Record 49–33 (.598) Arena TD Garden Radio WMEX | Period 2001 – 2002 Head coach Jim O'Brien | |
Place Division: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern) Playoff finish East Finals
(eliminated 2-4) Television Comcast SportsNet New England People also search for 2000–01 Boston Celtics season | ||
The 2001–02 Boston Celtics season was the 56th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This season saw the Celtics select future All-Star Joe Johnson with the tenth pick of the 2001 NBA draft, but later on traded him at midseason to the Phoenix Suns for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. They finished second in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record. This season featured the team's first playoff appearance since 1995. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker were both selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. Then they defeated the 2nd-seeded Detroit Pistons four games to one in the semifinals. However, they would lose in six games to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. 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.
Contents
East First Round
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Eastern Conference Finals (Boston won 4-1)
East Conference Semifinals
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Detroit won 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.