On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics shooting guard and small forward Tyree Ricardo “Ricky” Davis was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979. A standout at the University of Iowa, Davis was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the 21st pick in the 1998 NBA draft.
He played with that team, the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being dealt to the Celtics with Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and draft assets for Tony Battie, Eric Williams, and Kedrick Brown in 2003. While the trade was initially criticized, Davis grew on the fans as a player, becoming a popular fixture.
Buy Celtics TicketsDuring parts of three seasons with Boston, the Nevada native averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
It is also the birthday of former Boston big man Eric Montross, who was born this day in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1971.
Montross played his college ball with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, getting taken by the Celtics with the ninth pick of the 1994 NBA draft.
The Indianian’s tenure with Boston was a short one, lasting parts of two seasons. Montross was traded for picks in 1996.
He put up 8.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while a Celtic.
Finally, it is the date of the Celtics dropping Game 4 of their 2020 Eastern Conference playoff series with the Miami Heat in the Disney bubble. Miami wing Tyler Herro produced a franchise-record 37 points.
All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum put up 28 points and 9 rebounds while star forward Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 9 boards of his own, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Heat, who took a 3-1 lead in the series.
“At the end of the day, we got to find a way,” Celtics guard Kemba Walker said after the game via the AP.
“That’s really all we can do. We can do it. It’s about pride. It’s about wanting to do it. Next game we got to come out and show that.”
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