On this day, Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird went basket for basket with the Atlanta Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins in the final frame of Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Boston would squeak out a 118-116 win despite the Human Highlight Film — as Wilkins was called — scoring 47 points, while Bird logged 34 — 20 of them coming in the fourth quarter.
“The basket was like a well, I couldn’t miss,” recalled Wilkins via the NBA. “He couldn’t miss. That’s the greatest game I’ve ever played in or seen played. It was two guys who just did not want to lose.”
The Celtics won the series against the Hawks to advance to the NBA Finals, but would fall to longtime rivals the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
It is also the birthday of former Boston point guard Larry Siegfried, who was born in Shelby, Ohio on this date in 1939.
Siegfried played his NCAA ball for his hometown Ohio State Buckeyes, and was drafted third overall by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1961 NBA Draft.
The Ohioan chose instead to play for the American Basketball League (ABL)’s Cleveland Pipers out of distaste for Cincinnati, whose eponymous college had beaten his Ohio State squad the year prior.
The ABL went under the following season, and would be convinced by fellow Buckeye teammate John Havlicek to join the Celtics.
He would of course accept, winning five titles with the team between 1964 and 1969. He played for Boston for seven seasons, logging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while with the team, drafted away by the expansion Portland Trail Blazers in the 1970 Expansion Draft.
Finally, it is also the birthday of ex-Celtic floor general Randy Brown, who was born in 1968 in Chicago, Illinois.
Brown played collegiate basketball for Houston and New Mexico State, drafted from the latter 31st overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 1991 NBA Draft.
He would also play for the Chicago Bulls before signing as a free agent with Boston in 2000, where he would play two seasons before being dealt with Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio and draft considerations to the Phoenix Suns for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers.
Brown averaged 4.1 points, 1.8 boards and 2.8 assists per game in a reserve role with the team.
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