1997–98 Boston Celtics season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Celtics received the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected point guard Chauncey Billups from the University of Colorado, and also selected shooting guard Ron Mercer from the University of Kentucky with the sixth overall pick.^[2][3][4] Despite finishing with the league's second worst record the previous season, the Celtics were back in the headlines after hiring University of Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino as their new coach.^[5][6][7] During the off-season, the team signed free agent Chris Mills,^[8][9][10] but then traded him to the New York Knicks in exchange for second-year forward Walter McCarty in October,^[11][12][13] and also signed second-year center Travis Knight,^[14][15] Andrew DeClercq,^[16] Bruce Bowen and Tyus Edney.^[8]

1997–98 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Rick Pitino
General manager	Rick Pitino
Owner(s)	Paul Gaston
Arena	Fleet Center
Results
Record	36–46 (.439)
Place	Division: 6th (Atlantic) Conference: 12th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WSBK-TV SportsChannel/Fox Sports New England
Radio	WEEI
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

Pitino's Celtics career had an auspicious beginning on opening night when the Celtics defeated Michael Jordan, and the 5-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, 92–85 at the FleetCenter on October 31, 1997.^[17][18][19] After a slow 1–5 start to the regular season, the Celtics held a 16–14 record as of January 3, 1998, but then lost eight of their next nine games, and held a 22–25 record at the All-Star break.^[20]

At mid-season, the team traded Billups along with Dee Brown to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones and Žan Tabak;^[21][22][23] the Raptors had acquired Anderson from the Portland Trail Blazers.^[24][25][26] The Celtics continued to struggle as they later on posted a six-game losing streak in March; although the team did not qualify for the NBA playoffs, they improved their win total by 21 games from the previous season, finishing in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 36–46 record.^[27]

Second-year star Antoine Walker averaged 22.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, and was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York City, New York,^[28][29][30] while Mercer averaged 15.3 points and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, McCarty provided the team with 9.6 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Dana Barros contributed 9.8 points and 3.6 assists per game off the bench, plus leading the Celtics with 100 three-point field goals. On the defensive side, Knight averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and DeClercq provided with 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.^[31]

Walker finished in twelfth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Pitino finished tied in seventh place in Coach of the Year voting.^[32]

Following the season, Knight was traded back to his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, after only one season with the Celtics,^[33][34] and Edney and Tabak were both released to free agency.

Draft picks

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	3	Chauncey Billups	PG	United States	Colorado
1	6	Ron Mercer	SF/SG	United States	Kentucky
2	56	Ben Pepper	C	Australia	Newcastle Falcons

Roster

1997–98 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 F 12 Bruce Bowen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1971–06–14 Cal State Fullerton C 45 Andrew DeClercq 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1973–02–01 Florida G 20 Tyus Edney 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 152 lb (69 kg) 1973–02–14 UCLA F 29 Pervis Ellison 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1967–04–03 Louisville F 34 Reggie Hanson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1968–10–06 Kentucky F 13 Dontae' Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1975–06–02 Mississippi State F 4 Popeye Jones (IN) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1970–06–17 Murray State C 40 Travis Knight 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1974–09–13 Connecticut F 0 Walter McCarty 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1974–02–01 Kentucky G 5 Ron Mercer 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1976–05–18 Kentucky G 9 Greg Minor 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–09–18 Louisville C 55 Žan Tabak 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1970–06–15 Croatia F 8 Antoine Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) 1976–08–12 Kentucky

Head coach Rick Pitino Assistant(s) Winston Bennett John Carroll Jim O'Brien Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Updated: April 14, 1998

Roster Notes

• Power forward Popeye Jones was acquired by the Celtics from the Toronto Raptors in a mid-season trade, but was placed on the injured reserve list due to a knee injury he sustained with the Raptors, and did not play for the Celtics this season.^[35]

