2001–02 Boston Celtics season

2001–02 Boston Celtics season
2001–02 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Jim O'Brien
General manager	Chris Wallace
Owner(s)	Paul Gaston
Arena	Fleet Center
Results
Record	49–33 (.598)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic); Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Conference Finals; (Lost to Nets 2–4)
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net New England
Radio	WWZN
< 2000–01	2002–03 >

The 2001–02 NBA season was the 56th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] This season saw the Celtics select future All-Star Joe Johnson with the tenth pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but later on traded him at midseason to the Phoenix Suns for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. The Celtics struggled with a 5–6 start to the season, but then won 12 of their next 14 games. They won nine of their final ten games finishing second in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record, making their first playoff appearance since 1995. Paul Pierce averaged 26.1 points per game and was selected along with Antoine Walker for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, which marked his first All-Star appearance.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games, advancing to the second round for the first time since 1992.^[2] In the semifinals, they defeated the 2nd-seeded Detroit Pistons four games to one, reaching the Conference Finals also for the first time since 1988. However, they would lose in six games to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals after taking a 2–1 series lead.^[3]

Following the season, Kenny Anderson was traded along with Vitaly Potapenko to the Seattle SuperSonics, and Rogers signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	10	Joe Johnson	SG	United States	Arkansas
1	11	Kedrick Brown	SF/SG	United States	Okaloosa-Walton
1	21	Joseph Forte	SG	United States	North Carolina

Roster

2001–02 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From
PG	7	Anderson, Kenny	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	1970–10–09	Georgia Tech
C	4	Battie, Tony	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1976–02–11	Texas Tech
C	30	Blount, Mark	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1975–11–30	Pittsburgh
SF	42	Brown, Kedrick	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	1981–03–18	Okaloosa-Walton Community College
PG	12	Cook, Omar	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1968–05–22	St. John's
SG	28	Delk, Tony	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	1974–01–28	Kentucky
SG	40	Forte, Joseph	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	1981–03–23	North Carolina
PF	0	McCarty, Walter	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1974–02–01	Kentucky
SF	5	McLeod, Roshown	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	1975–11–17	Duke
G/F	34	Pierce, Paul (C)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1977–10–13	Kansas
C	52	Potapenko, Vitaly	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	280 lb (127 kg)	1975–03–21	Wright State University
SF	54	Rogers, Rodney	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1971–06–20	Wake Forest
PG	20	Strickland, Erick	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1973–11–25	University of Nebraska
PF	8	Walker, Antoine (C)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	224 lb (102 kg)	1976–08–12	Kentucky
SF	55	Williams, Eric	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1972–07–17	Providence

Head coach

Jim O'Brien

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2002–04–16

Roster Notes

Small forward Roshown McLeod missed the entire season with a left peroneal neuropathy injury.
Point guard Omar Cook also holds American citizenship, but he represents Montenegro in international play.

Regular season

Standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New Jersey Nets	52	30	.634	–	33–8	19–22	16–8
x-Boston Celtics	49	33	.598	3	27–14	22–19	17–7
x-Orlando Magic	44	38	.537	8	27–14	17–24	12–12
x-Philadelphia 76ers	43	39	.524	9	22–19	21–20	14–11
Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	15	22–19	15–26	12–13
Miami Heat	36	46	.439	16	18–23	18–23	10–14
New York Knicks	30	52	.366	22	19–22	11–30	4–20

#	Eastern Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-New Jersey Nets	52	30	.634	–
2	y-Detroit Pistons	50	32	.610	2
3	x-Boston Celtics	49	33	.598	3
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	44	38	.537	8
5	x-Orlando Magic	44	38	.537	8
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	43	39	.524	9
7	x-Toronto Raptors	42	40	.512	10
8	x-Indiana Pacers	42	40	.512	10

9	Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	11
10	Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	15
11	Miami Heat	36	46	.439	16
12	Atlanta Hawks	33	49	.402	19
13	New York Knicks	30	52	.366	22
14	Cleveland Cavaliers	29	53	.354	23
15	Chicago Bulls	21	61	.256	31

