Lakers vice president of business operations Jeanie Buss is hinting that coach Phil Jackson might close to retirement.

Buss is Jackson's longtime girlfriend.

"I think it's really important to him to let these guys know that more than likely, he will not be back. It's weird how history repeats itself, but he left the Bulls as the league went into a labor dispute. Maybe that's part of it. The urgency is this year. Don't think we have time to win any more championships [together]. This is really the last one," Buss said.

"I think it's really, really important, because you can't leave on a note where you feel like you left something on the table, where you feel like you did everything you could to be there in the Finals," Buss added. "That's a hard note to leave on and to retire off of. I think he really wants them to take him seriously and leave the speculation of 'maybe, maybe not,' whatever. [But] this is probably going to be his last year."

The Celtics ruined opening night for the Heat with a 88-80 victory in Boston.

-Boston 88, Miami 80
Team FIC Differential: Celtics +17.3, Heat -17.3

The Boston Celtics (1-0) jumped out to an early lead against the Miami Heat (0-1) by holding the visiting team to just nine points in the first quarter at the TD Garden. Ray Allen scored 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, Paul Pierce posted 19 points and nine rebounds and Rajon Rondo added four points, 17 assists and five boards. Boston held Miami to 36.5% shooting, while the Heat scored 22 points off turnovers. LeBron James scored 31 points on 10-for-21 shooting, Dwyane Wade tallied 13 points and six assists and Chris Bosh contributed eight points and eight rebounds.

Game FIC Scores
Paul Pierce, Boston ? 17.8
Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 16.8
LeBron James, Miami ? 11.8
Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 10.3

-Portland 106, Phoenix 92
Team FIC Differential: Trail Blazers +48.2, Suns -48.2

The Portland Trail Blazers (1-0) outscored the Phoenix Suns (0-1) by 20 points in the fourth quarter to notch a season-opening victory. Brandon Roy led with 24 points and six assists, Nicolas Batum tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds and Marcus Camby helped with 13 points and 10 boards. Portland forced 19 turnovers and had 31 assists on 43 made field goals. Steve Nash had 26 points and six assists, Jason Richardson posted 22 points and six rebounds and Hakim Warrick scored 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores
Jason Richardson, Phoenix ? 17.5
Brandon Roy, Portland ? 16.8
Marcus Camby, Portland ? 15.9
Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 10.4

-L.A. Lakers 112, Houston 110
Team FIC Differential: Lakers -2.5, Rockets +2.5

The Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) held off a late charge by the Houston Rockets (0-1) to win on the same night that they received their NBA championship rings. Pau Gasol starred with 29 points and 11 rebounds, Kobe Bryant posted 27 points, seven assists and five boards and Shannon Brown added 16 points on nine shots off the bench. Los Angeles went 23-for-28 from the foul line and Houston won the rebounding battle by nine. Kevin Martin had 26 points, Aaron Brooks tallied 24 points and nine assists Luis Scola contributed 18 points and 16 rebounds. Yao Ming played 23 minutes, tallying nine points and 11 rebounds as he fouled out.

Game FIC Scores
Aaron Brooks, Houston ? 19.2
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 17.8
Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 16.1
Luis Scola, Houston ? 15.5

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

Kobe Bryant has told coach Phil Jackson that he's prepared to play 30 minutes against the Rockets on Tuesday night.

Bryant had surgery on his knee this offseason and remains somewhat limited.

Prosecutors in Sacramento won't file charges against Matt Barnes over an alleged altercation with his fiancee during the summer.

There wasn't enough evidence to file domestic violence charges against Barnes.

Barnes was arrested Sept. 8 after deputies responded to a disconnected 911 call from his home.

Kobe Bryant says that everything is fine with his surgically-repaired right knee, although his shooting struggles are worrying some.

Bryant played in seven of the Lakers' eight preseason games and shot just 28.2% (24-for-85) from the field. He was just 5-for-29 from three-point range.

"It's good," Bryant said when pressed about the status of his knee.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum is progressing quicker than expected in his return from surgery performed on his right knee in July.

Bynum ran on the treadmill Sunday with his full body weight on the knee, graduating from an altered gravity machine that he had been using to ease himself back into playing condition.

"He went through some activity that was accelerated," Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said.

"I think he wants to ramp it up a little bit faster than we want him to. We want him to be able to go in and sustain that effort when he does get back, so he needs to have a real base. He needs a foundation to come back and play with. ... We want him back tomorrow, but if he's back in two, three, four weeks, we understand what it's going to take."

Jackson said the team is hoping that Bynum will return around Thanksgiving.

Kobe Bryant was asked on the John Thompson Show who he feels is the toughest opponent to guard in the NBA.

Instead of picking Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Bryant went with Portland's Brandon Roy.

"Roy 365 days, seven days a week. Roy has no weaknesses in his game," Bryant said.

The NBA has a very marketable slate of games scheduled for Christmas Day this year, with a battle between the retooled Heat and defending champion Lakers highlighting the bill.

Staying at home to watch the game between Miami and Los Angeles will definitely be the cheaper option for most fans.

According to CNBC.com, the average price of a ticket for the Dec. 25 game is $893.

Magic Johnson has sold his minority interest in the Lakers, but he is still serving as the team's vice president.

However, if Johnson makes a move to purchase a stake in another sports franchise in the future, his status in the front office would be revised.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova got engaged to her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, after he proposed on Tuesday night at his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home.

The two had been dating for nearly a year. TMZ was the first to report the news. Sharapova's agent has since confirmed it to CNBC's Darren Rovell.