NCAA Basketball Season So Far: Surprises Everywhere

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Basketball is a long-drawn, high-scoring game – and possibly nothing better could give you that adrenalin-rush than a match, given up for lost, suddenly turning around and reversing the result at the end of the buzzer. 

The start of the 2021-22 NCAA Season had much of such drama, with many top-seeded teams unable to justify their ratings against unranked adversaries, except pre-season favourites Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears, both of which made it all the way to the finals. 


This season talents have sparked quite some interest worldwide, as seen in the NCAA rising stars overview by Vietnamese sportsbook Vwin99.

If the results of the initial matches were any indication, very few favoured teams from the original list of 64 made it to the sweet 16 roll, some of them waylaid by other college teams given less than favourable chances of victory.  For the first time in 45 years, for example, Duke and Kentucky did not qualify. 

But even the eventual Gonzaga Bulldogs versus Baylor Bears faceoff in the finals was not without its share of drama. The Gonzaga Bulldogs, steered by its long-time, 22nd year head coach Mark Few, whose mentoring reputation was on a downslide after years of lacklustre performance, finished the regular season with a surprising perfect record of 24-0.  The Bulldogs achieved success by mercilessly running roughshod over anyone who got in their way, including 2nd ranked Brigham Young University (BYU) and 4th best Saint Mary’s College.  

The Bulldogs’ one final victory over the Baylor Bears would have completed a perfect sweep and won them the championship.  But this was not meant to be.  The Bears played the spoiler’s role with an emphatic 86-70 clincher over the Bulldogs, to win for the first time the much-coveted 2021 NCAA Season.

The Bears were firmly in command for the most part of the game, leading by as much as 20 points at one stage.  Rising star Jared Butler, who now wears a Utah Jazz uniform in the NBA, led the assault with 22 points and seven assists.  It wasn’t a one-man show though.  MaCio Tague contributed 19 points and Davion Micthell added 15.  Bulldog Jalen Suggs, now playing for the Orlando Magic in the pro league, took the cudgels for Gonzaga with 22 points. 

The Bears were 43.5 percent from the three-point area, while the Bulldogs had a measly 29.4 percent.  The Bears were even more ferocious under the net, gobbling up 16 offensive rebounds against only five by the Bulldogs. 

It was truly a season of surprises.  After all, the 2020 NCAA basketball season was unceremoniously cancelled due to health concerns.  The 2021 version would have also been placed in the backburner for the same reason, except that the organizers were more creative in finding ways to ensure that the event was sealed off from the virus. Even if it meant holding all the games only in the state of Indiana for the first time in NCAA history. 

Aside from the Bears’ historic first NCAA title, the other big winner of the season is the NCAA itself.  

Tournament organizers defied the odds of withdrawals left and right due to health protocols, to successfully hold the competitions and to lay the groundwork for another exciting tournament starting in March this year.    

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Boston

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The Miami Heat had a short rotation in this one without Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker, and Kyle Lowry, and well, they fell short to the Celtics.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Super rough offensive start by Miami.

When looking down the roster of available players, it felt like Tyler Herro starting was the move. The reasoning was that plugging in Caleb Martin and Max Strus for Jimmy Butler and PJ Tucker leaves you with a very little amount of shot creation to open up the game. And well, two Duncan Robinson fouls later and an eventual 14 point first quarter, it was showing that formula wasn’t the right play tonight. The only way to survive in that state is to both bomb away from three and capitalize in that fashion. Yet, nothing seemed to fall in that opening spam, or the ones that followed. Then, a first half turn was made in that second quarter, while it felt the energy levels picked up after some tough Tyler Herro shots and creation. Yet, once again, that was the end of that run shortly after.

#2: Is there more to unpack with Caleb Martin?

When grabbing the defensive rebound with clear numbers in front, a certain outlet pass always seems to be the right one: Caleb Martin on the break. There aren’t many better options in that space, since not only is he an athletic finisher, but he’s hard to slow down in space, and can collapse a scrambling transition defense like seen in that second quarter. But in a big picture sense, I think there might be more to unpack with Martin offensively. Seeing him drive with the right into a strong poster dunk on Robert Williams aside, he continues to show these half-court flashes as a penetration guy. I’m not sure if the handle is all the way there for that consistently, but on night’s like this with limited creators and play-makers, it’s not the worst thing to open up. Since well, his role all year is to just plug right into the role of whatever is necessary in that game.

