Today in Boston Celtics history, Arnold “Red” Auerbach, the former head coach of the (defunct) Washington Capitals and the (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now, Atlanta Hawks), was appointed head coach of the Boston Celtics in 1950.
Auerbach continued to coach the Celtics for a total of 16 seasons, during which he won nine championships, compiling a regular season record of 795 wins and 397 losses, alongside a postseason record of 90 wins and 58 losses (or, as winning percentages of .667 and .608, respectively), making him the most successful coach in the history of the NBA. In 1966, Red stepped down as head coach, appointing Hall of Fame player-coach Bill Russell, while he remained the team’s general manager well into the 1980s.
He was awarded the Coach of the Year award for the 1964-65 NBA season, inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1969, and was named a top-10 coach in league history in the 1996-97 season.
Historic moments
Today is also the date of one of the most famous shots made in the career of Hall of Fame Celtics small forward Paul Pierce — and calls by longtime Boston boradcaster Mike Gorman. On this day in 2003, in Game 4 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Celtics and the Indiana Pacers, Pierce and Pacers star Al Harrington faced off with one another.
Both talking trash as the shot clock ran down, Pierce rose up and sunk a deep jumper, Gorman shouting, “Pierce buries It, right in Harrington’s face!”. To see that shot for yourself, click here.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Auerbach hired as coach; Pierce dagger vs. Harrington