Coming from an NBA Finals defeat to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, the Celtics finished first place in the Eastern Conference with 57 wins and 25 losses, with Larry Bird being selected to the All-NBA First Team.
Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge were all selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game.
In the semi-finals, the Celtics trailed 3–2 to Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, but won the final two games.
They advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the fifth consecutive time, becoming the first team to do so since the 1968–69 Boston Celtics (which reached the previous thirteen).
This also marked that franchise's "Bad Boy" era, noted for the team's penchant for fighting and rough, physical play.