Kim Ng Marlins

Fish Flip?: Three Trades the Surprising Marlins Could Make

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The Miami Marlins are currently hovering right around .500 and are seemingly playing the most fun and competitive baseball they have in a long while. For what it’s worth, the Marlins have actually been successful and extremely competitive to any team that’s not from Atlanta or Queens, having won every series against the other opponents up until this point. However, majority owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Kim Ng have promised a playoff baseball team for the citizens of Miami, and although the Marlins have been competitive, they are not quite to that point yet. 

With this being Kim Ng’s final year on contract, and producing lackluster results up until this point, this is her opportunity to go all out and do whatever is necessary to create a winning ballclub in Miami. She has had some amazing additions, such as middle infielder Luis Arraez, relievers like A.J. Puk, Anthony Bender, and Huascar Brazoban. But on her big swings into free agency, such as Avisail Garcia and Jean Segura, she has swung and missed. Look for her this season to take daring trades and risky moves to be able to place a winning ballclub in Miami. If I was in Ng’s shoes, I would make the moves about to be mentioned, and I would make them sooner, rather than later.

 

Trade #1

Miami Receives – Joc Pederson (OF)

San Francisco Receives – George Soriano (RHP) & Joey Wendle (UTL)

 

The Giants are currently in 4th place of the NL West, hovering at 13-17, with a combination of mediocre hitting and poor pitching, especially in the bullpen department. With this trade, San Francisco receives a young reliever who performed admirably in his first taste in the majors, George Soriano, as well as the stereotypical older, gritty, back to basics utility player in Joey Wendle. Meanwhile, Miami receives Joc Pederson, a power lefty bat, which is a much needed boost to the Marlins lineup.

Now, when Miami first received Joey Wendle, they expected him to perform in the utility position, appearing all throughout the infield, giving good AB’s, hitting for a decent clip, and not striking out. Wendle has done just that, as he cut his K’s in half without sacrificing much of his average. Joey’s power, if you’d call it that, has minimized as well, going from 46 XBH in 2022 to 28 XBH in 2023. 

Other part leaving Miami is young reliver George Soriano. In his minimal time in the majors, 7 IP, Soriano pitched to a 2.57 ERA with a 3.36 FIP. The San Francisco Giants bullpen have allowed 68 ER this season, with the only reliable relievers with an ERA below 5.80 being Camillo Doval and Tyler Rogers. A much needed reliever, who’s also under contract for an extended time, for a struggling bullpen.

On the return, Miami receives Joc Pederson, a left handed OF, more suited for a DH role, but a much needed power bat in the Miami lineup. In his two years in San Francisco, Joc Pederson has a 142 OPS+ and a .869 OPS. Miami had struggled heavily with lefties and hit decently against righties in the past, but this season the results have switched. Joc brings a .894 OPS against righties, just further cementing the need for him and his pearls in Miami. 

 

 

Trade #2

Miami Receives – Juan Yepez (IF/OF)

St. Louis Receives – Evan Fitterer (RHP) & Steven Okert (LHP)

 

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a spot that they normally don’t find themselves in, which is in the bottom of the NL Central. Their fans are seemingly hitting the panic button, as their rotation currently holds a 5.39 ERA, with minimal starting pitching in the wings. Their bullpen is slightly better, with a 3.93 ERA, but they lack power with LHP. 

Steven Okert has been a phenomenal signing for Miami since 2021, holding a 3.00 ERA and a 139 ERA+ in his 93 IP since arriving. He also holds 10.6 K/9, but it does come attached to a 4.4 BB/9, which can put him in risky situations. For the most part, Okert leans heavy on his nasty slider to get batters out, adding another strong arm to the pen for St. Louis. As for Miami, with Chargois and Enright nearly returning to their bullpen, they have arms to spare on the market to find improvements on their team. 

Although the Cardinals seemingly need help now for this season, they could deem the season at a loss with how poorly they’ve played in every facet of the game. If so, they could see Evan Fitterer as a good fit(terrer) to be able to bolster their rotation in the coming years. Fitterer is a dominant righty with a ton of movement on his pitches. Recently promoted to AA, Evan has continued his dominance and resurgence this season, holding a 1.69 ERA across A+ and AA with a 10.5 K/9. However, along with Okert, he does have some wildness in his pitches, holding a 4.2 BB/9 in his career in the minor leagues. 

Juan Yepez is a player in an odd spot in St. Louis. He seemed to be the future DH of the Cardinals last season, but with some struggles, lost his place due to the emergence of Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbar, and Brendan Donovan. In his small time in the majors, Yepez holds a 112 OPS+, along with a 22% K rate, and has even splits between hitting LHP and RHP. Yepez is a player who should be playing consistently in the majors, but finds himself in a logjam to where he can’t get consistent play in the MLB. 

 

Trade #3

Miami Receives – Elias Diaz (C)

Colorado Receives – Anthony Maldonado (RHP) & M.D. Johnson (RHP)

 

The Colorado Rockies and needing pitching is a tale as old as time. The Rockies have found themselves to have a competent offense with young players, but a struggling pitching staff. With this trade, the Rockies receive a near MLB ready reliever in Anthony Maldonado and a AA starter who could easily be in AAA by mid-season, and the MLB by the end of this year or the start of next year in M.D. Johnson.

