To make matters worst, the pass interference wasn’t called on the field, but was reviewed and reversed.
Flores didn’t want to answer questions about the call when speaking to the media. As we saw during the game, he was quite animated after discovering the no-call was reversed.
Brian Flores is rightly furious. They have made such a farce of these interference calls. #Jets would’ve been fourth and long even if it was complete. Instead they win on a last second field goal. I would trade coaches with the #Dolphins in a heartbeat.
“It’s a tough call,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “We had guys step up. Pat Laird made some nice plays and Isaiah made some nice plays. Those are the things I try to focus on as the positives for us and the things we did well and maybe some of the things we could have done better. We obviously scratched and clawed our way back into that game and it would have been a nice one to win.”
Jason Sanders converted a franchise-record seven field goals in the loss. However, if Miami had found the end zone at least once, the call would’ve been a non-factor.
“I think we’re all disappointed,” Fitzpatrick added. “We’re just disappointed in losing the football game. There’s a lot of emotions that go into that.”
Nik Needham finished with four tackles, two passes defended and was in coverage for the game-changing call.
“Honestly it’s trash,” Needham said of the call. “We lost on a call. It’s trash. I’m not going to lie.”
Despite low expectations, it is clear that the Dolphins were never trying to “tank” the season away.
“Any loss is tough to swallow,” Flores said. “So, this is no different than any other loss. They’re all tough to swallow. Our guys played hard and I’m proud of the way they work. It’s a tough one.”
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Flores2-scaled.jpg17112560Jake Mendelhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgJake Mendel2019-12-09 11:00:032019-12-09 10:10:44Coach Flores and players on the Miami Dolphins voice frustration following loss to Jets
One of the key philosophies of the New England Patriots for the past decade has been their ability to take backup players and make them play like starters. Whoever takes the place of the injured player has to provide the same level of play. Teams in the NFL look for that “next man up” mentality year in and year out. Only some actually manage to find it. However, it seems that the 2019 Miami Dolphins are on their way to putting it all together in that regard.
Observe what Miami has endured this season in the injury department. Even after trading a vast majority of their best players, those who remain on the team still are not contributing due to circumstances beyond their control. They are now all on season-ending injured reserve.
CB Xavien Howard – Knee
WR Jakeem Grant – Ankle
WR Preston Williams – ACL
SS Reshad Jones – Chest/Ankle
FS Bobby McCain – Shoulder
And the list goes on and on from there. As a result, the Dolphins are being forced to call on players who normally wouldn’t even make an NFL roster to take their place. Yet they make it work. They compete week in and week out in spite of their withering roster.
Unfortunately, it got even harder for Miami on Sunday. Both DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson, two of the Dolphins remaining wide receivers, left the Jets game with possible concussions. That left only Allen Hurns, newcomer Mack Hollins, and the returning Isaiah Ford as their wide receivers for the game. Parker is having a career year, so losing him especially hurt.
“It definitely made it a little bit difficult.” Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said after the game. “We had guys out there hobbled and giving everything they had. I was proud to be in the huddle with those guys. I know there’s a lot of stuff people won’t see or don’t really care to write about, but there were some guys that really gutted it out today. It was tough sledding in the second half from communications and lining up for us just because of some of the injuries we had.”
But again, while it was tough, it wasn’t impossible. Isaiah Ford responded by playing the best game of his career. The young receiver out of Virginia Tech caught six passes for 92 yards against New York. Obviously, he’s unhappy with the loss. But he’s glad he got a chance to show what he’s capable of.
Undoubtedly, it’s good to see players like Ford stepping up. But who could predict the Dolphins would even be in this situation by this point?
“Just when you thought this season couldn’t get any crazier.” Fitzpatrick said. “Isaiah has been on the active (roster) and off, on the practice squad and up and down. He’s worked so hard. He’s a guy we have so much faith in as quarterbacks because whenever anybody has a question, sometimes when coaches have questions, we’ll go back to Isaiah and say, ‘What is this signal? What is this route?’ and he knows everything. I was happy to see him get out there and get an opportunity to catch some balls and really take advantage of it and make the most out of it today.”
In spite of that, Brian Flores admitted that it isn’t easy to compensate for the loss of top players like that.
