Something tells me the Celtics were paying attention as the Spurs dismantled the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals. Boston bodied up LeBron James, crowded the lane, and forced James to make plays on the perimeter. The results spoke for themselves on Tuesday night, as James hit 2-of-18 field goals and committed 10 turnovers, and Boston won an ugly Game 1, 76-72.

James and Boston’s Paul Pierce were assigned to guard one another, and their added defensive work showed in both of their stat lines. Pierce connected on 2-of-14 field goals in scoring four points and committing six turnovers. The only superstar to do his usual work was forward Kevin Garnett, who was a matchup nightmare for Cleveland and finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. Ray Allen was held scoreless and attempted just four shots in 37 minutes.

On paper, the Celtics have considerably less firepower beyond their Big Three than Cleveland does beyond James. Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson are more capable long-range shooters than Boston’s James Posey and Sam Cassell; Ben Wallace is a more established physical presence than Kendrick Perkins or Leon Powe; and the bench combination of Joe Smith and Anderson Varejao trumps the rotation of Powe, Glen Davis and P.J. Brown.

But, at least on Boston’s home court, the Celtics’ role players were much more prepared to make contributions, seeing as they hadn’t been playing stand-and-watch basketball for the better part of 82 games. The true sense of “team” proved beneficial as each of Boston’s role players and reserves made an impact. Point guard Rajon Rondo made the biggest mark on the game with 15 points (all in the first half), while Perkins controlled the paint with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.

What’s next for Cleveland should be a serious adjustment on the offensive end. TNT’s Charles Barkley has been begging for coach Mike Brown to let James play off the ball more and get into better position to get to the rim. The problem is, Brown doesn’t seem to trust Delonte West or Gibson to do the bulk of the ball-handling. He may have to start surrendering that trust for the Cavs to have a shot at an upset.

Other thoughts …
Red’s Army says that Sam can happen to anybody.

Believe it or not, James played aggressively, says SwamiGP’s Weblog.

The Cabin points out that James couldn’t make a would-be tying layup, or any other shot, in the loss to Boston.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.