Forget the game, as good as the Celtics' 90-85 season-opening win against Cleveland was last night. Remember the tears.

The tears that streamed down Paul Pierce's face when the NBA championship trophy Boston won last season was delivered to him by John Havlicek before the game. The tears that still dripped down Pierce's cheeks when he accepted his championship ring from owner Wyc Grousebeck. And the tears that clung to his eyes when he addressed the crowd, telling them, "I had my dream come true, to raise another banner up in the rafters."

"It was difficult for me. Just thought back to memories of

growing up as a kid and getting to the point right now," Pierce said after the game. "Being able to have my family there, it was a great night to be able to share that with them and not only the fans and the organization, but those are the people that really matter to me the most. They saw it from day one when I first picked up a basketball and supported me.

"And it's moments like these that you cherish, raising that banner and getting the ring. To be there in front of the people closest to you, it was very emotional."

Pierce's tears were genuine, a rare glimpse of heartfelt emotion from a professional athlete. That emotion both drew from and fed the current of electricity that coursed through TD Banknorth Garden as Pierce's dream Banner 17 was raised.

Not since 1986 had the Celtics hoisted a new banner to the roof to join the white ghosts of championships past. That delay made it all the sweeter for the fans. Like them, Pierce has gone through the toughest of times in Boston before enjoying the best. That journey helped push out the tears.

"So many thoughts go through your head. Memories of the struggling times here in Boston," Pierce said. "And like I said, you dream of these moments and to be able to actually see your dream come true, it's unreal. To be part of it, I had to pinch myself."

In the end, he pinched enough. Pierce was able to stop the sobbing and start the balling on time. He finished with a game-high 27 points, including 11 in the pivotal third quarter as the Celtics pulled themselves out of the emotional soup of the first half and turned a 50-43 halftime deficit into a 67-63 lead going into the fourth.

"I was on the sideline just trying to get myself together and just talking to myself trying," Pierce said. "I was able to do it in time and just concentrate."

But the Cavaliers and he who would be king, LeBron James, refused to be part of the celebration. James finished with 22 and newly acquired point guard Mo Williams had 12, including a big three with 1:36 left to play that cut Boston's lead to 86-83. But Pierce found Leon Powe (13 points) for a back-breaking layup, Ray Allen made a pair of icing free throws and that was that.

In the end, there was too much defense from Boston. The Celtics held Cleveland to 35.3 percent shooting in the third and 42.6 for the game.

"Defensive-wise for 48 minutes the effort got better and better," Kevin Garnett said. "The first half was kind of lacking, but the second half I thought we did a better job."

In the beginning, there was simply too much juice in the building. Too much to play focused defense and certainly too much to find any kind of touch. Garnett threw up an air ball on the first shot of the season, about two feet too long. Though it should be noted he also air-balled the first shot last year.

"It was emotional, as you could see by my first shot," Garnett joked. "I'm pretty much known for coming into the Garden and having a hell of a first shot. So if we're going to base it on that, we in good shape."

Maybe their new rings messed with their touch, but the hands of the new champions struggled to find their shooting range. Boston didn't hit an outside shot until there was 2:22 left in the first quarter when Garnett drained a 12-foot baseline jumper, hardly a bomb. They didn't connect from beyond the arc until the start of the third quarter.

Sometimes when champions get their bling they are simply flat afterward. The Miami Heat were rolled by Chicago, 108-66, after getting their rings on Oct. 31, 2006. If anything, there wasn't enough letdown for the Celtics last night, but that's a problem you can live with.

There's a natural worry about complacency after teams win a title, but it's hard to imagine with this group. Not with the insanely intense Garnett policing things. Not with Kendrick Perkins and his perma-scowl, which was already getting scrappy last night with Zydrunas Ilguaskas.

And Pierce, who's had spots of sketchy attitude and commitment, came back in top shape. For what it's worth, the jumbotron showed clips of Pierce pulling tires, hucking medicine balls and battling rookie J.R. Giddens in the offseason as he prepared to defend the crown that made him cry.

Another title is not guaranteed. Losing James Posey to free agency will hurt. But this Celtics team has a continuity it didn't have last year and a confidence that only rings can bring. Young players Rajon Rondo (14 points, six assists, five rebounds), Perkins and Powe will all get better. And, as we saw last night, they will fight with blood, sweat and tears to defend their championship.

(Tim O'Sullivan can be reached at tosullivan@cmonitor.com.)