On this day in Boston Celtics history, power forward Paul Silas became the third player in NBA history to pull down 10,000 rebounds (fellow Celtic big man Bill Russell as well as Bill Bridges had accomplished the feat as well) before he had hit the 10,000 point plateau.
Silas is a native of Prescott, Arkansas who played his college ball with the Creighton Bluejays and would be drafted by the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks tenth overall. He would also play a stint with the Phoenix Suns before coming to the Celtics, with whom he won championships in 1974 and 1976.
The 10,000-rebound milestone came in a 93-83 loss to the Buffalo Braves, with Silas logging 10 points and 15 rebounds in the defeat.
It is also the anniversary of Boston tying an NBA record in 1986 with 27 consecutive home wins after they defeated the then-New Jersey Nets 122-117, equaling the total set by the then-Minneapolis Lakers in 1950. The Celtics would extend their record to 38 games into the next season, finally losing to the Washington Bullets at Hartford Civic Center on Dec. 2, 1986.
In 2008 on this date, Boston limited the Miami Heat to a mere 17 field goals in an 88-62 blowout. This is the lowest number of field goals in any NBA game since the introduction of the shot clock in 1954. It was also on this date that Dave Cowens won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 1973. It wasn't even his first MVP award of the year, the Celtics center having also won MVP for the 2023 NBA All-Star game.
Finally, it is also the birthday of former Boston wing Wyndol Gray, born on this day in 1922. A native of Akron, Ohio, Gray played his college ball at Bowling Green and Harvard before being picked up by the Celtics to play for the team in their inaugural season of 1946-47. The Celtics alum appeared in 55 games for Boston, averaging 6.4 points per game while with the team.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Silas' 10,000th board; Boston hold Heat to 17 baskets