Record vs. opponents

2001-02 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–3
Boston	2–2	—	2–1	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	1–2	—	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Chicago	1–3	2–2	0–4	—	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	0–3	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–3
Cleveland	1–3	0–4	1–3	3–1	—	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–2
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	—	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	—	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–3	0–2
Detroit	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	2–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	1–3	0–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–1
Houston	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	—	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
Indiana	3–1	0–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	1–3	2–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	3–1
L.A. Clippers	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	—	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
L.A. Lakers	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–1	—	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–0
Memphis	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	—	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–1	3–1	0–2
Miami	1–3	1–3	0–3	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	—	3–1	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	2–2
Milwaukee	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	—	0–2	1–2	1–3	2–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	4–0	2–0	3–1
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–0
New Jersey	1–2	1–3	3–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	—	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
New York	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	3–1	0–2	0–4	—	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–0	1–1	1–3
Orlando	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–3	4–0	—	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	—	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2
Portland	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	—	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	2–0
Sacramento	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	0–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–1
San Antonio	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	4–0	2–0
Seattle	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–0	1–3	1–1
Toronto	4–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–3	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	1–2
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	2–0
Washington	3–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	—

Game log

2001-02 Game Log

Total: 49–33 (Home: 27–14; Road: 22–19)

October (Home: 0-1; Road: 1-0)

November (Home: 4-2; Road: 2-3)

December (Home: 6-0; Road: 5-5)

January (Home: 5-4; Road: 3-4)

February (Home: 1-3; Road: 4-4)

March (Home: 7-4; Road: 4-2)

April (Home: 4-0; Road: 3-1)

2001-02 Schedule

Playoffs

East First Round

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Eastern Conference Finals (Boston won 4-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (BOS-PHI)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 21	Philadelphia	82	Boston	92	1-0	FleetCenter, Boston	NBC 12:30et	Recap
2	April 25	Philadelphia	85	Boston	93	2-0	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 8:00et	Recap
3	April 28	Boston	103	Philadelphia	108	2-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 12:30et	Recap
4	May 1	Boston	81	Philadelphia	83	2-2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et	Recap
5	May 3	Philadelphia	87	Boston	120	3-2	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 7:00et	Recap
Boston wins series 3–2

East Conference Semifinals

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Boston won 4-2)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (DET-BOS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 5	Boston	86	Detroit	94	1-0	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	NBC 3:00et	Recap
2	May 8	Boston	85	Detroit	77	1-1	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	TNT 8:00et	Recap
3	May 10	Detroit	64	Boston	66	1-2	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 7:00et	Recap
4	May 12	Detroit	79	Boston	90	1-3	FleetCenter, Boston	NBC 3:00et	Recap
5	May 14	Boston	90	Detroit	81	1-4	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	TBS 8:00et	Recap
Boston wins series 4–2

Conference Finals

(1) New Jersey Nets vs. (3) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nets and Celtics.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NJN-BOS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 19	Boston	97	New Jersey	104	1-0	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	NBC 5:30et	Recap
2	May 21	Boston	93	New Jersey	86	1-1	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	TNT 8:00et	Recap
3	May 25	New Jersey	90	Boston	94	1-2	FleetCenter, Boston	NBC 5:30et	Recap
4	May 27	New Jersey	94	Boston	92	2-2	FleetCenter, Boston	NBC 5:30et	Recap
5	May 29	Boston	92	New Jersey	103	3-2	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	NBC 9:00et	Recap
6	May 31	New Jersey	96	Boston	88	4-2	FleetCenter, Boston	NBC 7:00et	Recap
New Jersey wins Eastern Conference Championship series 4–2

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

References

^ 2001-02 Boston Celtics
^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Sparked by Pierce's 46, Celtics Return to Glory". New York Times. May 4, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
^ "Sports of The Times; Nets Prove They Are Better Team". New York Times. June 1, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

[1] 2001-02 Boston Celtics

[2] "PRO BASKETBALL; Sparked by Pierce's 46, Celtics Return to Glory". New York Times. May 4, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

[3] "Sports of The Times; Nets Prove They Are Better Team". New York Times. June 1, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Boston Celtics
Founded in 1946 Based in Boston, Massachusetts
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history Accomplishments and records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Boston Arena Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center TD Garden
Personnel	Owner(s) Boston Basketball Partners President Rich Gotham General manager Brad Stevens Head coach Joe Mazzulla
G League affiliate	Maine Celtics
Retired numbers	00 1 2 3 5 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 31 32 33 34 35 LOSCY MIC
NBA championships	1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1974 1976 1981 1984 1986 2008
Rivalries	Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers
Culture and lore	Broadcasters Radio network Celtic Pride Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs Mike Gorman Johnny Most "Havlicek stole the ball" 1961 Boston Celtics boycott The Auerbach Center North Station The Sports Museum of New England Reebok Pro Summer League Newhart Uncut Gems Extended Family
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