Top 5 Moments from the Miami Heat’s Playoff Run

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This Miami Heat playoff run was filled with historical performances and plays in some of the biggest games. Here are the five best moments from this stretch…

Number 5:

Bam Adebayo’s 32/14/5 in the Closeout Game Over Boston

The Miami Heat were up 3-2 in the series against the Boston Celtics, and had to play an intense game six. Many proclaimed this game as a must win for Miami, which seems ridiculous due to the amount of talent on this roster. But when Miami needed a big game, Bam Adebayo showed up big. His stat-line in this closeout win is clearly impressive, putting up 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, but that doesn’t even explain what he did. He took over down the stretch of that game, proving that he can be the best player on the floor when he wants to be. A huge And-1 late in the fourth quarter gave Miami a huge boost to send them to the finals, which was an outstanding performance from Bam.

Number 4:

Jimmy Butler Game Winning Free Throws Over Milwaukee

The Miami Heat faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks in game two of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, which was a wild finish. The game was tied with four seconds left, and Jimmy Butler got fouled on a baseline jump-shot with zero seconds on the clock. And who better to put on the line than the cool, calm, and collected Jimmy Butler, which led to him sinking both of them to go up 2-0. Not only was this an amazing play for Jimmy Butler, it was an insane finish from a viewers perspective. This was a huge moment in the series, which led to Miami winning in five.

Number 3:

Tyler Herro’s 37 Point Game Against Boston

This absolutely amazing game from Tyler Herro was impressive for a couple of reasons. For one, he’s 20 years old taking over a game completely, that involves Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum. Nobody could stop or match Tyler Herro’s offensive play, especially since he was doing it from everywhere on the floor. Another reason it was so impressive was that he did it so efficiently. He shot 14 for 21 from the field and 5 for 10 from three. It’s not everyday that a rookie scores 37 points in an Eastern Conference Finals game, which is why it’s the third best play of the postseason.

Number 2:

Jimmy Butler’s 40 Point Triple-Double in Finals

This game was just a clear representation of who Jimmy Butler is. A winner. He showed that he can play a certain way throughout the entire season, but turn it on when need be. For starters, scoring 40 points along with 11 rebounds and 13 assists in a finals game is absolutely insane. But what made it more special was that he did it without his co-pilots, in Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. He also had to do it against two of the five best players in the world. This was a perfect example of putting a team on your back to try and get a win. This game also gave Jimmy Butler the respect from national people that everyone else has known for a while now.

Number 1:

Bam Adebayo’s Game Saving Block On Jayson Tatum

And no surprise here, one of greatest defensive plays in Miami Heat postseason history, which there’s a debate it could be number one. Just to focus on the play itself, a block to win a game is outstanding in itself. But doing it on a dunk attempt, which you use your off hand is on another level. And then to think of the stage that it’s on. Not many people have the ability to make that type of play physically, but Bam Adebayo is just a freak of nature. This block gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the series, and also gave Bam the notoriety that is much deserved. Some even began to talk about Bam as a rim protector, but clearly he is much more than that. This play is clearly the number one play of Miami’s hisorical playoff run.

Dolphins Win 49ers

5 Takeaways from Dolphins Win over 49ers

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When the 2020 schedule came out and Dolphins fans saw a Week 5 game against the defending NFC Champs in San Francisco, most chalked that up as a loss. But quite a bit has changed since then, including the NFL’s schedule. And instead of a loss, the Dolphins went into Levi’s Stadium and dominated the 49ers, earning a 43-17 win.

With the win, Miami improved to 2-3 on the season and injected new life into their potential playoff hopes. With the schedule changes, the Dolphins could be favored to win four of their next six games.

Here’s a look at five takeaways from the Dolphins win over the 49ers.

Aggressive Play-calling Leads to Offensive Explosion

The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game averaging 23.3 points-per-game, a respectable figure despite the 1-3 record. However, a week after settling for five field goals in a 31-23 loss, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey seemed focused on getting his club in the endzone.

Miami opened their first offensive series with a 47-yard connection from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Preston Williams. From there, it seemed like the Dolphins offense marched up and down the field at will, often attacking San Francisco’s secondary.

Miami totaled 43 points on the road in this one, a figure the club hadn’t reached since scoring 45 in 1986. The 436 yards of offense were the most this season and the team’s most on the road since 2016. The Dolphins’ nine scoring drives were Miami’s most since 1991.

