Tag: mark minor

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 20

Today’s installment focuses on the 31 players who wore No. 20 over the years as of August 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the 31 players who wore No. 20 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Celtics win ’81 championship vs. Rockets; Braun signed

On this day, the Boston Celtics won their 14th championship, beating the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the 1981 NBA Finals.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the 62-20 Boston Celtics won their 14th NBA Championship with a 102-91 Game 6 triumph over the Houston Rockets in 1981 on their home floor despite going five minutes late in the game without a basket.

Forward Larry Bird led the Celtics with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, and forward Cedric Maxwell chipped in 19 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists. center Robert Parish added 18 points and 6 rebounds. Shooting guard Robert Reed scored 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists for Houston, and legendary big man Moses Malone added 23 points and 16 boards.

Maxwell was awarded Finals MVP for his performance against the Rockets, who, at 42-40, were the last team in league history to make the NBA Finals with a losing record.

On this day: Hondo, Yabu, Swartz, Minor debut; Mikan born; Reed passes; Antoine Walker, Paul Silas trades

On this day in Celtics history, John Havlicek, Dan Swartz, Mark Minor, and Guerschon Yabusele debuted, Antoine Walker and Paul Silas were traded, Ed Mikan was born, and Justin Reed left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary Celtics small forward and future Hall of Famer John Havlicek played the very first game of his storied career with Boston in 1962.

A product of the Ohio State’s Buckeyes men’s basketball program, Hondo — as Havlicek was sometimes called — had been selected ninth overall in that year’s NBA draft, and played a major role for the team from the very first moment he played in the league, gracing the floor for 25 minutes of game time in his inaugural performance. That game happened to be a 149 – 116 obliteration of the New York Knicks, though Havlicek had a modest stat line in it.

The Martin’s Ferry native logged 6 points and 4 assists in the win.