2008–09 Boston Celtics season over the maximum. On October 20, Miles was waived, a move which finalized the roster for the start of the season. On February 27, Stephon Marbury signed with the Celtics. In the following season he was offered a one year contract for the veteran's minimum for $1.3 million but declined the contract. <nowiki>*</nowiki>Statistics with the Boston Celtics 2008–09 Boston Celtics season The 2008–09 Boston Celtics season was the 63rd season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They started the season as defending NBA champions, where they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals,
Original Celtics fourth place, while first-half winner Cleveland slumped badly to fifth place. Cleveland’s fall was precipitated by the hasty mid-season departure of star Honey Russell, who was exiled to Chicago after a disagreement with team owner Max Rosenblum. The Celtics easily disposed of the weakened Cleveland team in three straight games to take the ABL championship. In 1926, the American Basketball League, developed by sports entrepreneur George Preston Marshall, effectively railroaded the team into joining its ranks by prohibiting member teams from playing against them. The Original Celtics responded by winning the next two ABL titles. During their first full season