On this day: Danny Ainge hits 1000th 3-pointer, Robert Parish plays 1561st game
On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtic shooting guard and team president Danny Ainge became the third NBA player in league history to reach 1,000 made 3-point shots in 1995. He was no longer with Boston at the time, having been traded to the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers before landing with the Phoenix Suns, the team with whom he was playing when he passed that lofty record.
Only Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller had shot as many 3-pointers at that time in NBA history, the dynamics of the game still focused on near-basket makes with shots from the midrange being taken in abundance still being the norm.
The game has changed a LOT since Ainge’s era as a player.
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It is also the date that former Boston Celtic big man Robert Parish became the NBA’s all-time leader for games played, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1,560 games while with the Charlotte Hornets.
The former Boston big man would finish his career with 1,611 games played while with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97, with whom he won his fourth and final championship.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Today is also the anniversary of two wins since the season the Celtics hung their last banner in 2007-08.
The first was a 104 – 97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016 that saw point guard Isaiah Thomas score 32 points and 8 assists to seal the victory.
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Shooting guard Avery Bradley added 13 points and 6 boards, and reserve guard Marcus Smart added 11 points off the bench.
“The West Coast trip was tough for us,” said Thomas at the time via the Associated Press. “Get back here and little jetlagged still. Time is still a little messed up for us. But as long as we got the win, that’s all that matters.”
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
It is also the day in 2018 that Boston defeated the Chicago Bulls 111 – 104 behind a rare triple-double for big man Greg Monroe.
With point guard Kyrie Irving out for the year, the Celtics needed some help, and they got it that night from Moose, who logged 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for just the second triple-double of his NBA career.
Shooting guard Jaylen Brown also had a then-career-high 32 points in the victory, and both forward Al Horford and swingman Jayson Tatum had the night off to rest for the postseason.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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