Heat 120, Celtics 107
Miami started off their title defense in impressive fashion, scoring 120 points and shooting at a 54% clip. LeBron dominated with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but missed most of the fourth with leg cramps. Wade had 29 points and Bosh had 17, including some big dunks and free-throws to close out the game. Ray Allen came off the bench and looked good against his former team. He had 19 points on 5 for 7 shooting.
Boston got strong efforts from Pierce and Rondo, but their team defense struggled. The Celtic role players shot the ball well, with the exceptions of Jason Terry and Jeff Green. Terry was 2-7 with 3 turnovers in his first game as Boston's sixth man. Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa looked good, with Barbosa leading a late fourth quarter charge. Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass had decent games in the frontcourt, but were overwhelmed at times by Miami's speed.
This one got chippy late after Rondo hooked Wade on a drive, receiving a flagrant 1 foul in the process. Rondo also received a technical in the first half.
LeBron's leg cramps may be worrisome for Heat fans after he was forced to miss the end of a Finals game with the same injury last season. With the next game Friday, LeBron will have ample time to rest and should be at full strength. I guess even the world's greatest athlete can get cramps too.
Mavericks 99, Lakers 91
A disappointing start to the Dwight Howard era no doubt. A balanced Mavs team held the Lakers to 91 points in a surprising opening night upset.
Howard, Kobe and Gasol all had decent games, but the chemistry was off. Kobe's foot injury looked to slow him down as he never appeared in the flow of this one. The offense stopped each time he touched the ball. Howard had 19 points and 10 rebounds, but his 3-14 night at the free-throw line is very concerning moving forward. He also fouled out with two minutes to play. Nash was quiet with only 7 points and 4 assists. He did not look like a good fit in Mike Brown's offense last night.
The Mavs, playing without Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman, were lead by point gaurd Darren Collison's 17 points. Collison ran the offense and was able to make enough plays down the stretch to keep the Lakers down. Brandan Wright had 14 points on 5-5 shooting and O.J. Mayo had 12 points in his first game with the Mavs.
With all the talent, this is a disappointment for the Lakers, but they should be fine. The kinks will take a while to fix, but they have a chance to bounce back tonight against the Blazers.
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