Miami Heat and Ray Allen Take Celtics Down in Season Opener

Ray Allen of the Miami Heat showed his former team, the Boston Celtics, Tuesday night that he will get along just fine on his own.

In more than 26 minutes of play, Allen posted 19 points in his first game at American Airlines Arena.

In the rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat did their best to keep the re-enactment true to form–only with Allen on the other side of the court.

In his debut game, Allen fit in well and all but turned the Big 3 into the Big 4.

He seemed to fit into the mix well from the start, going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe and 2-for-3 from three-point range. Allen’s 19-point night was only a small portion of the Heat’s 120-107 victory over the Celtics.

To add insult to injury, the Celtics got to watch the Heat’s flashy ring ceremony to celebrate their recent title, yet another chip in an already-heated rivalry.

Lebron James kicked the season off in style with his first double-double of 2012. He was 10-16 dropping in 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

That’s a solid start to the season even without taking into account that he dealt with leg cramp issues— good news compared to the ankle concerns that followed him to Tuesday’s start.

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and....LeBron into the locker room again. Cramping issues suspected.

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 30, 2012

 

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Dwyane Wade had a big night as well, throwing down 29 points in an explosive offensive performance. Chris Bosh also threw up a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

All in all, the “Big 4” combined for 83 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists and went 23-for-28 from the free-throw line.

Also in his debut performance with the Heat, Rashard Lewis posted 10 points in just under 19 minutes of playing time.

The Heat will take a couple of days off before traveling north to take on the New York Knicks Friday evening, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. EST.