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Over the last few weeks, LeBron James has slowly been becoming perturbed about the Miami Heat’s overall effort level.

It has manifested itself in several ways: A postgame workout session he used, rather transparently, to set an example to teammates; a handful of statements in which he liberally used the word “urgency"; and some recent body language that has reeked of disappointment during lackadaisical stretches against what should be inferior opposition.

But here is the reality: Why should the Heat care all that much about playing well now?

Their motivation to play their best basketball is lacking and it is hard to fault them. The Eastern Conference is shaping up to be the weakest it has been in a decade. Although it's never easy to repeat as champion, there’s no mistaking that the Heat’s road back to the Finals this season could provide less resistance than in the past two seasons.

James and Dwyane Wade certainly remember the last time the East looked like this, back when they were rookies in the 2003-04 season. Each of their teams started 5-15 and still almost made the playoffs. Wade’s Heat, at 42-40 that season, were one of just four Eastern teams that had a winning record. James’ Cavs won just 35 games and were in the playoff race until the last week.

It’s not quite that bad in the East right now and there is some hope that it could improve. The Heat seem to be waiting for that.

One of the question marks is Friday’s opponent, as the Chicago Bulls come to Miami (ESPN, 8 ET). Maybe the Bulls will morph into the contender of the previous two seasons when Derrick Rose is able to return from his knee injury later this season. Or maybe the Boston Celtics will make a late-season push as they’ve been known to do. Or maybe the Brooklyn Nets will start playing the way they’re being paid to. Or maybe the New York Knicks’ two wins over the Heat in the regular season so far actually matter, even as they've started to show some serious flaws over the last month.

But these are all maybes. What is known is that the Heat can’t rebound very well, aren’t defending at near the same level they did last season and have settled into a routine of letting weaker teams take the lead for two or so quarters before they try to act like the hare catching the tortoise. And still they are the heavy favorites to win the conference again.

If the Heat were in the Western Conference and had to worry about going through teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs to reach the Finals again, then perspectives would certainly be different. Heck, right now you could make a case that the Golden State Warriors would be a contender to reach the conference finals if they were in the East.

Instead the Heat are sitting back, playing at about 80 percent many nights and still enjoying the East’s best record while waiting to see if a contender can pull itself together enough to challenge them.

“It’s the luck of the draw and it’s been that way for some time,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said this week when talking about the difference in depth and competitiveness between the East and West. “I can’t really explain it. The West is just tough.”

Ultimately, of course, to win four playoff series -- no matter the opponent -- the Heat will have to tighten up and start resembling the cohesive unit they became during last season’s playoffs. Coaches often talk about the importance of building good habits during the regular season so they carry over to the postseason. That’s something James has spoken about several times this season as well.

Human nature, however, is tough to fight. The Heat won’t be challenging any win records but they’re going along merrily, for the most part.

They’re one of the weakest rebounding teams in the league, ranking 23rd, and it looked bad when they were outrebounded by 19 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and by 17 against the Orlando Magic over the last few weeks. But they won both games.

Meanwhile, their most serious competitors in the East at this point, the Knicks, are actually a worse rebounding team, ranking 27th. The Indiana Pacers and Bulls both rebounding well but have stars with health issues that leave their overall threat level in question.

After being fourth in defense efficiency last season, the Heat are currently 16th. But as they enjoy the second-best offense in the league -- with James, Wade and Chris Bosh all having the best shooting seasons of their careers -- it’s not hard to understand why coach Erik Spoelstra is having trouble renewing that defensive focus.

“To know that we can be down by six with two minutes left and still have the confidence to overcome everything and get the job done, it works out great,” said Bosh, who was outrebounded 29-4 by the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic earlier this week. “We always know we can do it.”

That attitude would seem to be dangerous and probably will be if the Heat are taking the same approach in late March. Spoelstra has been flicking at the issue for weeks, and James has recently gotten on board as well. His minutes are up slightly over last season and he has already dealt with minor shoulder and knee injuries; he has had to work harder than he’d prefer in leading the Heat to some wins.

“We don’t look at games with entitlement, our guys want to win,” Spoelstra said. “We have to be realistic and objective, we have to get better. The next six weeks before the All-Star break we need to improve in several areas.”

That’s just it, though. The Heat want to improve, but they don’t really need to improve right now. A luxury they certainly are enjoying as they kill time before the playoffs.

MIAMI -- If LeBron James gets emotional during Tuesday night’s ring ceremony, it’ll probably be a surprise to him. If you see him wearing it anytime soon, that’ll be a surprise, too.

This is the third time in the past five years opening night has been a ring night for James. In 2008, he waited in the cramped visitors locker room at TD Garden in Boston as Paul Pierce wept on the floor where the Celtics ended James’ season five months earlier.

Last Christmas, as Dirk Nowitzki got a little misty eyed as the Mavericks’ championship banner headed toward the ceiling in Dallas, James paced in a nearby hallway waiting to face another team that ended his season on the way to its celebration.

After everything James has been through -- getting swept in his first Finals in 2007, failing to get back after being the No. 1 overall seed two years in a row in Cleveland in 2009 and 2010, blowing a Finals lead in 2011, being forced to hide from two ring ceremonies along the way -– it would seem logical that James would anticipate the Heat’s jewelry presentation as a cathartic release. It is a time when showing emotion is expected and even encouraged.

But in what is just the latest example of James’ all-business approach to this season, he almost couldn’t sound more detached about the moment.

When he finished off the Oklahoma City Thunder in June with a triple-double in Game 5 of the Finals, the pure joy showed on James' face as he grasped the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time. The next morning he shared his “pinch me” moment with his Twitter followers by declaring, “I think it just hit me. I am a CHAMPION. I AM A CHAMPION.”

Now, with the rival Celtics in town in a fitting reversal of the 2008 ring ceremony, all James can focus on is getting back and not looking back. It’s shown in his focus and his play throughout the Heat’s training camp and it was certainly showing in the way he’s approaching Tuesday’s pregame festivities.

“Winning it was what I dreamed of, I never dreamed of actually having the ring ceremony,” James said. “So I’m just like whatever. I think it’s going to be a special night and I’m going to be excited for it. But the game is what I’m more focused on than actually receiving the ring.”

James has said he wishes that the Heat could’ve had the ring ceremony on Monday so that it wouldn’t come before such a key early-season game. James is, of course, concerned about a team-wide letdown. The Heat were up by 35 points on the Mavericks on their ring night last year. The Heat themselves lost by 42 points on their ring night back in 2006-07 to the Chicago Bulls. But defending champs have actually won 10 of the past 13 years on ring night.

