"Kevin Durant can be called many things as he prepares for his fourth NBA season -- reigning league scoring champion, preseason front-runner for MVP honors, the game's best player under age 25. But there's at least one label Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder's star swingman, clearly isn't cool with being tagged: the anti-LeBron James. ``Everybody in the media tries to twist things up and say I'm the anti-LeBron,'' Durant said before the Heat's 103-96 preseason victory Friday at the Sprint Center. ``We're two players who love the game. We have the same mind-set. The way he handles his business and the way I handle my business shouldn't be criticized or overpublished.'' It turns out, Chris Bosh is developing into the headline story for the Heat during the preseason. On a night when Dwyane Wade sat out because of a strained hamstring and James was in need of a complementary finisher, Bosh again filled the scoring void. The Heat's Big 3 should be healthy enough by the Oct. 26 season opener against Boston. But for now, the Big 2 of Bosh and James are doing fine. Bosh had 23 points and James nearly finished with a triple-double, with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds through three quarters. The Heat led 84-69 late in the third quarter when James and Bosh left. But it was another complete performance for the Heat, which got 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench from Udonis Haslem and 15 points from Mike Miller, who started at shooting guard as Wade began an expected two-week injury absence. Durant scored 21 to lead the Thunder, which struggled to get into an offensive flow against the Heat. After holding Detroit to 43.3 percent shooting in Tuesday's preseason opener, Miami limited Oklahoma City to just 35.1 percent through the first three quarters. ``That changed the game for us,'' Spoelstra said of a defensive effort in which the Heat gave up 30 points in the first quarter but then shut down the Thunder. ``We settled down and started to defend. From there, we had a good balance. The effort was good and the communication was good.'' The Heat wraps up its two-game trip Saturday night against San Antonio. Although Bosh's performance didn't overshadow the hype of the Durant-James matchup on the court, his play did provide a productive subplot in Miami's preseason development." Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/09/1864768/bosh-fills-scoring-void.html
