1992–93 Boston Celtics season

The 1992–93 NBA season was the 47th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] This marked the first season since the 1978–79 season that Hall of Fame player Larry Bird was not on the team; this was also the final season for long-time Celtics All-Star forward Kevin McHale, as he would retire the following off-season.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the Celtics signed free agent and former All-Star forward Xavier McDaniel,^[5][6][7] then later on in December, traded top draft pick Jon Barry out of Georgia Tech University to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Alaa Abdelnaby,^[8][9][10] and also re-signed free agent John Bagley, who played for the team the previous season, but was not re-signed during the off-season.^[11][12]

1992–93 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Chris Ford
General manager	Dave Gavitt
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	48–34 (.585)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	First round (lost to Hornets 1–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WFXT SportsChannel New England
Radio	WEEI
< 1991–92 1993–94 >

However, the Celtics got off to a bad start by losing eight of their first ten games of the regular season, as Ed Pinckney only played just seven games due to a knee injury.^[13][14] Despite the bad start, the team would post a 7-game winning streak in January, hold a 26–24 record at the All-Star break,^[15] and would then post a nine-game winning streak in March, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division with a solid 48–34 record, and earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference;^[16] the Celtics also qualified for the NBA playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive year.^[17]

Reggie Lewis led the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points and 1.5 steals per game, while McDaniel averaged 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and Kevin Gamble provided the team with 13.3 points per game. In addition, Robert Parish averaged 12.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, while Dee Brown contributed 10.9 points, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and McHale provided with 10.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game off the bench, but shot a career-low of .459 in field-goal percentage. Meanwhile, Abdelnaby averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 63 games with the Celtics after the trade, Sherman Douglas contributed 7.8 points and 6.4 assists per game, and second-year forward Rick Fox contributed 6.4 points per game off the bench.^[18]

However, McHale would briefly feud with head coach Chris Ford near the end of the regular season over his lack of playing time, which did not help with causing distractions and lack of focus for the Celtics.^[19][20] Abdelnaby finished tied in eleventh place in Most Improved Player voting,^[21] and Ford finished in seventh place in Coach of the Year voting.^[22][21]

The Celtics held home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs against the 5th-seeded Charlotte Hornets. However, during Game 1 of the series, Lewis collapsed on the court; Lewis scored 17 points in 13 minutes as the Celtics defeated the Hornets, 112–101.^[23][24][25] However, without Lewis, the Celtics lost the next three games to the Hornets, thus losing the series in four games.^[26][27][28] Game 1 of that series would also be the final game for Lewis, as he would die of cardiac arrest during practice three months later at the age of 27, before the next season began.^[29][30][31]

Following the season, Joe Kleine signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns,^[32][33] and Bagley signed with the Atlanta Hawks during the next season.^[34][35]

Draft picks

Main article: 1992 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	21	Jon Barry (traded to Milwaukee)	SG	United States	Georgia Tech
2	47	Darren Morningstar	C	United States	Pittsburgh

Roster

1992–93 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PF 4 Alaa Abdelnaby 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–06–24 Duke PG 5 John Bagley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1960–04–23 Boston College PG 7 Dee Brown 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1968–11–29 Jacksonville PG 20 Sherman Douglas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1966–09–15 Syracuse SF 44 Rick Fox 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–07–24 North Carolina SF 34 Kevin Gamble 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1965–11–13 Iowa C 53 Joe Kleine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1962–01–04 Arkansas SG 35 Reggie Lewis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1965–11–21 Northeastern SF 31 Xavier McDaniel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1963–06–04 Wichita State PF 32 Kevin McHale 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota C 00 Robert Parish 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary PF 54 Ed Pinckney 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963–03–27 Villanova F 43 Lorenzo Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1969–07–15 Stetson

Head coach Chris Ford Assistant(s) Don Casey Jon Jennings Ed Lacerte (trainer) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: March 17, 1993

