Halftime thoughts: Heat 62, C's 54

After an intense first half from South Beach, the Celtics trail the Heat, 62-54.  Not a lot of defense is being played in this one, with the Celtics shooting 45% and the Heat shooting 51%. The chemistry still needs some development, as there has been some miscommunications on defense and with bad passes. But one thing is evident: this is a very deep team, contrary to last year's squad that battled valiantly against this Heat team in the Eastern Conference finals.

The much anticipated debut of Ray Allen has gone well for him so far, as he drained a three-pointer to beat the shot clock on his first shot. He already has 13 points on 3-of-5 from the field including 2-of-3 from three in just under 14 minutes of play.

Where's the D?: 62 points in one half is absolutely unacceptable and very un-Celtic like. Doc Rivers and team president Danny Ainge expressed concern over the inconsistency of the defense during the preseason and considered it the major concern going into the season. I know it is only one half, but there needs to be major improvements if the Celtics want to win this game. They need to limit their turnovers, a given against a team as phenomenal in transition as Miami.

Picking up where he left off: The big question surrounding James going into this season was whether he would bring that same aggressiveness that propelled the Heat to an NBA championship. He has answered that questioned, at least tonight he has. James has come out firing on all cylinders with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. He's playing with force, attacking the basket at will, getting his teammates involved, and

The Truth: Paul Pierce looks like Paul Pierce; he does not look like the worn out 35-year-old some thought he would be. Pierce is aggressive, looking for his shot and making them. He has come up short on a few gimme layups, but other than that, he has been outstanding. He leads the C's with 16 points.

Ray's greeting: Coming out of the first timeout, Allen went over to the Celtics bench and greeted some of the team including Rivers and assistant coaches Kevin Eastman and Armond Hill. The awkward moment? Allen went over and tapped Kevin Garnett on the shoulder, and Garnett remained stone-faced and did not even look at Ray. Classic KG.

What to watch for: Look for the Heat to come out aggresive to start the second half, but that shouldn't last too long as the emotion from the night should wear off. Also expect the C's to be more careful with the ball -- they already have 10 turnovers. The Celtics should be more focused and make the right adjustments to get back into this game.