The last time the Boston Celtics played a game that truly counted, they had to endure a Miami Heat celebration.

Someone in the NBA office has a cruel sense of humor. Either that or the schedule-maker discovered a problem very late in the process and devised a quick-fix solution that sticks out like a polka-dot basketball.
LeBron James held his index finger aloft, then turned and took a walk nine years in the making.
On one side of the Los Angeles Lakers' practice court, Dwight Howard is shooting free throws and talking defense with Pau Gasol. On the other end, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are plotting out a pick-and-roll play with step-by-step precision.
LeBron James squeezed his mom's hands, the way he did as a kid.

Dwight Howard held some of the championship trophies in the Los Angeles Lakers' facility Friday, the first act of the next phase of his NBA career.
Dwight Howard held some of the championship trophies in the Los Angeles Lakers' facility Friday, the first act of the next phase of his NBA career.
Erik Spoelstra has come full circle.
The NBA championship trophy was center stage, bathed in white light and sitting on a pedestal. And each Miami Heat player offered it a different greeting.