Today in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame head coach and manager Arnold “Red” Auerbach earned the 1000th win of his coaching tenure with the storied ball club in a 114-102 home win at the old Boston Garden over longstanding rival Los Angeles Lakers in 1966. Auerbach had joined the franchise in 1950 to become the team’s third head coach after time leading the (now defunct) Washington Capitols and (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now, Atlanta Hawks). The New Yorker soon rose to prominence as a consummate professional obsessed with winning at a time when many organizations were quite far from actually being organized.
Never mind something we would refer to as “professional.” And while it took him six seasons to create a contender, once he got the ball rolling in the mid-1950s, his Celtics seldom missed winning it all until he ceded the role of head coach to iconic big man Bill Russell at the end of the 1965-66 NBA season.
Advertisement
His final campaign not only saw him surpass the 1,000-win mark, but it also ended with Boston winning a title against the same team, the Lakers, for Auerbach’s ninth title as a coach.
Historic milestones
It is also the date of a less festive record, the end of former Celtic guard Dana Barros’ 89-game 3-point streak. It certainly wasn’t for lack of effort. Barros launched nine 3s in a 105-92 loss to the New York Knicks on Jan. 12, 1996.
Dana Barros of the Boston Celtics (R) hangs on to the ball as Seattle Supersonics Detlef Schrempf attempts to recover during first half action at the Fleet Center 09 January in Boston. AFP PHOTO John MOTTERN (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images)
The streak, which began on Dec. 23, 1994, stood as a record for 26 years until broken by Kyle Korver, who hit treys in 127 consecutive games between Nov. 4, 2012, and March 2, 2014. The record is held by Stephen Curry, who stretched the record to 157 consecutive games between Nov. 13, 2014 to Nov. 3, 2016.
Advertisement
Birthdays
Today is also the birthday of former Celtic Dominique Wilkins, who was born on this day in 1960. Wilkins, who joined the Celts for one season as his career began to wind down, managed a noteworthy performance with the club, averaging 17.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 30: Michael Jordan (R) of the Chicago Bulls jokes with Boston Celtics forward Dominique Wilkins (L), pretending to pull down his pants, in the second quarter 30 March at the United Center in Chicago. (Photo credit should read BRIAN BAHR/AFP via Getty Images)
The aging star moved on to play in Europe, unwilling to slog through what was at that time a rebuilding Celtics team.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Red’s 1,000th win; Barros’ 3-pt streak ends; Wilkins born