#3: Silva-Adebayo spark?

When that game turned around early as mentioned before, it was kind of sparked by a front-court of Bam Adebayo and Chris Silva. Totally normal, right? This is not to have the Adebayo at the 4 conversation, since he’s certainly a perfectly fitted 5 on this roster when healthy, but it makes sense in games like this one. If Omer Yurtseven wasn’t in protocols, it would be a great trial run, especially considering Boston’s big front with Al Horford and Robert Williams. Anyway, they went the Silva-Adebayo route for that stretch, and the part that stood out there was Bam not having to play the middle of the 2-3 zone. With clear mismatches, zone was the only usable outlet in this game in general, but rebounding was problematic at times within it, due to the inability to just put a body on your match-up. But Silva got some boards, and it led to a decent run for Miami on the other end. In all, it just didn’t make much sense, so necessary to bring up. (And yet, not something I’d love to see again…)

#4: The hardest game to adjust the offensive plan.

Coach Erik Spoelstra has found a way offensively whenever guys have gone down, but looking around as Miami trails in the third, it just felt like they didn’t “have enough.” The reason is that Adebayo getting his fourth foul meant more on Gabe Vincent’s plate, and not in a positive light. Vincent isn’t a true point guard, but he’s been an incredible filler due to his ability to get Miami into their offensive triggers with the regular starting lineup around him. Tonight, specifically when Adebayo went to the bench, Vincent was asked to work an offense that essentially had no triggers. Like I said, we’ve seen Miami adjust to things offensively, but the one and only way to get out of it was to play the perimeter game and try to shoot your way out of it. Just a rough match-up when you don’t have that main element.

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#5: Onto the 4th game in 5 nights.

Well, after seeing Miami’s struggles without 3 starters, while the others were completely cold from beyond the arc, the fifth takeaway has to be onto the next one. Or more importantly, onto the next injury report. It’s pretty clear that Butler and Tucker needed to take this game off, even if it ended in an L, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they immediately came back tomorrow. This team has fillers for singular players and can step up into different roles, but 3 starters down is just another beast. It’s no longer asking to plug a specific skill or role, but now you’re forcing these fillers to shift the prior theme and simply enter takeover mode. Like I said, Martin had moments, and Max Strus put together a pretty impressive night, but that’s the complementary element. They just didn’t have the thing to actually be complemented in this one.

 

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Miami Hurricanes lose Bryan McClendon to Georgia Bulldogs

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The Miami Hurricanes will need to look for, at the very, least a new wide receivers coach. Per a report from David Lake of InsideTheU, co-offensive coordinator/ wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon has accepted the wide receiver coach position with Georgia.

McClendon was part of the group that followed Cristobal from Oregon to Miami . With this latest news, this leaves running backs coach Kevin Smith, offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a as the three announced coaches on the staff.

This is certainly a big blow for the Miami Hurricanes. As you all know, I like to look at things from a recruiting perspective. McClendon has a knack for finding and recruiting players in South Florida. Now, the Miami Hurricanes will have to battle with McClendon in order to land to those recruits. Part of the excitement over Miami bringing McClendon was his ability to be a successful recruiter and talent developer, as well as his familiarity with the South Florida area.

Andy Jean, Miami’s latest receiver commitment was recruited by McClendon. It will be interesting to see if Jean sticks with Miami as McClendon leaves the program.

To me, this is a big blow for Miami both in terms of player development now, and in terms of recruiting. With Georgia coming off a national championship victory, adding a coach like McClendon will just make them stronger.  Recent success also works in Georgia’s favor here. Georgia has the type of recent success where players want to go and play. The Miami Hurricanes have to build that.

Last week on the show, we talked about the possibility of McClendon leaving. There were rumors out there. Now it’s official. This is certainly not ideal for the Miami Hurricanes, but with Mario Cristobal at the helm, there should be confidence that whoever is McClendon’s replacement will be a good fit. Recruiting battles in South Florida are about to become a lot more fun over the next couple of years. This is storyline that we will certainly be watching.