Anthony Maldonado is a 25 year old reliever who has been shoving for the Jumbo Shrimp. He finds himself carrying a 1.83 ERA with a 14.1 K/9, with only 6 BB in 14.2 IP. He also has finished 9 games out of the 12 he’s appeared in, placing himself as a good future late inning reliever for whatever team he finds himself on.

M.D. Johnson is one of my favorite prospects for the Marlins. He’s an older prospect in Pensacola at age 25, but his growth from his first professional season to now has been phenomenal. So far this season, in 20 IP, he has a 3.60 ERA alongside a 1.10 WHIP with 22 K’s. He has drastically cut down his walks from 63 BB in his first season, to a combined 36 BB in the past two seasons. He can find himself in the majors by the end of the season if he continues his growth.

Elias Diaz has been a consistent .250 hitter his entire career, but this season, he has taken it to the next level, with a slash line of .343/.391/.495, alongside a 8:21 BB:K. The Marlins find themselves as the second worst in the league for offensive statistics at the C position, and Elias finds himself in the top conversations for offensive catchers this season. It is a position of dire need for Miami, and Elias would be an immediate upgrade offensively over Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jimmy Butler Returns to Lead Heat in Game 3 Win Over the Knicks

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Jimmy Butler made up for his missed time in Game 2 by slicing into the lane for a floater and hitting a jumper over a double team to start. He played the entire first quarter, logging 10 points on 55% shooting, with two rebounds and a dime.

The Heat climbed to a 29-21 lead after one interval. Max Strus contributed four out of six makes; he curled around the perimeter for a catch-and-release bomb, finished a break layup after a help-side block, caught Kevin Love’s full-court outlet pass, resulting in a jam and hit a reverse bank shot against drop coverage.

In the first half, the Heat mixed up the matchup on Jalen Brunson with Gabe Vincent as Butler shadowed RJ Barrett. Brunson missed his first five attempts as he was bothered with #2 on his hip. When he managed to zip past Vincent on the baseline or elevate at the elbow for a shot, Strus came in with weak-side help.

Star-J had burned Miami in two straight first halves, but Saturday, the hosts suppressed him to four points on 25% field goal efficiency. When he pulled up from the corner, Butler and Caleb Martin were there to contest. Stepping through the lane for a floater, Butler stalked his man and rejected the ball into Strus’ hands.

At intermission, Adebayo had recorded nine points, extended three possessions via offensive rebounds, and viciously denied Julius Randle’s putback. Miami was up on New York 58-44, as both squads combined to make six 3-pointers in the period.

Jalen Rose, one of the notorious ESPN squares doing the “halftime analysis” show, suggested the weather affected the Knicks, despite the indoor game. I swear, Michael Wilbon was nodding.

“When you’re the road team, you have to pay attention to that heat because it affects the endurance of your muscles…” Rose said.

Rose would have a point if the Heat unethically tampered with the air conditioning system in the arena, making it unbearably hot. But everyone in there sat as cool as a cucumber, except for the players checking in-and-out, or the anxious ones watching on the lines.

In the third quarter, New York restrained Butler from the field but not from invading the charity line for seven perfect attempts. Strus dropped two extra trifectas and broke into the lane for a running jumper.

Five minutes into the frame, Butler drove through the middle, but his lower back made contact with Brunson, thrusting him forward and slightly bending his right ankle on the way down. He played with a limp the rest of the quarter and was briefly used in the fourth because the Knicks never cut its deficit to single digits.

Late in quarter three, Vincent sized up Brunson, but his matchup stepped into his personal space. Vincent pulled up, catching Brunson in the chest and chin with his arm. The refs called a penalty on Miami, but coach Erik Spoelstra used his sideline challenge, and the decision was overturned. Vincent then made three freebies.

In the fourth, the Heat suffocated the Knicks behind the arc by closing out after some drive and kicks, plus staying in front of the ball against some handlers. The Heat only allowed two of ten opposing deep tries to go in for this stretch.

With under eight minutes left, Kyle Lowry backed down Immanuel Quickley in the lane and pivoted past him to give Miami a 22-point lead, its largest of the night, as Butler sat. #22 would soon return for a quick cameo, with the Heat up 14, preventing the Knicks from clawing back in.

Midway through the fourth, Adebayo landed on Quickley’s left ankle, diving for a loose ball. Josh Hart replaced the wounded Knick, and the broadcast caught Quickley slowly limping through the tunnel.

To stretch the advantage back to 15 points, Butler attracted a double when turning past a screen. He maneuvered to the middle, spinning to his right to drop off a pass for Adebayo, unattended in the dunker spot, for his prettiest dish of the afternoon.

The Heat won Game 3 105-86.

At the postgame presser, Butler sat in the chair and answered questions with a hat and pair of black sunglasses on. Not everyone can pull that off. Before rock and roll luminary Tom Petty died, he said wearing shades indoors is an honor you earn. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a privilege Butler can bask in. No Heat player in the team’s history has ever averaged over 34 points a night in the Playoffs through their first seven games like Butler has this year.

When asked about Adebayo’s comments after Game 2, when his teammate blamed himself for the loss, Butler disputed the assessment.

“He did great,” Butler said. “It’s never on one individual… I’m glad that he had a great bounce-back game, as he would call it. We just want him to stay aggressive, be the anchor on the defensive end and be hella aggressive on the offensive end.”