The first half offense caught fans off guard for how effective it was. Miami ran 33 offensive plays and gained 281 yards in the half, an average of 8.5 yards-per-play. The Dolphins scored three times from the two-minute warning and finished with 30 points overall. It was just the third 30-point half since 2000 for the Dolphins.

Preston Williams Returning to Form in Dolphins Win over 49ers

Williams went from being an unheralded, undrafted fringe prospect, to one of the league’s most exciting rookie wideouts last season. But in November, Williams suffered a torn ACL which ended his year. Since, he’s been diligently working to regain his form and confidence.

And after an uneven start to 2020, Williams broke out in a big way against the 49ers. Williams caught four passes for a career-high 106 receiving yards and a touchdown. He had pair of plays over 30 yards, including the touchdown, as well as another 19-yard gain.

His ability to create separation and sore over smaller defenders to secure catches was something unseen from Williams since prior to his season-ending injury.

“I’m getting closer to that year mark with my knee,” Williams said. “I’m starting to get more comfortable out there … just trying to get back into that football shape and get me feet back under me. I know a lot earlier in the year I was falling off some routes. Now I’m starting to feel better every week.”

Pass Rush Gets Home, Helps Secondary in Dolphins Win over 49ers

The Dolphins entered Sunday’s contest with nine quarterback sacks, but they had struggled t contain mobile quarterbacks this season. San Francisco’s starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, coming off a high-ankle sprain, looked hobbled all day, and the Dolphins took advantage of that.

Miami teed off on 49er quarterbacks, bringing pressure and getting eight quarterback hits. That’s the second-highest total this season, behind the 10 QB hits against Jacksonville (the Dolphins other win this season).

Miami tallied five sacks on Sunday, the most in a game since 2018. Five different defenders registered a sack in this one: Jerome Baker, Emmauel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts, Zach Sieler and Andrew Van Ginkel. Ogbah and Van Ginkel each had a strip-sack.

The consistent pressure from the Dolphins defense forced San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan to make a change under center. The 49ers went with C.J. Beathard in the second half in an effort to protect Garoppolo.

This pressure helped the Dolphins secondary find its form in this one as well. The return of Byron Jones certainly helped, too. Xavien Howard picked up an interception in a third-straight game and Bobby McCain added one as well. Miami’s pass rush and secondary limited the 49ers to just 128 net passing yards, the fewest allowed by the Dolphins since 2018.

Jason Sanders Could Be Best K in Dolphins History

One of the clear bright spots through the inconsistent play early this season has been Jason Sanders. After a five-field goal performance in Week 4, Sanders followed that with another stellar effort in this one. He netted all five of his field goal tries and each of his four point-after attempts.

Sanders 14-for-14 start to the season broke a Dolphins record for most consecutive field goals made to open a season. Pete Stoyanovich (1990) and Olindo Mare (2001) shared the previous 13-for-13 mark to open a season for Miami.

Sanders has now netted his last 16 field goal attempts, going back to last season. That’s tied for third among most consecutive makes in franchise history. The record is 19 straight makes by Mare (1999). Sunday’s game marked the third time in Sanders’ career that he’s hit five field goals in a game, which set a new franchise record.

It Might Not Be Tua-Time Just Yet

On Wednesday, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said: “Right now, we feel like Fitz gives us the best chance to go out to California, complete and try to win a ballgame.” Those words seemed prophetic, considering Fitzpatrick’s performance and the Dolphins dominance overall.

Fitzpatrick completed 22-of-28 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. He posted a passer rating of 154.4, which is the second-highest mark in his 16-year career and the third-highest single-game mark in franchise history (Fielder, 156.0, at Dallas 2003; Tannehill, 155.3, v Oakland, 2018). Fitzpatrick has now thrown over 300 yards in five of his past seven games.

“People hate me, people love me, depending on the week,” Fitzpatrick said.

The Tua-time crowd will likely be silenced for a time after Fitzpatrick’s performance. Coming off an ineffective two interception game in a loss last week, the cries for Tua Tagovailoa grew louder. Some saw Week 5 as the chance to switch to Tagovailoa, but an injury to starting left tackle Austin Jackson may have slowed that momentum. And after his performance this week, Fitzpatrick is likely the starter for the foreseeable future.

Tagovailoa remains the backup for now, in part, because Flores believes Fitzpatrick gives the Dolphins the best chance to win. And with the shuffled schedule putting winnable games on tap, Miami will push for the playoffs.