 

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Goldie’s Conference Championship Best Bets: Mahomes Again

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Goldie:

All Time Record: 296-148-1          

Vs. Spread: 222-222-1

 

21-22 Season:  170-93-1               

Vs. Spread: 133-133-1

 

Divisional Record: 1-3          

Vs. Spread: 1-3

 

Guarantee Record: 17-15

Upset Record: 18-13              

 

Crazy Uncle Jeff 

All Time: 36-18              

21-22 Season: 20-17       

Final 2020: 16-1

 

After almost two full seasons of picking games with C.U.J., I find myself 100% even against the spread. Same can be said about the Divisional Rounds as well, even. Because that’s what the games were, even. With each game ending with a walk-off, that was the most exciting Divisional Round maybe ever. Speaking of even… I was 13 seconds away from nailing the Bills Upset and ending the Divisional Round even on the week, but Patty Mahomes had other plans and I’ll have to settle for 1-3. Nonetheless, we charge onto Championship Sunday full steam ahead! All gas, no brakes!

 

AFC Championship Game

Cincinnati Bengals (12-7) @ Kansas City Chiefs (14-5)

Vegas Line: KC -7

Goldie’s Take: Chiefs Win 35-31

Yes, the Chiefs just put on one of the greatest postseason performances in NFL history. Yes, the Chiefs (on paper) are the better team in this matchup. Yes, the Chiefs will be at home with the game being played at Arrowhead. HOWEVER, a full TD point spread is straight up disrespectful to a Bengals team that deserves to be here. Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level, and the Bengals have proven they can hang with the league’s top teams. In fact, these Bengals already beat the Chiefs this season in their week 17 matchup in Cincy. Fully expecting another shootout in this one, as neither team is really known for their defense. Banged up Chiefs D should have a hard time stopping the high-powered offensive attack of the Bengals. That being said, I trust the experience of Mahomes and Andy Reid in this moment to put them over the top. Expect Burrow and the Bengals to keep this one close until the end, but pick KC to get the win at home and advance to their third straight Super Bowl. 

 

P.S. Jeffy says buy the half point and take the Chiefs at -6.5

 

Crazy Uncle Jeff’s Lock of the Week: LAR -3.5

NFC Championship Game

San Francisco 49ers (12-7) @ Los Angeles Rams (14-5)

Vegas Line: LAR -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Rams Win 26-21

The Rams had a chance to eliminate the Niners from playoff contention before the playoffs even started. The Rams failed at that, and now they see each other again with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The Rams have the better quarterback, wide receivers, defensive line, and secondary in this matchup. Yet for some unknown reason, they can’t seem to beat the Niners. San Fran is currently on a 6-0 run against their division rivals, and many around the league believe the 49ers are in the Rams head. Jeffy and I take the opposite school of thought when approaching this game. The Rams are just too good for that unlikely streak to continue. Also, it’s Matt Stafford’s time. I can’t see Matt Stafford go from beating the greatest quarterback ever, just to lose to Jimmy Garrapolo the following week. Sean McVay and the Rams finally rid themselves of the awful 49ers curse, and get a chance to be the second team in history to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium!

 

*****

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to the Raptors

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The Miami Heat were in the mud against the Toronto Raptors. The absolute mud. Down 10 heading into the fourth, then boom, they hit you.

They looked like they had it handled late, but a late foul call gave Scottie Barnes two free throws to send it to OT.

Then it went to double OT. Then Triple OT.

But eventually, they fell short after a missed Herro three to potentially take the lead in that third OT.

So, here are some takeaways from this one, mostly focusing on regulation…

(Full 7 quarter dive tomorrow morning)

#1: Toronto’s unique team providing visible issues for Miami.

On paper, the Toronto Raptors are the type of team Miami should struggle with. Not only do they have length, but they have switchable length. We saw that early in this one with Miami’s offense, specifically in non-Jimmy Butler lineups or pure bench units. The reason is that they can cut off the head of the snake at an elite level, which was Tyler Herro in these stretches. That led to just horrible looking offense, due to the inability to trigger their main actions. On the other end of the floor, there were certain match-ups that it was clear Miami needed to key in on. Gary Trent Jr was cooking, Fred VanVleet provides problems, and Paschal Siakam can really take advantage of the mismatch. The issue: Miami was providing that mismatch frequently early on, since soft switching was seen most.

