Celtics Must Look Past Miami Victory Heading Into Matchup With Cleveland

Celtics coach Doc Rivers was happy with his team’s win in Tuesday night’s season opener, but he isn’t going to spend much time — if any — celebrating.

“It was a good game,” he admitted. “It was a fun game. But we play Cleveland [Wednesday].”

There you have it.

There’s no doubt that the Celtics are thrilled about Tuesday’s opening victory, an 88-80 triumph over the mighty Miami Heat. But they’re trying not to show it — there are 81 games to go. Game 2 is a road tilt with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are set to begin their first season without the departed LeBron James.

When and Where

Celtics at Cavaliers
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. (CSNNE)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Head to Head

The Celtics managed an even split in four games with the Cavaliers in the regular season last year, winning one of two games in their own building and one of two in Cleveland. Then they had the last laugh in May, coming back from down 2-1 in their second-round playoff series to eliminate the Cavs in six games. One big caveat though, is that no one cares about last season. This is an entirely new team without LeBron and it’s time to write an entirely new chapter in Celtics-Cavs history.

Key Matchup

Kevin Garnett vs. Antawn Jamison
An underrated aspect of the Celtics’ six-game vanquishing of the top-seeded Cavaliers last spring was KG’s fantastic lock-down defensive effort on Jamison. Now 34 years old, Jamison is a tricky cover as power forwards go — he’s developed a solid perimeter game in addition to his prowess inside. Jamison can score from all over the floor, and he’ll test KG’s ability to be a mobile, flexible defender in this matchup. Expect Jamison to have a much bigger role than last year without LeBron around.

Starting Lineups

Celtics
Point guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Shaquille O’Neal

Cavaliers
Point guard: Mo Williams
Shooting guard: Anthony Parker
Small forward: Jamario Moon
Power forward: Antawn Jamison
Center: Anderson Varejao

Stat Sheet

Celtics

• Rajon Rondo recorded 17 assists in the Celtics’ opening victory over the Heat. His regular-season high last year was 18, in a March 26 win over the Sacramento Kings. He had 19 in Game 4 of Boston’s playoff series against Cleveland.
• Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined to shoot 8-for-12 from 3-point range in Tuesday’s win.
• Shaquille O’Neal has career averages of 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game against the Cavaliers, his former team.

Cavaliers

• Aside from James, the Cavaliers’ second-leading scorer last season was Mo Williams. He averaged 15.8 points per game, shooting an impressive 89.4 percent from the free-throw line and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Daniel Gibson shot 47.6 percent from 3-point range last season, third-best in the NBA. He’s a 42.4 percent 3-point shooter over his four-year NBA career.
• Antawn Jamison has career averages of 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game against the Celtics.

Black and Blue

Celtics

• Semih Erden is day-to-day with shoulder soreness.
• Avery Bradley has recovered slowly from offseason ankle surgery and has yet to make an impact for the Celtics.
• Kendrick Perkins has a torn ACL. He is targeting a mid-January return.

Cavaliers

• Daniel Gibson missed the Cavs’ final preseason game with a strained neck. He should be back for Wednesday night’s opener.
• Mo Williams missed the preseason finale for personal reasons, but he too should be back Wednesday.

Outlook

The key to Wednesday’s game is simple: Avoid the post-Miami letdown. The Celtics earned an impressive victory on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat, but they can’t bask in the glory for too long. They need to be mentally tough and focused on the task at hand — the Cavs will be dangerous if the C’s sleep on them. But on paper, Boston’s chances look good. If they can beat the winning team in LeBron James’ decision they have every reason to like their chances against the losers.