Boston Celtics History: Top 5 Coaching Fails

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Rick Pitino came to Boston with enormous expectations. He was supposed to be a savior who would return the franchise to its former greatness. Simply put, things did not work out. In fact, his tenure was pretty much a disaster. The Celtics went 102-146 under Pitino, who also served as general manager, CEO, and president during his time with the team. He abandoned the whole thing after less than four years when he resigned mid-season in January, 2001.

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Pitino coached the Knicks to moderate success in the late ’80s, but returned to the college ranks in 1989 to take one of the most coveted positions in the sport, the head coaching job at Kentucky. He succeeded in all respects, going 219-50 in eight seasons, including three Final Four appearances and an NCAA title, the program’s sixth, in 1996.

Hence the high hopes when he left Lexington for a second go in the NBA. His Boston career began with a home win against the defending champion Chicago Bulls, but things did not take off from there. The team improved by 21 wins in Pitino’s first year, but still finished 12th in the conference. They missed the playoffs the next two years as well and were 12-22 when Pitino resigned in year four.

He returned to the college ranks to take the job at the University of Louisville and has been there ever since. He won his second NCAA title in 2013 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year, but his NBA coaching career remains a disappointment. Pitino might not care, and the Celtics have made it to the mountaintop since, but fans still remember the slick New Yorker who couldn’t make it work in Boston.

Next: No. 1 - Two Brutal Years And A Tanking Gone Wrong

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