FOULEDOUT!

It was a night of horror in Beantown when the Boston Celtics hosted the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers for the opening game of their series. Celtics won 76-72 after LeBron James was held down to 12 points on 2-18 shooting and made 10 errors in 39 minutes of action. James also had 9 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Celtics also had their share of dry spell. Paul Pierce made only 4 points on 2-14 shooting and Ray Allen went scoreless (0-4) in 37 minutes of action. But the Boston squad was fortunate to have Kevin Garnett in their team. Garnett, who finished third in MVP voting, stepped up and tallied 28 points and 8 rebounds. The starting and back-up point guards of the Celtics also did their part in trying to offset the offensive woes of their team. Rajon Rondo finished with 15 points and Sam Cassell added 13.

The Cavs were clearly in deep trouble with James unable to find his touch. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played with big effort and finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but got little help from the rest of team. Wally Szczerbiak missed his first five shots and just managed to make 13 points. Delonte West and Ben Wallace chipped in only 4 points each.

* I thought this game was going to be intense with LeBron James going against Kevin Garnett. The Cavs would be doing everything they can to defend their Eastern Conference Title against the hungry Celtics, but as it turned out, the game was just okay (actually, almost boring). The shots just would not go in for both teams.

I hope to see more intensity, excitement and passion as LeBron and Co. defend their Eastern Conference crown. LeBron James as well as Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will surely be looking to bounce back after their horrible performances so I expect the series to pick up intensity as the series goes on.

-fouledout