Heat Vs. Celtics, Game 1: LeBron James, Miami Face Their Greatest Challenge

Sure, it's the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs -- not the NBA Finals, not even the conference finals. It's the second round. It's the first of May! But this is what we've been waiting for since last July: Miami Heat. Boston Celtics. NBA Playoffs.

LeBron James cast his die when he told Jim Gray and everyone that he'd be taking his talents to South Beach. After getting jolted out of the 2010 playoffs by the resurgent Celtics, LeBron conceded in Cleveland and determined that to summit Boston, he'd need better arsenal. He ended up conceding the 2011 NBA MVP and perhaps all future MVP consideration by teaming up with a former rival like Dwyane Wade; he certainly drew the scorn of old proud superstars like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird (old proud superstars who had Hall of Fame teammates, by the way), self-assured sports columnist and Coors Light-swilling "man card inspectors." When he joined the Heat, he might as well have told all these folks that he was too weak, that he didn't want to work so hard any more.

Of course, the fact is that the league is so good -- the Celtics, the Lakers, the Bulls -- that joining forces like this isn't a ticket to a championship in any way. The Heat learned that all season, and the Celtics have been at the forefront of reminding them, with three wins in four head-to-head meetings. We sometimes forget that the Celtics came together like this too, a motley crew of spectacular talents assembled to rejuvenate a glorious franchise, and one which met with immediate success. The talents, though, were different; the comparison ends after you list all the accolades the stars received before joining up.