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1999–2000 Boston Celtics season

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1999–2000 Boston Celtics season
Head coachRick Pitino
General managerRick Pitino
OwnerPaul Gaston
ArenaFleet Center
Results
Record35–47 (.427)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Atlantic)
Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionFox Sports Net New England
RadioWEEI
< 1998–99 2000–01 >

The 1999–2000 Boston Celtics season was the 54th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.[1]

Season summary

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Off-season

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During the off-season, the team acquired Danny Fortson, and former Celtics forward Eric Williams from the Denver Nuggets,[2][3][4] and signed free agents Calbert Cheaney,[5][6][7] and undrafted rookie shooting guard Adrian Griffin.[8][9]

For the season, the Celtics slightly updated their home and road uniforms; the white home uniforms featured a white version of the team's alternate logo of a cloverleaf on their waistband, while the green road uniforms featured a green cloverleaf.[10][11] The slightly updated uniforms would remain in use until 2006.

Regular season

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In their third season under head coach Rick Pitino, and with the addition of Williams and Griffin, the Celtics got off to a 10–8 start to the regular season, but then posted a six-game losing streak in December afterwards. The team continued to play below .500 in winning percentage, holding a 21–28 record at the All-Star break.[12] At mid-season, the team traded Fortson to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Alvin Williams, but the trade was voided due to Williams failing his physical exam; Fortson only played 55 games this season due to a stress fracture in his right foot.[13][14][15] The Celtics struggled posting a ten-game losing streak between March and April, but managed to win five of their final six games of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 35–47 record, and missing the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.[16][1]

Antoine Walker averaged 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while second-year star Paul Pierce had a stellar season, averaging 19.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, and Kenny Anderson provided the team with 14.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. In addition, Vitaly Potapenko provided with 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while Griffin contributed 6.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Off the bench, Fortson averaged 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while Williams and Dana Barros both contributed 7.2 points per game each, Tony Battie provided with 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and Cheaney contributed 4.0 points per game.[17]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Pierce and Griffin were both selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as Pierce was a member of the Sophomores team, while Griffin was a member of the Rookies team.[18][19] Pierce scored 18 points, and made 5 out of 11 three-point field-goal attempts, despite the Sophomores losing to the Rookies in overtime, 92–83.[19]

The Celtics finished 15th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 683,608 at the FleetCenter during the regular season.[17][20]

Notable incidents

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This season also reached a breaking point for the Celtics, after a 96–94 home loss to the Raptors on March 1, 2000, in which All-Star guard Vince Carter hit a three-point shot at the buzzer, which even drew cheers from the Celtics fans at the FleetCenter. Pitino went on a legendary rant in his post-game interview, wherein he blamed fans and the media for being negative towards the Celtics, and demanded them to stop reliving past glories; best remembered by the phrase "walking through that door", as he referred to retired Celtics legends Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, who all won three NBA championships with the team in the 1980s.[21][22][23] This would not leave Celtics fans nor the Boston media any more satiated, and contributed to his eventual downfall.

Aftermath

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Following the season, the Celtics were involved in a four-team trade, as Barros was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, while Fortson was dealt to the Golden State Warriors;[24][25][26] however, Barros never played for the Mavericks, as he was traded to the Detroit Pistons two months later.[27][28][29] Meanwhile, Cheaney was traded to the Denver Nuggets,[30][31][32] and Pervis Ellison signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics.[33][34]

Draft picks

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Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
2 55 Kris Clack SG/SF Image United States Texas

Roster

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1999–2000 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 7 Kenny Anderson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 1970–10–09 Georgia Tech
G 11 Dana Barros 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 163 lb (74 kg) 1967–04–13 Boston College
C 4 Tony Battie 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1976–02–11 Texas Tech
G/F 40 Calbert Cheaney 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1971–07–17 Indiana
F/C 29 Pervis Ellison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967–04–03 Louisville
F/C 27 Danny Fortson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1976–03–27 Cincinnati
G 44 Adrian Griffin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1974–07–04 Seton Hall
F/C 0 Walter McCarty 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1974–02–01 Kentucky
G/F 9 Greg Minor (IN) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–09–18 Louisville
G 20 Doug Overton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1969–08–03 La Salle
G/F 34 Paul Pierce 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1977–10–13 Kansas
C 52 Vitaly Potapenko 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1975–03–21 Wright State
F 8 Antoine Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) 1976–08–12 Kentucky
F 55 Eric Williams 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1972–07–17 Providence
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: December 23, 1999

