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And the Celtics' comeback happened even while they got hit with three technical fouls in the second quarter, plus Ray Allen missing four first-half free throws -- matching his career-worst for an entire game.
"We may never see that again," Rivers said.
In the end, it went down as merely a one-quarter lapse for Miami.
Another technical foul, this one on Rondo, came in the third quarter, likely born from frustration as the Heat started to roll again.
With the game tied at 50, Rondo missed three shots in a 31-second span early in the third, the last of those getting blocked by Battier -- who hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds later. That's when Miami got going, and by the end of the third, the Heat lead was 72-61.
"I think we believe we can beat them," Pierce said. "It's all about making adjustments. LeBron and Wade are great players. We've got to do a better job of slowing them down. As a group we believe we can win this series."
Rondo echoed Pierce's thoughts.
"We kept fighting," Rondo said. "It wasn't pretty. We missed four or five layups, a bunch of free throws. That being said, we were tied at halftime but we just didn't come out with the right mindset in the second half."
Miami did and takes a 1-0 lead into Game 2 as its reward. But James said he knows Boston is far from done.
"I look at them as a top opponent, as a top contender and a competitive group ... a championship-caliber team," James said.
NOTES: Spoelstra is now 6-0 in Game 1s at home. ... James passed Sam Jones (2,909) for 22nd on the NBA's playoff scoring list with a layup late in the first quarter, and Garnett passed Dirk Nowitzki (1,314) for 22nd on the league's postseason rebound list. ... The Heat left the floor at halftime with a 48-46 lead, then had two points by Joel Anthony taken off after a lengthy review showed he had a basket after the shot clock expired. ... Miami F Chris Bosh did a light pregame workout, but still remains out indefinitely with a lower abdominal strain. He was on the Heat bench for the first time in Miami's last six games.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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