Celtics-Heat: Paul Pierce Ejected as Tempers Heat Up in Miami's Game 1 Win

Everyone knew that the series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics would be hotly contested.

The two teams clearly have little love for each other and the Heat are feeling immense pressure to succeed that something has to give.

Miami controlled the pace of play for the majority of the afternoon, leading by six points after the first quarter and by 15 points at halftime.

Aside from a solid effort from Ray Allen, Paul Pierce was one of the few bright spots for the Celtics during the early part of Game 1, scoring 19 points in 35 minutes of play.

However, Pierce looked frustrated for much of the day and finally lost his temper when the game got away the Celtics.

After showing his displeasure with a foul committed by Miami's James Jones, Pierce was called for a technical foul based on his enraged response to the way things played out. It did appear that Pierce headbutted Jones during the exchange, but his physical response failed to draw a flagrant foul.

Less than a minute later, Dwyane Wade would find himself on the receiving end of a hard screen from Pierce who was attempting to get teammate Ray Allen an open look.

The whistle was blown and the players immediately began a verbal exchange in front of the Miami bench.

It's unclear exactly what Pierce said, but it was apparently enough to draw a quick technical foul that would send Pierce to the locker room early.

Down by double digits at the time, the Celtics couldn't find offense following Pierce's ejection as Rajon Rondo continued to struggle.

The Celtics did stage a minor rally, but ultimately came up short as the as Miami took game 1 99-90 Sunday afternoon.

The teams will resume their series when Game 2 tips off at 7:00 PM EST on Tuesday.