On this day, the Boston Celtics participated in the 1958 NBA Draft, held in New York City.
The Celtics made two picks of note, both late in their respective rounds. Boston took big man Bennie Swain out of Texas Southern with the seventh overall pick, and forward Jimmy Smith out of Franciscan College with the 15th overall selection.
Swain would share the frontcourt Celtics legend Bill Russell on the 1959 title team as a reserve, recording 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in his sole season with Boston.
Smith was a promising prospect as well, playing power forward as an All-American collegiate player, but was drafted into the U.S. military.
Knee problems would force his discharge from the armed forces, and would also unfortunately end his basketball career as well. Smith would go on to become a civil rights activist advocating racial integration instead.
It is also the birthday of former Celtic point guard Vernell Eufaye “Bimbo” Coles, born in 1968 in Covington, Virginia and who played for Boston as a late season addition in 2003.
Coles had a very brief tenure with the Celtics, playing just 14 games with the club that season, over which he averaged 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
Today is also the anniversary of two NBA Playoff victories for Boston since the season of the Celtics’ last championship in 2007-08.
The first of which was a 113-96 drubbing of the New York Knicks that gave Boston a 3-0 series lead in 2011.
Guard Rajon Rondo logged a triple double with a Celtics-record 20 assists (and 15 points with 11 rebounds), while Paul Pierce led all players with 38 points and Ray Allen added 32 points on 8-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
“You come out and you hit them first. You don’t give the crowd a reason to get involved. That was big, when we came out with that run to start the game. We were comfortable from there on out,” offered Pierce via the Associated Press.
The Celtics also defeated the Atlanta Hawks 111-103 on this day in 2016 behind a then-career high 42 points from point guard Isaiah Thomas.
The win gave Boston its first win of the series, dropping the first two to Atlanta. Wing Evan Turner added 17 points, 7 assists and 5 steals, and forward Amir Johnson 15 points and 7 boards.
Reserve guard Marcus Smart added 11 points and 5 assists off the bench.
“I was just in attack mode,” Thomas said via the A.P. “I was just trying to do what I could to win the game.”
With that performance, Thomas joined an elite group of players who have scored more than 40 points in a playoff game for Boston.
Only Ray Allen, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Reggie Lewis, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Jo Jo White have accomplished such a feat.
