Shooting Star

THE BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL TEAM JUST FINished a sad, hard season: the revered Larry Bird retired at the start; the always dependable Kevin McHale retired at the end; and during the playoffs, the team lost its captain and hope for the future, Reggie Lewis. The 27-year-old forward collapsed during a % postseason game at Boston Garden. Lewis, who is the Celtics' leading scorer, bravely returned to the game before weakening and finally heading for the bench for good. A few days later, a team physician delivered a disturbing diagnosis: Lewis had "focal cardiomyopathy," an ailment that damages an area of the heart and causes it to beat irregularly. Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount University, another celebrated young basketball player, died from cardiomyopathy in 1990. Lewis said he would seek a second opinion. And Celtics fans, stunned by the loss, looked around desperately for another hoops hero.