Flores says he’s confident that should Tagovailoa be forced into a game that he could go in there and be effective, but he doesn’t feel the fifth overall pick is ready to take over as starter.

“I think (Tagovailoa) continues to improve every day,” quarterbacks coach Robby Brown said. “He comes in, he works hard from a mental perspective. He works hard from a physical perspective. He’s sitting under a really smart guy right now that helps him out. He asks good questions during the game sitting there listening to the play. Then when we come over and look at the pictures, he asks good questions, so I think his development, I’ve been pleased with it so far. It’s just … keep doing what he’s doing, and going in to prepare every single day. He’s done a good job with that.”

A Journey through the NBA Bubble: A Miami Heat Playoff Run

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There were a lot of question marks next to the July 30th NBA return date for multiple reasons. For one, Covid-19 is effecting lives each and every day, so players had to make a decision to pack it up and leave their families. It also felt like basketball wasn’t important at the moment, due to the social injustice that were going on in our country. And lastly, players didn’t know how safe or realistic a bubble situation really was.

There were even more question marks next to this Miami Heat team heading in. Nobody really turning their heads towards this team or giving them any credit. But that’s exactly how they wanted it.

In mid-July, this Heat team was preparing to take that 3-hour bus ride all the way up to Orlando. Only one problem. Miami was facing their own Covid issues.

Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn tested positive for the Corona virus, which put even more unknown on this team. Not only about the timeline of these guys, but how the virus could affect them going forward.

They did indeed battle through, arriving to the bubble late, but just in time for the first game of their 8 regular season games.

Erik Spoelstra’s rotation decision was then put on blast in the first game of the season. He decided to take Meyers Leonard out of the rotation, even though that starting lineup was the most effective lineup in the entire NBA.

Miami ended up going 3-5 through those eight regular season games, ultimately dropping them down to the 5 spot in the East, to play the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

Many were picking the Indiana Pacers to beat Miami for a bunch of reasons. TJ Warren was just coming off an outstanding run through his first eight games, looking like he can’t be stopped. But that was before he had Jimmy Butler matched up with him.

Goran Dragic took the reigns of this Heat offense, scoring 23 points a game in the first round against Indiana, leading Miami to a 4-0 sweep against the four seed.

But then it was time to move on to play the best team in the NBA with MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. It was clear that Miami had some advantages over this Bucks team, since they matched up with them so well throughout the season.

Miami continued their defensive plan by throwing a bunch of guys at Giannis, and it clearly worked. Jimmy Butler set the tone early in this series with an insane game two finish, after he got fouled with zero seconds on the clock, and hit the game winning free throws. They took a 3-0 lead over the one seed, and then Giannis went down early in game four. Milwaukee battled through to give them a win behind the heroics of Khris Middleton, but Jimmy Butler and company closed it out in five.

Now Miami is on to the Eastern Conference Finals, to play a very young and talented Boston Celtics group. And thus was the emergence of Bam Adebayo. An incredible game one finish, where Bam Adebayo met Jayson Tatum at the rim on a dunk attempt to win the game. He took over the series on both ends of the floor, even though the Bam and Theis match-up was considered a “wash.” He averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists a game in the Eastern Conference Finals.

And in the most pivotal game in the series, where Boston could’ve tied it up 2-2, a 20 year old rookie rose up to the occasion. Tyler Herro dropped 37 points in game four, putting this Miami Heat team up 3-1. They closed out the series in game six, getting this Heat team to an NBA finals.

Now they’re on to face a familiar face in LeBron James. Many story-lines were discussed heading into this one, but ultimately there is only one goal. After some tough sequences in game one, the Miami Heat lost both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic to injury. When that occurred, many said it’s an obvious sweep and there’s no point of tuning in.

And well, think again.

Jimmy Butler knew he had to step up and be the guy that he’s very capable of being. Miami went down 2-0, but never doubt the guy that’s been doubted his whole entire life. Jimmy Butler got Miami a win in game three, putting up a stat line of 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in one of the best individual performances this league has seen. And that wasn’t the end of that hungry Jimmy Butler.

After Miami went down 3-1, Jimmy scored 35 points, along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists, to send LeBron James and the Lakers a message that they’re not going away without a fight.

Miami ended up losing the finals series in six games, which was a tough way to go out in a historical playoff run.

This run proved a lot of things for this Heat team.

Jimmy Butler is a straight up winner who hasn’t gotten the respect that he absolutely deserves.

