2001–02 Boston Celtics season
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 56th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. This season saw the Celtics select future All-Star Joe Johnson with the tenth pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but later on traded him at midseason to the Phoenix Suns for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. The Celtics struggled with a 5–6 start to the season, but then won 12 of their next 14 games. They won nine of their final ten games finishing second in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record, making their first playoff appearance since 1995. Paul Pierce averaged 26.1 points per game and was selected along with Antoine Walker for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, which marked his first All-Star appearance.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games, advancing to the second round for the first time since 1992. In the semifinals, they defeated the 2nd-seeded Detroit Pistons four games to one, reaching the Conference Finals also for the first time since 1988. However, they would lose in six games to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals after taking a 2–1 series lead.
Following the season, Kenny Anderson was traded along with Vitaly Potapenko to the Seattle SuperSonics, and Rogers signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets.Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 10 | Joe Johnson | SG | United States | Arkansas |
| 1 | 11 | Kedrick Brown | SF/SG | United States | Okaloosa-Walton |
| 1 | 21 | Joseph Forte | SG | United States | North Carolina |
Roster
Regular season
Standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
East First Round
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Eastern Conference FinalsEast Conference Semifinals
Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics
Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference SemifinalsConference Finals
New Jersey Nets vs. Boston Celtics
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nets and Celtics.Player statistics