#2: Pure Jimmy Butler offensive takeover.

Well, Jimmy Butler went nuclear in that first half. We saw him score 24 points in that span, but it was more about how he was doing it. Not only did he spark his entire team, and the whole FTX Arena, to finish the second quarter, but his finishing was being shown at an elite level. Emphasis on elite. It’s something we keep track of often when Butler gets around the rim, but he was finishing in acrobatic ways around the Raptors lengthy match-ups, instead of the usual pure bully ball against weaker defenders. Stuff like this needs to be viewed at a broader level in moments like this: when Butler’s playing like this, he’s hard to stop. And less importantly in terms of team success, that Eastern Conference starting All Star spot looks closer to being filled.

#3: An intriguing PJ Tucker skill.

A PJ Tucker skill on a Heat post-game piece? Who would’ve thought? I could potentially spend way too much time on the things Tucker provides as a spacer on both ends, but it’s important when noticing some areas of him branching out slowly within his role in that corner. Early in the first, Tucker catches in the corner, puts the ball on the floor to drive baseline, hangs in the air, and hits Gabe Vincent in the opposite corner. Shortly after, Tucker and Vincent copied and pasted the same exact play on opposite sides of the floor. Why is this important? Well, when things breakdown in a playoff series to much simpler elements, an ability to have your corner specialist as something other than a stiff shooter is so crucial. And after we’ve seen his play-making surge, it isn’t the worst thing to get to.

#4: Tyler Herro still searching for the length counter.

Looking down the line of this season, aside from the last time Tyler Herro faced the Raptors, some of Herro’s worst games come when he faces a great amount of length. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the first one as they oddly slowed down Herro with one big guy rotating over on him after another as he tried to drive, but the Toronto Raptors seem to provide even more problems. With Herro’s need for the screen, every time one comes it’s a new switchable Raptors defender to hound him. And like I said prior, placing Scottie Barnes on him during the all bench lineups really cut off Miami’s offensive mobility. If he can’t breakthrough that specific match-up, we will see more teams take their lengthy, versatile defender and place him onto Herro in different playoff series.

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#5: Max Strus comes alive to begin the fourth.

Down 10 going into the fourth quarter, while efficient offense doesn’t even seem like an option, Spoelstra rolls out the Vincent-Herro-Strus-Martin-Dedmon lineup. A few minutes later, Nick Nurse is on the court calling a timeout following two big time Max Strus threes and a Gabe Vincent lay-in. More big time fourth quarter plays came after that as well, including a Tyler Herro shake on OG Anunoby for a three and a miraculous shot by Butler as he forced it up and off the glass. But the point is this: seeing Strus do what he does best, which is spark things for the Heat’s offense, sums up his role later in the season quite perfectly. Robinson will probably be the lone rotation shooter, but when offense can’t get going, and you’re down double digits in the fourth, look to Strus since there’s a chance he can bail you out. But yet, he wasn’t the closer. Three more quarters came shortly after, and Miami fell just short.

 

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Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes land 2023 speedy, local receiver in Andy Jean

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The Miami Hurricanes were able to get a commitment on Saturday as 2023 wide receiver Andy Jean committed to the Hurricanes.

Jean is from Northwestern High School. A three-star recruit, Jean is the 53rd overall wide receiver in the 2023 class, and the 71st overall player in the class from the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. However, those initial rankings are a bit deceiving. In terms of a numerical measurement, as Jean is rated as an 88 numerically.

In addition to Miami, he had offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Florida State, and Georgia. However, he chose to call Miami home. Most recently, he was able to get an offer from Michigan on January 27. He was recruited to Miami by wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon

Jean was a very productive wide receiver for Northwestern in 2021. He caught 40 passes for 733 yards and eight touchdowns.

What would he be able to bring to the Miami Hurricanes?

Taking a look at his highlights, I was very impressed by his speed. Jean played very well on the outside, and that was where he was most comfortable. As soon as the ball is snapped, he is able to blow past the defense immediately. He is able to beat defenders with his pure speed and that allows him to be a  downfield threat.