Bam Adebayo’s ceiling is just unknown, since he seems to be getting better and better by the day.

Tyler Herro is doing things at 20 years old that many players have only dreamed of doing.

Erik Spoelstra once again proved his coaching excellence.

The players continually talk about the dogs in that locker room, and this run further proved that. The adversity that this group had to face to get to this point is second to none.

But now it’s time to look forward.

As Jimmy Butler said after their game six loss, “Now I need to win them one next year.”

And with the evolving players that he has beside him after getting this playoff experience, there’s a good chance he could win them one next year.

 

 

Dolphins schedule

Dolphins Schedule Update

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The NFL handed down a massive announcement on Sunday in the wake of positive COVID-19 tests involving the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots. This change resulted in a domino effect which altered the schedule for eight different teams, including the Miami Dolphins.

Sunday’s announcement revealed eight different changes to the 2020 schedule, affecting games in Weeks 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as the shifting of bye weeks.

Dolphins Schedule Changes

For the Dolphins, the league’s decision to push back the Broncos-Patriots game by a week knocked over the dominos for the Fins. Instead of a road game in Denver next week, the Dolphins will now host the New York Jets. In the original 2020 schedule, Miami faced the Jets in back-to-back games (Week 10, Week 12) with a bye in between.

Considering the Jets’ 0-5 record and struggles overall, Miami could enter their bye with a 3-3 mark. After a week that saw Ryan Fitzpatrick lead Miami to a win over the 49ers, another win could further delay the eventual turn to Tua Tagovailoa as starting quarterback.

After the new bye week in Week 7, Miami will host the Los Angeles Rams (4-1) in Week 8. Then, in Week 9, the Dolphins travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals (3-2). Both of those contests were unchanged from the original schedule. For Week 10, Miami will host the Los Angeles Chargers (1-3), a game originally scheduled for Week 7. From there, the Dolphins Week 11 contest will be in Denver against the Broncos (1-3).

“It’s a different year, and everyone has t adjust and be flexible,” said Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. “We just have to adapt.”

Flores revealed he met with the club before the game against the 49ers to talk them through the schedule changes. He also mentioned the coaches have already begun breaking down film of the Jets in preparation for their next game.

It seems clear the NFL remains dead set on fully completing its regular 16-game schedule slate. This change took place early enough in the season that the league had space to rearrange contests. Should a similar situation arise closer to the end of the season, that might force the NFL to push back playoff games or even alter the playoff format.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Season Ending Loss in Finals

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It was a tough night for the Miami Heat in game six against the Los Angeles Lakers, which led to a loss 106-93. Nothing seemed to be clicking for Miami throughout this game, and was a tough way to go out after this incredible run. Well, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Bam Adebayo just clearly isn’t 100%.

One of the biggest keys for the Miami Heat to win game six was a healthy Bam Adebayo. And it was clear from the jump, that wasn’t the case. He did not have that same energy or bounce on either end of the floor and it showed. Although Jimmy Butler has had some huge games in this finals run, Bam is still the engine to the team. So when he isn’t bringing it, it’s hard for others to do so. And once again, that’s clearly because of the injury that occurred in game two, but he has tried to battle through it. It did showcase his toughness, but it took a toll on this Heat team. Without that Bam Adebayo that they had in the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s tough to close out a talented Lakers team.

#2: Miami going away from Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn early was problematic.

The biggest takeaway from this game was that Erik Spoelstra made some questionable substitutions in the first half. Duncan Robinson clearly had it going and Kendrick Nunn seemed to have picked it up where he left off, but they somehow found themselves on the bench. The insertion of Goran Dragic into the game was meaningful for the Heat organization and fan base, but may have hurt them in game six. Especially since Miami’s shots weren’t falling and the spacing was off, it was interesting for Spo to go that long without subbing them back in. This isn’t to say that the Lakers wouldn’t have gone on that run if he went this route, but seemed as if it may have given them a better shot.

#3: Offensive issues led to turnovers, which led to a flowing Lakers offense.

The offensive issues that occurred in game six were pretty obvious. For one, they just weren’t hitting shots. And when this Heat team isn’t hitting shots, it’s a hard game to win. Another thing was that the spacing was completely off for Miami. That may have had something to do with the fact that the offense was stagnant, but the answer isn’t to have three guys stand in one corner. This ultimately led to a ton of Miami turnovers, and that’s one thing you can’t do against this Lakers team. Once LeBron James gets going on the open floor, it’s hard to stop, and that’s exactly what he did tonight. The Lakers took advantage of Miami’s mistakes, much like the Heat did in game five. An overall tough night for Miami led to this loss.