But James’ attitude on the matter is part of what seems like a concerted strategy to move on from last season. He doesn’t even seem like he’s going to spend much time examining his prize.

“Do I look like the type of guy that would wear my ring every day? Nope.” James said. “It will be put up somewhere with the rest of my individual accolades. That’s a team thing. But I’m moving on.”

The “moving on” part is what has caught the attention of his opponents already in the young season. Even with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra trying to take it a little easier on him in the preseason after his summer playing with Team USA and the expected allowances for a deserved victory lap, James has been all business thus far. James has appeared in midseason form throughout the preseason and was routinely one of the last players on the court after practice, putting in work on new phases of his game, including a hook shot.

“He’s more comfortable in his skin, and I think that’s what he is now,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

"He’s got that off his back. He can breathe and play, which makes him better. He knows he can do it. He knows he can make big shots. He knows he can will a team. He had done it in the past. He just had never done it on a big stage. Now, he’s done it and so nothing changes for him. He’s still the guy that everybody is going after. It’s not like he wasn’t the target last year. He’s the same target. The target’s bigger.”

That may be so, but James seems oblivious to outside expectations now and numb to anything except focusing on being able to shrug off another ring night this time next year.

“Everybody has been gunning for us since I’ve come here, they’ve all gunned for us, so it doesn’t change,” James said. “For me, it’s just the start of a new year.”

MIAMI – And so it begins.

Tuesday marks the opening of the NBA's regular season and also the beginning of the Heat’s quest to do something that has been done only once in the past decade: win back-to-back NBA championships.

Heat president Pat Riley, who has won five titles as a coach and one as an executive, knows this feeling all too well. In his 1988 book “Showtime,” Riley explains the potentially poisonous effect of winning the title and warns of a post-championship hangover he coined “the disease of more.”

“Dissension tore up the Lakers in the year following that championship,” Riley wrote in reference to the 1980-81 squad that lost in the first round after winning the 1980 title. “Success is often the first step toward disaster. I call it ‘the disease of more.’ People start thinking, ‘I’m really the key ingredient. It was my quality minutes off the bench,’ or ‘It was my brilliant coaching decisions.’ Or ‘It was my outstanding defense.’ People who were quiet during the lean years suddenly want more money, more playing time, more recognition. And they get aggressive and jealous about pulling in their ‘more.’”

Yeah, probably want to nip that in the bud this time around. Heat fans will remember the disastrous repeat campaign in 2006-07, a season that was wrought with overweight players, devastating injuries to its stars and utter disappointment for its faithful. After starting out a woeful 13-17, Riley briefly stepped away from his head coaching position to tend to hip and knee issues. The Heat ultimately lost in the first round of that postseason, just like Riley’s 1980-81 Lakers team.

With the so-called “disease of more” in mind, Riley and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra opened up the Heat’s training camp with a lesson in less. That is, the importance of sacrifice.

“We talked about that the very first day,” Spoelstra said ahead of Tuesday’s season opener. “It’s a big sacrifice to be a part of this team. That’s not just a word ... that’s not an empty word. Everybody lives it in terms of salary, minutes, opportunities, whatever it is.”

The natural reflex is to compare this 2012-13 squad to the 2006-07 one that tried and failed to win back-to-back titles. But Spoelstra, who served as Riley’s assistant coach during that trying season, doesn’t see the connection.

“You can’t even compare,” Spoelstra said. “That team didn’t have its health, so it’s hard to judge. That’s why I don’t compare this year to that year. We came out of training camp and we were already banged up.”

Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade (a member of that 2006-07 team), Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem (also played in 2006-07) and Joel Anthony have all battled injuries and rehab this preseason. Isn’t this squad banged up a bit, too?

“Not like that team,” Spoelstra said before catching himself. “Knock on wood.”

Not surprisingly, Wade agreed with Spoelstra’s sentiment, distancing this team from that one.

“Yeah, it’s different,” Wade said. “That’s two totally different worlds. You can’t worry about that, different times and different team.”

The presence of LeBron James probably has something to do with the different identity. While James is still in his prime and hungry after his first taste of the title, the 2006-07 team’s veteran leader was Shaquille O’Neal, who was 33 years old and coming off his fourth title. James Posey and Antoine Walker showed up to camp out of shape and failed a conditioning exam that got them benched during the season.

However, Spoelstra insists the makeup of this team is completely different.

“Virtually every single person on this team has had to sacrifice, and that’s a ‘we’ concept, not a ‘me’ concept,” Spoelstra said. “If you’re based solely on ‘me,’ you’re not willing to do those things to help you win.”

The Heat’s repeat campaign starts on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, a rival that has learned firsthand how difficult it is to defend the title. Back in 2007-08, the Celtics and their big three of Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce took down the Los Angeles Lakers en route to their first title in more than 20 years.

The odds of a Celtics repeat were strong. After being the early preseason favorites in 2008-09, the Celtics blitzed to a torrid 27-2 record that marked the best start in NBA history, in addition to a 19-game win streak. Things were good, and then suddenly, they weren’t. Garnett endured a season-ending knee injury shortly after the All-Star break, and the Celtics were defeated by Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals.

So much for the repeat. The Celtics' reign over the NBA was short-lived, much like nine of the past 10 champions who failed to grasp the Larry O’Brien Trophy two seasons in a row.

So why is it so hard? Well, winning a title in the first place is pretty darn hard when there are 29 other teams competing for the same goal. Then there’s that pesky target on the back of your jersey that comes with winning it all. Complacency could set in, as it did with Miami’s 2006-07 squad.

But when asked if there was a mentality change in that disappointing 2008-09 season, Celtics coach Doc Rivers refuted the very premise of a title defense.

“I never have believed that anybody ever is defending the title because that was last year,” Rivers said Monday. “[The Miami Heat] don’t own the team trophy this year. That’s what I tell our guys here. Miami is defending nothing. You don’t give your trophy back. That’s in boxing -- you give the belt back. That’s defending a title. [The Heat] don’t have this year’s trophy, so they’re not defending it. That’s the way we look at it and that’s the way we tried to look at it [in 2008-09].”

Spoelstra has embraced a similar tone with his team. Back on media day, Spoelstra stressed the importance of looking forward and not in the rearview mirror, even vowing never to use the word “repeat” when talking about what’s at stake this upcoming season.