Game 4 is Monday, and the Heat has a bright opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead with a dub. Even without Butler at 100%, he is still a significant difference maker that activates the rest of the parts, like the brain sending nerve signals through the body.

Following the Game 3 victory, FanDuel, Caesars and Bet365 Sportsbook have raised the Heat to the second highest odds of winning the eastern conference behind the Celtics.  Now that the wise guys are respecting the club, it is fair to say that the Heat are for real.

 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Mike Budenholzer Dismissed by Bucks

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It’s a shame the basketball gods aren’t real to curse the Milwaukee Bucks with decades of misery.

Thursday, the op canned coach Mike Budenholzer. In his service, the group earned a 39-26 playoff record in five seasons, which included a championship. In that span, his outfit won 271 games in the regular season, third most in franchise history, and lost 120. He was let go while grieving the loss of his brother, who died in a tragic car accident.

Round one against the Heat ended on April 26. It was an unceremonious finale that will haunt the Bucks and its supporters for years. The squad had the top record of 30 teams, led by a man who resembles a demi-god more than a mortal on the court. But he only logged 38% of the minutes in the series. In contrast with Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who recorded 77.5% of the allowed time in round one.

The Bucks are now the sixth first seed in NBA lore to lose to the eighth spot. I suspect future generations won’t be kind to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bud when dusting off the history books and spewing an ill-informed take about something they never saw. Damn them, from now.

There are people today, scribes, TV personalities, fans and ex-leaguers, ripping the Bucks’ racks off—especially Giannis’s answer when asked if the season was a failure.

“Do you get the promotion every year at your job? So every year your work is a failure? Yes or no? No. Every year you work, you work towards a goal…”

It doesn’t seem like Milwaukee’s’ execs took what he said seriously. The Bucks only permitted Budenholzer eight days before telling him to clean his office. Never mind Giannis was hurt. Budenholzer lost family. When people suffer a loss like that, it takes a long time to recover and think clearly.

Firing him now was classless. Budenholzer treated the team like his blood by not taking off to be with his kin. It wasn’t enough for management. Perhaps they, too, are brainwashed by the toxic ring culture in the league, or a sacrifice was needed for the blame of losing in a historic fashion.

Good coaches don’t grow on trees. Budenholzer was adequate enough and achieved the peak of the profession with the team that hadn’t done it in 50 years. It’s revolting that significant accomplishments are easily forgotten in Milwaukee.

Fun fact: Budenholzer is the first NBA coach to get axed when the one seed loses to the eighth. George Karl (1994), Pat Riley (1999), Avery Johnson (2007), Gregg Popovich (2011) and Tom Thibodeau (2012) all kept their jobs.

In his five years as coach, Budenholzer’s team won the most regular season games of 30 groups at 271. Those 39 playoff wins as a coach are the second-most in Bucks history after Don Nelson. Following Budenholzer in regular season wins is Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets with 248 dubs.

I don’t expect Budenzholzer to stay on the market long, unless it’s by his choosing. Apart from coaching, he’s a well-rounded dude who can discuss politics, philosophy and economics with anyone.

Budenholzer deserved better from the Bucks. Hopefully, his next team will be more grateful.

Panthers stay focused with series lead ahead of Game 2 against the Leafs

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TORONTO — The Florida Panthers are in a position that they haven’t been in for years, decades actually. For the first time since 1997, Florida leads a playoff series 1-0. They are also doing that while being on the road. 

 

For years the Panthers have been chasing teams in a series and for years it didn’t amount to any success. Before last year against the Washington Capitals, Florida hadn’t advanced past the first-round since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996. They also had to chase the Caps in that series after dropping Game 1 at home. 

 

This year’s first-round was similar to that of 2022. Florida dropped Game 1 in Boston, and ended up in a 3-1 series hole before taking three straight from the Bruins to knock out the Presidents’ Trophy winners. 

 

On Tuesday night in Toronto, Florida walked out of the arena in a position this roster hasn’t been in before – they led the series after Game 1.


Panthers’ defenseman Gustav Forsling has made the playoffs in all of three seasons with the team. While Forsling and the Cats lead early in the series, they still go into Game 2 with the same mentality that they’ve had all playoffs. 

 

“We want to have the same mindset always, but we are still hunting here,” said Forsling on Thursday. “We want to get two wins here and go home to Florida.”

 

Road teams have dominated so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Florida is no different. The Panthers won four of their five games on the road entering Thursday night, with those four coming consecutively.

 

“We like it, we like to be the underdogs and starting on the road is not a bad thing for us, it seems like,” Forsling added. 

 

Ever since the Panthers started their miraculous turnaround in Toronto last month to sneak into the playoffs, the team has been playing freely and it’s probably because nobody thought they’d be in this position. 

 

“You look at a year like last year, [it was] so easy for so long, then you look at a year like this year, [we were] really trying for so long,  I think we’ve grown a lot,” said Sam Reinhart. “The pressure isn’t really there for us, we’re just showing up and playing and we’re loving doing it beside one another.”

 

“Every night’s a Game 7 for us and it really has been that for a while.”

 

Every game being a Game 7 has been echoed throughout the Panthers room, at least to the media, since they were down 3-1 to Boston. The players and the coaching staff have been saying that a lot, even with the Panthers holding an early series lead in Toronto. 

