In a battle between Leprechauns and Sorcerers, who wins?

Ok, forgive the Dungeons and Dragons title, but in the last 48 hours the Washington Wizards have defeated the Boston Celtics, twice. For those of us that are fans of the local professional basketball franchise, this is HUGE. The Boston Celtics currently hold the best record in the NBA, and at 30-6, one-third of their losses have been to the Washington Wizards. Conversely, the Washington Wizards have been forced to take on the role of scrappy contender after losing their sometimes starting center, Etan Thomas, to heart problems in the preseason and their high profile guard, Gilbert Arenas, to a knee injury.

The Wizards have spent the last two months playing a team basketball and have seen good results. This was displayed on Saturday, when the Wizards snapped the Boston Celtics' 10-game road winning streak in Washington and was affirmed when the Wizards traveled to Boston to win last night. To be fair, both contests were not showcase examples of athleticism, neither team managed to surpass 90 points in the two game series.

I have been a long-time fan of the Bullets/Wizards. This was formed early in my life when the Bullets won the NBA Finals in 1978. That achievement had special meaning back then when Bullets stars Elvin Hayes and Phil Chenier lived in Columbia (Mr. Chenier still does). I can remember a time when I was in elementary school, we were given four-foot tall cutouts of a human silhouette, and asked to draw a person of note that lived in Columbia. These drawings were placed in the mall to celebrate Columbia. I remember going to mall and seeing dozens of figures drawn as I (and most of my friends) had done, the signature red, white, and blue Bullets uniform with a No. 11 on the chest.

Over the years, I have remained a fan. After each home game, whether if I’m in attendance or watching at home, I always make a point to look for Gheorghe Muresan standing in the tunnel at the end of each game (Gheorghe ROCKS!!).

Tonight, the Wizards play the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. This will be their fourth game in five nights. Since the writer’s strike continues, and if you can tear yourself away from the Michigan primaries (my prediction, Ron Paul breaks into double digits), give the Wizards a look, and cheer this team on.