Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The late Celtics play-by-play man, Johnny Most , called him "High Henry" . Hank Finkel had the "distinction" of being Boston's primary center in the lone season (1969-70) between the departure of Bill Russell and the arrival of the effervescent Dave Cowens . The 7-foot Finkel was not generally a starter for Boston. That task went to 6'7" Rich Johnson , primarily for the purpose of winning the center tap . And 6'8" Jim Barnes took center stage when The Green needed some muscle in the middle. But Hank's first season in Boston was his best. He averaged 23 minutes per game, 9.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG. He lasted six seasons with Boston and became a backup for Cowens - and also a crowd favorite.  Henry's first season with the Celtics was tough on him . He often heard the crowd noise - "He's no Bill Russell". But of course, the Boston fans were right. Hank was tall but he was not quick or athletic . And frankly, he often looked aw...

 The answer to my title question is an emphatic "NO"! I attended quite a number of games at the Old Boston Garden in the early-70's when "High Henry" was backing up Dave Cowens at the center spot. @MikeDynan got it right. Muscala gets the nod quite readily. Although all three 7-footers have similar size, that's about the extent of the comparison.  Mike is definitely the better marksman , and he moves much better that Finkel ever did. The same goes for Luke Kornet . Henry took a lot of flak from Celtics fans upon his arrival in beantown, as any replacement for Bill Russell would, but he became a fan favorite with the arrival of Cowens when The Green started winning games. High Henry (per Johnny Most) was effective in the low post, but Kornet is probably better, especially for today’s game. More mobile and has an outside shot out to the arc. But Hank Finkel had some great moments. I checked: his career high was 42 with 17 boards. — Mike Dynon ☘️🏀 (@MikeDy...