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On this day: Jamel Thomas debuts; Celtics hold Pacers to 71; Dick Mehen, John Mahnken pass away

Justin Quinn
·3 min read
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On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward Jamel Thomas made his debut for the team in 1999. An alum of the Providence College Friars, Thomas was not selected by any team in the 1999 NBA draft despite his sterling basketball pedigree.

Part of a notable basketball family with brother Sebastian Telfair and cousin Stephon Marbury, the Celtics saw something in the Brooklyn, New York native, and signed Thomas as a free agent on Dec. 13, 1999. The 6-foot-6 wing only had a three-game tenure with the Celtics however, with his inaugural contest being a 117-88 blowout by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Thomas scored 4 points, 2 assists, and a rebound in just over 8 minutes of playing time.

The New Yorker hit 2 of his 4 field goal attempts, of which none were 3-point attempts, and did not get to the line — but also did not foul nor turn the ball over.

The trio of games Thomas played for the Celtics did not evidently inspire confidence, with the former Providence standout being waived on Dec. 23, 1999.

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

It was also on this date in 2005 that the Celtics held the Indiana Pacers to just 71 points, scoring 85 points to secure the win while holding their opponent to one of the lowest point totals in modern NBA history.

Boston was led by Paul Pierce’s 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Mark Blount’s 22 points and 5 boards.

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Today is also the date that former Boston big man John Mahnken left us in 2000.

Born in 1922 in West New York, New Jersey, Mahnken played his college ball for Georgetown, serving his country in the US Army in the Second World War.

After, the Hoya standout played for a number of Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league of the NBA) teams before he was traded by the (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now, Atlanta Hawks) to Boston for Gene Englund in 1950.

He would play in 199 games over four seasons for the Celtics with a brief stint in-between with the (defunct) Indianapolis Olympians before retiring from the sport in 1953, averaging 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Finally, 14 years earlier in 1986, Celtics alum Dick Mehen passed away as well.

The Tennessee product had been born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1922, and signed with the (defunct) Toledo Jeeps of the National Basketball League (NBL – a precursor league of the NBA, not to be confused with today’s NBL of Australia) after going undrafted in the 1947 BAA draft.

Nov 8, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Celtics logo on the center of the floor during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Mehen would play for that team, the (defunct) Waterloo Hawks, and the (also defunct) Baltimore Bullets before he was dealt to Boston for Kenny Sailors and Brady Walker in 1950.

The West Virginian played just 7 games for the Celtics, logging 6.3 points, 3.7 boards, and 1.6 assists per game.

May both rest in peace.

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire