It was a little bit of old and a little bit of new for the rebuilding Celtics and new Head Coach Doc Rivers in the 2004-05 season. With three middle first-round picks, Boston picked up Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Tony Allen. The team also traded for future Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton and signed veteran Tom […]

During the 2002-03 season, Boston celebrated back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 1993. Head Coach Jim O’Brien, a former assistant at the University of Kentucky, started three Kentucky players – Antoine Walker, Tony Delk and Walter McCarty – who each averaged at least 12 points per game in the six-game Eastern Conference First […]

The 1998-99 NBA season was delayed until February 1999 due to a lockout. The shorter 50-game campaign did not suit the Celtics well as Coach Rick Pitino’s team finished 19-31 and out of the playoffs again. Pitino put his mark on the team with one bright spot as Paul Pierce debuted in the Green and […]

Following a 12-22 start to the season, Rick Pitino resigned his positions with the Celtics and longtime assistant Jim O’Brien took over the role of head coach. Under no illusions that things would turn around quickly, star player Paul Pierce said, “I think the guys look at it like a fresh start. It was like […]

Coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and a mid-summer trade that brought four-time All-Star Vin Baker to Boston, there was real optimism about the Celtics for the first time in a decade. During the 2002-03 campaign, the Celtics won 44 games and made the playoffs for the second consecutive season, but Baker […]

Due to a lockout, Celtics fans waited until February for the 1998-99 season to start. While the team had a rough campaign, as demonstrated by a 19-31 record, there were some silver linings. Rookie Paul Pierce joined a young core with Ron Mercer, Antoine Walker and Vitaly Potapenko along with veteran point guard Kenny Anderson. […]

Boston’s two young stars Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce landed on the cover of Improper Bostonian magazine in March 2003. Walker and Pierce maintained a strong friendship off the court and Walker called Pierce “hands down” the best teammate of his career. The duo was also openly critical of one another. Walker recalled, “Me and […]

Perhaps inspired by the banners covering the 2001-02 postseason media guide, the Celtics were ready to rumble in the 2002 NBA Playoffs. After a 49-win season, Boston won a postseason series for the first time in 10 years by defeating the league’s leading scorer Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference First […]

During the 2001-02 season, the Celtics won 49 games – the most in 10 years – and advanced to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. NBA All-Stars Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker led the way for a deep postseason run. The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since […]

Coming out of the University of Kentucky after his sophomore year, Antoine Walker quickly made an impact in Boston. The sixth overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft averaged nearly a double-double in his rookie season with 17.5 points and nine rebounds per game. Walker, nicknamed “Employee Number Eight,” set a high bar at the […]