From Da Kid to Da Man

The luck of the Irish is back in Boston!

The three-leaf clover on the Boston Celtics' leprechaun may finally bring good luck to this downtrodden and once proud franchise.

Three leafs = three All-Stars in Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. Doc Rivers must be doing the jig.


Garnett's addition kills the youth movement perpetuated by Danny Ainge who many had to wonder if all that time in Phoenix diluted his green blood as he killed that great team he had with Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce.

For that matter, you think Kevin McHale decided to help out his former club and teammate in AInge? Inquiring minds want to know. He ran out KG in Minneapolis. You think Minnesotans will run out McHale? Once a Celtic. Always a Celtic.

But it does add excitement in Beantown and vaults them from the depths of mediocrity to conference contender status.

When was the last time a player of KG's caliber created seismic reactions upon his transfer to the other conference? I can only think of Shaquille O'Neal's desertion of the Orlando Magic in 1997 and Charles Barkley's move from Philadelphia to Phoenix in 1993.

The shoe is on the other foot now. Garnett's move to the East challenges the theory that many players prefer the warmer confines of the West. While many may infer that a good team on the West can win the Eastern title, that is not necessarily so.

Now there are the Bulls, the Cavs, the Heat, and the Pistons who are all legit title contenders (but they all need some more tinkering with their line-ups if they want to continue their ascent). Can these teams beat the San Antonio Sterns, er Spurs, the Phoenix Suns, or the Dallas Mavericks? Absolutely. The balance of power is shifting.

And the Celtics are in the midst of it. As for Da Kid... he is now ready to be the Man.