1998–99 Boston Celtics season

1998–99 Boston Celtics season
Paul Pierce`s rookie season
Head coach	Rick Pitino
Arena	Fleet Center
Results
Record	19–31 (.380)
Place	Division: 5th (Atlantic) Conference: 12th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	DNQ
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports New England, WABU
Radio	WEEI

The 1998–99 Boston Celtics season was the 53rd season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA).^[1] The Celtics continued to build with youth as they selected Paul Pierce with their tenth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. Pierce would get off to a fast start as he was named Rookie of The Month in February, after the season was delayed by a four month lockout. However, the Celtics still struggled finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 19-31 record, as fans began to get restless with Rick Pitino's slow growth.

Draft Picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	10	Paul Pierce	SF/SG	United States	Kansas

Roster

Boston Celtics roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From PG 7 Anderson, Kenny 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Georgia Tech PG 11 Barros, Dana 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Boston College C 40 Battie, Tony 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Texas Tech SF 12 Bowen, Bruce 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Cal State Fullerton PF 29 Ellison, Pervis  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Louisville PG 13 Jones, Damon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Houston PF 4 Jones, Popeye 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Murray State PF 0 McCarty, Walter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Kentucky SG 5 Mercer, Ron 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Kentucky SG 9 Minor, Greg 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Louisville SF 34 Pierce, Paul 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Kansas C 52 Potapenko, Vitaly 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Wright State C 44 Riley, Eric 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Michigan C 55 Schintzius, Dwayne 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Florida PF 8 Walker, Antoine 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Kentucky	Head coach Rick Pitino (Massachusetts) Assistant coach(es) John Carroll (Dickinson) Lester Conner (Oregon State) Andy Enfield (Johns Hopkins) Jim O'Brien (Saint Joseph's) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions

Roster Notes

• Forward Pervis Ellison missed the entire season due to an injury.

Regular season

Season standings

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Miami Heat	33	17	.660	–
2	y-Indiana Pacers	33	17	.660	–
3	x-Orlando Magic	33	17	.660	–
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	31	19	.620	2
5	x-Detroit Pistons	29	21	.580	4
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	28	22	.560	5
7	x-Milwaukee Bucks	28	22	.560	5
8	x-New York Knicks	27	23	.540	6
9	Charlotte Hornets	26	24	.520	7
10	Toronto Raptors	23	27	.460	10
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	22	28	.440	11
12	Boston Celtics	19	31	.380	14
13	Washington Wizards	18	32	.360	15
14	New Jersey Nets	16	34	.320	17
15	Chicago Bulls	13	37	.260	20

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

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

Awards and records

• Paul Pierce, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

1. 1998-99 Boston Celtics

See also

• 1998–99 NBA season