#4: LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been tested all series long, but that wasn’t the case in game six.

You can only go so long without two of the five best players in the world dominating. As mentioned previously, on a night where mistakes are constantly being made by Miami, these guys will take advantage of them. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were assertive throughout, taking control on both sides of the floor. Miami’s plan coming in was to double team LeBron and AD, and make the role players beat you. And well, they stepped up as well, due to Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope having huge games on the offensive end. The defense for Miami wasn’t the problem though, but the offensive issues led to defensive breakdowns. LeBron and AD made sure to pounce on a troubling Heat team in game six, and they came out with the victory.

#5: Although a tough outcome, what a run it has been.

It’s hard not to focus on the actual loss that Miami endured in game six, but you have to take a look at the big picture as well. This Miami Heat team wasn’t supposed to even be here in this situation, but their grittiness and will to win got them here. This is not a time to be down after a loss in the finals, it’s actually a time to celebrate for the development and future of this team. For Miami to beat the MVP, in Giannis Antetokounmpo, in five games, and go on to take down the highly talented Boston Celtics squad, it speaks major volume. And now in the NBA finals. Pushing LeBron James and Anthony Davis to six games, barring injuries from 2 of your 3 best players. This team may not be raising the Larry O’Brien trophy tonight, but they should be holding their pride up high.

Five things to watch: Miami Dolphins vs San Francisco 49ers

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Coming off a terrible loss that we had a chance to win, your Miami Dolphins travel cross country to play the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers and Kyle Shanahan have been dealing with a shocking amount of injuries early on in the year, which will very likely force the 49ers to not have either their starting QB or RB. Can your Miami Dolphins take advantage of an opponent who is struggling to even field a healthy team by all indications? Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Offensive Line

Coming off a game where they only allowed 1 sack, the offensive will once again be asked to slow an effective pass rush down. The injury report has not been kind to the offensive line so far as Solomon Kindley started limited in the week but is now a full participant. Unfortunately, our other rookie Austin Jackson began the week with 2 did not practice designations. Without at least a limited practice before the game, we will most likely be going with a backup LT. Not really the best recipe if you wanted to possibly get your rookie QB some snaps.

Slowing down Shanahan’s Run Game

For us to have any chance in this game, we need to limit what Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers do best, which is run the ball. Like last week and slowing Russell, it is going to a lot easier said than done. They could be down their 2 best RB with both Mostert and Tevin Colman dealing with injuries meaning If we can stop 3rd and 4th string RB from running wild on us, we would be making them one dimensional on offense, which is the opposite of what they want with Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard out there.

Establishing the Run Game

It cannot be stated more what a disappointment our running attack has been. I mean to strictly leave it on the RBs inability to make explosive plays and the coaching staff’s inability to try different players in different roles. This is a sort of revenge game for ex-49ers RB Matt Breida, meaning there would be no better game to get him or even Jordan Howard more than the 4.5 carries they have been averaging over the first four games.

A quarter of the season is gone, and as much as Coach Flores loves Myles for what he represents, he is not a starting RB in the NFL. We need to start exploring all our options because this patriots style of RB use is great when you have talented RBs that can excel in their roles, but when you force Jordan Howard to only be a goal-line back and get 4.5 carries a game when he has shown to be a multiple 1000 yard rusher it becomes increasingly more frustrating as each game passes.

Miami Traveling

Last week I spoke about the Seattle Seahawks and the historical struggles of west coast teams traveling to the east coast and essentially playing a 10am. Well, we can go ahead and reverse the roles because east coast teams traveling to the west have also historically struggled to execute. In what will be a quick trip as the Dolphins are traveling their Saturday due to COVID regulations, can we as a team go in their focus, locked and loaded to get our second W of the year, or will we be flying home Sunday night knowing we just earned our 4th loss of the year?

Coaching Staff

After a quarter of the year, most teams begin an introspective process to assess what went right and what went wrong during the first 25 percent of the year. The entire coaching staff’s performance has to be top on the list of what went wrong.  The entire staff needs to hold themselves accountable as they would a player missing a block, assignment, or tackle.

