SACRAMENTO, Calif. - You might think Magic Johnson would be a bit disturbed by the fact a kid who grew up in Inglewood, Calif., idolizing him would turn out to be a . . . Celtic.

Not so. Before the Celts left Los Angeles to finish their trip here against the Kings, the Herald checked in with Magic, who offered a strong testimonial for that kid, Paul Pierce. Johnson, in fact, is certain he'll be watching him in this season's NBA All-Star Game.

``No, I'm not upset he's a Celtic,'' Magic said, laughing at the notion. ``I'm proud of him. It's like a big brother-little brother thing that we have.