Exactly seven years to the day of his professional debut as a basketball player in the NBA (he had previously played professionally for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball) on December 9, 1981, champion Boston Celtics shooting guard Danny Ainge played the best game of that NBA career.
The Oregon native led all scorers, putting up 45 points — 18 of them in the game’s fourth quarter alone — in a 121 – 107 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the old Boston Garden. Ainge shot a sizzling 20-of-29 from the floor overall, 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and hit 3-of-4 shots from the free-throw line in 37 minutes of game time.
To honor the best game of the career of a beloved Boston Celtic, watch the video embedded below put together for our viewing pleasure by CLNS Media — and be sure to check out their “NBA History & Legends on CLNS” YouTube channel for similar gems from the Celtics’ rich history.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
