The 2021–22 Boston Celtics season was the 76th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Following the Celtics' first-round exit to the Brooklyn Nets in five games from the previous season, Danny Ainge retired from his role as General Manager, and Brad Stevens was promoted to be the next President of Basketball Operations. The Celtics then hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka as the next head coach on June 28, 2021, in what was his only season as head coach before being suspended for violating team rules in September 2022. Udoka was later replaced permanently midway through the 2022–23 season by Joe Mazzulla, who had been serving as the interim head coach during Udoka's suspension.
The Celtics began the season with an 18–21 record but began a turnaround in January and finished with a 51–31 record and the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference. With the Portland Trail Blazers missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, the Celtics now hold the longest active playoff streak, with consecutive appearances since 2015. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time since 2017. Multiple Celtics received NBA honors during the season. Jayson Tatum was selected to the All-NBA First Team and was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP, while Marcus Smart was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Robert Williams III joined him on the NBA All-Defensive Team.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets in four games, which was their third series sweep in four seasons. In the second round, they faced the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks for the third time in five seasons and defeated them in seven games. In the final game of the series, the Celtics made 22 3-pointers, a record for the most ever in a Game 7. The Celtics then advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth time in six years to face the top-seeded Miami Heat. In the previous two Conference finals matchups between the two teams, the Celtics lost both times: in 2012 in seven games and in 2020 in six. This time, they beat the Heat in seven games—including three wins on the road—to advance to the 2022 NBA Finals, their first Finals appearance since 2010. The Celtics faced the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of the 1964 Finals in an attempt to win their 18th championship and first since 2008, but lost in six games despite taking a 2–1 lead.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Club 2 45 Juhann Begarin SG Paris Basketball
The Celtics entered the draft with one second-round pick. They had traded their first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Kemba Walker in June 2021.
Roster
Standings Division
Conference
Game log Preseason
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 4 | Orlando | | Jaylen Brown (25) | Jayson Tatum (9) | Payton Pritchard (5) | TD Garden19,156 | 1–0 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | October 9 | Toronto | | Jayson Tatum (20) | Enes Kanter (10) | Smart, Tatum (9) | TD Garden19,156 | 2–0 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | October 13 | @ Orlando | | Aaron Nesmith (23) | Robert Williams III (7) | Nesmith, G. Williams (4) | Amway Center13,519 | 2–1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | October 15 | @ Miami | | Jayson Tatum (23) | Jayson Tatum (8) | Dennis Schröder (6) | FTX Arena19,600 | 2–2
Regular season
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | October 20 | @ New York
| Jaylen Brown (46) | Jayson Tatum (11) | Brown, Smart (6) | Madison Square Garden19,812 | 0–1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | October 22 | Toronto
| Jayson Tatum (18) | Al Horford (11) | Marcus Smart (5) | TD Garden19,156 | 0–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | October 24 | @ Houston | | Jayson Tatum (31) | Al Horford (10) | Schröder, Smart (5) | Toyota Center16,069 | 1–2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | October 25 | @ Charlotte | | Jayson Tatum (41) | Robert Williams III (16) | Schröder, Tatum (8) | Spectrum Center17,238 | 2–2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | October 27 | Washington | | Jayson Tatum (23) | Horford, Williams (11) | Dennis Schroder (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 2–3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | October 30 | @ Washington | | Jaylen Brown (34) | Jayson Tatum (15) | Dennis Schröder (9) | Capital One Arena15,813 | 2–4
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | November 1 | Chicago | | Jaylen Brown (28) | Al Horford (10) | Dennis Schröder (5) | TD Garden19,156 | 2–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | November 3 | @ Orlando | | Jaylen Brown (28) | Al Horford (12) | Al Horford (7) | Amway Center12,735 | 3–5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | November 4 | @ Miami | | Jaylen Brown (17) | Robert Williams III (10) | Dennis Schröder (6) | FTX Arena19,600 | 4–5 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 10 | November 6 | @ Dallas | | Jayson Tatum (32) | Jayson Tatum (11) | Smart, Schröder (6) | American Airlines Center20,052 | 4–6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 11 | November 10 | Toronto | | Jayson Tatum (22) | Robert Williams III (13) | Jayson Tatum (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 5–6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | November 12 | Milwaukee | | Dennis Schröder (38) | Robert Williams III (10) | Marcus Smart (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 6–6 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 13 | November 13 | @ Cleveland | | Dennis Schröder (28) | Robert Williams III (16) | Marcus Smart (8) | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse19,432 | 6–7 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | November 15 | @ Cleveland | | Jayson Tatum (23) | Al Horford (9) | Smart, Tatum (5) | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse17,186 | 7–7 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 15 | November 17 | @ Atlanta | | Jayson Tatum (34) | Jayson Tatum (9) | Marcus Smart (11) | State Farm Arena16,445 | 7–8 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | November 19 | L.A. Lakers | | Jayson Tatum (37) | Jayson Tatum (11) | Schröder, Smart (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 8–8 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | November 20 | Oklahoma City | | Jayson Tatum (33) | Al Horford (11) | Marcus Smart (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 9–8 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 18 | November 22 | Houston | | Jayson Tatum (30) | Robert Williams III (15) | Marcus Smart (5) | TD Garden19,156 | 10–8 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 19 | November 24 | Brooklyn | | Marcus Smart (20) | Jayson Tatum (8) | Marcus Smart (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 10–9 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 20 | November 26 | @ San Antonio | | Jayson Tatum (24) | Jayson Tatum (12) | Marcus Smart (8) | AT&T Center15,360 | 10–10 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | November 28 | @ Toronto | | Marcus Smart (21) | Al Horford (11) | Jayson Tatum (10) | Scotiabank Arena19,800 | 11–10
