CLEVELAND — Here are three things we learned from the Celtics' 95-89 win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland Tuesday night:

THE BIG BENCH COULD BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE BIG THREE

In 2008, the focus was all about the Big Three. This year, as Tuesday’s opener in Cleveland proved, it was about the Big Bench.

The reserves came up huge, but it wasn’t so much that Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, Eddie House and Shelden Williams outscored Cleveland’s reserves, 26-10. It was WHEN they scored that made such a big difference.

The Cavaliers came out on fire before 20,562 fans waiting for a reason to explode. Cleveland opened leads of 13-2, 19-5 and 21-7. But with 4:54 remaining in the first, coach Doc Rivers began a four-stage substitution, subbing Wallace for Kendrick Perkins, Daniels for Ray Allen, Williams for Kevin Garnett and House for Rajon Rondo. A 24-12 deficit was reduced to just seven — 28-21 — by the end of the first.

“The second group came in and did a great job of getting us the lead,” Garnett said. “I thought the first group, we were just overanxious. We were very excited, I know I was. But for the most part, when we needed to execute and make stops, I thought we did a good job of it.”

Said Paul Pierce: “They’re going to be big for us all [season]. In our eyes, we feel like we have one of the best, if not the best bench in all the league. You’ve got guys you’re taking of the bench we feel are starters in the NBA and going out there and playing a role and getting the job done. We saw it all through training camp, all through preseason, and it showed tonight.”

By the time the starters returned, the Celtics had taken a one-point lead, 41-40, and were on their way to taking control of the game.

“The way I feel, our bench is better than theirs,” Wallace said without any reservation. “Even though they played a hell of a game, not taking anything away from them, but we just wanted it a little bit more tonight. They got out to that big start, but we didn’t panic and our bench didn’t panic because we knew we were capable of closing that lead and maybe going on and taking the lead, and that’s what we did.”

Garnett is looking forward to working alongside Wallace, who for years gave him fits as an opposing starter.

“Sheed and I have been playing against each other for so long, it’s only right that we get on the court together,” Garnett said. “Our games are very similar and we talk a lot on and off the court. It’s good to see the guys on the floor. I’m telling you, our second unit got us back in the game, so that’s a big thing for us. Last year, I felt like the onus was on the starters and a lot of responsibility was on the starters. And now we feel like we have that common ground with the second unit. Everybody made contributions tonight.”

Wallace finished with 12 points, while Daniels had seven, Williams four and House a 3-pointer to round out the 26 bench points.

THE CELTICS HAVE THEIR TRAFFIC COP BACK

Garnett, in many ways, is a policeman for the Celtics. He keeps everyone on the straight and narrow. And, maybe most importantly, keeps everyone moving the right direction.

“You expect it every time Kevin steps on the floor, his intensity, we feed off of it, offensively and defensively,” Pierce said. “The guy is just everywhere. He’s talks. He’s our traffic cop. I enjoy being out there and running with him, knowing we have a great chance of winning when he’s on the court.”

That was quite evident on Tuesday as he called out defenses and screens while contributing offensively with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

He may not be 100 percent, but he certainly is better than he was at the end of last year, when bone spurs behind his right knee kept him and the Celtics from making a true run at repeating.

“I think physically I’m OK,” Garnett said afterward. “I’d like to be better, and through the course of the season I’m sure I will be. It felt good to be out there. It didn’t feel good to be down so early, but I thought once we beat the emotional part of the game and settled in and got into our schemes, I thought we were pretty solid.”

Naturally, there were many eyes on Garnett on Tuesday, wondering if the Big Ticket was ready for the rigors of the NBA grind.

“I didn’t expect him to look any different,” Allen said. “I’m sure he has a different disposition, a different gait that he’s probably walking or running with now because he’s aware of his leg more. But for the most part, he’s doing what I know he’s capable of doing. His first game of the season, the intensity was there. For the most part, he settled in fine.”

To Garnett, it’s all about one thing — playing good defense. After the Cavs shot 52 percent in the first quarter, they shot 31, 41 and 36 percent in the subsequent quarters. The defense, which Garnett quarterbacks on the court, was in high gear.

“We have a goal for ourselves to not just be one of top defensive teams in this league but we want to be one of the greatest,” Garnett said. “We work on that every day, if not more than our actual offense. It’s definitely a presence-of-mind thing of going out and doing just that. We want to stop teams and we tend to think the defense will turn over into offense at some point. Doc has preached that from day one, and this year is no different.”

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS WIN TOUGH GAMES EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T PLAY THEIR BEST

Even when the Celtics made their run and got their biggest lead of the night at 15 in the third quarter, Rivers didn’t feel his team was totally in sync. He felt that when they had a double-digit lead in the fourth, they were too quick with jump shots.

“It definitely was a playoff-intensity-type game,” Pierce said. “You have two heavyweight teams who you expect to be there toward the end of the year. Opening night, the crowd was really into it. The intensity was definitely up tonight.”

And it appeared to get to the Celtics early, when they fell down by 14 twice in the first quarter. But as veteran teams do, they regrouped. They didn’t panic and they found a way to take the crowd out of the game by midway through the second quarter.

“That’s typical,” Allen added. “We always talk about that first game. You’re playing against an opponent in their building. The second unit was big. They settled the whole team down, moved the ball, got some easy layups and got some good shots, got back on defense, and that kind of started the whole run.

“It’s just one game. This game, we didn’t feel we played our best basketball. There were times where we were a little helter-skelter. We could’ve settled in a little bit more. We started off the game, they were hot and we weren’t making anything. Then there was a stretch where we were turning the ball over. So, there’s some things we wish we could have back, but still not playing our best and still winning, we’re happy with that.”