LeBron James played only 29 minutes before leaving with leg cramps, and the Heat still scored 120 points against the Celtics on Opening Night.
Boston, who added a lot of firepower to their bench this off-season, scored 107 in the loss, showing no ill effects from the departure of Ray Allen. However, when they go small, especially without Kevin Garnett on the floor, it's a far, far cry from the Celtics defense which once terrorized the rest of the NBA.
James, clearly enjoying the moment on a night when he received his first championship ring, was peerless in his time on the floor. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on 10-of-16 shooting, all while playing nearly every position on the court.
Allen, in his first game against his old team, seemingly had no trouble adjusting to the Miami offense. He had 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but most surprising were his 8 free throw attempts, as he was able to take advantage of rotating Celtic defenders to get into the lane and draw fouls.
Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 13 assists while Paul Pierce put in 23 points and 5 rebounds, but the story of the game for Boston may have been the play of Leandro Barbosa. The former Sixth Man of the Year, seemingly intent on proving to the rest of the NBA that he should have received more than a one-year contract, scored 16 points in 16 minutes, many of them when the Celtics were making a late fourth-quarter push with James out.
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