NBA:The Boston Celtics spoiled the opening act of LeBron James's latest quest for a NBA title by defeating the Miami Heat 88-80 last night in the highly anticipated meeting of the east coast powerhouses.
James, the two-time MVP who signed with the Heat as a free agent in the off-season after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, scored 31 points but had eight turnovers in the season curtain-raiser for both teams.
"We all know Rome wasn't built in one day, so it's going to take time, and we understand that," said James, who hit 10 of 21 shots but had trouble finding his rhythm. "We have to keep on making progress every day and just continue to get better."
Boston held a comfortable 60-45 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter but James scored nine points during a 12-3 Miami run that cut the Celtics' lead to 63-57.
Miami trimmed their deficit to 68-64 but a lay-in by Glen Davis and a three-pointer by Paul Pierce hiked the lead to 73-64.
James made a driving lay-up with 1:10 left to cut the Heat's deficit to 83-80 but Ray Allen responded with a three-pointer from the corner to hike the lead to 86-80 with 49 seconds remaining and send the crowd into a frenzy.