Spurs, Heat renew rivalry with new faces

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat's rivalry with the San Antonio Spurs was once hot to the touch.

But after facing each other in two straight NBA Finals -- the Heat won in 2013 and the Spurs got revenge in 2014 -- neither team has been back to the league's grandest stage.

The Spurs (3-0) and Heat (1-1) will renew their rivalry on Sunday night in Miami, but much has changed since they battled for titles.

For the first time in two decades, the Spurs are without power forward Tim Duncan, who retired.

The Heat, meanwhile, is without all three members of the famed "Big Three" that propelled them to four straight NBA Finals as LeBron James is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade is with the Chicago Bulls, and Chris Bosh is out due to blood clots that have apparently ended his career.

Given all the major departures, the Spurs are in better shape. Yes, the Spurs have seven new players on their roster this year. But they still have Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, all veterans of their 2014 title team.

Leonard, who was the MVP of the 2014 Finals and has won a pair of NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, is off to a great start. He had at least 30 points and five steals in each of his first two games, and he added 20 points in San Antonio's home opener on Saturday night, drawing "MVP" chants from the fans.

By the way, no player since World B. Free in 1979 has opened an NBA season with two straight 30-point, five-steal games.

"The things (Leonard) does simply amaze me," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told the media. "He's ridiculous."

San Antonio's entire frontcourt appears solid. Besides Leonard, the Spurs start five-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, 31, at power forward and six-time All-Star Pau Gasol, 36, at center.

Parker and Ginobili, who sat out Saturday night's game as per Popovich's belief in resting players for certain games, are keys in the backcourt.

The Spurs have also created key roles for players such as backup point guard Patty Mills, shooting guard Danny Green and backup post player David Lee.

Meanwhile in Miami, things are not going quite as smoothly. The Heat won their opener at the Orlando Magic but then lost their home opener, blowing a 19-point, third-quarter lead against the Charlotte Hornets.

That was just one loss, of course, but it already seems to have shaken the Heat's confidence.

"I think we were all over the place for a little bit there," Heat guard Tyler Johnson said. "In the second half, we didn't get stops when needed them."

Point guard Goran Dragic and center Hassan Whiteside are the two stars of the rebuilt Heat. But while Whiteside has been a tower of power -- he leads the team in points (19.0), rebounds (14.5) and blocks (3.0) -- Dragic has been disappointing.

Granted, it's a small sample size of just two games, but Dragic, who loves to run, has not gotten in the open court often enough so far. He is averaging 15.0 points, but he is shooting just 38.1 percent on two-pointers, a sure sign he is not getting to the rim.

Dragic blames the mediocre start on team chemistry, which has yet to develop.

"We're still a new team with a lot of new players," Dragic said.