Celtics Vs. Heat: Norris Cole Huge Late In 115-107 Win Over Boston

All of that preseason Norris Cole hype is real. The Miami Heat rookie out of Cleveland State (fancy that) scored 20 points on the game, 14 in the fourth quarter that saw the Heat hold off the Boston Celtics for a 115-107 win. Cole scored 14 of Miami's 24 fourth quarter points, taking 10 of the team's 21 shots in the period. He took more shots in the period than the Big Three combined (eight).

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had already done their work. James scored 26 points on 9-14 shooting on the game, adding six rebounds and five assists. Wade, who shot just 1-5 in the fourth, scored 24 with eight assists and four blocks. Chris Bosh had 18 on 8-11 shooting with 11 rebounds.

The Celtics got huge nights from Ray Allen (28 points on 8-12 shooting) and Rajon Rondo (22 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds), but missed Paul Pierce for the second straight game and had a rather empty game from its frontcourt. Boston wasted a 12-19 shooting night on three-pointers because its defense couldn't stop the Big Three or Cole.

It'll be interesting to see, assuming Cole continues to play well, how quickly Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will go to him off the bench early in games. There's hardly more room for scoring punch in the starting lineup, and having Cole in reserve gives Spoelstra the theoretical option of resting James and Wade at the same time.

For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For more on the C's, visit CelticsBlog.