Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Udonis Haslem, the Pillar of the Culture

/0 Comments/in , /by

In the Heat’s regular-season finale and official christening of the Kaseya Center, all I hoped for at this point, aside from a throwback night from Udonis Haslem, was one more “clutch game.” This outing didn’t end in a five-point difference, but luckily for everyone watching, the best of the lost season came in game 82.

Haslem, team captain, and 20-year veteran, checked in a few minutes into the first quarter. Instantly, it felt like 2009, watching #40 roll to the cup, hit post jumpers, and even splash three trays in his last 24 minutes of regular season ball ever.

It didn’t matter that it was only his seventh game of the season, and his first action since Miami’s loss on Feb. 2 to the Knicks. Haslem wouldn’t leave the only outfit and fanbase he’s known without a suitable bon voyage.

He logged 13 points in 12 first-half minutes. Somewhere in Brazil, international basketball folk hero Oscar Schmidt must have smirked and bowed his head in approval. Haslem scored more than Mão Santa’s mythical point-a-minute pace, leading the way for the Heatles at the half by two.

On a steal by Caleb Martin that sparked a fastbreak, UD ran a two-on-one with Duncan Robinson against Chuma Okeke. A give-and-return between the streaking Heatles resulted in Haslem finishing a two-handed lob. It was his first alley-oop since late 2014.

As Haslem was interviewed on the court by Bally Sports’ Will Manso, he said, “It’s a little personal. I get a lot of flak for not playing and sitting on the bench, so I think a lot of people just think I drink coffee around here…This was for them. This is their day as much as it is mine. This love affair I’ve had with this organization and city for 20 years is going to continue to grow and continue to grow. I’m looking forward to the next evolution.”

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were some of UD’s former pals in attendance. I’m disappointed to learn from my spiders there weren’t more. Alonzo Mourning sitting knee-to-knee with Pat Riley doesn’t count; he works as the vice president of player programs.

It leaves a sour taste in my mouth that others couldn’t sacrifice their time after all UD did in return as a teammate. If anyone ever needed protection, mentorship, or a shoulder to lean on in his 20 years of service, they got it.

It would have been splendid to see Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Shaquille O’Neal, or just more sometime teammates, but that’s asking too much.

Haslem went undrafted in 2002 following four years of college hoops at the University of Florida. He spent one year in France playing for Élan Chalon and then arrived in Miami as a rookie alongside Wade for the 2004 season. Haslem and Marquis Daniels were the only undrafted players that year on the All-Rookie team.

In the summer before 2004/2005, the Heat traded for O’Neal, rapidly turning into a contender. In that campaign, Miami would challenge the Detroit Pistons to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals but wouldn’t defeat the Dallas Mavericks for the title until June 2006. Haslem started 80 and 81 games, plus he recorded 6,359 minutes through both regular seasons and playoffs combined.

By 2010, Haslem’s role had shifted to a reserve as the Heat’s development of Michael Beasley continued.

Losing a starting spot and nearly seven minutes a game can be difficult for many guys in the league; the ones that separate themselves are the dudes who find a way to star with an alternative duty. Haslem evolved into that player for the Heat as it geared up for the next stage of its history.

Bosh and LeBron James were the prominent figureheads brought in during the summer of 2010 to assist Wade in at least a few more tries at glory. Haslem stayed in town, and he chose the Heat over a more lucrative offer from the Mavericks. Dallas put over $10 million more on the table than Miami, but it wasn’t his style to leave just for an extra “fistful of dollars.” Additionally, Wade, James and Bosh each took less cash so UD could return.

In year two of the Heat’s big three era, Bosh went down with an abdominal strain after 15 minutes in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals. Haslem started the first and second matches of the series, but for the encounter, Spo started Shane Battier at the four from Games 3 through 6.

In this series, UD only averaged 16.9 minutes a night, but those numbers don’t accurately portray his impact. With the Heat minus an All-Star, the Pacers smelled blood and even took a 2-1 lead in Indiana. Miami tied up the series, and in Game 5, Tyler Hansbrough cracked Wade over the head on a drive to the rim.

Haslem saw the mugging up close and didn’t think much of the bullies standing on the opposite side. A couple of minutes later, in the second quarter, he reciprocated with two hands spiking Hansbrough in the face as he attempted a shot at the cup. The Heat would then go on an 86-58 run to finish the night with a dub and take the lead back to Indiana.

Getting even earned UD a suspension in Game 6, but he said he would do it again two days later at the Heat’s practice.

In those four years, #40 was a top locker room lieutenant and a fundamental cog in helping Miami win back-to-back titles.

When James departed for Cleveland, a new chapter of Heat basketball started with Wade, Bosh, and Haslem in command. By 2015/2016, UD’s role developed into mostly a mentor as the squad had two new rookies and was reloading for a shot at the Cavaliers.

Wade would then leave over a contract dispute with the front office that summer, but as the Heat were beginning a rebuild, a single player remained from the Big Three days: Haslem.

Two difficult years produced the draft picks that landed Miami Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Also in 2019, the Heat landed Butler in a four-team sign-and-trade while unloading the dispirited Hassan Whiteside and his hefty deal. Suddenly, the White and Red had a respectable squad again, with Haslem, as always, providing counsel.

In the 2020 season, after Miami’s Game 3 loss to Boston in the East Finals, the captain offered advice. Butler told me after the match, UD was telling the group to be the “nastier” team as far back as halftime. The group followed his recommendations, then defeated Boston in six and extended the series to six against Lebron’s Lakers in the Finals.

While Miami was down double-digits in the third quarter of Game 2 versus Los Angeles, Haslem delivered a raging speech as players and coaches listened around him. He called for a gut check. Not every guy who has logged 44 games in the last four seasons (at that point) could hold the attention of so many peers.