Roster Notes

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Regular season

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Season standings

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Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 5230.634–33–819–2218–6
x-New York Knicks 5032.610233–817–2414–10
x-Philadelphia 76ers 4933.598329–1220–2113–11
Orlando Magic 4141.5001126–1515–2612–13
Boston Celtics 3547.4271726–159–3212–12
New Jersey Nets 3151.3782122–199–329–16
Washington Wizards 2953.3542317–2412–297–17
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Indiana Pacers5626.683–
2 y-Miami Heat5230.6344
3 x-New York Knicks5032.6106
4 x-Charlotte Hornets4933.5987
5 x-Philadelphia 76ers4933.5987
6 x-Toronto Raptors4537.54911
7 x-Detroit Pistons4240.51214
8 x-Milwaukee Bucks4240.51214
9 Orlando Magic4141.50015
10 Boston Celtics3547.42721
11 Cleveland Cavaliers3250.39024
12 New Jersey Nets3151.37825
13 Washington Wizards2953.35427
14 Atlanta Hawks2854.34128
15 Chicago Bulls1765.20739

Game log

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Player statistics

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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

Regular season

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Boston Celtics statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kenny Anderson 828231.6.440.386.7752.75.11.7.114.0
Dana Barros 72015.8.451.410.8681.41.8.4.17.2
Tony Battie 82418.4.477.125.6755.0.8.6.96.6
Calbert Cheaney 671919.5.440.333.4292.11.2.7.24.0
Pervis Ellison 3059.0.442.7142.2.4.3.31.8
Danny Fortson 55515.6.528.7356.7.5.4.17.6
Adrian Griffin 724726.8.424.281.7535.22.51.6.26.7
Walter McCarty 61514.4.339.309.7221.81.1.4.43.8
Doug Overton 4809.0.396.357.952.71.1.2.03.2
Paul Pierce 737235.4.442.343.7985.43.02.1.819.5
Vitaly Potapenko 797222.7.499.000.6816.31.0.5.49.2
Jamel Thomas† 306.3.500.0001.000.7.7.0.03.7
Wayne Turner 3013.7.167.3331.01.7.0.01.3
Antoine Walker 828236.6.430.256.6998.03.71.4.420.5
Eric Williams 681720.3.427.347.7932.31.4.6.27.2
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.

Player statistics citation:[17]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Boston Celtics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Celtics Trade Mercer in Six-Player Deal". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. August 4, 1999. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ Greenberg, Alan (August 4, 1999). "Celts Cash Out on Mercer". Hartford Courant. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "NBA Teams Get Busy Trading and Signing". Deseret News. Associated Press. August 4, 1999. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Plus: Pro Basketball -- Boston: Cheaney Headed to the Celtics". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 6, 1999. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Magic's Gone, So Hardaway Traded". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. August 6, 1999. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Wyche, Steve (August 6, 1999). "Wizards Lose Cheaney to the Celtics". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Goldberg, Jeff (October 6, 1999). "Dues Paid, Griffin Joins Club at Last". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ Berman, Marc (November 13, 1999). "The Hall's Griffin Finds Home in Boston After CBA Journey". New York Post. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Boston Celtics Home Uniform". Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Boston Celtics Road Uniform". Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  12. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 10, 2000". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Fortson Back with Celtics". CBS News. Associated Press. February 11, 2000. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Gardner, Kris (February 11, 2000). "Fortson Dealt to Toronto". The Houston Roundball Review. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ "N.B.A. Roundup -- Boston: Trade Rescinded After Williams Flunks Physical". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 12, 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  16. ↑ "1999–2000 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 "1999–2000 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Sports Scoreboard". Times-Union. February 12, 2000. p. 3B. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "2000 NBA Rising Stars: Rookies 92, Sophomores 83 (OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ "1999–2000 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Pitino Frustrated in Post-Game Comments". ESPN. Associated Press. March 1, 2000. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Carter Is Mr. Big Shot in Victory Over Celtics". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. March 2, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Celtics' Failures Have Pitino Feeling Some Heat; Boston Coach Blaming Media for City's Bad Attitude Toward Team". Deseret News. Associated Press. March 6, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ Buckley, Tim (August 14, 2000). "Jazz Make Deal for Marshall". Deseret News. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Marshall, Eisley Included in Four-Team NBA Trade". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Plus: Pro Basketball: 4 N.B.A. Teams Involved in Trade". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 17, 2000. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  27. ↑ Gardner, Kris (October 17, 2000). "Dallas, Detroit Complete Three-Player Deal". The Houston Roundball Review. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Mavs Get Vaught from Pistons for Barros and Sesay". CBC. CBC Sports. October 17, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Mavericks Acquire Loy Vaught from Pistons". United Press International. October 17, 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Plus: Pro Basketball: Pack Trade to Nuggets Official". The New York Times. Reuters. October 17, 2000. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Celtics, Nuggets Complete Four-Player Trade". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 17, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  32. ↑ Gardner, Kris (October 29, 2000). "Pack Returns to Nuggets". The Houston Roundball Review. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ "The NBA: Fans Get First Look at Sonics in Scrimmage". Kitsap Sun. Sun Sports. October 24, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ Wise, Mike (October 30, 2000). "Pro Basketball: West Side Story, the Sequel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  35. ↑ Goldberg, Jeff (October 5, 1999). "Celtics Hope Upgrade Holds Up for Y2k". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
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