Originally published Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Defending champion Celtics beat the Cavaliers 90-85

Celtics 90, Cavaliers 85 BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 27 points as defending champion Boston followed an emotional ring ceremony and...

Celtics 90,

Cavaliers 85

BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 27 points as defending champion Boston followed an emotional ring ceremony and banner raising with a victory over Cleveland. LeBron James scored 22, but he missed a layup with 41 seconds left and two free throws. The Celtics began the festivities with a 20-minute ceremony to honor the 2007-08 team.

CLEVELAND (85) — James 9-21 4-8 22, Wallace 1-1 0-0 2, Ilgauskas 3-5 9-10 15, M.Williams 4-10 1-1 12, West 2-4 2-2 6, Szczerbiak 1-4 2-2 4, Gibson 2-8 2-3 6, Varejao 3-6 3-5 9, Pavlovic 3-6 1-2 7, Wright 1-3 0-0 2. Totals — 29-68 24-33 85.

BOSTON (90) — Pierce 10-19 5-8 27, Garnett 5-15 1-4 11, Perkins 1-2 0-0 2, Rondo 4-5 6-10 14, R.Allen 2-9 3-4 8, House 1-5 0-0 2, T.Allen 4-9 3-4 11, Powe 5-7 3-4 13, Davis 1-3 0-0 2. Totals — 33-74 21-34 90.



Cleveland	28	22	13	22 — 85
Boston	22	21	24	23 — 90

Three-point goals — Cleveland 3-15 (M.Williams 3-5, Szczerbiak 0-1, West 0-1, Pavlovic 0-2, Gibson 0-2, James 0-4), Boston 3-14 (Pierce 2-4, R.Allen 1-4, T.Allen 0-2, House 0-4). Fouled out — Perkins. Rebounds — Cleveland 55 (Varejao 9), Boston 47 (Perkins 8). Assists — Cleveland 16 (James 6), Boston 16 (Rondo 6). Total fouls — Cleveland 26, Boston 28. Technicals — Ilgauskas, Pavlovic, Boston defensive three second, Perkins, Pierce. A — 18,624 (18,624).

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