MIAMI -- Turns out, the Miami Heat can beat the Brooklyn Nets. Miami Marlins Jerseys . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. LeBron James scored 22 points, Ray Allen added 19 and the Heat stayed perfect in this post-season by beating the Nets 107-86 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. It was the first win for Miami in five meetings with Brooklyn this season. "Its one," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But I liked the energy, the activity." Chris Bosh scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade finished with 14 points and Mario Chalmers had 12 for Miami, which recorded at least one regular-season win against every team except Brooklyn, losing four times by a total of 12 points. This one was a different story. A 24-9 run in the third quarter blew things open for the Heat, who hadnt played in eight days after sweeping Charlotte in the opening round. "It was great that we were able to come out the way we did after being off eight days," James said. "We got a lot of work in. We had eight days off of not playing a basketball game but Spo got us in the gym. (We) got each other in the gym. We made each other accountable throughout the layoff and it proved tonight." Deron Williams and Joe Johnson scored 17 points each for the Nets, who got only eight from Paul Pierce and no points from Kevin Garnett in 16 minutes. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night. "This is the defending champs," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "Its always going to be at a high level and weve got to find a way to match it." James finished 10 for 15 from the field and Allen -- who had never faced his former Boston "Big 3" compatriots Pierce and Garnett in the playoffs -- was 4 of 7 from 3-point land. "He was focused on the job at hand," James said. Miamis lead was 55-52 early in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Williams, and every indication was that the Heat and Nets -- who played three one-point games and a double-overtime affair in the regular season -- were heading down to the wire again. Not quite. The Heat took off on the 24-9 run over a 7-minute span, with Bosh scoring the first seven points of that burst to get Miami going. Allens 3-pointer pushed the lead to 14, James and Chris Andersen (who left in the fourth with a right knee contusion) added two free throws apiece and just like that Miamis lead was up to 79-61. "Its fun when you win the game and you can at least for a night do whatever it is you do, have some dinner, chill at home and exhale a little bit," Bosh said. "When you lose, you cant sleep, your stomach hurts and its not a very good situation." For Brooklyn, the trouble came at an unexpected time. The Nets had the best third-quarter scoring differential in the East after Jan. 1, but were outscored 33-23 in that pivotal quarter in Game 1. It was a hectic news day long before Heat-Nets, with Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant being announced as the leagues MVP, the firing of Golden State coach Mark Jackson and the NBA saying that Los Angeles Clippers president Andy Roeser would be taking an indefinite leave as part of the fallout related to the Donald Sterling scandal. James two-year reign as MVP lasted 198 games. "We have a new MVP, but when you talk about the best players in the world, hes 1A, 1B with Durant," Kidd said. Pregame lineup moves by both clubs lent more intrigue. Miami brought Shane Battier -- who played 2 minutes, total, in the first round against Charlotte -- back into the starting five, while Brooklyn reinserted Shaun Livingston into its lineup after using him off the bench late in the Toronto series. After never leading by more than seven points against Brooklyn in the regular season, the Heat led by 11 after a drive by James with 3:32 left in the first half. But the Nets closed on a 14-6 run, and Williams first beat-the-clock 3-pointer of the game sent Brooklyn into halftime down 46-43. Williams did it again in the third, but that one only got Brooklyn within 79-66. "It came down to defence tonight," Williams said. "Our defensive game plan was not executed at all." NOTES: The Heat held a pregame moment of silence for Hall of Famer Jack Ramsay, who died last week at the age of 89. ... David Beckham, who will be bringing an MLS team to Miami, sat next to the Heat bench. ... Livingston was on the court to warm up for the second half with about 10 minutes left in the intermission. Small problem: The rack of basketballs wasnt on the court yet. ... The Nets are 1-9 all-time against Miami in playoff games. ... Miami had not won consecutive Game 1s since the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2012 playoffs. Custom Miami Marlins Jerseys . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too. Bryan Holaday Jersey .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. http://www.marlinsteamproshop.com/Marlins-Martin-Prado-Kids-Jersey/ . Mark Teahen scored the go-ahead run in the home seventh on an error by Scott Sizemore, who had knotted the game with a solo homer in the previous half- inning. Paul Konerko then hit an RBI single which proved to be the winning run.RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Rafael Nadal is back -- and its all about his back. Top-ranked Nadal injured his back warming up for the final of the Australian Open almost three weeks ago, eventually losing against Stanislas Wawrinka -- a match he was an overwhelming favourite to win. Nadal has practiced little since then, getting treatment at home in Mallorca. His first test comes in next weeks Rio Open, a new stop on the ATP Tour. "Well have to see how it goes," he said Friday. "I hope I can tolerate it." Nadal knows the clock is ticking. He made a comeback last season from a left knee injury, which kept him out of the 2012 London Olympics. Hes won 13 Grand Slams. Hes one behind Pete Sampras, and hes closing in on Roger Federers record of 17. Hes sure one got away in Australia. "In Australia I lost a good opportunity to add another Grand Slam," Nadal said. "It didnt happen. The opportunities are not infinite. They have an expiration date." Nadal has played more than 11 years as a professional, perhaps sustaining somee injuries because of his big swings and attacking temperament. Andre Dawson Jersey. "I heard a lot of times in my career that I will have a shorter career because of my style of game," he said. "I really think its something that will not happen. If I stopped today, I already will have more than 11 years on tour." The Spaniard said hes still motivated, positive about the 2014 season. "I cannot predict the future for how long I will be here competing well," he said. "I cant say when thats going to end. The only thing I can say is today I feel happy about what I am doing. I am feeling motivation mentally to keep playing, to keep competing well." Hell be 30 when the 2016 Rio Olympics begin. He called winning gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics "one of the best experiences" of his career. "It was a very hard moment for me when I made the decision not to play the Olympic Games in London," Nadal said. "After that, I always say my goal is to arrive to the 2016 Olympic Games here in Rio." ' ' '