The shortened 2011/2012 NBA season ended on a remarkably sour note for the Boston Celtics this past June. After all, the Miami Heat did manage to knock the C’s out of the playoffs for a second straight year, advancing to the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But the Heat’s late-round knockout punch was only the beginning of the Celtics’ post-season woes. Less than a month after Miami paraded down Biscayne Boulevard with the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy in tow, team president Pat Riley convinced Boston Celtics star Ray Allen to forgo a two-year, $12 million contract extension and sign a three-year deal with the Heat for a lot less money. “As we said a couple of years ago when we started to rebuild the team, I think it's important year in and year out that you continue to try to add quality talent and players with experience, who want to make a commitment to winning," Riley told reporters this past summer. “I just mentioned LeBron (James) and Chris (Bosch) and Dwyane (Wade), and they take it from there." On Tuesday, Ray Allen will square off against his former team for the first time at the American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) as a member of the world champion Miami Heat, kicking off the 2012/2013 regular season with a good ol’ fashioned in-conference rivalry game.
Tue., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., 2012