As the Celtics struggle to find a new identity with young Black stars, Reggie Lewis appears poised to lead their resurgence before his sudden death leaves the franchise and city in mourning again. Even the arrival of new team president and coach Rick Pitino in 1997 doesn’t help as the team spirals into crisis, decline, and then irrelevance. One month before the 2000-01 season, promising forward Paul Pierce is left clinging for his life after being stabbed in a Boston nightclub. Fans are left to wonder if the Celtics will ever rise again.