 

“We’re trying to get to Game 7 in every series we can,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said in Toronto on Thursday. “This isn’t a marathon for us, we’re not here for two months, we’re here for tonight.” 

 

The Panthers will try to take a 2-0 series lead tonight in Toronto before they head back to Sunrise for their home stand for Games 3&4. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Knicks Defeat Heat in Game 2 Without Jimmy Butler

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Referee ineptitude, late mistakes, and Julius Randle’s return helped even the Knicks-Heat series at 1-1. While Miami was without Jimmy Butler, it still contended with New York until the last minute. As the hosts took a late lead in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony and John Starks celebrated like they had the winning lottery numbers.

Caleb Martin had not started since Feb. 15. But he filled in for Butler as the group’s source of offense until Gabe Vincent almost set MSG ablaze in the second half. For as long as it could, the Heat made the game as muddy as the Delta Blues.

The Heat got started by putting Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble. He picked up two penalties in fewer than three minutes defending Bam Adebayo. Isaiah Hartenstein was summoned for the rest of the first quarter, significantly reducing the protection around the rim.

RJ Barrett and Randle fuelled New York’s barren attack in the first half, combining for 12 of the team’s 16 makes. In the second quarter, Miami flashed its 2-3 zone, and the hosts turned into mainly jump shooters, converting just 20% of deep tries. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau looked repulsed as his unit ignored shattering the coverage by attacking the middle.

Through 24 minutes, Martin had a dozen, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo logged eight points apiece, and Max Strus and Duncan Robinson each had six.

The Knicks routinely blitzed ball handlers turning past screens. Vincent and Kyle Lowry dissected these doubles by locating the closest snipers on the perimeter.

In the second half, Brunson erupted for 23 points. He darted past defenders for layups, and splashed deep jumpers in front of switches or when left open. His first step also put defenders on his back hip as he gored the lane.

On the other side, Miami’s lead guard, Vincent, countered with 18 points in quarters three and four. He isolated Randle on the wing for a triple and went one-on-one with Barrett for a long baseline jumper. His next two baskets were top of the key trifectas in front of Quentin Grimes and Hartenstein. His last couple of buckets were layups blowing past Barrett and some ballet around Robinson.

In the fourth quarter, the refs blew multiple calls. On one with 5:29 left, Lowry was boxed out by Randle, waiting for a miss to trickle down, but he got flattened like a pancake and was called for the foul. With three minutes left, the Heat was called for a shot clock violation when Vincent recovered Martin’s miss. The ball kissed the rim as the buzzer horned, but Miami never got 14 seconds back. Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game it was unchallengeable.

The Heat made two significant mistakes in the fourth quarter. Adebayo rammed through Hartenstein’s pindown for Brunson, resulting in a four-point play, and Hart was left open in the corner because of miscommunication.

In the middle of the last frame, New York went on a 14-6 run to take a three-point lead. It climbed to eight, the host’s largest of the night, and Miami had to play the free throw game with seconds left. A quick layup, an inbound turnover by Randle, and a D. Robinson right-side triple cut the deficit to three with 22 seconds remaining.

The Heat failed to get the steal on the following inbound and burned too many seconds before fouling Hart. The Knicks won 111-105.

At the postgame presser, Spo said, “I think we did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win on the road. But you do have to credit New York. When it becomes those moments of truth, you have to make plays. We did make some plays, but they made more ball in the air, ball on the floor plays that really ended up deciding the game. Those offensive rebounds and extra possessions…”

With the series heading to Miami for Games 3 and 4, the Heat accomplished its objective by splitting the series on the road. Winning Tuesday would have put the Heatles in a commanding position, but the effort the group gave without Butler, the V-12 engine of the squad, is admirable. In his absence, the group still personified his identity.

The next match isn’t until Saturday, giving Butler three days of recovery in between. When he comes back, the Knicks are in danger.

There’s something different about the Heat. They don’t look like a team that had senioritis during the regular season or lost in the first play-in game. Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt his back 11 minutes into round one.  Then the White and Red’s confidence spiked higher than radiation levels in Chernobyl.

Dare I say it? It’s starting to feel like a bubble run.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Take First Blood in Madison Square Garden

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Through the first 12 minutes, the Heat found itself in an 11-point hole because of snipers misfiring on the perimeter and the Knicks having unrestricted access to the lane.

It appeared as if the Heat’s long-range shooting had reverted to its regular season median of being the fourth worst of 30 teams. Yet, in round one against Milwaukee, Miami was #1 of 16 playoff groups in 3-point efficiency. The guests at Madison Square Garden wouldn’t find its deep touch until the second half, assisting in outscoring the hosts by 12 through the period.

This is why it’s important not to overreact.

On New York’s first possession, Mitchell Robinson flung a weak pass intended for Jalen Brunson on the wing, but Jimmy Butler intercepted it and sped off. Gabe Vincent trailed JB on the right side and hit a catch-and-release trifecta to give the Heat a 5-0 lead.

Vincent was the only visitor to record more than one field goal in the first quarter. Butler didn’t get on the scoreboard until midway through the period. While #22 was in the dunker spot, Kevin Love threw a pass over Josh Hart from the key, and Butler jumped higher, came down, and back up for a left-handed layup.

