CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Lottery Luck

I loved the movie Celtics' Pride because it proves that there are fans out there more fanatical about this team than I am. At least I have never kidnapped a player to give the Celtics a boost. I love all their superstitions in the movie. I remember one time we got a message board thread going about our pre game superstitions and it was pretty interesting to read all the things that people do.

One fan sits on the same spot on the couch to watch every game. Another wears a lucky bracelet. Still another wears the same socks every game day. Another said that every game night he does 2 laps around his house during the pregame and then always takes his shoes off and sits in the same place. One fan always puts his hat on the TV. One guy said he always made sure to drink 2 beers before the game.

I was a little skeptical as to whether that was a superstition or a way to drink more beer. As for me, I always wear a Celtics shirt on game days. I guess it is pretty clear that these things don't work or our team would be undefeated, but you can't blame us for trying.

Team representatives at the draft lottery also give in to superstitions and take good luck charms with them. Last year Jo Jo White took one of Red's cigars with him. Over the years, there have been many different good luck charms pressed into service by the various team representatives. The Trailblazers GM brought a penny that he had found on the sidewalk that week. Jeanie Buss brought a native American rock. Billy King brought a Smarty Jones horse shoe. When Pat Williams won the lottery for the third time in 13 years, he was asked if he brought any lucky charms with him and he had this to say:

Actually, I didn't. When I heard the Smarty Jones horseshoe thing I was intimidated. Then I heard about Diana Taurasi being here and that scared me. But then I calmed my nerves when I thought about the fact that we had one thing that they didn't: Lots of ping-pong balls. Linda, given a choice between a Smarty Jones horseshoe and a lot of ping-pong balls, you take the ping-pong balls. Billy King would've traded that horseshoe for the ping-pong balls. And that was a real horseshoe. It had dirt in it. I would've liked to have had that horseshoe. That would've been one to keep. But this ping-pong ball (bounces it on desk) goes right into our trophy case. Most teams have trophies in their trophy cases. We have ping-pong balls.

The Celtics have lots of ping pong balls this year. Not as many as Memphis, but we have more than anybody else. Hopefully Pat Williams' method will work for us this year as it did for him in the 2004 draft. But he has to have something going for him because he has won it 3 times, including one time when he had the 11th worst record. I guess we should be grateful that Orlando won't be in the lottery this year with Pat's luck. Maybe Tommy should try to take Pat with him to the lottery for luck. Unfortunately having lots of ping pong balls doesn't always mean the top pick. The team with the most ping pong balls has only won the lottery 3 times since 1990. Having a 38.7% chance of winning one of the first 2 picks also means that we have a 61.3% chance of not getting a top 2 pick.

That brings me to good luck charms. Old Superstitions.com has a list of good luck charms. Here are a few of them that may work for Tommy at the Lottery (or other Celtics fans wanting to give our luck a boost):
Fingers Crossed - By making the sign of the Christian faith with our fingers, evil spirits would be prevented from destroying our chances of good fortune.

Knock on Wood - It was believed that good spirits lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune.

Sneezing 3 times before breakfast

A 4-leaf clover, Picking up a pin, Dropping a glove

A horseshoe, Peacock feathers, Sleeping facing south

Sleeping on un-ironed sheets, A ladybug on you

Carrying an acorn on your person will ensure good luck & longevity!

And if all else fails, we have lots of ping pong balls.

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