“It complicates things a lot.” He said. “Obviously, when you go into a game with a specific game plan with guys in mind. When you lose one player at any position, you have a backup for that. When you lose two, that’s when it’s tough … Again, Isaiah Ford stepped in and played well. Mack Hollins who we just got a couple days ago, he stepped in and gave us some good snaps, drew a pass interference penalty. And then our tight end group, they really stepped up for us. So, I thought as a collective group, given the adversity of losing two guys, I thought we battled through it.”
Once again, coaching deserves credit for adapting and helping players shine in bad circumstances. Flores will have a lot of roster turnover come next season, with talent coming from free agency and the draft. But here and now, he has to work with what he has. What he has is not good. However, that’s what “next man up” is all about. The Dolphins are taking players who have far less talent, and bringing it to the wire every game. That alone is a sign of things to come.
Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter:@LuisDSung
The Miami HEAT came into Friday night’s matchup with the Washington Wizards off of a 2-1 road trip highlighted by an OT win against the Toronto Raptors. After another road back to back loss against one of the league’s top teams, a home tilt against the sub .500 Wizards felt like a welcome respite.
Before the game Wizards coach Scott Brooks had high praise for Bam Adebayo and the Heat coaching staff saying, “(Bam) is a bonafide star big in this league.” As a thank you for the kind words, Adebayo scored a quick 10 pts in the first quarter, including a couple of butter smooth jumpers that other teams have been daring him to take.
Bam starting to get comfy w/ the midrange jumper as a face-up move. Made two in the first 5 minutes
Adebayo got some help in the 2nd quarter as Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro came to life. Despite their efforts, the Heat trailed going into the half for only the second time this season due to an uncharacteristically poor defensive effort. The Heat struggled to contain Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans in particular, with Bertans going 4 for 7 from beyond the arc in the 2nd quarter. Kendrick Nunn continued his recent struggles with only 3 points in the first half and a couple of sloppy sequences.
The 2nd half defense was far better than the first as the Wizards – one of the most potent offenses in the league – only managed to score 38 points. Offensively, the trio of Butler, Adebayo and Herro continued their scoring barrage but the Heat struggled to increase or even maintain a lead going into the 4th.
So with a tight game and the clock winding down, the Heat turned to their closer. Butler was brought to Miami for a myriad of reasons, but foremost amongst them was to give Coach Erik Spoelstra the kind of closer the team hasn’t seen since Dwyane Wade left for the Chicago Bulls.
With just over a minute left and the Heat leading 108-103, Butler had seen enough. He calmly stepped into a 25 ft 3 point shot that iced the game and gave the Heat a win. In typical Butler fashion, he stomped his way to the Heat bench after the Wizards called timeout and shared some “colorful” words with his teammates. The kind of aggressive action that may have rubbed some of his past franchises the wrong way, is embraced in Miami, if not encouraged.
Jimmy Butler is the closer we’ve needed the last 3 years
Miami went on to win by a score of 112-103 as Butler finished with a triple double (28-11-11) to remain undefeated at home. Adebayo chipped in a double double (24 pts and 14 rebs), while Herro added 22 pts of his own.
But the night belonged to Butler who shared some words with this former coach Tom Thibodeau on his way off the floor. Thibs was all smiles as he watched his former superstar close out an opponent in familiar fashion. Seemingly happy for Jimmy, as he has finally found an NBA home.
The Miami Heat (15-6) return home Friday against Washington after finishing their three game road trip with two solid wins.
Those two wins against the Nets and Raptors showed Miami could compete with anyone away from the American Airlines Arena.
Now the Heat return home where they are 8-0 and have once again solidified their home court advantage.
This bodes well for a Heat squad that either narrowly missed the playoffs or had less than ideal postseason seeding in recent years.
Taking a look back at some of those past seasons may not be an indicator of future success, but it can provide some context on the importance of holding serve on your home floor.
The 2010-11 Heat team featuring the “Big 3” lost in the NBA Finals to Dallas and finished 29-12 at home and 58-24 overall, the road success was equally as important that season.
Miami had winning streaks of 12, 9, and 8 games that season, but did have a four game home losing streak as well. They stepped it up on their home floor in the NBA playoffs with a 9-2 home record, winning all home games in the first three rounds before collapsing and losing two out of three to Dallas in the NBA Finals -including Game 6 to end it.
In the 2011-12 season the Heat were once again strong on their home court en route to their second NBA title, finishing with a 28-13 home mark. This team was less streaky than the previous year with a long winning streak of nine games, the Heat would have several five game runs as well.
