LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Pace for 0-82 Season After Loss To Boston

In case you haven't heard, the Miami Heat are 0-1.  The team that many have already predicted to win the title this year, is already below .500.  The loss came at the hands of the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics.

Boston looked like the better team from the opening tip to the final buzzer.  The game got close a couple times, but the Celtics never seemed to lose control.

The biggest story from this game is the fact that it looked like Lebron James was in the exact same situation he left behind in Cleveland.  That is, he appeared to be the only player on the floor that could do anything against Boston's defense.

Will the Heat get better?  No.

In fact, I expect them to get worse with each game.  Tonight's performance in Boston is the best we'll ever see from Miami's big three.  They will be the first team in NBA history to finish a season without a win at 0-82.....

Ok, ok.  I hope at least one person who read that thought I was serious, but obviously the Heat are going to look much better in a couple months.

It was very easy to tell that the Celtics have been playing together for years.  It was also very easy to tell that Miami has been playing together for a few weeks.

They looked out of sorts on offense, and couldn't keep up with Rajon Rondo or the Celtics ball movement on defense.

They'll improve on both ends of the floor as the season progresses and they learn to play to each other's strengths.

It looks like Boston is definitely still the best team in the NBA's Eastern Conference.  Miami had all the hype heading into this game, but Boston's defense stifled everyone but Lebron James.

The Heat had absolutely no answer for Rajon Rondo.  He broke down anyone who attempted to defend him.  He was just two for nine from the field, but his 17 assists helped to get everyone on the team involved.  Boston had four guys in double figures compared to Miami's two.

It wasn't just Rondo who beat the Heat though.  The "original big three" did their part.  Ray Allen had 20 points and Paul Pierce had 19.  Kevin Garnett racked up 10 points and 10 rebounds, but his biggest contribution was the stellar defense he played on Chris Bosh.

Shaquille "Big Shamrock" O'Neal also played well.  He had nine points and seven rebounds in just 18 minutes of game time.  He looked particularly impressive in the first quarter when he finished an alley-oop from Rondo and then trailed him on a fast break for a slam that was reminiscent of Lakers Shaq.

Boston played a complete game, especially on defense.  They thoroughly outplayed Miami and earned a big season opening victory.

What we learned is that the Celtics are still the team to beat in the east.  The biggest lesson for the Heat to take away from this, is that they should not take Boston lightly.