Those are the numbers after the much-anticipated season opener between the two teams many assume will ultimately face off in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The first game of the season is always exciting, but this one was different. Last year's Eastern Conference champs who fell to the Lakers in 7, now with a healthy roster and some key additions, against the biggest story of the summer: the team that won the LeBron Sweepstakes, the NBA's new villains. The media presence, ticket sales, and the crowd at Boston's TD Garden were all playoff-esque.
The game itself? Not so much. At least, not to begin with. The Heat scored a measly 9 first-quarter points. They picked it up a bit in the second quarter but still ended the half with only 30 points on 26% shooting. Meanwhile, the Celtics led by as much as 19 and, at the half, had 45 points on (somewhere around) 46% shooting. They also won the battle of the bench (14 points to Miami's 7--special mention Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels, who were great) and outscored Miami in the paint by double figures.
Things started to get exciting in the second half. LeBron started to do his thing, like he was back in Cleveland and like it was his team (as opposed to Wade's). The ball was in his hands, he shot a bunch of 3s (and so did Jones... Who? Yeah, that's what I said) and scored 15 of his 31 points in the third quarter. Bosh was something of a pest, grabbing offensive boards throughout the game. Meanwhile, the Celtics showed that they still have the same bad habits: turnovers (18), offensive fouls (on illegal screens), and, oh yeah, blowing big leads. (Also, Paul Pierce fell on his back after a collision with LeBron and had to retreat into the locker room for treatment. And yes, he did come back out to play. No, not on a wheelchair.)
By the end of the third quarter, Boston's lead was down to 6, and by the 1:10 mark of the fourth quarter, Miami had cut the lead to 83-80.
Out of a timeout, Ray Allen (team-high 20 points) hit a timely 3 to bring the lead back up to 6. Miami in turn called a timeout and drew up a play for a Wade 3, which he missed. With 46 seconds left, Boston dribbled off the seconds on the shot clock to use up as much time as possible. With 6 seconds left on the shot clock, Wade made the costly mistake of fouling Pierce. Pierce made both free throws, and the remaining 26 or so seconds thereafter were uneventful and inconsequential.
Final score: 88-80, Celtics.
So, what do we get out of this game?
The Celtics look like they're in much better shape than they were last season. The big 3 are healthy (KG looks a lot like his old self), Rondo is his usual self, the old bench guys showed that they are capable of holding down the fort, and Shaq looks to be a good fit with the team. After 10 games, Delonte West will be able to join the crew, and sometime next year, so will Kendrick Perkins, adding even more depth to the roster. However, the team still is plagued by the same bad habits that ultimately cost them the title last season, and that should be a cause for concern.
The Heat obviously have issues to work out. They're a new team who haven't been playing together long. They gave away most of their roster, so after their "big 3," the dropoff in talent is pretty significant.
Despite these issues, this team's potential to be phenomenal is evident. LeBron showed he's still the same old LeBron who can completely take over a game and cut into a double-digit lead in a matter of minutes. Bosh showed that he might be the third scoring option, but he can still make a difference on the boards. Wade had a bad game, but he spent most of the preseason recovering from injury; he will get into his groove, and when he does, we'll get to see what this new superteam can do at full strength.
So all in all, this was a fun game, and it showed us some things about two teams we expect to see in late May and June. One team now was a 1-0 record, whereas the other has an 0-1. And that's about it. One regular-season game down, 81 to go.
*Point of Interest (to me, at least): Each of these teams has added two members who played for the Cavs last season: LeBron and Big Z in Miami, and Shaq and Delonte West in Boston (the latter of whom used to be a Celtic anyway). Furthermore, both teams have a player who won a championship with the other team: Shaq won a championship with Miami in 2006, and Eddie House won one with Boston in 2008. Also, Jermaine O'Neal, now playing for Boston, spent the previous two seasons with Miami.
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