December 14
,
Milwaukee
W 97–94,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 23–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 31
, December 15
, @
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
W 99–96,
,
,
,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, 24–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 32
, December 16
, @
New Jersey
W 115–112 (OT),
,
,
,
Rutgers Athletic Center
, 25–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 33
, December 19
,
Philadelphia
W 112–89,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 26–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 34
, December 21
,
San Antonio
W 133–114,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 27–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 35
, December 22
, @
Philadelphia
L 113–126,
,
,
,
The Spectrum
, 27–8
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 36
, December 27
, @
San Diego
W 118–97,
,
,
,
San Diego Sports Arena
, 28–8
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 37
, December 28
, @
Los Angeles
L 105–123,
,
,
,
The Forum
, 28–9
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 38
, December 29
, @
Golden State
W 104–88,
,
,
,
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
, 29–9
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 39
, January 2
, @
Houston
W 111–103,
,
,
,
The Summit
, 30–9
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 40
, January 5
, @
San Antonio
L 111–119,
,
,
,
HemisFair Arena
, 30–10
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 41
, January 9
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
W 112–95,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 31–10
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 42
, January 11
,
Atlanta
W 108–93,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 32–10
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 43
, January 13
,
Los Angeles
L 98–100,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 32–11
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 44
, January 16
,
Chicago
W 114–104,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 33–11
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 45
, January 18
,
Portland
W 111–93,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 34–11
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 46
, January 20
,
Seattle
L 106–108 (2OT),
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 34–12
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 47
, January 22
,
Houston
W 112–106,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 35–12
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 48
, January 23
, @
Detroit
W 131–104,
,
,
,
Pontiac Silverdome
, 36–12
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 49
, January 25
,
Washington
L 107–118,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 36–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 50
, January 27
,
San Diego
W 131–108,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 37–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 51
, January 29
, @
Chicago
W 103–99,
,
,
,
Chicago Stadium
, 38–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 52
, January 30
,
Cleveland
W 110–103,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 39–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 53
, January 31
, @
Washington
W 119–103,
,
,
,
Capital Centre Capitol Center or Capitol Centre or Capital Center or Capital Centre may refer to:
Singapore
*Capitol Centre, Singapore
United Arab Emirates
*Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi)
United Kingdom
*Capitol Centre, Cardiff, a shopping mall
United States
* Ca ...
, 40–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 54
, February 6
,
Philadelphia
W 129–110,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 41–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 55
, February 8
,
Indiana
W 130–108,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 42–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 56
, February 10
,
Detroit
W 128–111,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 43–13
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 57
, February 13
, @
Phoenix
L 134–135,
,
,
,
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
, 43–14
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 58
, February 15
, @
Portland
W 106–91,
,
,
,
Memorial Coliseum
, 44–14
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 59
, February 17
, @
Seattle
L 108–109,
,
,
,
Kingdome
The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...
, 44–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 60
, February 20
, @
Utah
W 105–98,
,
,
,
Salt Palace
, 45–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 61
, February 23
, @
Denver
W 124–105,
,
,
,
McNichols Sports Arena
, 46–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 62
, February 26
,
Atlanta
W 108–97,
,
,
,
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, 47–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 63
, February 27
,
San Antonio
W 130–125,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 48–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 64
, February 29
,
Golden State
W 110–99,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 49–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 65
, March 2
,
Detroit
W 118–115,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 50–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 66
, March 4
, @
San Antonio
W 137–108,
,
,
,
HemisFair Arena
, 51–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 67
, March 5
, @
Houston
W 103–99 (OT),
,
,
,
The Summit
, 52–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 68
, March 7
,
Philadelphia
W 111–92,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 53–15
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 69
, March 9
,
Washington
L 128–133 (OT),
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 53–16
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 70
, March 11
, @
Indiana
L 108–114,
,
,
,
Market Square Arena
, 53–17
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 71
, March 12
,
Houston
W 121–105,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 54–17
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 72
, March 14
, @
Atlanta
L 87–88,
,
,
,
The Omni
, 54–18
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 73
, March 15
, @
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
W 123–120,
,
,
,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, 55–18
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 74
, March 17
, @
New Jersey
W 117–92,
,
,
,
Rutgers Athletic Center
, 56–18
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 75
, March 18
,
Indiana
W 114–102,
,
,
,
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, 57–18
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 76
, March 20
, @
Detroit
W 124–106,
,
,
,
Pontiac Silverdome
, 58–18
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 77
, March 22
, @
Cleveland
L 105–109,
,
,
,
Richfield Coliseum
, 58–19
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 78
, March 23
,
New Jersey
L 96–101,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 58–20
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 79
, March 25
, @
Washington
W 96–95,
,
,
,
Capital Centre Capitol Center or Capitol Centre or Capital Center or Capital Centre may refer to:
Singapore
*Capitol Centre, Singapore
United Arab Emirates
*Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi)
United Kingdom
*Capitol Centre, Cardiff, a shopping mall
United States
* Ca ...
, 59–20
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 80
, March 26
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
W 129–121,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 60–20
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 81
, March 28
,
Cleveland
W 130–122,
,
,
,
Boston Garden
, 61–20
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 82
, March 30
, @
Philadelphia
L 110–116,
,
,
,
The Spectrum
, 61–21
Playoffs
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 1
, April 9
,
Houston
W 119–101,
Chris Ford (19)
,
Cedric Maxwell (12)
,
Tiny Archibald (9)
,
Boston Garden15,320
, 1–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 2
, April 11
,
Houston
W 95–75,
Larry Bird (14)
,
Cedric Maxwell (10)
,
Tiny Archibald (7)
,
Boston Garden15,320
, 2–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 3
, April 13
, @
Houston
W 100–81,
Tiny Archibald (20)
,
Cedric Maxwell (12)
,
Tiny Archibald (10)
,
The Summit14,243
, 3–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 4
, April 14
, @
Houston
W 138–121,
Larry Bird (34)
,
Larry Bird (10)
,
Tiny Archibald (10)
,
The Summit13,106
, 4–0
, -
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 1
, April 18
,
Philadelphia
L 93–96,
Larry Bird (27)
,
Dave Cowens (10)
,
Tiny Archibald (7)
,
Boston Garden15,320
, 0–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 2
, April 20
,
Philadelphia
W 96–90,
Larry Bird (31)
,
Cedric Maxwell (15)
,
Tiny Archibald (8)
,
Boston Garden15,320
, 1–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 3
, April 23
, @
Philadelphia
L 97–99,
Larry Bird (22)
,
Larry Bird (21)
,
Tiny Archibald (7)
,
Spectrum18,276
, 1–2
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 4
, April 25
, @
Philadelphia
L 90–102,
Larry Bird (19)
,
Larry Bird (13)
,
Gerald Henderson (6)
,
Spectrum18,276
, 1–3
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 5
, April 27
,
Philadelphia
L 94–105,
Archibald,
Cowens (22)
,
Larry Bird (14)
,
Tiny Archibald (9)
,
Boston Garden15,320
, 1–4
, -
References
See also
*
1979–80 NBA season
The 1979–80 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, and is notable for being ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:1979-80 Boston Celtics Season
Boston Celtics seasons
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
Celtics
Celtics