On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1952, the Celtics tipped off against the (then) Fort. Wayne (Indiana) Pistons (now, Detroit) at midnight in a contest that had been billed as the “Milkman’s Special” in an attempt to sell the event’s late start time as a plus.
The name Milkman’s Special alludes to the very early (or late, depending on your point of view) hours kept in that now-archaic profession. It was a fitting one for a contest that began after a late-night Ice Follies skating exhibition held at the old Boston Garden. The Celtics would win the affair 88-67, with Boston legend Bob Cousy leading the team with 24 points.
Big man “Easy” Ed Macaulay also added 15 points, “Bones” McKinney a dozen, and Chuck Cooper 10 more.
It is also the anniversary of the Celtics waiving Argentinian power forward Rubén Wolkowyski.
Wolkowyski came to Boston as a free agent in 2002 and played seven games for the Celtics as one of the first Argentinian players in NBA history.
He averaged just 0.7 points per game in that stretch.
It is also the date of the trade in 2013 that sent center Jason Collins and point guard Leandro Barbosa to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Crawford.
Collins had played for the Celtics for just 32 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, while Barbosa hardly any more at only 41 games, logging 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
Crawford would stick around for a bit, playing 66 games over parts of two seasons, and averaging 11.8 points, 2.9 boards, and 4.4 assists per game with Boston.
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