Maybe the Celtics Will Keep Reggie Lewis Afterall

1990-91 Boston Celtics

A funny thing happened on the way to the Opener Friday night: Reggie Lewis, whose rebel yell last summer pierced even the most faithful of Celtic ears, showed up at the Garden, went about his pregame rituals quietly, then walked out on the floor and scored 32 points, simple as that.

It looked that simple anyway. Lewis took advantage of a dunk or two off the team's transition game, and blew by rookie Danny Ferry as though he was an anchored buoy, bobbing in the ocean. He also took those long arms and clogged up passing lanes. He deflected passes, grabbed a few rebounds. He finished as the games's leading scorer, and the most amazing thing was people expected him to do something exactly like that.

There was much chatter in preseason about the damage that resulted from Lewis and Jerome Stanley's (isn't it nice we haven't heard from him in a while?) veiled threats to take their show on the road if a lucrative renegotiation was not drawn up.

It was, and Lewis signed, yet he would never again be the good, quiet kid from Northeastern who never caused an ounce of trouble. In fact, this writer knows of two potentially lucrative endorsements that went out the window for number 35 because of the public's "new perception" of its one-time favorite son.

As luck would have it, however, Reggie's buddy Brian Shaw returned to the fold soon thereafter, and all those local fans itching to boo somebody quickly shifted their attention to the "Italian" kid. Thus, Lewis escaped what could have been the first catcalls ever directed his way from Boston basketball followers.

There was only one other way he would have heard them, and that was if he didn't produce. It is early in the season, yes, but does anyone doubt that Lewis will average 20 points a game, maybe more? He is not much of a talker, never has been, but the one thing he made clear before this campaign was that he'd back up his salary and his claim to it.

So here were are, ready to take on a long NBA season, and Reggie Lewis is not an issue. He is just a guy who goes out and scores 32. He will never be a dynamic personality or a stand-up comic, but he will never be pushed around, either.

Those who initially wanted Lewis run out of town on a rail ("there's no more room for greedy kids like him," an angry caller to WEEI radio said less than 2 months ago) are claiming now they were misquoted. Reggie Lewis, Rebel for a Day, has been forgiven for all sins.

Now, if it were only that simple for Brian Shaw...