AP - Former Australian Boomers coach Brett Brown sang his rookie point guard's praises after launching his NBA head coaching career with an unlikely upset of the defending champion Miami Heat.
Michael Carter-Williams had an NBA debut to remember for Brown's lowly-rated Philadephia 76ers, upstaging LeBron James as he notched 22 points, 12 assists and nine steals to steer them to at 114-110 home win on Wednesday night.
The rookie out of Syracuse nearly upstaged Allen Iverson on a night Philadelphia celebrated the retired star's spectacular career.
"You see what he (Carter-Williams) can bring on a big stage," said Brown, who took over a roster some considered the weakest in the NBA after several seasons as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.
In the fourth quarter, Carter-Williams picked up two steals, harassed James in the lane and sealed the win from the free-throw line.
"Everything was clicking tonight," Carter-Williams said. "If we can consistently play together, then we can be a good team."
James missed five of six shots in the fourth quarter, losing the ball on one drive down the middle, then blowing a six-footer on the next possession.
Carter-Williams, meanwhile, set an NBA record for a debut game with nine steals.
"I couldn't think of a better way to start your NBA career," James said of his rival.
James' fellow Heat superstar Dwyane Wade sat out the match to rest his sore knees.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said he wanted to give Wade an extra day to recover with the Heat playing on consecutive nights.
Wade scored 13 points for the Heat in their 107-95 win over Chicago on Tuesday.
