CLEVELAND — Shaquille O'Neal has learned the ropes in his 17 NBA seasons. There's one lesson that has endured since he was a raw rookie.

"You can't win a championship in the first game," he said.

Boston's "Big Three" spoiled Cleveland's overhyped season opener last night with a 95-89 win over the new-look Cavaliers, who may have LeBron James and Shaq but appear to be a long way from true title contenders.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 in his first regular-season game since last March as the Celtics, overlooked by some this preseason, ended an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland and snapped a 16-game skid by visiting teams in games between the Eastern powers who figure to meet again sometime in May or June.

"It was a good Day One," Pierce said. "Psychologically, you want to go into a team's building and win, especially in a place where we haven't won in a few years. It's great to come here and get a win. We know when we come here next time that we can do it again."

James scored 38 and O'Neal added 10 points — just two after halftime — and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their first 23 home games last season.