Battle of the "Big 3's": Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Tonight!

By Sharmaine Jones

“The Decision” was made, NBA preseason has come to a close and tonight the battle of the “Big 3's” will occur tonight in the season opener on TNT. Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James will battle it out against the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Image : 7 News

Tonight's game may possibly be one of the most anticipated season openers in NBA history. So much has happened during the off-season leading up to tonight. After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron is making his Miami Heat debut; Dwayne Wade gets to discredit the nay-sayers and prove that he, “king” James and Bosh can co-exist; Shaquille O'neal – once teammates of LeBron and Wade – makes his Celtics debut; Pierce, Allen and Garnett will have the opportunity to prove that they are the “Big 3” of the East; and lastly, LeBron and Wade will be looking to avenge their NBA Playoff eliminations handed to them by the Boston Celtics last season.

With all these factors leading up to the season opener, we're expecting Boston's TD Garden to be out of control for tonight's home opener and Paul Pierce knows it:

"You've definitely got to expect a playoff atmosphere," Pierce said. "I mean, there's a lot of buzz around this game and how these teams have been put together. You've got two of the projected top teams in the East. You've got to expect a playoff atmosphere, and we're approaching it like that."

Yes! That's the type of game we want to see! Who cares if its only the first game of the season, we want to see an all-out-brawl like their playing the final game of an elimination series.

Chris Bosh is not an avid tweeter but he took the time to post this on his twitter account today:

“The wait is finally over. Opening night is finally here and I'm more than ready!"

King James on the other hand not only re-tweeted Bosh's post but yesterday, his new Nike commercial entitle “Rise” premiered. In the “Rise” ad, James constantly asks “What should I do?” in an attempt to confront critics that blasted his decision to join the Miami Heat. He takes a shot at Charles Barkley, – who has publicly expressed his distaste for LeBron's “decision” – shows his “Chosen 1” tattoo getting removed, stands in front of an empty room to accept his Hall-of-Fame induction and is portrayed as a villain complete with Wild West attire. With the commercial, James addresses his post-season controversy head on and we can't wait to see how he responds to the critics tonight on the hardwood. It's going to be a game to remember!

Which team are you voting for tonight? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags basketball, Boston Celtics, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Miami Heat, NBA, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, TNT