Ironically the game didn't start off very well at all. Sure the Cavs were hitting every shot imaginable, but they were also getting really good looks at the basket and stopping the Celtics from doing likewise. But credit the reserves for clawing their way back into the game. Credit Doc and the coaching staff for making adjustments on the fly. Credit Perk for pushing Shaq far enough away from the basket to be outside his comfort zone (and thus guardable without a double team). Then credit the starters for following the lead of the bench and closing it out (thanks in large part to the Truth).
So for a game that started off so poorly, it actually ended up being a very nice start to the NBA season for us. Yes it was just one game, but it sets the tone for the season. It marked the first time since 2004 that we were able to win in Cleveland. If you were doing a power poll today, you'd have to put the Celtics ahead of the Cavs.
It also plants a seed of doubt in the minds of LeBron, Shaq, and the Cavs as a whole. They are already questioning themselves after a massive playoff thud. They'll get better. They'll win a lot of games this year and they'll be there at the end as one of the East competitors. They might even beat us a few times. But they will have to chew on this loss for a while. And they'll have to answer questions about "if the Cavs can't win, will LeBron bolt?"
In reality, a few bounces of the ball either way and the Cavs could have won this game and it would be the Celtics having to deal with it. Celtics fans would be justifying the loss as "just one game" like the Cavs fans are right now. We'd probably be turning our anger on Big Baby and the distraction he caused this week. Or maybe we'd be howling at the Celtics to either sign or walk away from the table with the Rondo negotiations. In short we'd be looking for someone to blame. Thankfully we don't have to do that.
We won. The Cavs lost. End of story. And a good start to the season.