On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1968 expansion draft takes 3 Cs

On this day, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and team president of the Boston Celtics, Dennis Johnson retired, and 3 Cs were taken in the ’68 expansion draft.

Finally, in 2012 the Celtics crushed the Atlanta Hawks 101-79 in Game 4 of the East’s first round.

The win came despite both Pierce and Allen playing under 20 minutes, led by the latter’s 24 points and Rondo’s 20 points and 16 assists.

“Their team set the tone from the jump ball and we weren’t able to recover,” said future Celtic big man Al Horford via the Associated Press. “It’s disappointing for us to lose this way, but the good thing is we’re going back home.”

It did not help that Hawks’ fortunes, with Boston eventually winning the series four games to two.

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