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	–	30-11	25–16	18–6
x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	12	28–13	15–26	13–11
x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	12	26–15	17–24	12–12
Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	13	24–17	18–23	12–13
Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	14	24–17	17–24	11–13
Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	19	24–17	12–29	12–12
Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	24	19–22	12–29	7–17

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Miami Heat	55	27	.671	7
3	x-Indiana Pacers	58	24	.707	4
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	51	31	.622	11
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	12
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	47	35	.573	15
7	x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	19
8	x-New Jersey Nets	43	39	.524	19
9	Washington Wizards	42	40	.512	20
10	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	21
11	Detroit Pistons	37	45	.451	25
12	Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	26
13	Milwaukee Bucks	36	46	.439	26
14	Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	.378	31
15	Toronto Raptors	16	66	.195	46

Record vs. opponents

1997-98 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	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	–	2–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	4–0
Boston	1–2	–	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	0–2	2–0	3–2
Charlotte	0–4	2–1	–	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Chicago	3–1	3–1	3–1	–	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	3–1
Cleveland	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	–	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	–	3–1	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1
Denver	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	–	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1
Detroit	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–0	2–0	–	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	0–2	0–2	2–2
Golden State	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	–	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	–	1–1	4–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–0	0–4	3–1	1–1
Indiana	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	–	2–0	0–2	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–1	2–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	–	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	–	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1
Miami	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	–	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	–	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–2
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	–	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2
New Jersey	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	–	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	–	4–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3
Orlando	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–2	2–0	1–3	0–4	–	4–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Philadelphia	1–3	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–4	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	–	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	–	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Portland	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	–	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–3	–	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–1	0–4	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	4–0	–	2–2	2–0	1–3	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	–	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1
Toronto	0–4	0–3	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–0	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	–	0–2	1–1	0–3
Utah	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–0	–	4–0	0–2
Vancouver	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	0–4	–	1–1
Washington	0–4	2–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	1–1	—

Game log

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
Kenny Anderson†	16	16	24.1	.435	.370	.837	2.4	6.3	1.6	.0	11.2
Dana Barros	80	15	21.1	.461	.407	.847	1.9	3.6	1.0	.1	9.8
Chauncey Billups†	51	44	25.4	.390	.339	.817	2.2	4.3	1.5	.0	11.1
Bruce Bowen	61	9	21.4	.409	.339	.623	2.9	1.3	1.4	.5	5.6
Dee Brown†	41	10	19.8	.427	.381	.679	1.5	1.3	1.1	.1	6.8
Andrew DeClercq	81	49	18.8	.497	.000	.601	4.8	.7	1.0	.6	5.4
Tyus Edney	52	7	12.0	.431	.300	.793	1.1	2.7	1.0	.0	5.3
Pervis Ellison	33	8	13.5	.571		.588	3.3	.9	.6	.9	3.0
Reggie Hanson	8	0	3.3	.500			.8	.1	.3	.1	.8
Dontae' Jones	15	0	6.1	.333	.261		.6	.3	.1	.2	2.9
Travis Knight	74	21	20.3	.441	.273	.786	4.9	1.4	.7	1.1	6.5
Walter McCarty	82	64	28.5	.404	.309	.742	4.4	2.2	1.3	.5	9.6
Ron Mercer	80	62	33.3	.450	.107	.839	3.5	2.2	1.6	.2	15.3
Greg Minor	69	16	16.3	.436	.194	.686	2.2	1.3	.8	.2	5.0
Roy Rogers†	9	0	4.1	.375		.500	.6	.1	.2	.4	.8
Žan Tabak†	18	5	12.9	.473		.538	3.2	.7	.3	.6	3.3
John Thomas†	33	2	11.2	.513		.788	2.1	.4	.6	.3	3.3
Antoine Walker	82	82	39.9	.423	.312	.645	10.2	3.3	1.7	.7	22.4

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

Player Statistics Citation:^[31]

Awards and records

• Ron Mercer, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

Transactions