The much-anticipated debut pairing of LeBron & Shaq had fans in Cleveland thinking NBA Championship. But the veteran-laden Celtics team had other plans, winning the first contest between two of the Eastern powers 95-89.

The story in this game was one of balance, or lack thereof. The Cavaliers have 2 superstars — LeBron & Shaq — and then a bunch of decent players. I know, Mo Williams was an All-Star last year, but I would take Rajon Rondo over him any day of the week. Troubled wing player, Delonte West, is sorely missed for his on-ball defense and outside shooting. The new energy guy, Jamario Moon, has yet to takeoff, and Anthony Parker was more or less held in check. The Celtics, however, have quality at every position. The Big 3 might be the Big 4 with the addition of Rasheed Wallace…and I think Rondo deserves a ton of credit for driving this offense. If it weren’t for a dumb decision by Big Baby Davis, this team would be stacked.

LeBron James did little to quiet any talk of a second straight MVP, as his stat line looked like an all-you-can-eat buffet at Morrison’s cafeteria: 38 pts, 4 3s, 4 rebs, 8 asts, 2 stls, 4 blks. Shaq did his part but was not as effective in the low post as you would like. But it was Paul Pierce down the stretch that kept hitting big shot after big shot. He paced the Celtics with 23 pts & 11 rebs.

It may have only been the first game of the NBA season, but the Celtics getting a victory in Cleveland sent a clear message to the rest of the league: we are back!

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Leon Powe was released by the Boston Celtics…and fell in the lap of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Yahoo! Sports reports:

Powe signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, even though he isn’t expected back on the court until sometime around the All-Star break. The Cavaliers are paying Powe the league minimum for a three-year veteran.

Reuniting with old AAU teammate, LeBron James, is certainly attractive to Leon. Staying in the Eastern Conference means he gets to show the Celtics what they passed on. Powe is still recovering from ACL surgery and not expected back until February of next year.

There is some risk on the part of the Cavs as they must wait for Powe’s full recovery. But the upside is certainly there. Powe torched the Cavs in two games last year, and was a very effective player for the Celtics during their Championship run. And to get him for the league minimum is akin to stealing.

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With the Miami Heat, LeBron James finally accomplished what he could not with the Cavaliers: beat Boston in a seven game series.

The once-savior of the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James went turn-coat exiting the Rust Belt for South Beach last summer. Since his arrival and pairing with Superstar Dwyane Wade and (now exposed to be rather pedestrian) Chris Bosh, LeBron James has been under the microscope and expected to deliver a title to Miami. His performance throughout the season suggest and uneasy partnership with Wade, as the two often struggled to closeout games. Interesting to note that even during the playoffs, the worse lineup for the Heat (in plus-minus terms), was when the ‘Big Three’ were on the court together. On Wednesday, the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics to close out the series 4-1. Unlike last year’s meltdown with the Cavaliers, LeBron James led a furious comeback and helped Miami score 18 straight points(10 of which were his) to win the game 97-87 on their home court. Afterwards, it was clear that a weight had been lifted from LeBron. For all the tough talk he had this summer about winning multiple titles, LBJ knew that he would have to defeat Boston if he wanted to win anything.

The ‘Big Three’ of Miami beat the original ‘Big Three’ of Boston in a series where health and in-season trades contributed greatly to the outcome. Danny Ainge, GM of the Celtics, curiously traded staring center Kendrick Perkins and spark-plug guard Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ainge, not wanting to see the current Celtics suffer from the same problem of age that his Celtics did in the late 1980s, made a bold move to get younger and more athletic. Unfortunately, injuries and age at the center position — along with Rondo’s wrist injury — were the ultimate undoing of the Celts. Would they have won with Kendrick Perkins? Hard to say. For sure, they would have challenged Dwyane Wade and LeBron Jamees more at the rim. But truth be told, this Celtics team had chances and didn’t close. Blame the Rondo wrist or a few off games from Ray Allen, but this team still had a chance.

LeBron James and company will wait the winner of the Chicago-Atlanta series, in what will prove to be a more athletic encounter. But having already defeated experience, you have to like their chances against youth. For LeBron to truly exercise his demons, he’ll need to win it all. Remember, he’s been to the NBA Finals before, only to get swept. But this year, there will be no LA Lakers.

The Decision

LeBron James is the biggest star in the NBA and one of the most famous athletes in the world. He has legions of adoring fans, including many from competing cities. But in 15 seconds, he ruined 7 years of goodwill (and his legacy) for nothing more than a 60 minute infomercial on ESPN.

On July 8th, roughly 30 minutes after 9pm Eastern Standard Time, LeBron announced his intentions to sign with the Miami Heat, joining fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh. In doing so, he betrayed Cleveland fans and left the franchise gutted yet bloated with terrible contracts signed only to appease LeBron. Many can excuse LeBron for wanting to change teams. But no one can excuse the manner in which he did it — on live TV, with no warning. His public jilting of Cleveland is akin to a woman delivering a baby with her husband by her side, only to tell him it’s not his right before the baby is born.

Athletes change teams all the time. When contracts end, they are allowed to seek employment elsewhere. Sometimes in the middle of a contract, their team decides it is best to part ways. That is part of sports. Sport leagues are (for the most part) run as businesses and even fans understand this. Loyalty is expected by fans, but most recognize that if a better deal comes along it simply must be considered by the athlete who has at most a 10-15 year earning window. But one thing fans do not expect (and certainly detest) is false hope.

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To no one’s surprise, and you can certainly count David Stern and every NBA executive, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is set to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite being traded to the Washington Wizards for Antawn Jamison just a month ago, Big Z is back in Cleveland and ready to resign. How did it happen? Simple: every NBA executive knows the obvious loopholes in cap system and tacitly agrees to follow along. That is not to say that Washington shouldn’t have waived Ilgauskas. He is an aging veteran on the backside of a good career. But given the utter disarray for the Wiz, cutting salary, ushering a youth movement, and ** shhh ** TANKING are in full effect.

The “loophole” is not that Washington waived Z, it is that no other playoff team picked him up. Legally, Cleveland is not allowed to resign Ilgauskas until he clears waivers. Are you telling me that teams like San Antonio, Atlanta, even Boston couldn’t use another big body for the playoffs? Of course they could. But all NBA execs know not to touch a guy like this because someday it will be their star hanging on waivers waiting to clear.

The upside of the buffoonery is that LeBron James is closer to his first NBA ring. With Shaq sidelined with injury, Z is needed now more than ever. Maybe they should’ve traded Shaq for Amare, then claimed him again after he cleared waivers…

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