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
Celtics–Lakers rivalry was actually laid down in college basketball of the late 1970s. During the 1978–79 NCAA season, Michigan State was led by Magic Johnson to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Indiana State University, which was led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever, Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Magic Johnson would go on to be drafted by the Lakers, and Larry Bird by the Celtics. The personal rivalry formed by these two basketball greats during college would transfer