The Heat’s initial problem was RJ Barrett. He maneuvered to his spots for layups and jumpers, totaling 11 points on five of six shots to start. Aside from Star-J’s scoring, Miami had to contend with his ball distribution on rim attacks. He registered three dimes; one while getting iced after turning past a screen and getting doubled, sending the lob up the middle for Robinson to jam; the second and third were connections to Obi Toppin.

The Knicks didn’t miss its All-Star through the first half. In the hour leading to tip-off, the Knicks ruled out Julius Randle and had Toppin start in his place. New York’s third-year forward contributed 12 opening minutes and logged seven points on three of four shots. He slammed two lobs, one on the break, another in the half-court, plus he canned a triple in the left corner.

In the second quarter, the Heat’s offense began to percolate. Butler was rolling to the basket after screens like a big man, converting three shots in the restricted area. Vincent tallied six more points, but three at the line courtesy of Immanuel Quickley swiping at his head on a 3-point attempt.

On the other side, Brunson hit five shots in a row after breaking down Haywood Highsmith, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin with his dribble.

At halftime, the Heat was down 50-55. New York’s vain hoists from behind the arc didn’t allow it to capitalize on Miami’s powerless artillery strikes. Forty of the Knicks’ points through two quarters were inflicted in the paint, and the Heat’s defensive rating was 117, equal to the 26th worst squad in the category for the regular season.

In the third quarter, Miami’s paint protection and Love’s precise outlet passing swung the pendulum of control to the visitors. It was fitting that on primetime TV, he burned the team that carbonized his old crew. Assuredly, some Cavaliers honcho must have remembered then that every time Love makes the Playoffs, his team goes to the Finals.

Aside from two fastbreak dunks, Butler curled into the paint for a turnaround hook and pulled up on the baseline for two points over Hart in quarter three. Max Strus supplied two long-range bangers when swinging the ball on the wings unfastened New York’s defense.

Entering the last frame, Miami was up six points. Bam Adebayo and Lowry combined for 17 of the Heat’s 27 on the scorecard. #13 demanded the ball when Duncan Robinson beat Quickley and drew the attention of Isaiah Hartenstein for a dunk. Lowry’s deceptive tricks fooled the refs into calling a foul on Quentin Grimes.  It was New York’s third penalty in four minutes.

When “crunch time” started, the Heat’s lead was 95-92. Butler drove to the paint, but upon making contact, Hart flopped into his ankle, rolling it. For a moment, JB lay face down, laboring.

When his vigor was restored, he walked to the line and buried two.

Butler limped up and down the court until there were 23 seconds left. As he performed impaired, the Knicks chose not to attack him and, in the last five minutes, went on a stretch missing seven consecutive tries.

On a three-on-two break, Miami had the numbers as Butler picked up Quickley, the trailing marksman. Barrett barrelled into the lane for a layup, but it was spiked away by Martin to initiate another boat race.

The Heat struck first blood 108-101, but the present concern is Butler’s status. He slogged to the finish line because adrenaline raced through his veins. But he’ll likely need around-the-clock treatment to lower swelling and diminish the pain.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said he has no idea what is the severity of Butler’s ankle injury.

“I don’t know if we’ll even know more by tomorrow,” Spo said. “We’ll just have to see. It will be a waiting game, but he did not want to come out of the game so we left him in there.”

Game 2 is on Tuesday, so Butler won’t have much time to recover. If he misses work, Adebayo must turn into the focal point without lowering his RPMs on defense.

Heat Getting Playoff Production From Unlikely Sources

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Precisely twelve days ago – or 288 hours to be exact – the Miami Heat were fighting for their season. Squaring off against the Chicago Bulls in a play-in game, the winner would be awarded the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. But a win was no gift. It meant having to face the 58-24 Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, a team predicated on size, talent, and shooting. Lots of shooting. In every way, the Bucks are the antithesis of Miami. A win against the Bulls and an invitation to the playoff ultimately wouldn’t mean much. Or at least we thought.

 

Fast forward to the present, and the Heat finds themselves up 3-1 against the top-seeded “juggernaut”, with an opportunity to send them packing on Wednesday.

 

But how?

 

How can a team so inconsistent and beset by problems find themselves in this position?

 

Two words: Playoff Jimmy.

 

Jimmy Butler’s performance in Game 4 on Monday night was otherworldly. It was the greatest individual performance in Heat playoff history. And that’s saying something when you consider which players have dawned a Heat jersey over the years.

 

His final tally was video-game-like: 56 points and nine rebounds on 78% true shooting. In doing so, he became just the 3rd player in NBA playoff history to score at least 55 points on 75% true shooting or better. Elite stuff.

 

While Butler has single-handedly carried Miami through four games, it would be remiss to recognize a few players who have stepped up in this series. And odds are if not for their level of play, it’s likely Miami isn’t in a position to close this out on Wednesday. Here are a few noteworthy performances that have helped the Heat take command of this series.

 

Kyle Lowry Is Taking And Making Shots

 

Lowry has been the proverbial punching bag among Heat fans for much of this season, and rightfully so. The man is earning $28 million this season and has essentially been unplayable for much of the season. While his production still doesn’t quite match his expensive price tag, he’s making shots and doing all of the little stuff that annoys opposing teams.

 

Through 6 playoff games (two play-in games included), Lowry is hitting nearly 64% of his two’s while shooting 45% from three. More importantly, he’s playing aggressively on offense.

 

Per Cleaning The Glass, he’s taken 43% of his field goal attempts from the mid-range. This was a spot Lowry took advantage of earlier in his career. He was an assassin pulling up around a screen, killing defenses playing drop. This was a big frustration during the regular season, as he only took 21% of his shots from the mid-range.

Now utilizing the mid-range more aggressively, his 43% frequency across six games is a career-high by more than 3%.

 

Lowry’s aggressiveness is uber important to Miami’s offensive flow as Milwaukee is among one of the most drop-heavy teams in the league. And with Bam Adebayo still earning his wings as a shooting threat, Lowry’s willingness to take and make the mid-range pull-up has put Milwaukee’s defense on their heels at times.

 

On top of his offensive aggression, Lowry has continued to do all of the little things that make him annoying to play against. His six deflections rank eighth among players with less than 100 minutes this postseason.

 

He still may not be performing as advertised when Miami inked him to a large deal last offseason, but his play has impacted winning this postseason.

 

Caleb Martin Isn’t Afraid Of The Big Stage

 

If not for Martin, Miami is likely going back to Milwaukee with the series tied. The story of Monday’s fourth quarter was obviously Butler, but Martin gave Miami huge minutes. There was a two-minute span with under five minutes left where Martin had a stretch of the following:

 

Rebound – Drawn Foul – Two Free Throws – Offensive Rebound – Two-Point Jumper (with a DeShawn Stevenson palm-in-face celebration directed at Giannis Antetokounmpo) – Three-Point Jumper

 

All of this occurred from the 4:18 mark down to 2:43 left.

 

Simply put, Miami doesn’t close this game out if it weren’t for Martin. The man literally looked at Giannis in the witching hour of a playoff game and hit him with the DeShawn Stevenson celebration. Do you know how much confidence you have to have to pull that off?

 

This stretch summed up who Martin is as a player. We’re talking about a guy who was on a two-way contract last season contributing to winning basketball in the playoffs. If that’s not the quintessential Miami Heat player, then I don’t know what is.

 

Through six postseason games, he has an eFG of 72% and is hitting 47% of his attempts from three (8-17). Much to the tune of Butler, he is elevating his game when it matters most. All in all, he is outplaying the 3-year, $20 million contract he signed this offseason.

 

Miami Runs On Duncan

 

Arguably the biggest story through the first four games of this series has been the play of Duncan Robinson. Labeled as one of the league’s worst contracts, Robinson has been unplayable for most of the season, with memories of his blazing-hot 2020 breakout season seeming far away.

 

When Tyler Herro broke his hand in the first half of Game 1, Erik Spoelstra was left with no choice. Robinson had to play.

 

Since the moment he checked into Game 1, he’s shot 76% from three. Seventy-six percent. 13-17 from downtown.

 

Not only has this given Miami a jolt in the points department, but the Bucks now need to fear him when he’s on the court. His presence on the floor is a weapon again, just as it was in 2020.

 

Robinson didn’t attempt a single shot in the second half of Game 4. Why? Because a Bucks defender was glued to his hip. As a result, Miami had more driving lanes and opportunities to attack the basket.

 

This is the Robinson that Miami signed to a $90M contract a couple of seasons ago. If he can continue to shoot with this much confidence, Miami’s lackluster offense could quickly turn into a daunting task for teams to slow down.

 

Honorable Mention: Haywood Highsmith Gaining Confidence

 

With injuries to Victor Oladipo and the aforementioned Tyler Herro, Spoelstra has had no choice but to dig deep into his bag of rotations. This included giving Highsmith meaningful minutes in Game 4, along with a big-time task: Slow down Giannis.

 

I mean, the guy was literally playing basketball at a Division II school two years ago and is now guarding a former MVP in the playoffs.

 

So, how did he do?

 

According to NBA.com’s matchup tracker, Highsmith defended Giannis for 13 possessions, held him to 2-6 shooting (33%), and forced one turnover.

 

While it is a small sample size, Highsmith’s length allows him to bother opposing players. That, along with his high motor, should give Spoelstra more trust in deploying him on Giannis for small stretches going forward.

 

You’re never going to shut down a player of Giannis’ caliber, but you can never have enough capable and rested bodies to throw at him. Highsmith is proving to be capable.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jimmy Butler Carves Name in NBA History

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Monday morning, it was reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo would return to the Bucks’ lineup for Game 4 in Miami. He hurt his back in the first match and was pulled out 11 minutes in, following multiple check-ups in the locker room.

Antetokounmpo picked up where he left off, piercing the lane with zero regard for obstacles. In quarter one, he logged nine points and four assists. During the first timeout, he walked around his team’s space so his back wouldn’t tighten up.

Six minutes into the game, the Heat was down 20-10. Two quick fouls on Bam Adebayo earned him an early spot on the bench. But then Jimmy Butler went nuclear, scoring 22 points in the frame.

Butler was unguardable while defended in single coverage. He entered the paint at will, taking guys off the dribble for a shot past or over them. On his second attempt of the night, JB isolated Khris Middleton for a runway to the cup. Antetokounmpo tracked the drive and met him at the summit, but Butler slammed it with two hands over his head. On the next try, he buried a 25-foot jumper while draped by Middleton on the right wing.