On Tuesday night, the Heat will be forced to look backward for a few moments. That’s when the team will receive some championship hardware during the pregame ring ceremony.

“The hard part is now we have to relive the past,” Wade said of the ring ceremony. “That’s something we enjoy -- getting our rings -- but we have to do it in the beginning of the season. That’s the tough part, reliving the past when we’re ready to move forward. We’ll try to do our best with it.”

MIAMI -- Ray Allen is firmly a member of the Miami Heat now, but Allen believes he’ll feel a kinship with his ex-Boston Celtics teammates Tuesday when the Heat receive their championship rings before the season opener.

“I’m excited for these guys having spent time with them for last 2-3 months,” Allen said Monday. “But at the same time, they beat me and put us out. I understand the emotions Boston will feel watching the ceremony.”

Despite a breakup that’s been rife with mudslinging, Allen doesn’t totally seem to have his “us’s” and “they’s” straight in the Heat-Celtics rivalry, which most recently includes the Heat’s series victory in last spring's Eastern Conference finals. Allen is very much at the center of the rivalry now after signing with the Heat last summer, after the Celtics offered double what the Heat did.

Once the Heat get their rings and raise their banner Tuesday -- the Celtics are expected to stay in the locker room, as is routine in such situations -- much attention will be focused on Allen going against his former teammates.

“These guys are my friends,” Allen said. “People think I have some sort of animosity or bad blood against them; I don’t. I’ve said it time and time again, we've shared the most special thing in sports and that’s going all the way to the top. That’s always going to be No. 1, closest to my heart. So when I see Paul [Pierce], I’m not going to be angry at him or anyone else. I’m happy to see these guys.”

The Celtics and Allen have lobbed cross words via the media in the preseason. Kevin Garnett said he lost Allen’s phone number, Doc Rivers said ego played a role in Allen’s departure, Rajon Rondo has taken to not using Allen’s name and just calling him "No. 20." Meanwhile, Allen has dragged up stories from as far back as 2009 to show his angst while on the team.

Tired of all the buildup, the Celtics players didn't even want to talk about it anymore on Monday.

“We’re not going to make this into a Ray Allen versus Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or Rondo thing,” Pierce said. “Right now my focus is playing against the Miami Heat. Everything has already happened. He’s here, he’s happy to be here, you wish him the best for his family.”

“I don’t have a take on [Allen],” Garnett said. “I’m here to the play the game and get the hell up out of here, point blank.”

Allen said he had not yet considered plans to greet former teammates and coaches prior to Tuesday’s game. But he does expect some cold interactions.

“It’s nothing personal, you want to beat the other team,” Allen said. “I think with anybody not on the Celtic team, it’s always frosty. You don’t like the opponent.”

When the Boston Celtics got their title rings on opening night in the fall of 2008, LeBron James, months after his Cleveland Cavaliers had been knocked out of the playoffs by Boston in a brutal seven-game series, was in the visitor’s locker room at TD Garden, listening to the cheers and Paul Pierce’s emotional speech.

The roles will reverse on Oct. 30, when James and the rest of the Miami Heat get 2012 championship rings on opening night at home against the Celtics, one of the signature games on the first week of the NBA schedule that was released on Thursday.

The first Celtics-Heat matchup of the 2012-13 season already promises to be spicy. The climax of the budding rivalry was the seven-game Eastern Conference finals that ended in June with Miami moving on to a second straight NBA Finals and neither Kevin Garnett nor Rajon Rondo shaking the hands of Heat players hands after the bitterly-contested series ended.

Ray Allen’s departure from Boston and signing with Miami, amid some hard feelings with Celtics management, should only add fuel to the fire. Allen’s first game in a Heat uniform will be on the same court where he played his last game in a Celtics uniform, the Heat’s Game 7 victory.

It is the start of what should be a challenging month to start the season for the champs. The Heat benefited from favorable schedules to start the past two seasons. Last season, it helped them get off to an 8-1 start and they won 16 of their first 21 overall. That will not be the case when they start their title defense this October.

The Heat have eight games against the tougher Western Conference in November alone, most of them on a challenging six-game road trip. In a rematch of their first-round series, the Heat will play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in their first road game of 2012-13. Miami closes November by hosting the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 29.

The schedule turns in December when the Heat have eight home games, including a Finals rematch with the Oklahoma City Thunder at 5:30 p.m. ET on Christmas Day. Miami will also host the new-look Brooklyn Nets and the Knicks in early December.

Normally, the first Heat-Chicago Bulls game would be one to circle on the calendar, but it appears doubtful that Derrick Rose will be back from a knee injury when the teams play for the first time on Jan. 4 in Miami. Perhaps more interesting will be four days later, when the Indiana Pacers come to town in a rematch of last season’s intense playoff series.

The last time the teams played in Miami, in Game 5, there were several hard fouls including Udonis Haslem nailing Tyler Hansbrough in the head, resulting in a suspension. Dexter Pittman was also suspended for leveling Lance Stephenson.

During the Heat’s championship celebration, a team broadcaster referred to the play as the “greatest flagrant foul in team history,” which further upset the Pacers. Indiana has joined the Celtics and the Bulls as significant Heat rivals.

Miami also has a five-game Western trip in January that culminates in a Jan. 17 game at the Los Angeles Lakers. Dwyane Wade has already Tweeted how excited he is for that game, which is on his 31st birthday. Wade has never had the chance to play an NBA game on his birthday.

The week before the All-Star break in February appears to be the most challenging of the season for the Heat. In a six-day span, they host both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers and go into the break with a game in Oklahoma City. After getting back, the Heat have a road trip against Chicago and Philadelphia.

As it does every year, the schedule gets more conference-intensive in March and April. The Heat play three games against Philadelphia in the last six weeks of the season, two with Boston, two with New York and two matches with the Bulls when Rose is expected to be back from injury.

MIAMI -- Ray Allen, the most productive 3-point shooter in NBA history, officially became a member of the defending champion Miami Heat on Wednesday after signing a two-year contract to end his free agency.

It was a tough and emotional decision for Allen, who left the Boston Celtics after five seasons that included an NBA title in 2008. Here are eight storylines from Allen's Boston departure and arrival in Miami, based on some key statements from his introductory press conference.

(Connecting with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra)
What Allen said: “I had an opportunity to sit down and really discuss basketball philosophy with (Riley). He's got a lot of great stories. I had a lot of questions for him. I followed him for as long as I followed basketball. Same with coach Spoelstra. We talked about every basketball philosophy we shared, to a point where he said, 'Well, I don't know if you're coming, but I'll just tell you this anyway.'"

