Heat’s party gets spoiled by 108-66 loss to the Bulls

They got their championship rings, saw the postseason highlights played on video screens and watched a new banner swing from the rafters.

Everything was perfect for the Miami Heat.

And then the game began.

Kirk Hinrich scored 26 points, Chris Duhon added 20 and the Chicago Bulls emphatically spoiled Miami’s mood, beating the defending NBA champions, 108-66, in Tuesday night’s season opener.

“Welcome back to reality,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said. “Obviously it was absolutely one-sided. There isn’t really much to say, other than we do know and there has been a gauge put on how much work we have to do.”

It was -- by far -- the worst loss in NBA history for a defending champion on opening night; the previous low was the Lakers’ 132-117 defeat to Golden State on Oct. 29, 1982. The Lakers went on that season to win 58 games and return to the NBA Finals under Riley.

Chicago seized command with a 37-14 second-quarter burst, a stretch in which the Bulls connected on 79% of their shots -- compared to 29% for the Heat. The lead was 59-30 at halftime.

“I’d be saying the same thing if we got beat. I’d say it’s one game,” Bulls Coach Scott Skiles said. “We have all the respect in the world for them and they have something that we eventually want to get. This one game is not indicative, I don’t think, in any way of what kind of season they are going to have.”

Dwyane Wade had 25 points before sitting out much of the fourth quarter for Miami.

“We’ll be all right,” said Heat center Shaquille O’Neal, who had only seven points and five rebounds. “Long season.”

The Heat also had 23 turnovers and was outrebounded, 49-29.

The teams last met in the first round of last season’s playoffs, when the Bulls frustrated the Heat often before finally falling in six games.

Ben Wallace had five points and 11 rebounds in his Bulls’ debut. Rookie Tyrus Thomas’ debut ended early when he suffered a broken nose in a collision with the Heat’s James Posey in the fourth quarter.