Decisions are coming on the horizon that could very well affect the next decade of this franchise when it comes to Tua Tagovailoa. Already this week, we have had to “announce” who our starting QB is with Flores coming out and saying that not only is Fitz our starter this week but also that Tua is not ready and that if he was Tua’s father, he would not want him to play yet, but he’s already a snap away from being in the game as the backup QB, so why those comments?

Ultimately, it will take an entire team effort for 60 minutes to steal this game away as we enter 9-point underdogs. Can Fitzpatrick hold off Tua for another week? Will Jerome Baker finally show up after 16 tackles total in the 3 games after his 16-tackle game? How much of a difference will a healthy Byron bring to a defense that has been getting torched all year? All questions of great importance for not just the rest of this year but also next year. Till next time guys, Fins Up!

3 Keys for the Miami Heat to Win Game Six

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The Miami Heat pushed this series to six games after a huge win on Friday night. They are now two wins away from an NBA championship, so here’s what Miami will need to do in game six to force a game seven…

#1: Bam Adebayo will need to play like Bam Adebayo.

It’s pretty obvious that Miami needs an aggressive and energized Bam Adebayo to win basketball games, but that wasn’t exactly the case in game five. It could’ve had something to do with the fact that he’s not exactly 100%. But even a 70% Bam Adebayo is useful for this Heat team right now. They don’t necessarily need him to score 25 points, but they do need him to do the small things that he has done for them all season. Even the dribble hand-off, that they’ve used so much throughout this season, wasn’t used as much as they’d like throughout game five. And since Miami was rolling with Bam as their only big, he will need to be that energetic presence. There is no doubt that he won’t be, since that is just who he is, but if Bam can bring it, there’s a good chance they will be playing another game on Tuesday night.

#2: Miami’s ball-dominant players will need to help out Jimmy Butler.

Jimmy Butler has been scoring the ball at will in this finals run, mostly since he is stepping up when it is needed, especially with Goran Dragic out. Even though Jimmy will need to continue to do that, Miami’s other ball-dominant players will be essential to take a bit of the load off of him for stretches. That starts with Tyler Herro, who has the ability to take control of the offense through his play-making and his scoring. The only problem is that the Lakers’ defense has seemed to try and eliminate Tyler offensively, which is impressive for a rookie to put that much pressure on an opponent. Kendrick Nunn stepped up in the first half, which was exactly what Jimmy needed. Since Jimmy plays both sides of the ball so hard for 47 minutes, by running the offense on one end and guarding the best player in the world on the other end, he will need help. As mentioned, Tyler will need to find a way to take back the offense during spurts.

#3: Miami will need to continue their show-and-go defensive scheme against this Lakers team.

One thing that I noticed in game five was Miami’s defensive scheme seemed a little different. When LeBron James had the ball and had somebody setting a pick, Miami would switch and have Jimmy run over to double. This meant that a guy like Danny Green or Alex Caruso would be left open around the free throw area, with Bam Adebayo or Jae Crowder standing between the player at the basket and him. This is exactly what Miami needs to do, since you want to put the ball in the hands of the Lakers role players as much as possible, just like they did on the final possession in game five. Duncan Robinson has been quite a defensive liability, but this allows him to play more free. The only time it’s a little harder to do this is when Rajon Rondo is in the game, since if he gets the ball at the free throw line with one defender in front of him and a lengthy Anthony Davis by the rim, he will most likely make the right read. If Miami continues this defensive scheme to try and throw LeBron and Anthony off, Miami will just need to capitalize on their offense.

5 Keys for the future Marlins

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It’s hard to put into words what the Miami Marlins meant to Miami baseball fans this year. As we say goodbye to the most successful season in 17 years for the Marlins, it is important to note how bright the future looks. In one year, we turned a 57-105 record into an NLDS berth. If you would have asked anyone at the start of the season if the Marlins would have made the playoffs, let alone the second round, the answer would have been no. Statistically, the odds were 9%, one of the lowest in the league. Yet here we are, looking back at what was and looking forward to what could be. The “Bottom-Feeders” exceeded all of our expectations and don’t expect that to stop. Let’s take a look at the 5 keys to a Marlins playoff run in 2021.

