LeBron James watched most of Cleveland's exhibition opener, while Paul Pierce scored 17 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-93 victory over the Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
James played just 17 minutes, scoring six points with two rebounds and three assists before being pulled by coach Mike Brown.
He spent the third and fourth quarters on the bench, joking with teammates and jumping out of his seat when Cavaliers rookie guard Shannon Brown got free for an emphatic breakaway dunk.
Pierce, the only player in the NBA last season to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, went 4-of-12 from the field but he was fouled on several drives and finished 9-of-16 from the free throw line.
Sebastian Telfair added 12 points and Kendrick Perkins had 10 for the Celtics, who went 33-49 last season. Boston trailed by 11 points in the first quarter but outscored the Cavs 83-59 over the final three.
Drew Gooden scored 16 points for the Cavaliers, playing their first home game since blowing Game 6 to Detroit in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals. They unveiled a new, two-tone court and off-season additions to a team that went 50-32 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
Entering his fourth year as a pro, James averaged 42.5 minutes per game last season _ second only to Philadelphia's Allen Iverson. Brown has made getting his superstar forward more rest a priority this season so he's as fresh as possible for the playoffs.
Brown needs James on top of his game in June, not October.
James took just 20 seconds to make his first highlight-worthy play, making a steal and driving for a jam to delight Cleveland fans expecting more big things from him and the Cavaliers this season.
He signed a contract extension during the summer and is under contract for four more seasons with Cleveland, which is hoping James can deliver the club its first NBA title.
Like James, Gooden received a long-term commitment from Cleveland this summer, signing a three-year, US$23 million contract as a restricted free agent. The 6-foot-10 Gooden averaged 10.7 points per game last season and the Cavs may count on him more on offence so James doesn't have to try and do it all.
Gooden made his first seven shots from the field and finished 8-of-10 with six rebounds in 17 minutes.
James didn't get much time off this summer. After the Cavaliers were eliminated in the playoffs, he took a short vacation before reporting to training camp for USA Basketball to prepare for the world championships.
Brown gave him off for three recent afternoon practices and said he'll likely sit James for an upcoming pre-season game this weekend.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
