Jan 27, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat small forward Shane Battier (31) reacts to a foul call against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

At about 12:30, news broke that Rajon Rondo was not going to play (he tore his ACL and is done for the season).  All of a sudden it seemed like the Heat were going to walk right through Boston and take a win in Ray Allen’s first game back in Boston.

That was not the case.

The two teams competed all game with neither side having a clear advantage. Early on it seemed as if Ray Allen had something to prove, taking multiple questionable shots. After the first quarter or so he started to settle in, finishing with 21 points.

In the forth quarter no team had more then a 4 point advantage, the lead swinging back and forth. In Miami’s last possession LeBron James nailed a three to send the game into over time. The shot was set up by a Chris Bosh offensive rebound. Bosh was a monster on the boarders all game, finishing with 16 rebounds, 5 being on offense.

All game Miami seemed slow, not getting the usual turnovers and transition buckets we have come to expect. Over time was no different, they playet very slow and could not get into a groove.  In overtime, only two points were scored by someone not named James or Allen. Dwayne Wade continued to try to get involved but nothing was falling for him.

The game entered a second overtime, where the heat got the ball back with about 4 seconds left, losing by 2. They were unable to find an open shot, forcing Battier to attempt a ridiculous three that he missed.

This Heat misjudged the ability of the Rondo-less celtics, led by Paul Pierce’s triple-double. Instead of taking advantage of a mentally and physically weakened Boston team, they leave taking a loss after a hard fought overtime battle.

Jan 27, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Leandro Barbosa (12) celebrates during the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

It couldn’t have happened any other way.

The possible final matchup of the Miami Heat and the KG-Paul Pierce-era Boston Celtics had to come down to the wire, it had to be in Boston, and it had to be low-scoring.

We wouldn’t have it any other way, with the exception of a few things.

The result could’ve been a lot better; a 100-98 double-overtime loss isn’t exactly what Heat fans wanted out of this outing.

The Heat’s offensive execution was another thing we wish would’ve been different, and a factor in Miami’s loss. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade played the entire contest as if both of them would break out into hives if they stepped into the paint. Some might point to excellent Boston defense as the reason for these problems, but despite the presence of Kevin Garnett, this isn’t the same Celtics defense we’ve become accustomed to in the last five years.

We also could’ve done without the struggles from the role-players and bench on the Heat. Mario Chalmers was bad Mario this afternoon, missing just about anything he threw up. His four personal fouls didn’t help much either, and is especially distressing considering that Rajon Rondo wasn’t playing.

That’s going to be the prevailing storyline from this game; Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL (per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports). Even during a third quarter where the Celtics seemed to match the Heat shot-for-shot, stop-for-stop, the usually loud TD Garden was quiet, like they were attending a wake.

In many ways it was, not just the end of the Celtics’ season, but the end of an era. The first nail in this era’s coffin came with LeBron’s magnificent 45-15-5 effort in Game 6 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, followed by the Heat’s Game 7 victory in the same series.

What followed was the Ray Allen signing, and the Rondo injury proverbially slams the door on the Boston Big 3-era.

But we knew they wouldn’t leave without a fight, and that’s exactly what they gave the Heat on Sunday. It wasn’t a picture of offensive mastery on either side with both teams shooting 40 percent.

The Heat’s main problem was turnovers, which is why the game went into overtime, why it took a clutch game-tying three from LeBron to even get them into the extra period. Miami wound end with 20 in the game and five in the fourth quarter, while only forcing Boston to turn the ball over 14 times.

Halfway through the first overtime, it looked like LeBron would take over as he’s wont to do this season, however the Celtics managed to storm their way back. Wade’s terrible play in overtime wound up being a major factor, as he would score for the final time halfway through the fourth quarter.

Jan 27, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

You will hear a lot of talk about Boston’s resiliency, and much of it is deserved. This game was proof of that as they forced the Heat to play their game, then succeeded at the end.

In a seven-game series, the Heat will beat any and all-comers in the East. But today was the day to put the final boot on the neck of the KG-Pierce-era Celtics, and end what they started in Game 6 of last year’s ECF.

Instead it gave Boston their final breath before the likely inevitable rebuilding process that Danny Ainge will likely begin sometime between now and the All-Star break.

It was a fun rivalry while it lasted, and I give props to the Celtics for taking the final battle.

But in the end, the Heat would wind up winning the war. Two Eastern Conference Championships and the 2012 NBA Title have a way of deciding things like this.

Thomas Galicia is a co-editor of AllUCanHeat.com and an NFL Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report.

Follow him on Twitter, @thomasgalicia.