So I have done my All-Time Red Sox lineup and my All-Time Patriots lineup. It is now time that I finish the trifecta and give you my All-Time Celtics lineup. This lineup may be my favorite just because there are so many people to choose from. The Celtics were so bad in the mid-’90’s, that they have so many great characters to choose from. Any of those lineups alone could fill this article, but there were a select few players I wanted to choose.
PG: Kenny Anderson
Kenny played with the Celtics from 1997-2002 and was possibly the best pure point guard the organization had since DJ. Anderson was the starting point guard each year that he played with the Celtics. He was struck with injury problems throughout his time with the Celtics. He was great in the ’99-’00 season when he averaged 14 points, 5 assists and 3 boards.
SG: Paul Pierce
Now I know Paul Pierce is not a shooting guard but I wanted to get him into this lineup. Pierce is one of the greatest Celtics of all time and has proved he is an elite player in NBA history. “The Truth” has been a Celtic his entire career and plans on retiring one. He has been through the best and worst of times with the Celtics and has brought them to a championship. Pierce is a Boston Sports legend and will always be remembered. In his career with the Celts, Pierce has averaged 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
SF: Antoine Walker
You now know why I had to put Pierce as a shooting guard because there is no way Toine was being left off of this list. Known for his “Toine Shimmy”, Antoine Walker is known by every Boston Celtcs fan, good or bad. Toine was drated 6th overall by the Celtics and began playing big minutes right away. He had a couple of stints with the Celtics, one from 1996-2002 and he came back for one year in 2004. Toine might be one of my favorite Celtics of all time because of his antics and the way he approached the game. One of his most famous quotes was, Reporter: “Antoine why do you shoot so many 3’s?” Antoine: “Because there are no 4’s.” Classic.
PF: Brian Scalabrine
The “White Mamba” may be one of the most popular players in the NBA. Everyone knows who Scal is and for good reason, he is a clown. You very rarely see a big, red-headed, unathletic white guy make it to the NBA but Scal makes it work. While with the Celtics you could have usually found him sitting in a suit and tie at the end of the bench, but Scal got his chances to play. And that is when the crowd would erupt. Scal was a fan favorite in Boston because let’s face it, a lot of Boston, irish people look like him. He was a Celtic for 5 years, 2006-2010.
C: Walter McCarty
“I love Walter!” a chant that was known by many Celtics fans in the mid-’90’s, was as popular as the “Toine Shimmy”. Walter McCarty was not your typical center. At 6’10”, Walter used to roam around in 3-Point land. He was a big man who you could rarely find in the paint. A matchup nightmare, McCarty used to make it rain in his famous #0 green and white jersey. He was a Celtic for the majority of his career. He got there in 1998 and left Boston in 2005.
This Celtics lineup certainly does not do justice to this organizations dynasty years. But these are the guys I saw play when I was young and I think it’s right to give them their due diligence. I know this is a group of goofy players for the Celtics but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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