2002–03 Boston Celtics season
| 2002–03 Boston Celtics season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim O'Brien |
| General manager | Chris Wallace |
| Owners | Boston Basketball Partners |
| Arena | FleetCenter |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–38 (.537) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Atlantic) Conference: 6th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Nets 0–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Net New England |
| Radio | WWZN |
The 2002–03 Boston Celtics season was the 57th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Celtics acquired Vin Baker and Shammond Williams from the Seattle SuperSonics,[2][3][4] and signed free agent, and undrafted rookie point guard J.R. Bremer.[5][6]
After losing their first two games of the regular season, the Celtics posted a six-game winning streak afterwards, and got off to a solid 16–7 start to the season, as the team later on held a 27–22 record at the All-Star break.[7] At mid-season, the team traded Shammond Williams to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for former Celtics center Mark Blount.[8][9] The Celtics posted a six-game losing streak in March, and finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 44–38 record, earning the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.[10]
Paul Pierce averaged 25.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and also contributed 118 three-point field goals, but struggled only shooting .302 in three-point field-goal percentage, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team; Antoine Walker averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and led the Celtics with 188 three-point field goals, despite only shooting .323 in three-point field-goal percentage. In addition, Tony Delk contributed 9.8 points per game and 120 three-point field goals, while Eric Williams provided the team with 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, Bremer contributed 8.3 points and 2.6 assists per game, along with 101 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and Tony Battie provided with 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds per and 1.2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Walter McCarty contributed 6.1 points per game, Baker averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, but only played 52 games due to injury, and Blount provided with 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 27 games after the trade.[11]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Pierce and Walker were both selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was the third and final All-Star appearance for Walker.[12][13][14] In addition, Walker also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[15][16] Pierce also finished tied in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting.[17]
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Celtics faced off against the 3rd–seeded Indiana Pacers, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, All-Star center Brad Miller, and Ron Artest. Despite the Pacers having home-court advantage in the series, the Celtics took a 3–1 series lead after winning Game 4 over the Pacers at home, 102–92 at the FleetCenter. After losing Game 5 on the road in overtime, 93–88 at the Conseco Fieldhouse, the Celtics won Game 6 over the Pacers at the FleetCenter, 110–90 to win the series in six games.[18][19][20]
In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion New Jersey Nets, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and second-year star Richard Jefferson. The Celtics lost the first two games to the Nets on the road at the Continental Airlines Arena, and then lost the next two games at home, including a Game 4 loss to the Nets at the FleetCenter in double-overtime, 110–101, thus losing the series in a four-game sweep.[21][22][23] The Nets would advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, but would lose to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals.[24][25][26]
The Celtics finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 709,049 at the FleetCenter during the regular season.[11][27] This was also Walker's final season with the Celtics, as he and Delk were both traded to the Dallas Mavericks the following off-season; Walker would return to the Celtics midway through the 2004–05 season.[28][29][30] Also following the season, Bremer was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[31] The franchise gained new owners that season when Paul Gaston sold the team to the Boston Basketball Partners, represented by Wyc Grousbeck, in the fall of 2002.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 50 | Darius Songaila (traded to Sacramento) | PF | Lithuania | Wake Forest |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-New Jersey Nets | 49 | 33 | .598 | – | 33–8 | 16–25 | 16–8 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1 | 25–16 | 23–18 | 17–7 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 5 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 13–12 |
| x-Orlando Magic | 42 | 40 | .512 | 7 | 26–15 | 16–25 | 14–11 |
| e-Washington Wizards | 37 | 45 | .451 | 12 | 23–18 | 14–27 | 11–13 |
| e-New York Knicks | 37 | 45 | .451 | 12 | 24–17 | 13–28 | 9–15 |
| e-Miami Heat | 25 | 57 | .305 | 24 | 16–25 | 9–32 | 5–19 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Detroit Pistons | 50 | 32 | .610 | – |
| 2 | y-New Jersey Nets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2 |
| 4 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2 |
| 5 | x-New Orleans Hornets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 3 |
| 6 | x-Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 |
| 7 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 8 |
| 8 | x-Orlando Magic | 42 | 40 | .512 | 8 |
| 9 | e-New York Knicks | 37 | 45 | .451 | 13 |
| 10 | e-Washington Wizards | 37 | 45 | .451 | 13 |
| 11 | e-Atlanta Hawks | 35 | 47 | .427 | 15 |
| 12 | e-Chicago Bulls | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 |
| 13 | e-Miami Heat | 25 | 57 | .305 | 25 |
| 14 | e-Toronto Raptors | 24 | 58 | .293 | 26 |
| 15 | e-Cleveland Cavaliers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 33 |
Game log
| 2002-03 game log Total: 44–38 (home: 25–16; road: 19–22) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October (home: 0-1; road: 0-1)
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November (home: 6-2; road: 4-1)