What it means: Boston simply might have taken Allen for granted, and Miami took advantage. There's no question Allen was feeling a bit underappreciated and overlooked. In Miami, Allen was almost treated like his character Jesus Shuttlesworth on college recruiting visits in that "He Got Game" movie.

(Friction with Rajon Rondo factoring in decision)
What Allen said: “I haven't spoken with him at all. I know when I came down here, I texted Paul (Pierce) and Kevin (Garnett). Those are the guys I had talked quite a bit with over the years ... There are differences. We all have differences. Paul eats Corn Flakes. I might not like Corn Flakes. That's kind of who we are as individuals ... as players we have to put our differences aside.”

What it means: There really was a rift between Rondo and Allen. Boston has gradually become Rondo's team. He's its best player and most volatile personality. The difference is the Celtics still pay Pierce like a megastar and treats Garnett like one. But Allen's ego was compromised a bit.

(The role Allen expects to play in Miami)
What Allen said: “You mean I'm not starting? I wish they would have told me that last week. Going into this process, I never said whether I wanted to start or come off the bench. That was never really an issue. Whatever is going to be best for me in this situation is going to figure itself out. This team won a championship without me. I'm not going to come in and expect for Coach to cater to who I am and what I do. I have to make it work on the floor with my teammates. I always said whether you start or come off the bench, the best compliment is who you finish the game up with.”

What it means: Allen wanted to put to rest any notion that he demanded to be a starter -- or necessarily play starter's minutes -- moving forward. The fact that he made light of the situation showed he has a sense of humor and a willingness to take on whatever role Miami has for him. But there's little doubt that Allen will play a significant role, likely as the first guard off the bench and in the closing lineup at the end of competitive games.

(Could Boston have done more to keep Allen?)
What Allen said: “It's hard to say. It's hard to say.”

What it means: Of course there's more Boston could have done. Perhaps trade Rondo. Maybe guarantee a third year on that reported two-year, $12 million offer. More likely, the damage had already been done before the start of free agency. Allen was ready to move on. Those attempts to trade him took a toll, as did demoting him to sixth man. In reality, the Celtics and Allen were better off parting ways.

(Are “traitor” insults from Boston fans upsetting?)
What Allen said: “I've given so much, not only on the floor but off the floor. I think that there's a sense of sadness and hurt that the people feel. And we feel that, too, as a family. And that's understandable. But we're still a part of that community. Our home is still in Boston. That's not going to change how we feel about the people there. It doesn't bother me. I know who I am.”

What it means: Allen has built up so much goodwill over his decorated career that it will be impossible for him to ever be viewed as a bad guy for long. He'll be like Joe Dumars on those Bad Boys team in Detroit. He's just too likeable and respectable. He made a decision as a free agent. But it'll still be tough for some to buy into his declaration of “always being a Celtic” while playing for the Heat and working for a man in Riley who coached the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. That basically covers the gamut of Boston's fiercest sports rivals.

(How bad was Allen's ankle that required surgery?)
What Allen said: “Surgery was good. I was walking within four or five days. Not a lot of swelling. Even now, if I do too much on it -- I haven't worked out, I haven't been given the clearance to work out yet -- if I do too much walking on it, it gets a little tender. But for the most part, I'm feeling really good moving forward. The playoffs, I was probably a day away from just having surgery when I decided I was going to play and try to stay along to help the team win. I think one day more, I probably would have had surgery. That's how much it bothered me.”

What it means: No one can say Allen didn't give Boston his all late in the season while playing on an ankle that obviously required serious attention. After having surgery in June to remove bone spurs, Allen says he's about a month from being cleared for serious basketball activity, putting him well on pace to be ready for training camp.

(Attempts from Garnett/Pierce to keep Allen)
What Allen said: “When I knew I was leaning toward Miami, I actually sent a text to Kevin, just to let him know that -- I remember this process in 2008 when (James) Posey left us. And we just really wanted him back and he went to New Orleans, and we didn't get a chance to get Danny (Ainge) to try to give him a little something extra. I didn't want that to be the same case with me in this situation. So I texted Kevin and said, 'Hey, I'm leaning this way and I just want you to know, without getting into the finite details of the deals.' He said, 'Well, Danny will step up to the plate and do whatever you need him to do.' So, I was like, 'We'll see.'”

What it means: Perhaps this was a veiled attempt by Allen to place some of the responsibility for his departure on Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations. It sounds like Allen was at least open to hearing a better offer from Boston after he informed people he was leaning toward Miami. By then, Boston was well into its contingency plan. And rightfully so.

(Recruiting pitch from LeBron James/Dwyane Wade)
What Allen said: “I got texts from both of them. It wasn't me as much that they influenced. But it was the people around me that it excited. It showed them that these guys really like you and want you on their team. As much as they seem bigger than life on TV and just won a championship, they took the time out to reach out and to say something nice about you. The people who care a lot about me and love me, it meant a lot to them.”

What it means: As Allen said earlier, the fact that the Heat won a title and still felt they needed him on the roster to be even better next season carried a lot of weight with him at a sensitive time. The Celtics and Heat have ended the other team's season each of the past three years. There's a history of mutual respect there. Assuming health, jobs on the court just became easier for Allen and his new teammates.

MIAMI -- For nine years, Dwyane Wade's NBA career has largely been defined by overcoming odds off the court combined with graceful skill and athleticism on it.

It's been a virtual spin cycle of knock down, get up, bounce back. Repeat.

But at least one of his characteristics has been understated along the way: impeccable timing.

That was never more the case than Monday, when Wade underwent arthroscopic surgery on his long troublesome left knee to correct an ailment that deeply affected his play during the Heat's march to an NBA title this season.

Well, for LeBron James and the rest of the Heat, it was a march.

For Wade, it was more of a laboring limp. At least by his lofty standards.

Wade repeatedly downplayed the issues with his knee throughout the playoffs. But after ESPN.com's Heat Index first reported he had the knee drained during Miami's second-round series against Indiana, Wade could only do his best to disguise the problem and play through the soreness.

But, privately, he could no longer honestly deny it.

By having surgery, Wade has chosen to attack the problem that has been the cause of so much pain, discomfort and distortion in his game that many have started to question whether the only "prime" remaining in his career is affiliated with late-night dinners at the Prime One Twelve restaurant on South Beach.

From a timing standpoint, Wade's projected rehab and recovery schedule from Monday's surgery is expected to last up to two months. Barring a setback, that timetable should allow Wade to be ready to join his Heat teammates for the start of their title defense when training camp opens in late September.