Through the first half, Butler recorded 24 of Miami’s 50 points. The Heat was down 50-57, and aside from #22, no one had broken past single digits on their scorecard. The team’s next-best offensive option was prolific benchwarmer Duncan Robinson and his nine points. Miami’s disregarded sniper canned two triples against drop coverage and splacked another 3-pointer in transition on the left wing.

Twenty seconds into the third quarter, Middleton intercepted Max Strus’ pass to Adebayo in the paint and raced down the court for a step-back left-wing triple over Gabe Vincent. Miami was again on its back foot. Butler stayed in every play of the period to stop the bleeding inflicted by Milwaukee’s front court, plus Jrue Holiday.

The Greek Freak hammered a putback dunk, finished a fastbreak layup, and maneuvered around Cody Zeller in the drop for a layup in quarter three. In this stretch, the visitors converted 32 points on 52.2% field goal efficiency.

JB responded with a step-back jumper over Grayson Allen in the mid-post, a pivot past Holiday and Brook Lopez at the cup, and a pull-up in front of Antetokounmpo in drop coverage for scores in the third. His evening output reached 35 points, and then Coach Erik Spoelstra gave him a breather for nearly four minutes of the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee started the last period ahead by 11 points. The Bucks converted four out of 11 attempts before Butler checked back in for the last time. He finished the game scoring an additional 21 points in the last frame, the most by any Heat player ever in the fourth quarter or overtime in the Playoffs, per Stathead, ending the night with 56.

The Heat was down 12 points in crunch time. Inspired by Butler, Miami went on a 13-0 run to reclaim the lead. Milwaukee took the advantage back twice as the time ticked away, but Butler logged 12 points in the last two minutes, seven of which were free throws. Miami won the game 119-114.

At his post-game sideline interview with TNT, Butler shot down the inquiry of what it felt like to hear MVP chants. He said that honor should go to Joel Embiid. Before stepping away, he answered on going back to Milwaukee for Game 5. “To play basketball in Milwaukee, in front of their crowd, and to be together on the road, that’s where championships are won, and we got a shot.”

JB’s 56 points tied Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan for the fourth-highest individual scoring output by a player in the postseason. MJ, Elgin Baylor and Donovan Mitchell have the highest playoff game point totals in league history at 63, 61 and 57. Their marks were safe because of Spo’s habitual habit of resting Butler between four and six minutes in closing intervals.

Butler’s Homeric eruption pushed the Heat to a 3-1 lead over the one-seed in round one. Miami still has to win another, but these types of deficits are almost insurmountable. Only 13 outfits have come out alive.

As Bob Seger sang, “Some men go just where they want… some men never go.”

Butler is the former because fortune favors the bold. I’m lucky enough to have seen some of the best that wore White Hot, and in the Playoffs, there’s no right or wrong answer as to who is best fit to lead a squad.

Like Dwyane Wade at this time of year or Batman when Gotham is in danger, Butler raises his game when it matters most. He’s the beast of the east, and he comes out of hibernation in April.

 

*******

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Five Takeaways from Panthers Game 4 loss to Bruins

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SUNRISE – Playoff hockey came early today in Sunrise, with the Panthers and Bruins facing off in an afternoon Game 4.

 

The Bruins had their way for a second straight game at FLA Live Arena in a 6-2 win, taking both of their road games.

 

Boston now leads the series 3-1, with a chance to close it out Wednesday night at home.

 

Takeaways:

Bruins Power Play was dangerous

Boston’s power play this series has been more than a step ahead of the Panthers. 

 

The opening minutes of the game was flat out dominated by Florida – with the shots at one point being 10-0 in favor of the home team. 

 

At 9:11 into the first, Colin White called for interference, putting the Bruins on the man-advantage. 

 

Boston got some juice being a man up and eventually opened the scoring. 

 

After two huge saves by Sergei Bobrovsky, Brad Marchand poked in a loose puck, putting the Bruins up 1-0.

 

The Bruins started the second period on the power play after Matthew Tkachuk got called for cross-checking Garnet Hathaway behind the net following the conclusion of the period.

 

With just eight seconds remaining on the Tkachuk penalty, a great zone entry by the Bruins led to Jake DeBrusk’s second goal of the series. 

 

Paul Maurice made multiple lineup changes in Game 4

Panthers head coach Paul Mauric kept everyone out of the loop pre-game when he had his media availability. 

 

We didn’t know who would be the starting goalie, who would be in the lineup and who would be out. 

The most we got was that either Bobrovsky or Alex Lyon would be in net… obviously.

 

When the teams came out for warmups, Aaron Ekblad was not on the ice. The Panthers’ defenseman was injured in Game 3. Despite skating yesterday in Florida’s optional practice, the former first-overall pick was absent for tonight’s game.

 

Casey Fitzgerald filled in for Ekblad tonight on the blueline. 

 

The bigger surprise omission from the Cats lineup tonight was Anthony Duclair. Duclair took warmups tonight and was part of the normal line rushes – so it seemed like he would definitely be in the lineup… that wasn’t the case.

 

Duclair, who is pointless in the series, was scratched tonight. He was replaced by Zac Dalpe, who spent the majority of the season in AHL Charlotte. Dalpe has been with the team all postseason, but he didn’t play in a game before tonight. 