 

Lineup maintenance

 

It’s no secret: the Marlins lineup wasn’t playoff-caliber. The culture carried them, and without adequate changes, we could find ourselves falling short in a 162 game season. The first addition can be found in a solid day-to-day catcher, especially with the lack of apparent confidence in Jorge Alfaro, the retirement of Francisco Cervelli, and the lack of hitting ability in Chad Wallach. There are plenty of options out there ranging from Alex Avila to JT Realmuto (I know). Isan Diaz being healthy fills the 2nd base hole that we struggled with filling. At this point, it’s not necessarily about filling holes, but rather replacing average bats with above-average ones. With just a .244 team batting average and .319 on-base percentage, the Marlins struggled to get on base, move runners over, and drive runs in. Basically, the 3 parts that make an offense successful. The Marlins need to use their elevated status as a competitive team to sign players capable of executing the small ball type game Don Mattingly has seemingly emphasized.

 

Bullpen additions

 

The Marlins bullpen had a good cast of characters but struggled in some situations. Statistically, James Hoyt, Brandon Kintzler, Brad Boxberger, Yimi Garcia, and Richard Bleier were stellar; however, as they age, it feels more like career years than necessarily a consistent output. The Marlins need to be active in the market and find more pieces that can pitch in the 7th, 8th, and 9th, especially when we find ourselves in back-to-backs. There are plenty of plausible cheap options hitting free agency, and it’s up to the front office to go out and find the pieces.

 

Maintain culture within a changing Marlins team

 

This take relies on the previous two. If the Marlins do go out and make the changes necessary to compete, it will be hard to maintain the same attitude that this team had. Realistically, this team won because of their underdog mentality, and the addition of new guys could shift things up. It is necessary that the Marlins keep the “bottom-feeder” mentality if they are to see success next season. It will be harder to keep momentum with more games (162 to be exact) and if this is not maintained, there will be struggles. Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter expect this consistency, but it is easier said than done.

 

Less experimentation

The Fish were expected to experiment this year. With the most roster moves in the league, they had to try new things. This cannot be a reality next season. The guys who play have to be the guys who play, barring injury. It is necessary that we field the same guys consistently every game and develop a routine. The sporadic changes in the field were prompted by an other-worldly situation, but if this attitude remains next year, there will be room for droughts from the lineup and pitching staff. Hopefully, Mattingly is able to fit together the puzzle pieces once and for all and give us a consistent 9 guys on the field.

Veteran led youth

 

We made the playoffs. Whoop Dee Doo. Come March next year, that will not matter. We will be thrown back into the firing squad that is the NL East and forced to prove ourselves again. The veterans have done this, but with countless rookies spreading out our roster, they could be lost in the moment. They accomplished something no other Marlins team has in 17 years. But, just like Marlins teams of the past, could begin a long streak of similar narratives. The veterans such as Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson, and Matt Joyce need to step up and show the younger guys how to play season to season. Show them how quickly people forget what you did, and instead focus on what you are doing now.

 

Closing thoughts on the Marlins

 

It was quite the year. I am blessed to have the opportunity to write and report on my favorite team and watch them in the playoffs. I think I speak for all Marlins fans when I say that I hope this is not it. We want more, and if everything goes as planned, we might just get it.

 

Dolphins 49ers

5 Keys to Dolphins vs 49ers

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The Miami Dolphins (1-3) travel to the West Coast for a key Week 5 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (2-2). Miami looks to rebound after a tough but winnable game last week against the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the 49ers want to win after a disappointing 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

The Dolphins enter the game as a nine-point underdog and they’ve recently placed their starting left tackle on the injured reserve. San Francisco should see the return of their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn’t played since Week 2. Working in Miami’s favor? The 49ers are 0-2 at home this season.

Here’s a look at five keys for the Dolphins Week 5 matchup against the 49ers.

Dolphins-49ers Key: Continue to Stop the Run

Although the defense has not played up to expectations thus far in 2020, one of the areas where they’ve improved from last season is against the run. Miami’s run defense allowed 136.4 rushing yards per game last season. In 2020, after surrendering 217 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 versus the Patriots, they’ve responded since. In Weeks 2-4, Miami allowed just 94 rushing yards per game and four rushing touchdowns total.

They’ll need a similar effort in Week 5 against the 49ers. San Francisco averages 128.5 rushing yards per game in 2020, and they’ve scored seven touchdowns on the ground. Jerick McKinnon leads the team with 193 yards, and the team expects Raheem Mostert to return for Week 5.

The Dolphins will need to improve upon their current mark of 4.6 yards-allowed-per-carry, which is almost equal to San Francisco’s 4.7 yards-per-attempt average.

Blitz a Hobbled Jimmy Garoppolo

The 49ers expect to welcome back Garoppolo for this one. While Garoppolo sat with an ankle injury, Nick Mullens took the reins and did very little, eventually being pulled for third stringer C.J. Beathard.