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December (home: 6-2; road: 3-5)
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January (home: 4-4; road: 3-4)
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February (home: 3-1; road: 4-4)
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March (home: 4-3; road: 3-6)
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April (home: 2-3; road: 2-1)
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| 2002-03 Schedule |
Playoffs
Player statistics
| 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 |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vin Baker | 52 | 9 | 18.1 | .478 | .000 | .673 | 3.8 | .6 | .4 | .6 | 5.2 |
| Tony Battie | 67 | 62 | 25.1 | .539 | .200 | .746 | 6.5 | .7 | .5 | 1.2 | 7.3 |
| Mark Blount† | 27 | 7 | 19.2 | .563 | .750 | 4.6 | .8 | .7 | .6 | 4.4 | |
| J. R. Bremer | 64 | 41 | 23.5 | .369 | .353 | .766 | 2.3 | 2.6 | .6 | .0 | 8.3 |
| Kedrick Brown | 51 | 5 | 13.1 | .357 | .077 | .625 | 2.7 | .4 | .7 | .3 | 2.8 |
| Mark Bryant† | 2 | 0 | 4.5 | .000 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | ||
| Bimbo Coles† | 14 | 0 | 12.5 | .449 | .000 | 1.000 | .8 | 1.1 | .4 | .0 | 3.7 |
| Tony Delk | 67 | 39 | 28.0 | .416 | .395 | .782 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | .1 | 9.8 |
| Grant Long | 41 | 1 | 11.9 | .386 | .000 | .783 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 1.8 |
| Walter McCarty | 82 | 8 | 23.8 | .414 | .367 | .622 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.1 |
| Mikki Moore† | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .7 | .0 | ||
| Paul Pierce | 79 | 79 | 39.2 | .416 | .302 | .802 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 1.8 | .8 | 25.9 |
| Bruno Šundov | 26 | 0 | 5.3 | .250 | .250 | .000 | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 1.2 |
| Antoine Walker | 78 | 78 | 41.5 | .388 | .323 | .615 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 1.5 | .4 | 20.1 |
| Eric Williams | 82 | 79 | 28.7 | .442 | .336 | .750 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.1 |
| Shammond Williams† | 51 | 2 | 22.9 | .396 | .352 | .842 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .1 | 7.3 |
| Rubén Wolkowyski | 7 | 0 | 3.4 | .500 | .000 | .250 | .1 | .1 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Battie | 10 | 10 | 21.3 | .564 | .000 | .500 | 4.9 | .5 | .4 | 1.4 | 6.6 |
| Mark Blount | 10 | 0 | 14.4 | .545 | .700 | 3.6 | .2 | 1.1 | .8 | 3.1 | |
| J. R. Bremer | 10 | 0 | 14.7 | .286 | .250 | .875 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .3 | .0 | 4.7 |
| Kedrick Brown | 3 | 0 | 3.7 | .250 | .500 | .7 | .0 | .3 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| Mark Bryant | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |||
| Bimbo Coles | 3 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
| Tony Delk | 10 | 10 | 36.8 | .474 | .449 | .875 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 1.2 | .4 | 15.8 |
| Grant Long | 8 | 0 | 4.3 | .250 | .6 | .1 | .0 | .0 | .3 | ||
| Walter McCarty | 10 | 8 | 35.2 | .480 | .404 | .857 | 4.3 | 2.2 | .8 | .5 | 9.9 |
| Paul Pierce | 10 | 10 | 44.5 | .399 | .356 | .863 | 9.0 | 6.7 | 2.1 | .8 | 27.1 |
| Antoine Walker | 10 | 10 | 44.0 | .415 | .356 | .500 | 8.7 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .4 | 17.3 |
| Eric Williams | 10 | 2 | 31.0 | .375 | .200 | .794 | 3.2 | 1.7 | .9 | .0 | 9.6 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.
Player statistics citation:[11]
See also
- Reebok Pro Summer League, a summer league hosted by the Celtics
References
- ^ 2002-03 Boston Celtics
- ^ Broussard, Chris (July 23, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL; Baker Goes to Boston in a Five-Player Trade". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ "Baker Traded to the Celtics". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. July 23, 2002. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Celts Get Sonics' Baker in 5-Player Deal". Chicago Tribune. July 23, 2002. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Golen, Jimmy (October 2, 2002). "Celtics Make Unusual Point". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Sam (October 30, 2002). "Eastern Conference Capsules". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ "NBA - Celtics Pick Up Blount, Bryant from Nuggets". ESPN. Associated Press. February 20, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 21, 2003). "Celts Trade for Front-Line Help". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ "2002–03 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c "2002–03 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "Basketball". The Madison Courier. February 8, 2003. p. A8. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Broussard, Chris (May 2, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Celtics Put On a Show to Defeat the Pacers". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff (May 2, 2003). "Celtics Finish Off Pacers with Rout". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ "2003 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Celtics vs. Pacers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Robbins, Liz (May 13, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Take Long Way to Sweep". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff (May 13, 2003). "Nets Sweep Celtics". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ "2003 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Celtics vs. Nets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ "Spurs Defeat Nets to Win N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 15, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Heisler, Mark (June 16, 2003). "Spurs Reduce the 'Risk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "2003 NBA Finals: Nets vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ^ Broussard, Chris (October 21, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Dallas Acquires Antoine Walker, Adding Even More Scoring Punch". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ "Mavericks Get Walker". Los Angeles Times. October 21, 2003. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Trecker, Jerry (October 21, 2003). "Walker Out of Celtics' Picture". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ "Cleveland Sends Jumaine Jones to Boston". ESPN. July 28, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.