Today in Boston Celtics history, the team dealt for Bailey Howell, sending big man Mel Counts to the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards). Counts played his NCAA ball with Oregon State, and was picked up by the Celtics with the seventh overall pick of the 1964 NBA Draft. He won an NBA title in each of his two seasons with Boston while putting up 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Howell played for Mississippi State at the college level and had been drafted by the Detroit Pistons, playing for that team before his time playing for the Bullets. The Tennessee native played a total of four seasons with the Celtics, a leg of an eventual Hall of Fame career in the league.
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He won two titles with Boston, logging 18 points and 8.4 boards per contest over his four seasons as a Celtic.
Birthdays
It is also the birthday of former Boston guard Jim Seminoff, who came into this world in 1922 in Los Angeles, California. A member of the team as it made the transition from the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA) to the NBA, the USC product played two seasons with the Celtics between 1948 and 1950 after a two-season stint with the (now defunct) Chicago Stags. Seminoff averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 assists per game (rebounds had yet to be tabulated) in his time with the team, retiring afterward.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 25: Jeff McInnis #0 and Lamond Murray #31 of the New Jersey Nets guard Ryan Gomes #4 of the Boston Celtics as he passes the ball at Continental Airlines Arena on October 25, 2005 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Former Celtics forward Ryan Gomes shares the birthday with Seminoff, born this day in 1982 in Waterbury, Connecticut.
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A former Providence College Friar, Gomes was taken by Boston 50th in the 2005 NBA draft and played two seasons for the Celtics before he was traded with Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and draft assets for Kevin Garnett in 2007. Gomes averaged 10 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game with the team.
Bubble History
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 30: Robert Williams III #44 of the Boston Celtics fouls OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Finally, it is also the date Boston defeated the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the second round of the 2020 playoffs held in Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex due to the pandemic. The Celtics won a tight game 102-99 with veteran guard Marcus Smart making five 3-pointers in less than 3 minutes early in the final frame, putting the defending champs on the ropes. Forward Jayson Tatum contributed 34 points as Boston took a 2-0 series lead.
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“One game at a time,” Tatum said after the win via the AP. “This series is far from over. You’ve got to win four.”
And four they would win, though it would take seven games to do it.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Howell/Counts trade; Seminoff, Gomes born