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New York Knicks	60	22	.732	—	37–4	23–18	23–5
x-Boston Celtics	48	34	.585	12	28–13	20–21	19–9
x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	17	26–15	17–24	14–14
Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	19	27–14	14–27	15–13
Miami Heat	36	46	.439	24	26–15	10–31	9–19
Philadelphia 76ers	26	56	.317	34	15–26	11–30	11–17
Washington Bullets	22	60	.268	38	15–26	7–34	7–21

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-New York Knicks	60	22	.732	–
2	y-Chicago Bulls	57	25	.695	3
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	54	28	.659	6
4	x-Boston Celtics	48	34	.585	12
5	x-Charlotte Hornets	44	38	.537	16
6	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	17
7	x-Atlanta Hawks	43	39	.524	17
8	x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	19
9	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	19
10	Detroit Pistons	40	42	.488	20
11	Miami Heat	36	46	.439	24
12	Milwaukee Bucks	28	54	.341	32
13	Philadelphia 76ers	26	56	.317	36
14	Washington Bullets	22	60	.268	38

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1992-93 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	2–2	3–2	2–2	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Boston	2–2	–	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–4	3–2	4–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–1
Charlotte	2–3	1–3	–	2–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–1	2–0	0–2	0–5	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	3–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0
Chicago	2–2	3–1	3–2	–	2–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	5–0	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–1	2–0	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	4–0
Cleveland	5–0	1–3	3–1	3–2	–	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Dallas	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	–	1–5	1–1	0–4	1–4	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–5	1–3	0–5	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–1	–	1–1	3–1	2–3	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–4	1–3	2–3	2–0
Detroit	3–2	3–1	1–4	1–3	2–3	1–1	1–1	–	0–2	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0
Golden State	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–3	2–0	–	2–2	0–2	2–3	1–4	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–4	0–5	4–1	3–1	1–4	3–1	1–1
Houston	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–1	3–2	1–1	2–2	–	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	4–0	4–1	1–3	4–1	1–1
Indiana	2–2	2–2	5–0	0–5	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–0	0–2	–	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–1
L.A. Clippers	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	3–2	0–4	1–1	–	3–2	0–2	2–0	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	3–2	0–4	1–4	2–2	2–0
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–1	1–3	1–1	2–3	–	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–5	3–2	3–2	2–2	1–4	1–3	2–0
Miami	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	–	2–2	2–0	2–3	0–5	3–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–3
Milwaukee	2–3	2–2	1–3	1–4	1–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	–	1–1	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3
Minnesota	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–1	2–3	1–1	1–3	2–4	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	–	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–4	0–4	1–4	1–1
New Jersey	3–1	0–4	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	2–0	3–2	4–0	1–1	–	1–3	3–2	3–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1
New York	2–2	4–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	5–0	3–1	2–0	3–1	–	2–2	5–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1
Orlando	3–1	2–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–2	2–0	2–3	2–2	–	3–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0
Philadelphia	1–3	1–4	0–4	2–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–3	0–5	2–3	–	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	4–0	3–1	2–0	4–1	2–2	1–1	2–3	5–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	–	3–2	5–0	3–1	2–3	3–1	2–0
Portland	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–1	5–0	3–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–3	–	5–0	2–2	2–3	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	1–3	0–2	1–4	0–4	0–2	2–3	2–3	1–1	1–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	0–5	–	2–2	1–4	2–2	1–1
San Antonio	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	5–0	4–1	2–0	1–3	1–4	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	4–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	–	3–1	3–3	1–1
Seattle	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–1	3–1	0–2	4–1	4–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–2	3–2	4–1	1–3	–	2–2	2–0
Utah	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	5–0	3–2	2–0	1–3	1–4	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	4–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–3	2–2	–	1–1
Washington	2–2	1–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	3–2	3–1	1–1	1–4	1–4	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	—

Playoffs

1993 playoff game log
First round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 29 Charlotte W 112–101 Xavier McDaniel (21) Douglas, Parish (9) Sherman Douglas (11) Boston Garden 14,890 1–0 2 May 1 Charlotte L 98–99 (2OT) Kevin McHale (30) Robert Parish (16) Sherman Douglas (10) Boston Garden 14,890 1–1 3 May 3 @ Charlotte L 89–119 Kevin Gamble (19) Alaa Abdelnaby (6) Sherman Douglas (8) Charlotte Coliseum 23,698 1–2 4 May 5 @ Charlotte L 103–104 Robert Parish (24) Robert Parish (9) Sherman Douglas (9) Charlotte Coliseum 23,698 1–3
1993 schedule

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

Regular season

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Alaa Abdelnaby†	63	52	18.3	.525		.760	4.8	.3	.3	.3	8.2
John Bagley	10	0	9.7	.360	.000	.833	.7	2.0	.2	.0	2.3
Kenny Battle	3	1	9.7	.462	.000	1.000	3.7	.7	.3	.0	4.7
Dee Brown	80	48	28.2	.468	.317	.793	3.1	5.8	1.7	.4	10.9
Sherman Douglas	79	36	24.5	.498	.207	.560	2.1	6.4	.6	.1	7.8
Rick Fox	71	14	15.2	.484	.174	.802	2.2	1.6	.9	.3	6.4
Kevin Gamble	82	58	31.0	.507	.374	.826	3.0	2.8	1.0	.5	13.3
Joe Kleine	78	3	14.5	.404	.000	.707	4.4	.5	.2	.2	3.3
Bart Kofoed	7	0	5.9	.231	.000	.786	.1	1.4	.3	.1	2.4
Reggie Lewis	80	80	39.3	.470	.233	.867	4.3	3.7	1.5	1.0	20.8
Xavier McDaniel	82	27	27.0	.495	.273	.793	6.0	2.0	.9	.6	13.5
Kevin McHale	71	0	23.3	.459	.111	.841	5.0	1.0	.2	.8	10.7
Robert Parish	79	79	27.2	.535		.689	9.4	.8	.7	1.4	12.6
Ed Pinckney	7	5	21.6	.417		.923	6.1	.1	.6	1.0	4.6
Marcus Webb	9	0	5.7	.520	.000	.619	1.1	.2	.1	.2	4.3
Lorenzo Williams†	22	7	6.9	.516		.286	2.0	.2	.2	.6	1.5
Joe Wolf†	2	0	4.5	.000		.500	1.5	.0	.0	.5	.5

Playoffs

Boston Celtics statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Alaa Abdelnaby	4	4	17.0	.458			3.3	.3	.0	.3	5.5
Dee Brown	4	3	33.3	.366	.143	1.000	1.5	3.8	.5	1.0	11.3
Sherman Douglas	4	4	41.5	.378	.000	.667	6.5	9.5	1.0	.0	11.0
Rick Fox	4	0	17.8	.280	.333	1.000	4.8	1.3	.5	.3	4.3
Kevin Gamble	4	4	35.5	.548	.417	1.000	2.3	2.5	1.5	.3	13.8
Joe Kleine	4	0	7.3	.600			1.3	.0	.0	.3	1.5
Reggie Lewis	1	1	13.0	.636	.000	.750	2.0	1.0	.0	1.0	17.0
Xavier McDaniel	4	0	31.5	.415	.000	.667	4.5	2.3	.3	.8	12.5
Kevin McHale	4	0	28.3	.582		.857	7.3	.8	.5	1.8	19.0
Robert Parish	4	4	36.5	.544		.857	9.5	1.3	.3	1.5	17.0
Lorenzo Williams	1	0	3.0	1.000			1.0	.0	.0	.0	2.0

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.

Player Statistics Citation:^[18]

Awards and records

Main article: 1992–93 NBA season § NBA awards

Transactions

Main article: List of 1992–93 NBA season transactions