Let me preface this column by saying I didn’t side with the luck of the Irish in 2008.

I picked the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers to win the NBA Championship over one of the best all-around teams in the Boston Celtics that season.

I was wrong.

Fast forward to 2010. Boston vs. L.A. once again. The storied rivalry once again renewed between the two winningest teams in league history.

I won’t be mistaken twice.

It’ll be the Celtics in six.

We can all gloat about the greatness of Bryant, where he will rank if he gets his fifth championship ring and debate about him being mentioned in the same breath as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell.

But there will be no back-to-back titles for Bryant.

This title and these playoffs belong to the guys in green.

Since a 125-94 massacre of the Celtics at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, this team has been on a role.

Despite back-to-back hiccups against the feisty Orlando Magic, the C’s have gone 7-2 in their past nine games, haven’t scored fewer than 92 points since the opening game of the playoffs against the Miami Heat and have found ways to shut down both superstars James and Dwight Howard as well as make Vince Carter look everything but invincible.

In those wins, they’ve won by average of 13 points and have held both the Cavs and Magic offenses to fewer than 90 points in six of those seven games.

They have been the hottest team in the playoffs the past month and won’t make the same collapse the Magic did when they met these same C’s.

They are arrogant.

Cocky.

And may even garantee a series victory on Twitter (see: Paul Piece).

But that’s okay. Swagger is needed if you want to be a champion.

Rajon Rondo went from a piece of the puzzle in 2008 to the entire puzzle for the Celtics this season, especially in the playoffs.

His speed, quickness and ridiculous court vision has raised the level of this team from wheezing and limping into the playoffs to flashbacks of the championship Celtics.

As for the Big Three — Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett — they are not the same as they were two years ago, with the exception of Pierce. Allen is slower at age 35 than he was at 33, doesn’t drive to the basket as much anymore and is mainly a spot up shooter from behind the arc.

Garnett is limited to 18-foot jump shots and is averaging close to 15 points a game in these playoffs, nearly five points off his average in 2008.

Pierce is carrying the trio, nailing game-winning shots and hitting clutch free throws to extend games and even series. He and Rondo will be key in the Finals.

But I’d take the Celtics’ Pierce, Rondo and two aging superstars over LA’s Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, because that’s where it starts and ends for the Lakers. Ron Artest is limited to just a defensive role, Bynum is hurt and Odom is not a threat anymore.

Let Bryant go off. He’s going to get his, and not one player on the Celtics roster can stop that from happening, but if you double Gasol inside and use your height to your advantage, then Boston can afford to let Kobe be Kobe.

For this Boston team, it’s all about proving everyone wrong. This season is not about three veterans chasing a title that had eluded them for years, it’s about proving that age ain’t nothin’ but a number.

And that number is 18 — the amount of titles that storied team would have.
This is one of the greatest rivalries in the history of not just the NBA, but also all of sports.

It’s also been a one-sided rivalry, with Boston winning nine of the 11 titles these two teams have battled over.

Thursday marks yet again another rebirth of that rivalry.

Garnett knew anything was possible in 2008. Everything is possible now.

I’m siding with Lady Luck on this one.

I’ve got my clover ready.