Heat president Pat Riley sounded more hopeful than absolutely confident that Wade would be completely ready for action when the Heat gather for what is expected to be an earlier-than-usual camp, in anticipation of Miami being selected for one of the NBA's preseason trips overseas.

Somewhat overlooked in all of the analysis of Ray Allen's impending free agency addition to the Heat's roster later this week is the impact the sharp-shooting guard's signing will have on Wade's progress. Like Wade, Allen will also be coming off summer surgery when the season starts. But Allen is already well into the recovery stage from having bone spurs removed from his ankle last month -- just days after the Heat eliminated his former Celtics team in the conference finals.

On the surface, Allen gives the Heat yet another knockdown, 3-point shooter who happens to have made more treys than any player in NBA history. But beyond that, Allen, 36, is also an early-season insurance policy of sorts for Wade at shooting guard. Conventional wisdom would suggest that each player should lessen the physical burden on the other next season.

Minutes, as in playing time, won't be a pressing problem.

Instead, maintenance should -- and will -- be the priority.

In some ways, Wade has already gotten a jump-start on the recovery process. He has had several sessions with noted NBA personal trainer Tim Grover even before the decision to undergo surgery. Wade and Grover have worked together for the past five years, ever since Wade first had surgery on that same knee in 2007.

But the Heat will be in no rush to work Wade back into heavy game action when he's cleared to resume basketball related activities. This is why bringing in Allen was as big a move for Wade as it was to complement LeBron's ability to break down opponents and set up shooters for wide-open looks on the perimeter.

Neither the Heat nor Wade will acknowledge it, but there very well might be concerns that the issues with Wade's left knee could be chronic. That it could require extensive maintenance along with reduced wear and tear. That so many years or relentless and remarkably reckless attacks on the basket might have finally started to catch up to Wade, who refers to it as his "explosion knee ... the one I jump and cut off of to explode and attack."

It's fair to wonder just how much spark and spring are left in a knee that has required two known surgeries, controversial shock-therapy treatments and at least a couple of excess fluid draining procedures over the past five years.

But again, Wade's career has been defined by the cycle.

Knocked down. Get up. Bounce back. Repeat.

But this time, Wade should be motivated less by what he may feel he needs to prove and more by what he needs to preserve at this point in his career.

In other words, his approach needs to be completely different than the last time his knee issues lingered. After sitting out the final months of the 2007-08 season, as Miami wrapped up a franchise-worst 15-67 finish, Wade opted for the shock-therapy treatment a year after his initial surgery in May 2007.

At that time, he was determined to get his body -- which had also endured 2007 shoulder surgery -- right by the time the 2008 Olympics rolled around. Not only did Wade steel his body through rigorous rehab, he also stole the show in Beijing that summer to lead Team USA in scoring and on to a gold medal.

This time around, instead of pushing to get his body prepared for the Olympics, he wisely chose to skip next month's Olympics to get his body prepared for the Heat's title defense. Wade also has talked about hiring a shooting coach to work with him this offseason for the first time in his career.

Which brings it all back to Wade's perfect timing.

There might not be a better shooting coach in the league than the free agent Miami is set to sign when the league's moratorium ends Wednesday.

Well before Allen is worked into the Heat's playing rotation, he could prove his worth in potential offseason workouts with Wade. Few players in NBA history have adjusted their games with age more productively than Allen.

He wasn't always the sweet-shooting "Sugar Ray" we've seen these past five seasons in Boston, where he helped the Celtics win a title in 2008.

There was a time when Allen would drive and dunk on defenders just as seamlessly as he would dice them up from deep with his jump shot. But Allen gradually altered his game to finish with far more finesse than athletic fury.

Right now, it's hard to imagine Wade ever becoming the kind of jump shooter who could consistently beat teams with his range. The same could've been said at one time about Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Jason Kidd and several other elite players who evolved their skills amid declining athleticism and aging.

Wade's track record of comebacks from setbacks suggests he still has plenty left as one of the top-10 players in the league. But his history with that balky left knee also means he shouldn't take anything for granted from this point on.

So as Wade looks to alter his game after another adjustment and recovery process, Allen's presence should offer more than early-season relief.

He'll also be a worthy resource.

For Wade, the timing couldn't have been better.

MIAMI -- LeBron James has stopped watching basketball, using Twitter and has tried to free his mind by reading novels during the playoffs. But that has not dulled his sense of history when it comes to tonight’s Game 7 against his longtime rivals.

James will face off against the Boston Celtics in a playoff game for the 25th time in the past five years. So far the score is Celtics 12, James 12. With a trip to the Finals on the line and the uncertainty of the Celtics' future with the upcoming free agency of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the outcome of this game might just settle the long-running rivalry.

“It's only right, it's only fitting for me that I would play them in the postseason some way, shape or form to get to the Finals,” James said Saturday afternoon. “I did it last year, did it the previous two years in Cleveland. It's been the same for me. I understand what they're capable of, I understand what their makeup is. I've faced every last one of them, those same four guys have been there since I've been playing in the postseason.”

The last time James played in a Game 7 against the Celtics was in 2008, when he and Paul Pierce staged a memorable battle at TD Garden, James scoring 45 points and Pierce putting up 41 in the Celtics’ victory. When James scored 45 points in another elimination game in Boston on Thursday, he became the second player ever to do it more than once in his career. The only other was Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 45 or more points five times in his career.

But even with the momentum, James has such a history of dealing with these Celtics that he knows how difficult tonight could be. Especially with the possibility that it could be the last time this Boston team plays in its current state.

“Those guys are warriors, they're champions,” James said. “They're determined not to let this be their last hurrah or whatever the case may be. I'm not a part of their front office. But they're very determined.”

It’s been such a hotly-contested series with officiating, injuries, lineup switches and performance in the clutch dominating the focus. But James is not alone in letting himself think about the historical perspective. Depending on what happens in Game 7, there could be lots of changes to both teams and that only increases the drama.

“I tell players that all the time, there are no guarantees for next year,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

“Every year you have to play like this is the last time this group you're with will ever play together. And most of the time that's going to be true whether you win or lose. It's at stake for both teams, you can never take any season for granted. Hell, we win this series, it may not be the same Miami team next year. So I think we understand that, but I think they do, too. And so I think both teams feel that type of pressure.”

BOSTON -- It started with the look.

The cold, piercing stare. The blink-less glare. The expression that didn't require an explanation, a motivational speech or anything other than confirmation from his Miami Heat teammates who knew this night would be different.

