2003–04 Boston Celtics season 2003–04 Boston Celtics season The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Celtics acquired Raef LaFrentz, a teammate of Paul Pierce from the University of Kansas, from the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics roster move continued in December when Tony Battie and Eric Williams were both traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ricky Davis. In February, Mike James was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Lindsey Hunter and Chucky Atkins in a three-team trade involving the Atlanta Hawks. However, Hunter was waived after the trade and later re-signed
Original Celtics fourth place, while first-half winner Cleveland slumped badly to fifth place. Cleveland’s fall was precipitated by the hasty mid-season departure of star Honey Russell, who was exiled to Chicago after a disagreement with team owner Max Rosenblum. The Celtics easily disposed of the weakened Cleveland team in three straight games to take the ABL championship. In 1926, the American Basketball League, developed by sports entrepreneur George Preston Marshall, effectively railroaded the team into joining its ranks by prohibiting member teams from playing against them. The Original Celtics responded by winning the next two ABL titles. During their first full season