2002–03 Boston Celtics season in the fall of 2002. Bold = All-Star selection (3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Eastern Conference First Round (Boston won 3-0) (2) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: 2002 Eastern Conference Finals (New Jersey won 4-2) 2002–03 Boston Celtics season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Celtics acquired Vin Baker from the Seattle SuperSonics. The Celtics posted a six-game winning streak after losing their first two games, and got off to a solid 16–7 start.
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