GUTS CHECK: Dragic Delivers, Herro Heroics, Jimmy the Closer – Five Reasons Sports Network https://t.co/pcfyu7F9PS
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) December 3, 2019
Miami would elevate their play at home during the playoffs, only dropping two games. The Heat were down 3-2 to Boston in the Eastern Conference before a season saving win at the TD Center in Game 6 would set up a closeout game at home. In Game 7 Miami wore down Boston 101-88 at home and earned their second straight finals trip. Having home court in that series made a huge difference.
Miami would match up with a young Oklahoma City team featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in the NBA Finals. After dropping the opening game on the road, Miami would put their foot down and swept the next four including the last three at home.
The 2012-13 team took that earlier success to new heights on the way to back-to-back titles and they obliterated opponents at home, finishing with a 37-5 record.
During that campaign the Heat opened with a 9-0 home mark, and won 16 straight at home during their epic 27-game run overall.
That season would also end with two of the most iconic home games in Heat history.
Miami was down 3-2 in that series against San Antonio and on life support coming back to Miami after losing twice in the Lone Star State. Lebron James would silence the critics on his home court with a triple double (32/10/11) in Game 6, followed by dropping 37 points in Game 7.
In the last season of the Big 3 era, 2013-14, Miami would again finish with a stellar home record of 31-10. They won five straight games at home twice, and also notched a nine game run during the regular season. It seemed like the Heat were poised to win their third consecutive title once the playoffs started, Miami won all eight home games in the first three rounds on their way to a Finals rematch with San Antonio.
Home Court Taketh Away
That series would be different in one huge regard as the Spurs possessed home court, opening with a 110-95 win in San Antonio. Miami would bounce back in Game 2 and send it back to the 305, however the offense would fall apart in spectacular fashion.
The Heat would lose Game 3 111-92 and Game 4 107-86, their lowest point total of the postseason. This collapse would be too much to overcome as San Antonio would exact revenge in Game 5 on their home court 104-87 and emphatically closing the championship window for that Heat team. James would subsequently depart back to Cleveland, and a middling era of Miami Heat basketball would ensue.
Miami would miss the playoffs in the 2014-15 season and had a losing record (20-21) at home, finishing 37-45 overall and missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. In the five years after losing in the finals to San Antonio, Miami missed the playoffs in three of them. In 2016 they finished 41-41 overall and just 23-18 at home, narrowly missing out on extra basketball.
Last year the Heat again missed the playoffs and played losing basketball at home, finishing 19-22 at American Airlines Arena. In a mediocre Eastern Conference outside the top group, Miami was poised for a spot in the postseason but could not get it done at home. They lost six straight home games twice and closed out the year losing five of six overall.
Needless to say, this year’s team looks much different than recent versions. The additions of Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, along with the huge advancement of Bam Adebayo has altered the course of the franchise on a dime.
With suffocating defense and timely offense, the 2019 Miami Heat are beating the teams they should.
Whether on the road or at home, they seem less susceptible to extended stretches of inconsistency this year.
While past accomplishments may not affect the present – given the history and impact of the home record, this version of the Miami Heat is on the right trajectory.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/HEAT-EDIT-2.14.19-1.jpeg425680David Eversolehttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDavid Eversole2019-12-05 16:48:282019-12-05 17:00:28Home is Where the Heat is: Why Miami Needs Home Cooking
The Miami Heat are set to take on the Boston Celtics in what should be a great test for a young team. With the Boston Celtics coming in with a 14-5 record, they are certainly one of the top teams in the conference. Miami needs to focus on limiting Boston’s free-throw opportunities if they want to win this game.
Coming into Wednesday’s action, shooting guard Brad Wanamaker is ranked ninth in the NBA in free-throw percentage. With a 90.7 % from the line, he is extremely successful from there. Point guard Kemba Walker also touts a 90.7 percentage from the line. Part of the reason for their success is that they are able to get the line often.
One of the things the Boston Celtics have done well this year is get to the line. They are a team that likes to drive to the basket, and initiate contact. Walker does it very well in particular. Once he gets a full head of steam heading to the basket, it is difficult to stop him. Wanamaker does a good job of initiating contact on the shot. As soon as he releases the basketball, he looks to initiate contact with the defender.
Walker is 78-86 from the line this season while Wanamaker Is 41-45 from the free-throw line on the season.
What can the Miami Heat do to stop this?
In addition to Walker and Wanamaker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are also very good at driving to the basket. That quartet will undoubtedly keep Miami off-balance. Miami needs to force them to take perimeter shots and play tight defense. It may sound a bit strange, but Miami should live with them making jumpers this game. If Miami lets them go to the rim, they will force the Heat into foul trouble and put the Celtics at the free-throw line.
The Celtics are in the middle of the pack when it comes to making three-point shots. Converting at 34.5%, Boston has struggled a bit in that area. Miami should look to contain the drive to the basket and forced the Celtics to take uncomfortable shots. It’s easier said than done, but It can be done. If Miami wants to keep the winning streak going, they must avoid putting Boston at the free-throw line.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/2019-12-04-1.png10801920Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2019-12-04 18:47:062019-12-04 18:47:06Miami Heat: Team needs to avoid fouling inside the paint
In a season of lows, Ryan Fitzpatrick has provided some excitement for Dolphins fans. Miami has won three of its last five games and Fitzpatrick is a crucial part of the recent run.
Sunday’s 37-31 win over Philadelphia was no different. Fitzpatrick finished the afternoon with three touchdowns and 365 yards. His favorite target on the day was DeVante Parker, who caught seven receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick showcased his big arm on a third and 13 from Miami’s 40-yard line that went 52.4 yards through the air and ended in Parker’s arms for a long completion.
Parker and Fitzpatrick have developed quite the rapport. Parker already has career highs in yards and touchdowns. He also caught touchdowns in three-straight games earlier in the season. Keep in mind, there are still four games remaining in the 2019 season.
It is also worth noting that Ryan Tannehill, the former quarterback with the Dolphins, was responsible for one of the week’s longest passes. Tannehill has been impressive with the Titans since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback. He has thrown 12 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a quarterback rating of 113.9.
The Titans are currently 7-5 and riding a three-game winning streak. They’re currently one game behind Houston and will play them twice over the seasons final four games.
Miami will look to end the season on a good note. They’ll head to New York on Sunday to face Adam Gase and the Jets. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Fitz-Kilgore-scaled.jpg17112560Jake Mendelhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgJake Mendel2019-12-04 15:37:582019-12-04 16:55:32Ryan Fitzpatrick’s bomb to DeVante Parker was the longest pass of Week 13
The three-point shot helped Miami defeat a tough Toronto team.
The Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors by a 121-110 score on Wednesday night. A big reason for the win was the Heat’s success shooting the three-point shot.
As a team, the Heat went 15-of-38 from behind the arc. Duncan Robinson had the most success for Miami. His play has improved over the past couple games, and he made a major contribution on Tuesday night. He went six-of-nine from the three-point line and totaled 22 points. That was tied with Jimmy Butler for the team lead on the evening. As a team, they shot 39.5% from behind the line on the evening.
The team also stifled the Toronto Raptors three-point shooters. Fred VanFleet was held to three-of-nine from behind the arc. In 43 minutes of play, he could not get anything going at it consistent rates. Kyle Lowry also had a rough night, missing all 11 three-pointers he took. The player who had the most success from three-point range was Serge Ibaka, going two of three from beyond the arc.
There are definitely other factors as to why the Miami Heat won. However, making the three-point shot offensively while eliminating it defensively was crucial on Tuesday night. Miami is third in the league in thee point percentage at 38.9 %. They make 12.6 three-point shots per game while attempting 33.8 per contest.
The three-pointer hasn’t always been a big part of Miami’s game. However, that is the way the game is trending. Threes are huge part of what many teams do, and it’s nice that Miami has capable players that can get it done on the roster. Their efficiency in shooting the three-ball will help them come playoff time. Now, they look to continue their success from beyond the arc against Boston on Wednesday. The Celtics have capable three-point shooters in their own right. Tipoff in Boston is 7:30 pm.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/2019-12-04.png10801920Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2019-12-04 14:03:232019-12-04 14:03:23Miami Heat: Three-point shot rules the day in win over Raptors
A Miami Heat rookie received an accolade on Tuesday. Kendrick Nunn was named to the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November.
Nunn is the first Miami Heat player to win the award since Josh Richardson in 2016.
He averaged 14.1 points per game in addition to 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. He had four 20-point games in the month of November. His best game came against Cleveland on the 14th. In that contest, he played 37 minutes , going 10-of-16 from the field. Scoring 23 points, he also recorded five rebounds and eight assists. His efficiency from the field has also been impressive. Prior to Tuesday’s game, he is shooting 46.4% from the field and 36.2 % from behind the three-point line.
In his last game against Brooklyn, he started the month of December off right. In what was a balanced team effort, he scored 11 points and chipped assists in 25 minutes play. He has been a strong source of secondary scoring. With Jimmy Butler averaging 18.8 points on the year, Nunn is second on the team in ppg.
Nunn is a great story to boot. Having gone undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, he was in the G-League just last year. Now he is making valuable contributions for the Miami Heat. Miami begins a tough two-game stretch on Tuesday night. They face the Toronto Raptors, and then the Boston Celtics and what should be great tests for the team. Tipoff for Tuesday’s game is 7:30 PM.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/CB1EEE06-2695-4601-830F-A4C7A1A58462.jpeg16882164Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2019-12-03 18:10:422019-12-03 18:39:48Miami Heat: Kendrick Nunn named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of Month
The Miami Heat are set to battle the Toronto Raptors in a battle of the second and third-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference. There are certainly many storylines to watch in this game, as both teams have talent and stars at several positions. With what looks like an even matchup on paper, the margin for error shrinks. This is something that could work to the Miami Heat’s advantage in one area in particular: rebounding.
Toronto has given up the second-most rebounds in the NBA. With 48.5 per game allowed on the season, they trail only the Chicago Bulls in that category. The 13.2 offensive rebounds are the most-allowed in the NBA and they’re tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for 17th in most defensive rebounds with 35.4.
The Miami Heat have certainly done their part in keeping opponents off the glass. They allow the least amount of defensive rebounds per game with 31.2 per contest. They also only allow 9.3 rebounds per contest on the offensive glass.
For what it’s worth, the Miami Heat are 20th in the NBA 44.6 rebounds per game. They average nine rebounds on the offensive glass and 35.6 rebounds defensively.
Opportunities for second-chance points for Miami Heat
The lack of rebounding on the part of Toronto and Miami’s willingness to crash the offensive glass may work out in their favor. This may lead to second-chance points: a category that Miami needs to be better in. They rank 21st in the NBA with 12.4 second-chance points per game.
Miami put together a good rebounding game on Sunday against Brooklyn. Outrebounding the nets 62-56, they certainly were able to win the battle on the glass. Winning that same battle will be important for Miami on Tuesday night. This Toronto team is extremely talented, especially on the perimeter. Bam Adebayo had 16 rebounds on Sunday night,leading the way for Miami. He leads the team in rebounds and 10.6 per game on the season. Expect him to play a crucial role on Tuesday night.
This will be a great test for the Miami Heat and a win against the Raptors will add another impressive notch to their 2019 season. But in order to do that, they have to rebound.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Bam-3.jpg5621024Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2019-12-03 13:13:292019-12-03 13:13:29Miami Heat: Rebounding will be crucial against Raptors
Dolphins sign defensive back Eric Rowe to three-years, $18-million contract extension.
Prior to the 2019 season, it was Minkah Fitzpatrick that was praised as the versatile defensive back in Miami’s secondary. However, not long after the season kicked off, did his true colors start to show. And whether it was an outburst from his mother on Twitter. Or a dispute with the coaching staff privately, Fitzpatrick was never going to last in Miami. So, the Dolphins traded him to Pittsburgh in exchange for a first-round draft pick. Unfortunately, this left a large hole in the back-end of the Dolphins’ defense. One that wouldn’t get situated until midway through the 2019 season.
The unusual suspect was Eric Rowe.
Rowe, 26, was a New England disciple. He spent three seasons with the Super Bowl Champions, before following Coach Brian Flores and his staff to Miami. He was widely considered a low-risk, high-reward signing–a placeholder, some might say. But since transitioning to safety after the Dolphins suffered a plethora of injuries, Rowe has been outstanding. This season, Rowe has started 11 games for Miami recording 59 tackles with 7 pass defended. Again, he has been outstanding since mo
On Sunday, Rowe made his presence felt. He continued is dominance vs tight ends, something Miami has failed to do as of late. In fact, Rowe held Zach Ertz to just three catches for 24 yards. He also broke up a touchdown in the back of the endzone, that could’ve significantly altered the outcome of the game.