Measuring in at six-foot-one, 175 pounds, Jean is the perfect size for an outside receiver. His combination of speed and athleticism will be able to help Miami immediately. When you look at the types of wide receivers that the Hurricanes have wanted to recruit, he certainly fits the bill.

Miami currently has two commitments in the 2023 class. The class itself ranks 46th overall nationally, and seventh overall in the ACC per the 247Sports Team Rankings. Lamar Seymour is the other commitment.

This is another big commitment for the Miami Hurricanes, and Jean gives them another weapon to add to their offense for the future. Offense is the name of the game in college football, and Jean should certainly add an explosive element to the offense.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Clippers

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The Miami Heat faced the LA Clippers on the front end of a back to back, and the Heat closed it out late as the Clippers fought hard to make a comeback.

Another big shot from PJ Tucker in the corner was truly the dagger, as some Jimmy Butler late free throws put them over the top.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Jimmy Butler’s best individual skill on display.

After seeing Jimmy Butler’s hot start on Friday night, it was clear that has left big toe was far from irritated. Flowing into offense nicely, hitting guys on back-cuts constantly, and well, being the defensive anchor in a very favorable defensive scheme. It may sound odd, but he’s better defensively against spread out talent. Big time names are individual fun for Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker, but Butler’s home is off the ball. Ivica Zubac catches it at the elbow extended early in the first to get the Clippers into offense. Butler edges up slowly on the weak-side, then bursts. Butler always likes to call it timely gambles, but I call it a pure skill and knack that he possesses. Much like he can make unbelievable reads on the offensive end as a passer, his defensive reads bypass it by far.

#2: Duncan Robinson happened again, but mixing in other things.

When you see drop coverage, you see Duncan Robinson. As I’ve said in the past, it’s much easier for him to flow into looks with the task of just eliminating his one on-ball defender on the perimeter. But it puts a defense in an odd spot any time he touches the floor. It only takes one possession where a miscommunication occurs, and there Robinson is in space firing away a triple. Aside from those obvious elements, his reads were incredible early on. And when I say reads, I mean his off-ball ones. Moving with the ball on the attack, watching his defender sink into tagging mode, then flying right down the baseline for an easy layup inside. His cutting was great in this one, and like I said, it just puts that much more stress on a defense on a nightly basis. Crazy what making shots can shift.

#3: Oh, PJ Tucker was active early offensively? What a surprise.

When watching a Heat game this season, it’s impossible not to notice PJ Tucker on both sides of the floor, each and every possession. He’s just so active in that space, that it’s hard to miss his hard lay-out screens, crafty positioning within the perimeter, and volume shot making. The outside shots were there once again early on, but the inside flip shots closely followed. His presence down there was a necessity with the way the Clippers would collapse, and it actually led to a few trips to the line for him, on a night where there was a very friendly whistle on both ends. We can evaluate his impact as a role player under a microscope night in and night out, but the truth is he isn’t playing like a role player. He’s performing like a core piece, and it doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.

#4: Gabe Vincent decided to join in from one spot on the floor tonight. Just one.

Whenever Gabe Vincent is discussed on these post-game pieces, it’s usually me highlighting his defensive expertise with elite ball pressure and half court hounding. But tonight…tonight was different. Vincent absolutely exploded in the third quarter, three after three after three after three. Most of them seemed to come from that right wing without moving, but all jokes aside, this is a guy that has made two total transformation in the span of two years. Straight shooter converted to defensive stopper with point guard duties, while the shot now loops back around for another cycle. There’s great developmental stories in the Miami Heat’s franchise history, but then there’s Vincent. Simple in a class of his own in terms of immediate turn around stories. But as he told me before the season, he altered his jumper for the better.

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#5: Predicting the Miami Heat’s late season rotation is a pointless exercise.

Whenever I address the Heat’s potential rotation late in the season after certain guys play well, something is noticed: it’s constantly fluctuating on opinion. But at this moment in time, it feels like one thing is apparent. As good as Max Strus has been, and can continue to grow the more games he plays, it just seems like he’s not in a simplified rotation if Duncan Robinson is playing this way. We were saying the same thing when Robinson went through his slump, but now that Robinson is moving, it doesn’t look like he’s going back. The way is to clearly lean toward defensive guards, in Vincent and Caleb Martin, who are shooting at an incredible rate at the moment. Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo will be back eventually, but for now, these two guys are filling in just fine.

 

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Miami Hurricanes still in pursuit of five-star RB Reuben Owens

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Earlier this week, it was reported that the Miami Hurricanes were making progress in communication with  four-star running back Mark Fletcher. Now, it appears that they are going after some other high-profile running back targets as well.

2023 running back Ruben Owens is being pursued by Miami. Owens is a five-star recruit, and is the second overall running back in the 2023 class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the third overall player in his class from the state of Texas.

Owens has Hffers from the likes of Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, and USC. He is one of the most sought-after running backs of this class.

He does have a little bit of history with the Miami Hurricanes. Last year, the program extended him an offer on June 18 via the previous staff. Gary Ferman of Canesport wrote a report on Thursday, indicating that Miami is still high on the running back’s list.

Owens would brings speed to Miami Hurricanes

Measuring in at five-foot-11, 195 pounds, Owens is a speed back in every sense of the word. In watching some of his highlights, it was evident that he could use his speed no matter what situation he was put in. From runs to the outside, to runs inside, it didn’t matter what type of run situation he would be in. He was able to find holes quickly, and then accelerate, leaving defenses far behind.

Owens recorded 2,989 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns on 248 carries for El Campo High School last year. In three years of recorded statistics, he tallied 5,308 yards and 76 touchdowns on 388 carries. Owens was a major piece of the El Campo offense last year.

Right now, all Crystal Balls point to him going to Texas. However, in this wild day and age of recruiting, you can never be certain about a player’s commitment to a school until the player actually takes the field. Kevin Smith wants to land impact playmakers in his running back room. Owens would certainly be a fit.

 

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Breaking Down Inter Miami’s Pre-Season Scrimmage vs Universitario

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Inter Miami has hit the hard reset button.

After an off-season reboot that saw sixteen players leave and eleven (and counting) be brought in, the South Florida club was back in action as they took on Peruvian club Universitario.

Though the roster is not complete, nor are they regular season fit, Phil Neville’s men put on a show in Fort Lauderdale putting four goals past the “U’s” defense. 

The scoring got started in the 19th minute with an own goal by Universitario’s Nelson Cabanillas.

Miami continued to put on the pressure and added to their lead with a fantastic goal by Homegrown defender Ian Fray. Miami ran away with the match by the second half as they added two more goals from wingback Harvey Neville and defender Ethan Hardin.

With their first ‘tune-up’ match out of the way, let’s break down what Inter Miami could tactically look like when the season starts:

New Look Miami

Neville lined Miami up in a 5-2-3, a formation he often used in 2021. However, this iteration of the “back five” looked quite different.

It was less of a flat back five and more a 3-4-3. The wingbacks pushed high and wide and acted as an outlet when Miami wanted to hit Universitario on the counter:

Most of the offensive build-up came through the center backs. McVey specifically, was very active on Miami’s left-hand side. His passing was crisp, solid, and he had several line-breaking through balls that kept Miami’s attack flowing freely.

Both of the centrebacks that flanked Aime Mabika had the freedom to roam forward and help in attack – take Fray’s goal for example:

Moving on to the midfield, Jean Mota did not disappoint.

The 28-year-old midfielder showed why Inter Miami’s Sporting Director Chris Henderson values him so highly.

The central midfielder looked lively.

He wasn’t afraid to throw himself into tackles and showed that he had a good passing range. Once his fellow Brazilian Gregore makes a return to full fitness, the duo will make an extremely formidable midfield pairing.

Looking at the attacking front trio of Robbie Robinson, Gonzalo Higuain, and Ariel Lassiter, not much has tactically changed since last year.

Wingers are told to get in behind the defense and try to go direct as possible while Higuain drops deep (but not too deep) to add creativity in the midfield.

Neville did say in his post-match conference that they have been “working on several formations.” While the back three is something they used during the friendly, Miami will more than likely use a myriad of tactical setups throughout the season:

Some of the standout players in the match were: Jean Mota, Ian Fray, Christopher McVey, and Edison Azcona.