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 22 | December 1 | Philadelphia | | Jayson Tatum (26) | Jayson Tatum (16) | Marcus Smart (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 12–10 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 23 | December 3 | @ Utah | | Jayson Tatum (37) | Horford, Tatum (6) | Al Horford (9) | Vivint Arena18,306 | 12–11 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | December 4 | @ Portland | | Schröder, Tatum (31) | Enes Freedom (15) | Dennis Schröder (8) | Moda Center18,193 | 13–11 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 25 | December 7 | @ L.A. Lakers | | Jayson Tatum (34) | Horford, Tatum (8) | Marcus Smart (6) | Staples Center18,997 | 13–12 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 26 | December 8 | @ L.A. Clippers | | Jayson Tatum (29) | Jayson Tatum (10) | Dennis Schröder (8) | Staples Center17,064 | 13–13 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 27 | December 10 | @ Phoenix | | Jayson Tatum (24) | Langford, Tatum (7) | Horford, Pritchard, Schröder, Tatum (4) | Footprint Center17,071 | 13–14 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | December 13 | Milwaukee | | Jayson Tatum (42) | G. Williams, R. Williams III (7) | Marcus Smart (11) | TD Garden19,156 | 14–14 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 29 | December 17 | Golden State | | Jayson Tatum (27) | Robert Williams III (11) | Marcus Smart (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 14–15 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 30 | December 18 | New York | | Josh Richardson (27) | Jayson Tatum (9) | Brown, Smart (5) | TD Garden19,156 | 15–15 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 31 | December 20 | Philadelphia | | Jaylen Brown (30) | Enes Freedom (11) | Jayson Tatum (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 15–16 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 32 | December 22 | Cleveland | | Jaylen Brown (34) | Robert Williams III (11) | Robert Williams III (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 16–16 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 33 | December 25 | @ Milwaukee | | Brown, Tatum (25) | Robert Williams III (14) | Marcus Smart (7) | Fiserv Forum17,341 | 16–17 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 34 | December 27 | @ Minnesota | | Jaylen Brown (26) | Robert Williams III (11) | Horford, Pritchard (6) | Target Center15,962 | 16–18 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 35 | December 29 | L.A. Clippers | | Jaylen Brown (30) | Robert Williams III (14) | Al Horford (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 16–19 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 36 | December 31 | Phoenix | | Brown, Smart (24) | Brown, Williams III (11) | Robert Williams III (10) | TD Garden19,156 | 17–19
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | January 2 | Orlando | | Jaylen Brown (50) | Jaylen Brown (11) | Schröder, Smart (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 18–19 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | January 5 | San Antonio | | Jaylen Brown (30) | Robert Williams III (9) | Marcus Smart (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 18–20 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | January 6 | @ New York | | Jayson Tatum (36) | Robert Williams III (9) | Jayson Tatum (9) | Madison Square Garden17,529 | 18–21 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 40 | January 8 | New York | | Jaylen Brown (22) | Jaylen Brown (11) | Jaylen Brown (11) | TD Garden19,156 | 19–21 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 41 | January 10 | Indiana | | Jaylen Brown (26) | Jaylen Brown (15) | Jaylen Brown (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 20–21 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 42 | January 12 | @ Indiana | | Jaylen Brown (34) | Robert Williams III (9) | three players 4 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse13,560 | 21–21 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 43 | January 14 | @ Philadelphia | | Jaylen Brown (21) | Robert Williams III (14) | Jayson Tatum (5) | Wells Fargo Center20,444 | 21–22 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | January 15 | Chicago | | Jayson Tatum (23) | Robert Williams III (13) | Dennis Schröder (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 22–22 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 45 | January 17 | New Orleans | | Jayson Tatum (27) | Brown, Tatum (8) | Dennis Schröder (9) | TD Garden19,156 | 23–22 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 46 | January 19 | Charlotte | | Dennis Schröder (24) | Al Horford (10) | Jaylen Brown (6) | TD Garden19,156 | 23–23 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 47 | January 21 | Portland
| Jayson Tatum (27) | Tatum, Williams III (10) | Jayson Tatum (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 23–24 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 48 | January 23 | @ Washington | | Jayson Tatum (51) | Brown, Tatum (10) | Jayson Tatum (7) | Capital One Arena16,371 | 24–24 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 49 | January 25 | Sacramento | | Jayson Tatum (36) | Robert Williams III (17) | Marcus Smart (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 25–24 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 50 | January 28 | @ Atlanta | | Jaylen Brown (26) | Jaylen Brown (12) | Jayson Tatum (4) | State Farm Arena16,932 | 25–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 51 | January 29 | @ New Orleans | | Jayson Tatum (38) | Robert Williams III (16) | Marcus Smart (12) | Smoothie King Center16,168 | 26–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 52 | January 31 | Miami | | Jaylen Brown (29) | Jayson Tatum (12) | Marcus Smart (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 27–25
|-style="background:#cfc;" | 53 | February 2 | Charlotte | | Josh Richardson (23) | Al Horford (12) | Jayson Tatum (9) | TD Garden19,156 | 28–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 54 | February 4 | @ Detroit | | Jayson Tatum (24) | Robert Williams III (11) | Marcus Smart (6) | Little Caesars Arena17,584 | 29–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 55 | February 6 | @ Orlando | | Jaylen Brown (26) | Al Horford (11) | Jayson Tatum (7) | Amway Center14,402 | 30–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 56 | February 8 | @ Brooklyn | | Brown, Smart (22) | Enes Freedom (12) | Jaylen Brown (9) | Barclays Center17,732 | 31–25 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 57 | February 11 | Denver |