2000–01 Boston Celtics season 2000–01 Boston Celtics season The 2000–01 NBA season was the 55th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Celtics acquired Bryant Stith from the Denver Nuggets. The Celtics played around .500 in November, but then struggled as Kenny Anderson played just 33 games due to an ankle injury and broken jaw. With a 12–22 start to the season, a frustrated Rick Pitino resigned as head coach after three years with the Celtics. Under replacement Jim O'Brien, they played around .500 for the remainder of the season finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with
Bill Green (basketball) work on it [the fear] and come back later." Green quit the Celtics right before the regular season began and never returned to attempt professional basketball (or any other professional sport), knowing that in order to play he would have to get over his fear of flying, which was something he could not do. Realizing that any future as a professional athlete was out of the question, Green earned a master's degree from Brooklyn College. He taught in several New York City public schools afterward, and then in 1971 became the principal of Jordan L. Mott School in the South