Had to be different. Or else their season was done.

The Boston Celtics didn't get a glimpse of that ultra-focused, determined, do-or-die look from LeBron James until he was on the court for Game 6 on Thursday with the Heat on the brink of playoff elimination.

But James' teammates saw that look on his face long before the Heat -- fueled by a relentless performance from the league's MVP -- forced a Game 7 on Saturday back in Miami with Thursday's 98-79 victory against the Celtics.

“Y'all see that look he had on his face tonight?” Heat guard Mario Chalmers told a group of reporters after the game. “He had that look on his face since last night at dinner. We knew he was going to come out ready to play. That's why he's the MVP. I call it his ugly look.”

Ugly never looked so good.

Heat players are around James every day, including many who have been in Miami since James arrived in the summer of 2010 to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They've seen hundreds of James' games dating back to some of his best performances while with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But few have left them as mesmerized as the display James put on Thursday, when the Heat absolutely had to have one of those historic nights just to keep their season alive, to quiet the skeptics, to outright silence his critics.

For at least a night.

Playing 44 consecutive minutes to start the game, James finished with 45 points on 19-of-26 shooting to go with 15 rebounds and 5 assists. That laser focus didn't relent until he was comfortably back in the Heat's locker room, knees wrapped in ice, feet soaking in tubs of cold water and fingers flipping through the pages of the latest novel he's reading in his spare time.

By most accounts, James' business-like demeanor didn't lighten up until he was approached by a team media relations staffer when it was his turn to go to the postgame news conference podium and discuss his dominance.

“Let me finish this chapter first,” James said as he turned a page in Suzanne Collins' "Mockingjay." “I can't leave right in the middle of this. I've got to finish up this last page.”

James then laughed.

Heat rookie Norris Cole shook his head as he stood nearby. Cole has been responsible for carrying everything from James' lotion and garment bags to his food to the bus after games. He has also been the butt of James' pranks when he's in a joking mood. But Cole hasn't had much to do lately.

“He didn't even have any special requests today,” Cole said, referencing his rookie responsibilities leading into Thursday's game. “He's normally a loose guy. His face didn't never break the whole time. He didn't crack a smile. His expression was the same all day. He showed when it's time to take care of business, he can take care of business with the best of them. That's what we needed.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he had a feeling James was in for a big night, one that would answer naysayers who were ready to write off Miami, and especially James.

“Nobody likes getting thrown dirt on your face before you're even dead,” Spoelstra said. “He came out with an attack mentality right from the get-go.”

It was obvious from the 10-0 run James ignited midway through the first quarter that put the Heat ahead 22-12. James scored in a variety of ways during that spurt when he accounted for eight of those points. He made a turnaround jumper, converted a conventional three-point play with a layup and free throw and also drilled a 3-pointer.

It was a two-minute stretch that set the tone for the Heat as well as sent a resounding message to the Celtics. Through it all, James' expression never changed.

“LB was in a groove and he never looked back,” Celtics center Kevin Garnett said.

“He hit a lot of shots he hasn't been hitting all series,” Boston forward Paul Pierce added. “I've had that feeling before and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.”

All you can do is watch, and see how long James could carry on this defiant and dominant act.

It was difficult to avoid being a bystander at times. Different players were impressed by different things.

Heat reserve James Jones said the durability James showed by playing such a long stretch without a break stood out.

“To be able to play the game the way he played it, you can't have these huge emotional swings, those big highs and lows,” Jones said. “You could tell he was a little more focused because of the magnitude of this one. Even in the huddles, he had this energy, this activity. He was upbeat like there was no question he could play every minute and every second if we needed him to. Very few guys can do that. He's one of them. That's what makes him who he is.”

And it's also who James was since he felt the Heat allowed a game to get away on Tuesday, when Boston won Game 5 in Miami. After the game, James, Wade and Udonis Haslem -- the Heat's most vocal leaders -- could be overheard through the locker room doors to the training room having a heated discussion about breakdowns. It was one of those periodic accountability sessions the team's leaders have after things fall off track.

James has had his game face on since then.

“We talked about it in Miami,” Haslem said. “We talked about it the next day after we lost. It was nothing that needed to be said after shootaround [Thursday] morning. It was nothing that needed to be said before the game. We said everything we needed to say a few days ago. We understood what was at stake right now. I think it showed.”

But the Heat insists their work isn't done. It might require an encore performance on Saturday from James to put away Boston and get to the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City.

Heat forward Chris Bosh will be looking for that, well, look in James' eye again heading into Game 7.

“In shootaround and on the ride over, before the game, usually, you can feel it when it's a little more quiet than usual,” Bosh said. “That's when you can really tell that guys are really, really ready to play. I look in everybody's face before the game and this game was different than all the others. LeBron answered like he was supposed to, and now we get to try to do it all again.”

After the Celtics built a 61-47 lead at the break during Game 2, ESPN's Doris Burke asked Rajon Rondo how the Celtics were exploiting the Heat's defense.

His response?

"Them complaining and crying to the referees in transition."

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had totaled just five free throws in the first half.

BOSTON -- Heat guard Dwyane Wade insists the knee is fine and that there are no physical limitations affecting his play beyond the normal wear and tear from a long playoff run.

But Wade is trying to shake off something else that has been bothering him: Boston's defense.

"It's not a secret, guys; I'm getting doubled at the top of the key, I'm getting doubled in the paint," Wade said as Miami, up 2-1 after Friday's loss, prepared for Game 4 on Sunday. "We're going to have to find other ways. I'm a patient person. Things will hopefully loosen up."

Wade has challenged his coaching staff and himself with making adjustments that will free up his game and allow him to operate more effectively against the Celtics. If there's been a commonality in each of the first three games of the series, it's that Wade consistently has gotten off to slow starts against Boston.

In Game 3, the Celtics' plan against Wade was their most effective yet: They simply swarmed him with defenders each time he touched the ball and forced him to pass. Wade finished with 18 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field and had just six points at the half.

By the time he found some operating room against the Celtics in the third quarter, the Heat were already on their way to trailing by as many as 24 points. Wade also didn't attempt a free throw Friday, marking the first time he hasn't done so in a playoff game since his rookie season.

Wade had his best stretch of success when the Heat sped up the tempo on offense and committed to running in transition -- even after made baskets by the Celtics. The less Wade had to go against a set Boston defense, the better he played.