 

And finally, Sergei Bobrovsky made his first start of the playoffs tonight. Alex Lyon got the nod in games 1-3. After a short relief appearance in game 3, Bobrovsky got his first full game of the series tonight. 

 

Taylor Hall with a big four-point game

The Bruins forward may not be the same player he was when he won the Hart Trophy a few years back with New Jersey, but he definitely played close to that level tonight. 

 

Hall finished the game with two goals and four points, while icing the game with Boston’s fifth goal off a nice move in front of Sergei Bobrovsky.

 

Hall has seven points through four games in this series, which is the most on the team this postseason.

 

Florida drops both at home 

Coming into the arena on Friday night, the Panthers were in pretty good shape. 

 

Riding off a dominating win in Boston, Florida had the chance to shift the series in their favor at home. They didn’t.

 

Now onto Sunday, Florida once again could have made this series interesting by tying it up ahead of Game 5. They didn’t.

 

The Panthers dropped both of their home games and now have to play with their season on the line in Boston against a team that only lost seven times in their building throughout the regular season. 

 

Bennett, Tkachuk, Montour and that’s about it

The three best skaters in this series, offensively at least – have been Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour and Matthew Tkachuk.

 

The offense tonight was almost all on them again. 

 

Bennett had a good showing with his power play goal, which is the first one the Panthers scored all series. 

 

Tkachuk did what he’s done all season – get points in the score sheet. He scored the first Panthers goal of the game off a between-the-legs shot to cut the Bruins lead to 2-1. He picked up a helper on the Bennett goal.

 

Montour grabbed his third point of the series and had six shots on goal, which led the Panthers blue line. 

 

The Panthers captain looked about as aggressive as he has all series, getting seven shots on net, but we are through four games of this series and he has yet to score a goal. 

 

Florida had chances around Linus Ullmark’s net, both too many loose pucks were left unfinished by the Panthers as the Bruins’ goalie turned away 41 of Florida’s 43 shots.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Lose Victor Oladipo in Game 3 Win over Bucks

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The Heat was up 24 points with fewer than four minutes left when Victor Oladipo’s leg gave out. He drove into the lane from the top of the key, but when he had Bobby Portis on his back hip, he elevated off his left leg, yet he didn’t take off completely, landing on his backside.

Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson walked over to their hurt teammate first. Before they helped Oladipo stand up, he looked past Martin and shook his head. It confirmed to everyone watching on TV and in attendance that his season was likely over after all his diligent work to recover.

In the blink of an eye, his body betrayed him again, but this setback was the hardest to watch Oladipo face. The past four seasons were littered with injuries that defrauded Vic of his talents, but in some spurts of the Heat’s campaign, he was logging his most productive minutes in a White-Hot jersey.

During Game 3 against the Bucks, Oladipo played 19 minutes, converting four out of six field goals. In the second half, Vic dropped three in a row by dribbling past Portis in the paint for a fadeaway jumper, and he zipped down the court for a pair of fastbreak layups.

Oladipo limped to the locker room with the help of the trainers. The Heat finished garbage time and took a 2-1 lead in the series, but the atmosphere in the Kaseya Center was thick with anxiety and sorrow.

At the postgame presser, the win seemed meaningless to coach Erik Spoelstra. He said an evaluation of Oladipo’s injury would happen Sunday and that it was difficult to watch.

“It’s a great win, but when you see a player go down like that, and particularly a player like Vic who’s gone through so much in the last three years…It’s not a good feeling to see Vic on the floor like that.”

Spo also added that when Oladipo saw a stretcher come out for him, he refused it.

The Heat can worry about how losing Oladipo affects the group in the series. What concerns me is the frustration likely clouding his mind. By all accounts, Vic worked tirelessly after each mishap since Jan. 23, 2019, to get back on the floor and contribute.

He was never going to get back into All-Star form, but like a good soldier, he performed well in his role as a reserve. He was still capable of putting pressure on the rim and defending quick perimeter players. But after his knee buckled in Game 3, I’m not sure if Oladipo wants to keep this going after his contract is up. He has a player option for 2023/2024 that I expect he’ll opt in to, but following that, who knows?

If the end of his pro career is near, the version of Oladipo in White Hot won’t be what I remember him for. I’ll reminisce about the Black Panther in Indiana.

In 118 combined games between 2018 and 2019, regular season and Playoffs included, Vic was one of the league’s ascending two-way stars. He had an explosive burst off the dribble and was unafraid to catch a body in the paint. On defense, he had excellent timing when invading the passing lanes for a steal and was effective in stopping the ball outside.

During seven games of round 1 in the 2018 Playoffs, Oladipo went toe-to-toe with LeBron James, then a Cavalier. In Game 6, to hold off elimination, Oladipo snapped and logged a 28-point triple-double to send the series back to Cleveland. He got in the paint whenever he wanted and could detonate for a two-handed jam standing under the rim.

In Game 7 in Cleveland, Oladipo went out, dropping 30 points with 12 rebounds in a four-point loss.

Before the injuries mounted on, Oladipo spent every minute as a Pacer validating his status as the second pick of the 2013 Draft. He was honored with two All-Star selections, an All-NBA + All-Defensive Team spot and the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2018.

What I admired most about his game was the rage that he attacked the basket with. Like Brandon Roy, Derrick Rose and Yao Ming, when I think about Oladipo, I’ll wonder what he was really capable of.