If this friendly is anything to go by, Inter Miami fans have plenty to get excited about as they head into the 2022 season.

Wha’s Next?

Inter Miami will continue their season preparation this Saturday, January 29th as they take on DC United in a closed-door scrimmage.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Knicks

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The Miami Heat took down the New York Knicks at home in comfortable fashion. Pure offensive and defensive control from the tip-off to the final buzzer.

Tyler Herro returned, Jimmy Butler stayed steady, and PJ Tucker and Duncan Robinson provided the needed boost.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Duncan Robinson killing the Knicks early in ways we’ve seen, PJ Tucker in ways we haven’t.

The Miami Heat came out absolutely firing to start this game, and it was generated by two people in that span. Duncan Robinson had a very favorable match-up with this Knicks defense, since you ultimately feel much more comfortable with him against that deep drop. The screener just needs to take out one defender, leading to wide open looks immediately, before they begin to blitz out a bit later. PJ Tucker, on the other hand, goes on offensive runs in an unexpected manner, since well, “offensive runs” and PJ Tucker never used to mix. Jimmy Butler did a great job of drawing bodies on drives and finding the corner shooter on the kick-out, which Tucker was the result back-to-back early in the first. Then once unexpected corner gravity occurs, that floater and oddly amazing finishing enters.

#2: Tyler Herro is back…like he never left.

Tyler Herro entered the health and safety protocols about a week ago, but he made his return in this one. But while Robinson exploited things that made sense on paper, Herro went in a different direction. All indicators were that Herro would totally exploit the mid-range pull-up against that drop, but he utilized the other two elements of his game instead early. The three was falling, but more important, his downhill presence was something to note. Initiating contact on pick and roll drives while finishing in traffic is quite the consistent addition for his offensive game at this point. But just overall seeing him control the game in full bench lineups, while handling and creating for himself at an extremely high level, are the most essential parts about this one. When his creation looks like this to score, it changes the offensive trajectory of this team.

#3: Miami’s defensive excellence early on was expected on paper.

Much like I said Robinson had a visible advantage on paper, the Miami Heat’s entire defense had a favorable match-up. After seeing the Knicks immediate reaction when things go down, they completely spam strong side Julius Randle reps for him to try and score or create. But the Heat love that type of play-style since they can speed you up right out the gate. When switching the way they have, the plan was to fully double Randle in that high post upon any insertion, much like they did against LeBron James a few nights ago. And when he begins to make the quick reads, it’s all about rotating on the back-side at a high level, which they did for some time. But minor tweaks had to be made, such as leaving less of a gap between the weak-side corner defender and the corner shooter. And well, those adjustments are what make this defense so scary.

#4: Another night of pure Jimmy Butler all around control.

Jimmy Butler followed up a game where he finished with a triple double in a pure passing clinic, by coming right back around the next game for another display of pure all around control. For one, to touch on a few points from before, he’s the beneficiary for the hard doubles on the high post guy, since frankly, that’s his defensive home. He also had some moments of very nice reads, specifically on drive and kicks, but the story was his scoring. A high scoring night from Butler is great, but a high scoring efficient night from Butler is what takes him up a notch. He was finishing at a high level around the rim, which could go either way at times, and just really utilized a ton of angles to his advantage throughout. Butler may be evaluated under a microscope at times, but man can he control a game like this with plain ease, making the Kyle Lowry return even more intriguing.

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#5: This Heat team’s depth isn’t just when guys go down. It’s a nightly event.

Whenever you watch this Heat team. Whenever you hear people talk about this Heat team. Whenever you look at the roster of this Heat team. There’s a similar theme that always pops out first when looking for adjectives: depth. Guys go down, others step up, and it’s just nothing new since it’s a “next man up” mentality. But that description isn’t as simple as just having back-up plans when guys are out or aren’t performing to their standards. More importantly, this is a team that can hurt you with so many different groups on a night to night basis. What I mean by that is, as we saw tonight, it was Butler-Herro-Robinson-Tucker who led the way offensively. But over this past week, Vincent-Strus-Martin-Adebayo have all had “game-high” moments as well. That’s what makes this group so scary, and as we continue to say, they still aren’t full. Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo are still looming in different manners.

 

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