On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team would lose three players to the 1970 NBA expansion draft. The draft — the fifth expansion draft in league history — was held to populate the rosters of three new teams joining the NBA, the Buffalo Braves (which would one day become the Celtics, but that is another story), Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Former Celtics point guard Emmette “Em” Bryant would be drafted by the Braves after just two seasons with Boston between 1968 and 1970, with whom he won a championship in 1969, the Celtics’ last until the mid-seventies. The Chicago native holds the distinction of being one of the only players in NBA history to have been selected in multiple expansion drafts after having been selected from the New York Knicks by the Phoenix Suns in the 1968 expansion draft as well.
Bryant averaged 6.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his two seasons with Boston.
The Celtics also lost veteran guard Larry Siegfried to the Trail Blazers, who had been a key part of Boston’s rotation on five championship teams in the 1960s, and with the team for seven seasons.
His outstanding defense was a particularly noteworthy loss for the Celtics; Siegfried logged 11.6 points, 2.8 boards and 3.3 assists a game in his time with Boston.
Howell was also taken from the Celtics in the expansion draft but was dealt by the Braves to the Philadelphia 76ers almost immediately for Bob Kauffman and a 1971 second-round draft pick.
Howell averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game over four seasons with the Celtics.
It is also the anniversary of a 120-88 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, Boston taking a 2-3 series lead with the victory.
It came with a 25-point performance from former UConn standout Ray Allen, 21 points from Paul Pierce, and 18 for Kevin Garnett.
“We’ve done nothing,” Rivers said via the Associated Press. “We’ve won three games but we’ve got to win four.”
While Boston wouldn’t win it all that season, they would win their next meeting, ending LeBron James’ first tenure with Cleveland on a sour note, his last home game of the season a loss.
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