The morning of Game 7 of the East Finals of 2022, Max Strus told me that because of all UD’s experience, the Heat relied on him as its motivator. “Another guy on our team that’s been here, has done these, has been in Game 7s, has won championships…”

He may not have recorded a minute of postseason action then, or any year since 2016, but the Heat wouldn’t have made it that far without him. While he wore white hot, Miami competed in six NBA Finals, winning three.

Richie Havens, the first person to perform at Woodstock in 1969, would later sing in 2003, “can’t turn back the hands of time.”

If only I could for Haslem. I blinked, and now I can only talk about him with a minority of people who have seen him and know what he is about. Not every team is lucky enough to have a guy like Udonis, much less two decades. Aside from the lost tapes, I don’t know the Heat without him.

Miami’s Magical March

/0 Comments/in , /by

“One Shining Moment” is ubiquitous in CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament. The song plays out the tournament, recapping a month of memories, reliving the ups and downs, the humanity of sports.

For Miami’s Athletic Program, shining moments over the past 2 decades have been mere blips on the radar, drowned out by a cacophony of failures, false starts, and dejections. The 2 programs that dominated from the early 80s through the early 2000s, football and baseball, have not sniffed championships.

As March 2023 came around, those dyed in orange and green Canes fans that still stuck around did so more out of a sense of love and obligation versus an actual belief in ultimate victory.

And that sense of doom was only amplified by Norchad Omier’s injury against Duke and the Women’s team being sent to a site where they would have to beat a #1 seed on the road. There was very little indication that both the Men’s and Women’s teams would go on a 3-week journey that would reinvigorate the entire community.

Beautiful Symmetry 

For some reason, I felt the Men’s team was special this year. They have been high seeds before, made Sweet 16s, but this felt more substantive. It’s abnormal for me to just follow the team around, but I made the decision to do just that several months ago. At the time I didn’t know it was going to take me to Albany to Kansas City to Houston. I just knew that I was going where the team went.

The Women’s team was a bit of a different prospect. For those that know me, you’ll know my affinity for that program and Coach Katie Meier. I briefly thought that about the logistics of bouncing back-and-forth between Albany and Bloomington before realizing it wasn’t really feasible.

And I considered going to Bloomington again late in the 2nd half when the Men looked like they were going to lose to Drake. And was happy I didn’t when the Women trailed by 17 to Oklahoma State.

But that is what made this run for both programs so fascinating. There was a symmetry to their paths.

-Men down 8 late in the 2nd half in their first game. Women down 17 at the half. Both won.

-Both then upset Indiana.

-Both then win a Sweet 16 game as the lower seed when no one really gave them a chance.

Miami, of all programs, was the last one with both the Men’s and Women’s team in the Elite Eight.

There were so many moments that will be indelibly etched on the minds of Canes’ fans, perhaps none more so than both teams traveling to the Sweet 16, leaving the Watsco Center, headed to different parts of the country, to carry The U forward.

The Finality of It All

One of the undervalued aspects of a deep tournament run is just how quickly the games run into each other. On any weekend, you have a day between games. No time to bask in victory, on to the next one. There is a constant state of peril. Whatever good you’ve done to get this far is erased when the next game starts.

And also that everyone that makes the NCAA Tournament, with the exception of 1 team, loses their last game. There is no happy ending. The taste of defeat will linger.

That’s how we were treated to the duality of emotions as the Men’s team clinched their first Final Four appearance with the Women’s team being eliminated at the Elite Eight, bloodied and battered, a few hours later.

That is sports, the extreme highs, and the extreme lows. It comes with the irrationality of sports viewing in general. To care so much about something that in the grand scheme of things should be irrelevant but in reality dictates a lot of the human emotional spirit.

It’s why several weeks of joy must necessarily end with Destiny Harden and Jordan Miller embracing their respective coaches, tears in their eyes, having left their schools and their programs in a much better place than they found them.

We watched the Canes collectively go 7-2 over a 3-week period, but the 2 came last, the 2 are remembered. The “what ifs” come into play.

Time Heals All Wounds

The symmetry for the Canes’ teams continued all the way through how they were eliminated, losing to the eventual champions while just not being able to score. Shots that normally fell didn’t. That’s probably the thing that left the most sour taste in the mouth of Canes Family, that they went out not playing their best games.

But as distance grows between the present and those losses, it’s easier to reflect on the journey, on the enormity of the accomplishment.

Miami, at its core, is a city of dreamers. We are enchanted with the what could be, with the conceptual, often at the expense of the reality.

It’s that audacity that has allowed a small, private school in Coral Gables to repeatedly achieve athletic excellence. We’re constantly told we can’t achieve, we don’t belong…and we don’t care.

The problem is that over the last decades, the doubters have been proven right. There is very little to show for the frustrated efforts at ascension to the top of college athletics. Miami has struggled to reclaim past glories.

And that is what the basketball programs collectively have restored. Our sense of pride in being Miami.

We can believe again. Believe in the dream of Miami. It’s no longer a pipe dream, a fanciful tale we tell ourselves to avoid the reality.

The reality is worth embracing.

I remember walking up to the stadium in Houston with a feeling I hadn’t felt in 20 years. Miami was playing in game with National Championship-level stakes.

Miami is back as an entity, as a dream, as a reality.

And we can thank the men and women of Canes basketball for the resurrection.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a journalist for @FiveReasonsSports. He covers the Miami Hurricanes for Sixth Ring Canes and Formula 1 for Hitting the Apex. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003

The “Lyon King” roars as the Florida Panthers close in on the playoffs

/0 Comments/in , /by

When all hope seemed lost, the Panthers found a hero in the king of the jungle

 

Last week in Ottawa, the Panthers season looked all but finished.

 

The team was outclassed in almost every way by the Senators as they lost their fourth-straight game, and slipped from the playoff spot they held just a week prior.

 

With three more games to follow on the road trip, and an already playoff secured Toronto Maple Leafs next on the schedule, Florida was looking for any form of life to get them back on the right track with less than 10 games to go in the season.

 

Prior to the Leafs-Panthers game last Wednesday, the problems seemed to only get worse for Florida. Panthers’ head coach Paul Maurice didn’t announce his starting goalie for that night, which was suspicious as he has always let the media know who would be in net this season. 

 

The belief from the outside was that starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t ready to go and backup Alex Lyon would have to come into the net.

 

When the Panthers took the ice at Scotiabank Arena, that theory was correct. Lyon took the crease in a must-win scenario for his team.

 

In Lyon’s five previous games with the Panthers, he gave up a total of 23 goals, with a 1-3-1 record. 

 

Lyon, who had given up five goals just a week prior  to Philly, had to face a top-10 offensive team in the league while his team was riding their worst losing-streak of the season. The optimism wasn’t too high for Panthers fans.

 

However, when the 30-year-old took the crease, he looked like a different goalie than the one we saw in his previous appearances. 

 

Florida did not look good against Toronto. The team was getting outplayed in the offensive zone and couldn’t generate their usual number of chances at the other end. The only person keeping them in the game was Lyon.

 

At the start of the season, Lyon was in the AHL playing for the Charlotte Checkers. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight already locked into the team, he wasn’t in the discussion for the Panthers’ backup job – just as an option for the third-string.

 

Well the third-string goalie pushed his team to overtime in Toronto, and possibly saved their season. 

 

Moments after robbing Auston Matthews from point-blank range with a glove save, the Panthers flipped the ice and won the game with Brandon Montour’s 14th goal of the season.

 

Lyon, who is referred to by his teammates as the “Lyon King” stopped 38 shots in a 3-2 comeback win, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Following the game, as we do every night,  the media headed to the locker room. When we got to the doors we heard a song blasting from the inside. It was “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from “The Lion King”.

 

Lyon’s teammates spoke highly of their goaltender who backstopped them to their first win in over a week. 

 

“You guys saw it yourself, he gave us every chance to win the game,” Panthers’ captain Sasha Barkov said last Wednesday in Toronto. “He brings the joy to the locker room, to the ice.”

 

 Lyon broke the Panthers out of their slump, but there was still work to be done with them still sitting a ways away from a playoff spot.

 

With Bobrovsky still out of the lineup with an illness, the Panthers returned to Lyon on the back-to-back the following night in Montreal. The Lyon King defended his net, or in this case his “jungle”, picking up the win against the Canadiens.

 

And once again, the locker room was blasting their new post-game song about their king of a goalie.  

 

With the quick turnaround of wins in Toronto and Montreal, the Panthers had some life with their final game of the trip in Columbus on the horizon. The team went with Lyon for the third-consecutive game since Bobrovsky was still out. He picked up his first career shutout in a 7-0 win against Columbus.

 

A few days off after the road trip allowed for some scoreboard watching, with the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins who both held Wild Card spots in action.

 

The Panthers were given a lifeline from the Carolina Hurricanes, who defeated the Islanders in regulation. Florida now controlled their playoff destiny with a game against a surging Sabres team looming. 

 

In what would be the biggest game of the season to this point (all of them are now), Florida turned to Lyon again with Bobrovsky still out. A win against Buffalo would see the Panthers leapfrog the Islanders into a playoff spot, with a chance of also jumping the Penguins depending on their result that night.

 

Seven days after his 38 save performance in Toronto which kept the Panthers playoff hopes alive, Lyon picked up 39 saves in a 2-1 regulation win against the Sabres – putting Florida into the first Wild Card spot in the East.

 

“He battles… there’s no quit in his game,” Matthew Tkachuk said of Lyon after the game. “It brings so much positive energy and it’s really been huge for our team down the stretch going into playoffs to have that type of energy.”

 

Lyon spoke about his teammates “celebrating” him following games.

 

“It’s awesome, it’s a testament to the locker room and the culture of the Florida Panthers. I take a lot of pride as well and being a good teammate and being accountable,” Lyon said postgame on Wednesday. “There were games this year where I didn’t play well and they still supported me, [I’m] really appreciative of them.”

 

Until Wednesday night’s win against Buffalo, Florida had not won four-straight games all season. Their best winning streak of the year came at the perfect time, as they brushed off their four-consecutive losses from the week prior.

 

In seven days, Lyon has a 4-0-0 record, posting a .959 save % and a 1.25 GAA. He has given up just five goals over that span. 

 

When the Panthers looked like they reached their end, the king of the jungle found his way to the crease, roaring his way towards the playoffs.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: One of Jimmy Butler’s Best Seasons

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat held off the Mavericks Saturday in Miami, earning the 41st dub of the season with four games left.

In the first half, the Heatles climbed to an 18-point lead, but the Mavs slowly chopped away at it in the last 24 minutes, cutting it to six in the third quarter. Luka Dončić played the second half uninterrupted and scored 19 points on seven out of 11 shots.

Jimmy Butler had 16 points in the first quarter, tied for the sixth most in his career. He followed up after intermission with 13 points, five dimes, two boards and a steal. On one play, he dusted Dončić while maneuvering around the baseline. This forced Dwight Powell, the low man, to help and leave Cody Zeller under the rim. As soon as the double came, Butler bounced-passed to the “Big Handsome” for a jam.

Zeller received two more of JB’s assists in the second half, both coming from Dallas sending two at the ball handler on pick and roll. At the postgame presser, Jimmy said his duo with Cody was like “Black Man and Robin.”

Coach Erik Spoelstra praised Kevin Love for balling off the bench, plus Zeller as well for consistently getting open while filling in for Bam Adebayo.

“Cody and Kevin gave us an incredible boost,” Spo said. “Both of them in opposite ways. Cody was getting behind the defense, finding all those gaps for those finishes around the rim… And then Kevin. I just can’t say enough about his professionalism. With [Adebayo] out, this team is super small with a lot of different shooting. We went with a different starting lineup.”

Minus Miami’s starting center, the group gave up 54 interior points out of 122. Typically for the season, the Heat allows opponents just 46.1 points in the paint, good enough for second in the league in the stat behind the New York Knicks.

The Heat has struggled to contain the point of attack, and Saturday was no different against two of the NBA’s premier guards. Dončić and Kyrie Irving shed the outside protection and got into the lane for a combined 26 of Dallas’ 30 paint points in the first half.

Fortunately for Miami, its offense showed up, but it was only the 18th time this season it has logged at least 50% of its field goal attempts. The team’s record in those games is 14-4.

The Heat got to the line and converted 26 out of 29 free throws. The hosts were able to cut the clock and give its defense a breather before going back to a half-court game.

The win brought Miami back to within a match-and-a-half behind the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, but with fewer than a handful of nights left, it will assuredly enter the Play-In Tournament. Unless it wins out the rest of the calendar and gets lucky with a few Nets losses. As the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang pointed out, groups that come out of the play-in meet the end in round one.

Short history and the eye test indicate the Heat’s fate will likely be that. Through a wide lens, it would mean a lost season in year 35 for the organization. The toughest pill to swallow is that it happened in arguably Butler’s finest season as a pro.

At 33, he can get to the charity line as easily as ever. On Jan. 10, the Oklahoma City Thunder came into Miami and couldn’t defend him without illegal contact. He made all 23 attempts, tying Dwyane Wade’s team record of most made freebies set on Feb.1, 2007, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Butler’s production that night also propelled the Heat to break the threshold for an NBA record. Miami made 40 free throws without a miss. The record stood at 39 since 1982, logged by the Utah Jazz.

Pat Riley has nearly served three decades as patrón (28). In that span that has delivered three championships in six tries, there’s been two 60-win seasons, 12 with the equivalent of at least 50, nine within 40-49 wins, three ending in the 30-39 win range, and one with 25 dubs and 15 for the worst year under the Godfather’s rule.

This season has been one of the most frustrating for observers, but these things happen, even to the top outfits. No one can stay on top for long.

Internal growth from Adebayo and Tyler Herro hasn’t sufficed in covering the holes. It’s not their fault, either. The team is not very talented from top to bottom. A reasonable person wouldn’t debate Adebayo, Butler and Herro as top three for the unit, but think of the next three and ask yourself: Is it enough to win a round?

This highlights how special of a season the last one was. That team went to Game 7 of the conference finals. The most significant change, aside from roles, injuries and Kyle Lowry’s decline at a 60-degree angle, was losing PJ Tucker to Philadelphia.

In the NBA, what was accomplished in past years doesn’t count for anything when trying to hold off elimination. The best thing about what’s dead and buried are the memories left behind.

The 2022/2023 campaign is the singular year Butler has logged at least 50% of his field goals (53.4%), and it’s had his second-highest scoring average, too (22.8). This will be the ninth season he finishes with more steals than personal fouls. With four games left, he has 34 more takeaways than penalties.

With league awards coming up, it would be a colossal oversight if Butler wasn’t named to an All-NBA team. Only two forwards have recorded more free throws: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.

This year, 27 All-Stars were named to the antiquated exhibition, and Butler wasn’t one of them. He’s played in more games than 13 of the ones chosen. The last time he was picked for Third-Team was in 2020/2021 when he played in 70.8% of the games. If he sits the rest of the way, he will have performed in three-quarters of the schedule.

A win against a below. 500 team with the Playoffs looming is not enough to convince me the year hasn’t gone up in flames. If it’s remembered for anything, it should be for Butler’s mastery.

Waiting to see if he gets shafted by the voters, the Draft, and Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame ceremony on Aug. 12 is all supporters have to look forward to in the near future.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Crushed in the Fourth Quarter by Knicks

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat rolled into Madison Square Garden on a two-game losing streak to face a rival it barely beat on March 22 in Miami. The latest encounter featured 24 lead changes and 14 ties before the New York faithful gave its group a standing ovation.

Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s loss in Toronto with neck soreness, but Kyle Lowry was absent.

Through the opening period, the Heat logged 36% of its field goal attempts while holding the hosts to eight out of 22 baskets. New York’s quick closeouts in man-to-man coverage to the 3-point line were on time and disruptive, only allowing the visitors three clean looks from deep. Miami’s active hands forced seven turnovers, three being steals in the halfcourt and transition.

In the first frame for the Heat, Gabe Vincent was the lone player to make multiple (3) baskets. First, he nailed a catch-and-shoot triple in the right corner, assisted by the pass and Jimmy Butler’s pindown on Quentin Grimes to prevent the contest. Next, he dropped a fadeaway jumper on the baseline over Jalen Brunson and then a running layup against the seven-foot Mitchell Robinson.

Three early fouls picked up by Max Strus forced coach Erik Spoelstra to shelve him and insert Duncan Robinson. In the first half, Miami’s forgotten specialist logged nearly 15 minutes and canned his three trifectas. Regardless of Vincent and Robinson on target, the rest of the group was inconsistent from the field through 24 minutes.

Before the intermission, the Heatles logged just 14 points in the interior. The Knicks’ length influenced its guests to attack primarily from the outside.

Defensively the Heat was sharp, too, before halftime, but its growing issue was containing Immanuel Quickley. New York’s backup point guard filleted Miami with his speed off the dribble to get to the lane in the halfcourt and transition. Quickley was also active off-ball, relocating when handlers pierced the paint to capitalize on the overhelp. He walked into the locker room at halftime with 14 points on five of eight shots.

Heading into the third quarter, New York held a 48-46 advantage on the scorecard, but where it led decisively was on the glass, beating Miami by eight boards, resulting in 10 second-chance points.

The backline of protection restrained the Knicks from abusing the paint, but the defense up top was disemboweled. The hosts destroyed the 2-3 zone and the weak man-to-man coverage by swinging the ball on the perimeter. New York made six out of 12 triples in the last two quarters.

In the second half, the Heat’s best players didn’t take over when the game was in reach. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined in this period to take nine attempts and log a sparse eight points. Vincent contributed 10 additional points, Tyler Herro logged seven and Victor Oladipo nine, but it wasn’t enough. For the 13th time this season, the Heat failed to break 100 points, scoring 92.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Miami’s offense fell apart as New York went on a thundering 8-0 run. The Heat never recovered from that body blow and yielded.

Worse yet for the squad, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Houston Rockets on the same night, increasing the separation between sixth and seventh place in the East to a game and a half.

All season, the Heat have shown observers who they are- a team that instantly takes a few steps backward after making progress. It’s reminiscent of a college slacker, studying sporadically throughout a semester, or an elected official who only wants to deliver on their promises in an election year.

What this core has accomplished in the past three campaigns means nothing for the last five games on the schedule. As recently as last week, I heard the Cavaliers broadcast say don’t count out Miami. I was perplexed. I can’t imagine anyone who covers the Heat thinking this way because there aren’t any buttons left to smash.

The Heat is an outfit determined to do things the hard way. On March 29, Spo said the Play-In Tournament was “One of the best things that’s ever happened to this league in the last decade…”

He cited throwing a curveball to the middle-of-the-pack teams mimicking the comfort level of the top groups as a reason he favors the play-in. But it seems he’ll deal with it firsthand soon. The Heat’s apathy this late in the season has it destined to be a participant.

On Tuesday, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang pointed out that with the current format of the Play-In Tournament, teams that have passed through it are 0-8 in the first round. The end of the season is near.

Following the fourth-quarter collapse in New York, at the postgame presser, Spo said, “This is where we are. You are what your record is…”

Spo has to see it too.

Are the Florida Panthers playoff hopes gone?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Just one week ago it looked like the Florida Panthers finally figured out the formula to play their best hockey. The Cats were riding their best stretch of the season with points in seven straight games, boasting a 6-0-1 record over that span.

 

On March 21, Florida went into Philadelphia holding a playoff spot with 12 games remaining on the schedule.

 

Six days later, the Panthers left Ottawa losers of four straight and three points back of Pittsburgh for the last wild card spot. In less than a week, Florida went from playing their best hockey of the season to their worst, as this four-game skid is the most they’ve gone without a win this year. 

 

Over that span, the Panthers have been outscored 21-10 despite outshooting their opponents in all those matchups. They’ve also been without the services of their No. 2 center Sam Bennett during the losing streak. The Panthers will once again be without Sam Bennett tonight as he is set to miss his fifth consecutive game. Florida has not picked up a single point in the last four games without 

 

With eight games left in the regular season, the Panthers will try to break out of their untimely downfall on Wednesday night against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that they’ve yet to beat all year. 

 

“You wake up this morning, got  singular focus… you are coming to a hockey game tonight in Toronto and we got to win this game,” Paul Maurice said after Panthers’ morning skate. 

 

Can the Panthers still make it?

Well, yes. The Panthers can still make the playoffs however, they clearly haven’t been doing themselves any favors over the last week. 

 

The teams that are above Florida in the standings still have a decent points gap on them while the teams that are behind them have been winning.

 

For the Panthers to sneak into the postseason, it will come down to two things.

 

First, they’ll need to win almost all of  their final eight games. The Islanders have a six point lead on the Panthers with one more game played, while the Penguins have a three point lead with the same number of games remaining. 

 

Second thing, they’ll need one of the Pens or Islanders to do what they themselves did this past week, lose a lot. 

 

The Red Wings did Florida a favor last night when they took down the Penguins in regulation, now it’s up to the Panthers to pick up points while there’s still a glimmer of playoff hope. 

 

Current Eastern Conference standings (As of March 29)

WC 1: NY Islanders 75 GP – 85  points 

WC 2: Pittsburgh Penguins 74 GP – 82 points 

In the hunt

Florida Panthers 74 GP – 79 points

Buffalo Sabres 73 GP – 77 points 

Ottawa Senators 74 GP – 77 points 

Washington Capitals 74 GP – 76 points


Florida’s locker room is still optimistic that they can turn around their season as they approach the final few games.

 

“Right from the break we knew that it’s gonna be tight, there’s a bunch of teams fighting for it,” Brandon Montour said on Wednesday in Toronto. “It’s gonna be tough but like I said, we got the guys in the locker room to do it.” 

 

Coach Paul Maurice was asked what makes him believe that his team is still in the hunt – his response was straight forward, there’s no other option. 

 

“Ah man this is the National Hockey League and it’s pro sports, we’re not 14 points out we’re right there,” Maurice said. “The other option is what? If you lived your life waking up without belief or thinking bad things were gonna happen you just would never get to the National Hockey League.”

 

Florida has three more games on this road trip before heading back to Sunrise, including a back-to-back in Toronto and Montreal

 

It’s simple for Florida, win or you’re not getting in. 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Offense Scorches in Win Over Knicks

/0 Comments/in , /by

Sixteen days after the New York Knickerbocker’s snatched victory from the fangs of defeat in Miami, the Heat avenged its backhanded loss with a dub.

But first, the Heat honored the life and memory of the great Willis Reed, who died Tuesday at 80.

The hosts splashed four triples in the first five minutes, astonishing supporters and my fellow scribes on press row. Jimmy Butler had nine points in his 12 first-quarter minutes, coming from a trifecta in the corner, a fastbreak score and a reverse layup on the baseline.

Gabe Vincent matched Butler’s nine in the first quarter, converting three out of four 3-pointers. He was the recipient of the Knicks over-helping on Butler twice by collapsing in the paint on a baseline drive and after setting a ghost screen. In between those makes, #2 also hit a fastbreak bomb on the left wing.

In man-to-man coverage early, Butler stuck to Jalen Brunson, and Vincent guarded RJ Barrett. When Miami blitzed New York’s pick and roll up top, the visitors swung the ball to the weak side corner or any other break in the armor.

Through 12 minutes, one of the Heat’s biggest concerns was securing defensive rebounds and allowing five second-chance points. For the following three quarters, the Knicks recovered four more attacking boards and five points on second tries.

On locking up the glass, Butler told me after the game, “It’s a will to want to do it. Boxing out, hitting somebody first, and then going to get the ball with two hands. That’s the most important thing… I think once we realized that, settled down, put our hands on the ball, kick it ahead and [got] into the open floor, it was alright.”

The Heat were still beat in the rebounding battle 29-42, but the home team’s superb efficiency through four periods nullified the three more attempts the Knicks took from the field. Miami had five players score at least double figures, dropping at least 50% of goal ventures, and the team finished with six fewer turnovers.

Brunson lit up the Heat in the first half for 14 points on five out of seven shots. He nimbly got Vincent on the side of his hip and posted him up in the low post for a turnaround jumper, plus the foul. Brunson also got into the lane past Caleb Martin and Butler without a screen and swished a well-contested right-wing triple.

At halftime, the Heat held a 64-61 lead while its deep efficiency remained at 52.9%. Butler and Vincent combined for 31 points on 11 of 17 attempts.

In the second half, Miami was sharper offensively, despite New York getting it together themselves. The Knicks briefly claimed an advantage in the fourth quarter, but in the last seven minutes, the Heatles never gave it back, regardless of the visitors making 70.6% of attempts in the frame.

Butler mercilessly belittled the Knicks. While at the free throw line for his fifth and sixth shots, JB taunted Julius Randle in front of referee Brian Forte. It could have been good old-fashioned gamesmanship or the result of the officials letting the match get out of hand because calls were missed on both teams.

In the final stretch, Tyler Herro was the difference maker. #14 scored 14 points off catch-and-shoot trays and attacked Mitchell Robinson in drop coverage. With under three minutes left, Herro isolated Randle at the key after a pick and hit a 3-pointer in his eye to give Miami a double-digit lead.

As the game concluded, coach Erik Spoelstra walked over to Dwyane Wade standing courtside and hugged him from behind.

At the postgame presser, Bam Adebayo stressed the importance of every game. He said, “At this point, the situation we’re in and how we’re trying to keep building and get higher in the standings, every game feels like a playoff game.”

The Heat sits at .01 percentage points behind the Brooklyn Nets for sixth place in the East with eight matches left.

 

 

Katie Meier’s Family Reaches Their Destiny

/0 Comments/in , /by

If you interact with Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball, you’ll quickly encounter an atmosphere that resembles a family more so than a basketball program.

When the players talk about their coach and vice versa they do more than merely pay lip service to their affinity for each other. The genuine mutual respect and love is obvious. You could see it in Katie Meier’s post-Indiana interview:

The affection she expresses for two of her warriors….who wouldn’t want to play for someone like that? It’s easy to get buy in when the culture is love and respect. You see it in seniors like Karla Erjavec who has had to take more of a backseat this year. Rather than expressing bitterness, she is “grateful” for Coach Meier. Love is forever.

A Long Time Coming

This culture did not happen overnight. Since Meier stepped foot on campus she has elevated the program, not just on the court, but off it. It took a while to lay that foundation and have it pay off. Her first 5 seasons featured 2 trips to the WNIT and no NCAA Tournament appearances. Within the program, everyone could see progress. Externally, it wasn’t as evident.

And then it was. In 2010-11, the Miami Hurricanes won the ACC, which allowed them to earn a 3-seed. If you’re familiar with the current version of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, you’d assume the Canes hosted the first 2 rounds of the NCAA Tournament. That assumption is incorrect. Instead, they went to Charlottesville and lost a tight 2nd round game to Oklahoma.

This was the beginning of a disappointing trend. Miami would make the NCAA Tournament in 7 of 8 years, but never get to the Sweet 16. A 3-seed in 2012 was “rewarded” with a road game in Spokane. The Canes repeatedly knocked on the door, but the Sweet 16 never answered. Heartbreaking 2nd round home losses to Quinnipiac and Arizona State followed.

The way the Canes just couldn’t get over the hump was bizarre.

Something always goes wrong.

And there at the center of it was Coach Meier. Her stoicism in the face of unwarranted criticism, her approachability…I’m sure the criticism bothered her, but she would never let that be visible. She had her Canes family to think of, to be the rock for.

Look Inward and Running to the Top of the ACC

The Canes team and their loyal, rabid supporters turn inward. Block out the noise. The thing with family is they have each other’s back. In the face of criticism, the Canes didn’t get weaker, they got stronger.

The 2021-22 season did not get off to a good start. The Canes were injured and losing games. Destiny Harden missed significant time.

Miami arrived at the 2022 ACC Tournament as a bubble team. The ACC, always a strong conference, had 2 teams that were slated to be #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. And Miami met one of those teams, Louisville, in the quarterfinals.

The Canes trailed late, 59-44. There was no indication that Destiny Harden was about to unleash one of the finest athletic performances in school history.

Over the course of the last 4 minutes of the game. Destiny Harden scored the last 15 points of the game, including the winning jumper at the buzzer. The win removed any doubt about the Canes’ NCAA Tournament prospects and Miami advanced all the way to the ACC Tournament Final.

It could have been a crowning achievement in Harden’s career. And for a mere mortal, it might have been. We now know it wasn’t.

The Canes carried momentum into the NCAA Tournament and were at the top of their game.

And then the draw happened. Miami was playing some of the best ball in the country and certainly capable of reaching the Sweet 16. But if you’ve read this far, you know what happened. The Canes were sent to South Carolina. As of this writing the Gamecocks still have not lost a game since that draw. Miami blew out USF in the 1st game and actually challenged South Carolina, but ultimately were overwhelmed.

Something always goes wrong.

Tumultuous Exaltation

Last offseason, Miami attracted attention for recruiting the Cavinder Sisters, Haley and Hanna. To the world, they were celebrities, a side show. To the Canes Basketball Family, they knew they had acquired ballers. First in the gym, last ones out. Work ethic ingrained, great teammates.

But the NCAA did not like the Canes having attention. Before the start of the season, Coach Meier, widely recognized as one of the classiest people in college athletics, agreed to a 3-game suspension without any comment on what precipitated it. Typical of Meier, she took a bullet for her team, her program, and for the university. The problem with being a high character person in power is that you sometimes have to be the fall gal. And Meier was. With her absent (not just at games but at practice), the Canes stumbled a bit out the gates.

Things went from bad to worse when the Canes were hit with a multitude of injuries. At one point, the Canes lost 6 of 9 games. The train appeared to be going off the tracks. But Miami dug deep and started gutting out games. Winning just enough to stay afloat. The team was not necessarily playing well, as they tried to integrate new players, as injuries led to inconsistency.

The Canes never quit, and after beating several ranked teams, found themselves on the bubble. But the NCAA wasn’t done with Miami yet. They chose the week of the final game of the year, right before the Canes closed out the season with a home game against Virginia, to try and disrupt Miami again, releasing why Meier was suspended (for violating the rules the NCAA acknowledged didn’t exist at the time of the alleged violation).

Something always goes wrong.

Miami entered Selection Sunday on the bubble. And then they received a 9-seed. What that meant is that they not only had to upset 8-seeded Oklahoma State but then would have to win at the #1 seed, Indiana.

Something always goes wrong.

Except these Canes wouldn’t allow it to go wrong. Down 17 at the half to Oklahoma State, the season seemed to be headed off a cliff. But a funny thing happened on the way to the conclusion to the Canes’ season.

They refused to let it end. Miami blitzed the Cowgirls to start the second half and in the blink of an eye had tied the game. They then overcame some bad luck and atrocious officiating to see the game out, winning by 1. That win happened in Bloomington, but it was forged over years of character building wins and losses.

But Indiana promised to be a different challenge.

Maybe it was because no one gave them much of a chance. Maybe it was because the team was finally getting close to healthy. Maybe it was because if you spend so much time doing things the right way, you’ll eventually come out on top.

Whatever the reason, no one in Assembly Hall was prepared for the Category 5 hurricane that these ladies unleashed on Indiana. The Canes jumped the Hoosiers and as the lead continued to expand, the Canes dream started to become a reality. If you thought Indiana would go away easily, you haven’t been paying attention.

Something always goes wrong, and in this case, the something was missed FTs and clutch 3-point shooting from Indiana. Miami was on the precipice of clinching the game multiple times, but found themselves tied with 6 seconds left, staring overtime in the face.

There was only one thing left to do. Coach Meier best summarized what happened next. “You give Miami a chance, Miami’s going to win the game.”

And you know who the ball was going to. Miami’s destiny was in Destiny’s hands. And she delivered, as she always does.

Something always goes wrong…except this time the Canes said no. They were no longer going to be denied. After 18 years, Coach Meier’s family had reached their destination. Redefining toughness.

A weaker culture would have folded.

Folded when the media scrutiny attempted to turn the Cavinder sisters into a side show.

Folded when the coach was unjustifiably suspended.

Folded when several key players were injured.

Folded amidst a rough patch.

Folded when the NCAA tried to derail the season.

Folded when they were drawn into Bloomington.

Folded down 17 to Oklahoma State.

Folded when Indiana tied the game.

But not these Canes. Their Destiny was in Greenville. Perhaps it was because of rather than in spite of the tribulations that the Canes are so strong. The familial bonds forged in practiced, hardened under unjust criticism, refused to be broken.

For Coach Meier, it is another step on her ascension up the historical ranks of great coaches in women’s basketball history.

Sometimes, good people finish first. Sometimes life is fair.

Sometimes, nothing goes wrong.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a journalist for @FiveReasonsSports. He covers the Miami Hurricanes for Sixth Ring Canes and Formula 1 for Hitting the Apex. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Concerning Trends for the Miami Heat Late in the Season

/0 Comments/in , /by

The end of the regular season is quickly approaching, and the Heat wasted another opportunity to regain ground in the standings. True to its nature, whenever Miami starts showing a semblance of its former self, the group reminds its observers why it shouldn’t be trusted.

The outfit’s latest back-to-back road trip ended in a split against sub-.500 teams. Chicago struck first blood Saturday, and Miami regrouped for a win over Detroit Sunday.

A Dub over the Pistons, who have 16 wins, is not enough to wash away the Heat’s recent sins. Detroit was down its two finest snipers, Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks, and it still found a way to momentarily take a seven-point lead towards the end of the third quarter led by young players and dudes no other team wanted.

For the eight previous games to the weekend tour, the Heatles were converting 40% of its 3-point attempts. In the last two, Miami reverted to misfiring on makeable looks, dropping only 30% of its tries.

Aside from the hopeless shooting return, the defense has lost its bite. For the season, this crew is second of 30 teams in opponent points allowed (109.5). In the last 14 games since coming back from the All-Star break, Miami has dropped to 17th (114.6) in the same category while going .500.

The paint protection hasn’t been as strict for the last 14 games as well. The Heat is giving up 49.9 interior points when the back line was its strongest characteristic on defense all year. The squad has done such a fine job for most of the season containing the square that it is still second in the league in guarding the box.

On the visit to Chicago, Miami suffered its fourth first half giving up at least 70 points since the weeklong hiatus. Each time a rival has gashed them this hard through the first 24 minutes, they lose. Milwaukee, Philadelphia, New York and now the 10th-seeded Chicago outfit ravaged the Heat early in the last encounters. The only one of these nights Miami found its stroke from the outside was against the Knicks on March 3, but the team had to come back from down 15 points.

Enough time has passed this season to understand that the Heat is not a team built to come back from leads or sustain them. The role players are not as precise from deep as last year when the group had the most accurate long-range shooters in the league. This decline is one of the main reasons why the Heat has found itself in so many close games.

Going 2-0 over the weekend would have put them a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets for sixth place in the East, but the White and Red sit a match back. Hurdling a spot in the standings with that bit of separation and nine games left is feasible. But only for good teams. Three of Miami’s last seven losses have come against below .500 squads. Through 89% of the campaign, the Heat haven’t been more than mediocre.

Five of the last nine games are on the road, where the band’s record sits at 15-21.

It’s still too early to call if the Heat will thwart the sixth seed, but if it grabs it, Miami is likely a first-round exit. Boston or Philadelphia will claim the third spot, and neither is a favorable matchup with how Miami has struggled to defend the point of attack. If it enters the Play-In Tournament, the Heat may go down there.

 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Poach Shorthanded Grizzlies at Home

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat earned its third-largest win of the season (19 points) while hosting the Grizzlies minus Ja Morant, Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke.

Through the first half, Miami pierced the heart of Memphis’ defense 13 times and unexpectedly shot 40% (6/15) from 3-point range. On the other side, the Heatles forced eight turnovers, held the visitors to 18 long-range misfires (7/25), and only allowed three free throw attempts in the first 24 minutes.

Jimmy Butler scored easily against single coverage and couldn’t be restrained from getting to the line. Defenders couldn’t stop the ball when he drove left or beat him down the court when he picked off a pass.

Bam Adebayo had a dozen points coming from transition, pick and pop, putbacks, and a bailout jumper, and Herro had nine points with four dimes in the first half.

Coach Erik Spoelstra stashed Victor Oladipo on his bench and rolled with Kyle Lowry and Haywood Highsmith as his second-quarter substitutes. Lowry hit a triple in the left corner when the ball swung back to him after Memphis sent two at Herro at the key. He also beat David Roddy off the dribble from the top to the inside for a three-foot bank shot. Highsmith defended well in his four minutes and picked up two rebounds.

Despite the absence of Morant’s speed in the last six games for Memphis, the outfit’s pace has dropped from seventh in the league to ninth with Tyus Jones at point guard. On Wednesday, the Grizzlies tried to outrun the slower Heat but got beat in fastbreak points 16-10.

Without two solid backline defenders in Adams and Clarke, Memphis was exposed in the interior when point-of-attack defenders were caught on the ball handler’s back hip. The visitors gave up 62 paint points and 16 second-chance points to Miami.

Adebayo didn’t encounter much difficulty matching up with Jarren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman. #13 logged his first basket from six-feet away in front of both of them when they doubled him after the catch. His next three field goals came against Tillman, and he finished the night with two more scores with Jackson as his defender, hitting a floater over him in the lane and dunking past him on the break.

At the intermission, Miami was up 63-51. In the second half, the Heat’s defense was not as strong, allowing 68 points, but the squad put 75 on its scorecard. In the third quarter, the hosts logged 42 points, making it the second-best 12-minute stretch of its season behind the 45 points scored in the third quarter of a win at home versus Charlotte on Nov. 12.

In the third frame, Herro shook Dillon Brooks on the baseline, hitting a 15-foot jumper. Against drop coverage, #14 sliced into the paint and nailed a floater over Jackson.

Adebayo, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin didn’t miss from the field in quarter three either, combining on impeccable six baskets.

At the start of the fourth, the Heat had a 28-point advantage. Butler didn’t play a minute of this stretch, but Spo kept Adebayo in until there were over five minutes left while the lead was at 26. Max Strus and Martin were the only team members to stay on the court all of the fourth quarter.

In his new role as the second-string point guard, Lowry put up eight points with four boards and four assists in 20 minutes. Spo is still tinkering with lineups as the season nears its closing, but the win over Memphis was the second straight game Kyle’s minutes have been that low. If the Heat’s offense continues to blossom with this experiment, it may be worth keeping in action long term.

At the postgame presser, Spo joked that he had to look at the scoreboard 10 times during the fourth quarter to confirm the lead.

“It does feel good to have one of these kind of games where a lot of guys play well,” Spo said.

Over the last eight matches, the Heat averages 121.1 points a night. The offense being more intentional and the team getting to its “strike zones” is what Spo said pleased him most about the plan of attack.