On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1973, legendary Celtic small forward John Havlicek hit 24 field goals on his way to a career performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, matching a record held today by only the likes of NBA all-time greats Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. The game was a blowout, with the Massachusetts franchise winning 134-109 behind Havlicek’s record-setting performance.
Hondo’s 54-point game needed all 48 minutes of game time for him to produce, and came in a series against the Atlanta Hawks that Boston would eventually win four games to two,
Boston would eventually fall to Phil Jackson and Walt Frazier’s New York Knicks in the East Conference finals four games to three as New York went on to win its second and last NBA title.