On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame small forward Larry Bird hung 30 points on the (then) San Diego Clippers (now, Los Angeles) for the Celtics back in 1983.
Still just a few years removed from swapping franchises with the owner of the Celtics and moving west from Buffalo (a very long and odd tale we highly recommend you get up to speed on if not already aware), New York in their previous incarnation of the Braves. The Clippers played Boston at the old Boston Garden with future Celtic Bill Walton and lost the road game. 120-110.
Bird’s 30 points and 6 rebounds were no small part of the reason, with Larry Legend going 10-of-18 from the field to seal the deal for the home team.
Bird also hung 22 points, 11 boards, 6 assists and 5 steals on the Seattle Supersonics (now, Oklahoma City Thunder) on the same date in 1986.
The Indiana native was far less efficient in this contest, going just 4-of-17 in the 114-101 win for Boston, also played at the Garden.
32 years to the day, Celtic guard Terry Rozier had a 31-point, 7-rebound outing against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden in 2018.
Scary Terry’s shooting sizzled that night, with the Louisville product going 11-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
“My teammates made it so easy for me because they play so hard. We just play hard collectively as a group,” said Rozier to the Associated Press after the win.
It was just the second start of his NBA career at that time.
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