The Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has hailed his side's 107-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the opening night of the NBA season as a "special moment" for his team.
The Heat won the game thanks to strong offensive play from Lebron James and Shane Battier, while returning Bulls man Derrick Rose was confined to scoring just 12 points in 34 minutes for his side.
"You never know what to expect when you're trying to keep the main thing the main thing, and that's the game," Spoelstra told reporters after the clash.
"But you can't deny the emotions and what a special moment it was for everybody in the organization because we know how difficult that was and how harrowing that was last season. So it was great to actually get the win after that to cap off a very good night for the Miami Heat."
The victory capped off a memorable opening evening for the Heat as they collected their NBA Championship rings before the contest began.
Christopher Dodd
