On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary forward John Havlicek stole the ball. In Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals, Hondo — as Havlicek was called — made one of the most iconic plays in NBA history.
With just five seconds remaining and Boston holding a 110-109 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, Havlicek tipped an inbound pass to Boston’s Sam Jones, who then dribbled out the clock to secure the win. Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most immortalized the event in his play-by-play calling that featured him shouting, “Havlicek stole the ball! It’s all over! It’s all over!”
The crowd of course went wild, and Boston would go on to win their eighth title in the Finals over the Los Angeles Lakers after the triumph.
It is also a sad day in that it is the anniversary of the car crash that killed Chyna Thomas, Isaiah Thomas’ sister in 2017. Fellow Tacoma-area native and teammate Avery Bradley broke the news to Thomas in practice, and while he took the rest of that day off, it did not stop him from playing in the Celtics’ postseason play soon after. Chyna Thomas was just 22 years old — rest in peace.
Former Boston big man Connie Simmons left us on this day in 1989 as well. A member of the Celtics in their first season of existence in 1946-47, he played a total of 92 games for the team before being traded to the (now defunct) Baltimore Bullets in 1948. He averaged 9.4 points and just under an assist per game while with the team.
Today is also the day we lost Celtics center Dwayne Schintzius in 2012 to a rare form of cancer. An alum of the University of Florida, Schintzius played for the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, (then) New Jersey Nets (now, Brooklyn), Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Clippers before he signed with Boston in 1999. Known for his trademark mullet haircut, Schintzius appeared in just 16 contests for the Celtics. Rest in peace.
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