Fansided

Every NBA team’s worst iteration ever

By Rich Kraetsch

BOSTON - NOVEMBER 20: Guard Chris Herren and coach Rick Pitino's expressions on the bench reflected their loss against the 76ers. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - NOVEMBER 20: Guard Chris Herren and coach Rick Pitino's expressions on the bench reflected their loss against the 76ers. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON – NOVEMBER 20: Guard Chris Herren and coach Rick Pitino’s expressions on the bench reflected their loss against the 76ers. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – NOVEMBER 20: Guard Chris Herren and coach Rick Pitino’s expressions on the bench reflected their loss against the 76ers. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Boston Celtics (2000-01, 36-46, -2.40 SRS)

There have been worse Celtics teams—1996-97 Celtics (15-67) and 1978-79 (29-53) immediately come to mind—but this was a new level of futility for the celebrated Boston Celtics franchise. Though they finished just 10 games below the .500 mark at 36-46, Boston would miss the playoffs for unprecedented sixth straight season. Before this streak of futility, the Celtics hadn’t missed the playoffs for more than two straight season. Six-in-a-row was a crisis in Beantown.

This was also the final stand for Celtics coach and president Rick Pitino whose tenure with the franchise had gone up in flames and had reached its apex in the prior year with the famous “Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans.” rant.

After an exhausting 12-22 start to the season, Pitino bounced and gave way to replacement Jim O’Brien. For Pitino, this was the final chapter of his professional coaching career and his 102–146 record from 1997-01 left a lot to be desired.

Pitino entered the pro ranks fresh off a national championship with Kentucky and got to work immediately on the Celtics — being given unilateral power within the organization. The hope was that the Celtics would nab the No. 1 overall pick and select Wake Forest big man and future NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. Instead, they got Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer with picks #3 and #6. Neither flourished under Pitino and were traded away for bit pieces just a few years later. Pitino did draft Paul Pierce, so it wasn’t all bad, but he failed to get the Boston franchise back to their winning ways.

Under O’Brien the Celtics went 24-24 the remainder of the 2000-01 season. Antoine Walker and Pierce emerged as true building blocks and by the following season Boston was in the Eastern Conference Finals against Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and the upstart New Jersey Nets.

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