About 30 minutes before the start of Tuesday’s game, Miami city police officers surrounded a table at midcourt that contained the Heat’s championship rings.
It wouldn’t be long before LeBron James and his teammates formed a similar barricade around Derrick Rose to restrict access to the rim in his first NBA regular-season game following 18 months of recovery from major knee surgery.
The Heat were not emotionally overwhelmed by their rings nor the return of Rose on the way to building a 25-point lead en route to a 107-95 victory at American Airlines Arena. This was more than a welcome-back moment on a marquee stage for Rose. It also served as a reality check.