But even Wade had to smile at the irony of yet another struggle in Game 3 of a playoff series. In the Heat's previous series against the Pacers, Wade had the worst playoff game of his career during a Game 3 loss in which he scored only five points.

Before that game, Wade had his troublesome left knee drained of excess fluid and was visibly sluggish. After a few days of rest, Wade responded with a three-game stretch in which he scored 99 points as the Heat finished off Indiana for a 4-2 series win.

Wade said the knee isn't giving him any additional problems this series. He probably wouldn't admit it if it was. Instead, Wade chose to give a nod to Boston's defensive strategy. The Celtics have mixed the coverages on Wade with defenders that have included Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus, Marquis Daniels and even Kevin Garnett.

Boston has been able to gamble and commit two defenders on Wade, in part, because of the absence of Chris Bosh, who remains sidelined with an abdominal strain. Without a third scorer they believe can seriously hurt them, Boston has been able to load up on Wade or James. For Game 3 at least, they decided to target Wade.

The defense hasn't completely stopped Wade, who is shooting 52.1 percent from the field and averaging 21 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in three games. But Boston has effectively slowed him down for long stretches.

"Give Doc [Rivers] and them credit for coming up with the scheme," Wade said. "Now, we have to do our jobs in making adjustments."

MIAMI - The Heat will have Chris Bosh in tow as the Eastern Conference finals swing to Boston for the next two games, but the All-Star forward is not expected to play as he continues to recover from an abdominal strain.

Coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday that Bosh would join the team in Boston to maintain a recent rehab schedule that has seen him go through four on-court workouts this week, including a session before the team left Miami on Thursday.

But Spoelstra also quickly emphasized that Bosh isn't ready to return to game action and indicated he would sit out of Games 3 and 4 in Boston. The Heat have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series and are looking to return to the NBA Finals for the second time in as many seasons.

Bosh is making progress from the injury he sustained May 13 in Game 1 of the conference seminfinals against Indiana. But it's been a methodical process.

"We want him around so we can work with him," Spoelstra said of the sessions with Bosh that have been conducted by assistant coach Keith Askins and team rehab specialist Rey Jaffet. "He's done three straight workouts (and) he just finished one again. The same workout, but a little bit different. It's a rehab-slash-basketball workout."

After initially remaining in the training room during games after the injury, Bosh has since sat with teammates on the Heat bench for each of the first two home games against Boston. Bosh has averaged 18 points and 7.9 rebounds this season, but the Heat have been getting timely contributions from role players in his absence to win five consecutive playoff games.

The team still considers Bosh's status as out indefinitely, and Spoelstra said Thursday it's still far too soon to speculate on his possible return.

"It's too early to tell right now," Spoelstra said. "I think we're all encouraged that he's actually able to do some work."

MIAMI -- When Shane Battier signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent this offseason, he knew his primary role would be to spread the floor and defend.

Starting out of position at power forward and giving up as many as 25 pounds a night in his matchups wasn't exactly in the initial job description. But that's where Battier found himself for the second straight postseason series when Miami opened the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

Apparently, it hasn't take Battier long to adjust to what has been a far more demanding role than he imagined when he joined LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Battier notched his first career playoff double-double to complement another strong set of performances from James and Wade in Bosh's absence as the Heat took a 1-0 series lead with Monday's 93-79 victory.

With Bosh still out indefinitely because of a strained abdominal muscle, the Heat have desperately searched for role players to collectively fill the void. James finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds and Wade added 22 points and seven assists, and Battier was the third Heat player in double figures with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and a steal.

“Shane is everything,” Wade said. “He does it all for our team. Me and LeBron, we love Shane on this ball club. Not only his defensive effort, he does all the little things. He's pesky. He gets under other guys' skin a little bit. He does a great job of blocking out. He was able to capitalize.”

The Heat have won four consecutive playoff games since falling into a 2-1 series hole in the conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. The dominant play of James and Wade in that stretch has set the tone. But in each victory, a different role player has provided a much-needed boost.

After spending the last series matched up against the much bulkier David West, Battier remained in the starting lineup against Boston and was assigned to Brandon Bass. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Battier, is giving up considerable size to Bass in again after yielding two inches and 15 pounds to West.

The power shift hasn't exactly been smooth and seamless for Battier, who has played small forward for the majority of his 10 seasons in the league. He probably hasn't spent this much time consistently at power forward since his days as the college player of the year as a senior at Duke.

“I take a lot of pride in that -- I haven't had 10 rebounds in about three years,” Battier said. “It's starting to become a little more natural. It's still a little unnatural. It's just a different mindset because of your pick-and-roll coverages. But it's getting there.”

There remains some discomfort with his shooting touch, but Battier is never one to evaluate his performance based on the numbers on a postgame statistics sheet. So it was easy for both his teammates and him to look beyond his 2-for-9 shooting from 3-point range on a night when the Heat missed 20 of their 25 attempts from beyond the arc.

Still, Battier was involved in the perhaps the most pivotal swing of the game. With the score tied 50-50 midway through the third quarter, Battier rotated over to block a Rajon Rondo layup at one end before racing to the other end to knock down a 3-pointer in transition, igniting a 22-9 Heat run.

He also contributed to Rondo's frustrations when the two got tangled up under the basket. Rondo shoved Battier during the third quarter and was assessed a technical foul.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers could have probably anticipated the type of games James and Wade would have, but Boston couldn't compensate for Battier's impact. He was instrumental in two phases of the game: The Heat outrebounded the Celtics 48-33 and had 11 blocked shots to Boston's one.

“[If] we guard him, that would be nice,” Rivers said when asked how the Celtics might account for Battier moving forward. “Take away some of the easy shots. I thought Shane had three or four easy shots that hurt us. Those are baskets we have to take away. You're not going to take everything away. They have two sensational players. But we gave them both. We let Wade, we let LeBron play in extreme comfort, and we gave the other guys everything they wanted as well.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had the option of resetting his rotation and starting veteran Udonis Haslem at power forward. He instead chose to stay with Battier. Spoelstra said the decision is based on Battier's defensive versatility and his ability to be an offensive threat with his shooting out to the 3-point line. The strategy has worked so far.

“We're calling Shane and LeBron forwards; neither one is a small forward or power forward,” Spoelstra said. “They will both be guarding multiple positions. Shane gives us that flexibility to play both those guys in the same lineup.”

MIAMI – When LeBron James played his first game against Carmelo Anthony, the home opener in his rookie season in 2003, the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a boxing-style promotional poster with the tag “Rivalry begins tonight!”

