Today in Boston Celtics history, the franchise began its storied history in 1946 by playing its first game in the newly formed Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Association in 1949. Unfortunately, the Celtics lost that inaugural game to the now-defunct Providence Steamrollers 59-53, starting the 1946-47 BAA season with a record of 0-1. This inauspicious loss did not foreshadow the many wins and titles that would one day follow. At that time, limited statistical records were maintained about the play of the game, making it difficult to assess individual player performances. With that in mind, let's review the details we do have.

Red Wallace led all scorers with 9 points, Virgil Vaughn and Warren Fenley both had 8 points and the future "Rifleman" star Chuck Connors had 7 more to round out the game's top scorers for the Celtics. Connie Simmons had 6 points, his brother Johnny had 4, Wyndol Gray 5 points, while Al Brightman, Tony Kappen, and Art Spector each had 2 points. Mel Hirsch was the sole Celtic to go scoreless.

It was also head coach John Russell's first game as the inaugural coach to hold the position.

Historic milestones

On this day in 1990, DeCovan Kadell (better known as Dee) Brown debuted for the team that took him 19th overall in that year's NBA draft out of Jacksonville University, his hometown team. Brown's first game in green and white came in a 125-101 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers and saw him play 22 minutes of game time with 4 turnovers and 3 fouls.

It was also the day Semih Erden debuted for the team two decades to the day in 2010. The Turkish big played his first game for Boston in a 109-84 blowout of the Detroit Pistons in which he logged just inside 15-and-a-half minutes of floor time, turning the ball over once and fouling 3 times. Erden scored 2 points on a single shot, grabbed 3 boards, an assist, and blocked 3 shots for a decent first game.

Five years earlier, Ryan Gomes debuted; his first game with the Celtics was a 114-100 win over the New York Knicks. The Providence College alum put up 2 points (on a single shot attempt) and 3 rebounds in just under nine minutes of play, turning the ball over once with zero fouls.

That game also was Orien Greene's debut for Boston. He logged 2 points on a single shot attempt and a single rebound and assist each. The one-time Louisiana-Lafayette player did it in just under 11 minutes of floor time, with 1 turnover and 2 fouls.

Glen Davis debuted for this team in 2007 in a 103-83 thrashing of the Washington Wizards. The former LSU player didn't play much in it though, recording only two minutes and 30 seconds of game time in which he logged a single assist and a foul.

Luke Harangody also made his debut for Boston on this date in 2010, in a 109-86 blowout of the Detroit Pistons. The Notre Dame alum scored 4 points in just over 3 minutes of game time for a decent first game with the Celtics. Two years later, Kris Joseph debuted for Boston in a 99-88 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Montreal native registered a single assist and rebound in under 3 minutes of floor time.

On this date in 1999, Adrian Griffin played his first contest for the Celtics in a 103-90 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Seton Hall alum had a strong debut, logging 14 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in just under 28 minutes of game time. Two years before that, forward Dontae' Jones played his first for the Celtics in a 107-96 loss to the Orlando Magic. The Nashville native logged 4 points, a steal, and a block in 10 and a half minutes of game time.

Gone too soon

Finally, it is also the date of Celtics forward Hal Crisler's passing in 1987.

The Iowa State alumnus joined the team for a four-game stint in its inaugural season, closing our loop for today with a career average of 1.5 points per game with Boston.