BOSTON – LeBron James was a rare bright spot for Miami with 31 points as the new Big 3 fell in its debut to the old Big 3 of the Boston Celtics, 88-80, before a loud crowd that shouted "overrated!" at the Heat on Tuesday night.
Boston led 45-30 at halftime, but Miami cut that to 63-57 after the third quarter behind James' 15 points in that period. A layup by James made it 83-80 with 1:10 left in the game. But Boston, which once led by 19, got the last five points on a 3-pointer by Ray Allen and two free throws by Paul Pierce.
The other members off Miami's trio struggled, with Dwyane Wade scoring 13 points and Chris Bosh adding eight points and eight rebounds. — AP