By 2005, every time James and Dwyane Wade played against each other, the game was ticketed for national television.

The desire to create a genuine duel between James and Kobe Bryant led Nike to create a series of commercials in which the puppet version of each would trash talking each other. Even if the men themselves showed little interest in doing it for real on the court.

For various reasons, these attempts to generate a rivalry for James failed. But he does have a less-publicized but legitimate rival, in a fierce competition that has been nurtured organically through postseason battles and periods of authentic dislike, genuine bad blood and some hard-won respect.

When the Eastern Conference finals open tonight, James will play his 19th career playoff game against Boston Celtics future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. For the 19th time they will likely be each other’s primary defender. For the 19th time there’s probably going to be some hard stares, complaints to the officials about the other and perhaps even a few borderline dirty plays.

“Oh, we know each other,” James said. “More than any other matchup in the league. We know each other’s likes and dislikes.”

This is the fourth time in the five-year run of the Celtics’ Big 3 era -- starting when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Pierce in 2007 -- that James will face Boston in the playoffs. The Celtics’ success partially willed James to form a competing triumvirate of his own. After losing in a seven-game series to the Celtics’ newly created super team in 2008, James sat on the podium in Boston and demanded his team make some move to improve its talent level. When his season ended again there in 2010, after a series of Cavs trades failed to produce a title, James proclaimed he and “his team” had a plan in place for his free agency.

The product of that plan is James' arrival with the Heat, and they'll be taking on the Celtics in the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

"[Pierce] is the closest thing to a rival, if LeBron has one," Wade said. "They make it tough on each other."

That James felt the need to partner up with Wade and Chris Bosh to compete with the Celtics is a sign of esteem. But the skirmishes between Pierce and James started long before they worked to create their own All-Star teams. At times, it has gotten so personal it has involved family members.

The closest thing James has ever had to a fight in the NBA came against Pierce, though most may not remember it. It happened way back in 2004, during a preseason game at Ohio State. It took place during Game 2 of the World Series, when the Red Sox were on their way to their first title since 1918 and certainly no one in Boston was paying much attention.

After things had gotten a little heated the night before during a preseason game between the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, it boiled over when they played again in Columbus.

There was already some beef starting between the two from the previous season, James’ first in Cleveland. Pierce had gotten into an in-game trashing talking war with Otis Carter, the father of James’ friend Maverick Carter and someone whom James considers an uncle.

After a Pierce hard foul on James, Carter started screaming at Pierce from courtside seats. It was part of the first great James-Pierce battle. James had 37 points that night, the second-highest output of his rookie year. But Pierce ended up scoring 41, burying the Cavs with a series of offensive moves and staring at Carter after each basket in the second half. He told James late in the game he needed to tell Carter to be quiet or he’d go for 50 points. Or at least that is how the story goes.


It wasn’t the only time Pierce would get into it with a James family member. During the 2008 playoffs, Pierce wrapped up James on a drive to the basket during Game 4 of the conference semifinals in Cleveland. The two spilled into the stands, where Gloria James, LeBron’s mother, got up from her seat and began yelling at Pierce. James famously yelled to his mother to “sit your [blank] down.”

In that 2004 preseason game at Ohio State, Pierce scored twice in a row on James during the third quarter. On the second hoop, he used a crossover dribble to shake James on the way to the basket and let everyone know he’d just beaten the young kid. James answered with a jumper and then picked Pierce’s pocket and ran to the other end for a dunk.

Soon after the two got into each other’s faces and were hit with technical fouls. Then Pierce spit toward the Cavs’ bench, for which he was later fined $15,000. But that’s not where the fight almost happened; it was in the dressing room area after the game. The team locker rooms were next to each other and the tempers flared again in the hallway. Pierce’s teammates had to literally carry him away to prevent an altercation.

The two would eventually call for a truce at the All-Star Game the next year. Since then, their conflicts have all been centered on the floor. The rivalry, however, has only matured.

“I don’t think it is like or dislike, it is what it is,” Pierce said. “He’s been on some great teams, I’ve been on some great teams and we’ve had to face one another. After awhile it became a mutual respect for the things he’s done in this league and the things I’ve done in this league.”

During a game in 2006, they had another great battle in a double-overtime game in Boston. James played 54 minutes, scoring 43 points with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a Cavs win. That night Pierce did get his 50 points, the first Celtics player to do so since Larry Bird, and drew a foul on James in the final second of regulation to force overtime.

In the 2008 playoffs, Pierce and James staged several more classic battles. In a pivotal Game 5, James' 35 points weren’t enough as Pierce scored 29 points and Boston took a 3-2 series lead. After James forced a final game with a supreme performance in Game 6 with 32 points and 12 rebounds, Pierce carried the Celtics to a Game 7 victory. He scored 41 points and the Celtics outlasted James’ 45-point effort that Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, still ranking as the best head-to-head playoff battle of James’ career.

“He’s one of the best at his position and I’ve been considered one of the best at my position,” Pierce said. “It’s been a very competitive battle.”

In the 2010 playoffs, Celtics coach Doc Rivers’ game plan was to have Pierce concentrate on defending James and not to put as much emphasis on his own offense. It was part of an overall strategy to be physical with James and keep him away from the basket. Over the last three games of the series, which the Celtics won to pull the upset against the top-seeded Cavs, Pierce averaged just 14.3 points. But his defense helped the Celtics hold James to averages of just 21.3 points and 34 percent shooting as the spectrum of the series completely changed.

James finally got his victory over Pierce and the Celtics in 2011 after joining the Heat. In the game that essentially decided the series, Game 4, James and Pierce added another chapter to their rivalry. The Heat won in overtime in Boston, taking a 3-1 series lead (they eventually won in five). With the outcome still in doubt, James had 35 points and 14 rebounds, including the go-ahead basket in overtime. Pierce had 27 points and eight rebounds and made a hoop in the final minute of regulation that ended up forcing overtime.

Two days later, when James and the Heat closed the series out, he fell to his knee in appreciation of the accomplishment after he scored 10 points in the game’s last two minutes. Playing the Celtics, and their captain Pierce, has in many ways defined this portion of James’ career.

There might not be a better way to define a rival.

“We understand how competitive each other are,” James said. “It’s always fun to go up against the best, and he’s one of them.”

As you get ready for Sunday's nationally televised showdown between the regrouping Heat and the resurgent Celtics, here are five reasons why leaving Boston with a victory will be a very difficult task for Miami if LeBron James and Co. don't bring their "A" game to the Garden.