The Dolphins pass defense has been one of the worst in the league, and that’s surprising considering the secondary was viewed as a strength coming into the season. Byron Jones’ injury certainly did not help matters. Xavien Howard is still rounding into form after last year’s knee injury though he does have an interception in each of the last two weeks. His 14 career INTs are tied for for the second most in the NFL since 2017.

A key for Miami will be to make sure Garoppolo is uncomfortable in the pocket. With a potentially gimpy ankle limiting his mobility, the Dolphins should look to attack with the blitz. San Francisco has surrendered 13 sacks this season, sixth-most in the NFL, despite solid play from their tackles. Miami blitzes 32.6 percent of the time and will need to generate the pressure up the middle.

Dolphins-49ers Key: Limit George Kittle

The key weapon in the 49ers’ offensive machine might be tight end George Kittle. After missing Weeks 2 and 3, Kittle returned the lineup with a monster 15-catch, 183-yard one-touchdown performance last week. He even had an additional carry for eight yards. Kittle caught all 15 targets in Week 4, making him just the fourth receiver or tight end since 2009 to be targeted at least 12 times and catch each pass.

Miami could use Eric Rowe or one of the other defensive backs in coverage against Kittle, but they’ll need to prevent the elite tight end from taking over this contest. They’ll need to use an array of coverages and should throw different defenders at him when possible.

”I don’t think you stop him, I think you just try to limit him,” head coach Brian Flores said of Kittle. ”You try to give him different looks — play zone, play some man. I think when you’ve got a player like this, you’ve got to think about doubling a guy like this; but again, he’s as physical as they get.”

Be Sure Tacklers

The Dolphins secondary surrenders 285 passing-yards-per-game thus far in 2020, fifth-most in the NFL. They’ve allowed six passing touchdowns, but have registered five interceptions, including a pivotal one in the endzone last week by Howard.

In Week 5, the secondary lines up against a number of big play threats on the outside in Deebo Samuel and rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk. If and when those players make a catch, the Dolphins D will need to bring them down. Last season, Samuel was second among all receivers in yards-after-catch per reception, and Aiyuk has already scored on a pair of 30-plus yard runs this season. And Kittle has been one of the best in the game at it with the most yards after the catch among all tight ends and receivers since he entered the league in 2017.

The 49ers also like to run the ball outside as well. Last year, the 49ers ran 60 carries outside for 363 yards, three touchdowns and 17 first downs. On those runs, 255 yards were gained after contact.

Dolphins-49ers Key: Score Touchdowns

Last week, the Dolphins offense moved the ball well against the Seattle defense, but stalled in scoring territory. Jason Sanders kicked five field goals and the Phins didn’t get their first touchdown until late, on a Ryan Fitzpatrick run. He threw for 315 yards but had no TD passes and was intercepted twice.

Fitzpatrick has thrown four touchdown passes this season, but the 49ers enter with only three passing touchdowns allowed, which is tops in the NFL. Fitzpatrick will need to limit mistakes (like the two interceptions last week) and could focus again on DeVante Parker, who caught a career-high 10 passes 110 yards last week. The 49ers will be without Richard Sherman, so that should help.

The key to scoring those touchdowns might be getting the running game going. In Miami’s lone win this season, they picked up 138 rushing yards against Jacksonville. They’ve only eclipsed 100 yards one other time, last week (103 yards), and are averaging just 96.3 yards-per-game on the ground in their three losses. The 49ers defense, meanwhile, allows 110.8 rushing-yards-per-game.

Miami’s offensive line will likely need to buy Fitzpatrick extra time, considering the 49ers blitz at the ninth-highest rate in the NFL (34.2 percent blitz rate) this season. Although they’re without Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead leads the defense with 18 quarterback pressures. San Francisco has the third-highest pressure rate at 30.3 percent, but they rank only 18th in sacks (8).

Miami Heat on to Game Six: “Bunch of dogs in that locker room”

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“We gotta bunch of dogs in that locker room that love competing.”

That’s what Duncan Robinson had to say following Miami’s big game five win over the Lakers. It’s obvious that motto begins with the Heat’s leader Jimmy Butler, who had 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals in 47 minutes.

Those numbers mean nothing to Jimmy though, since the only numbers that mattered to him were 111-108 when the clock hit zero. Jimmy knows that he can step up when it matters, but more importantly he has been trying to instill in others that they need to be ready as well.

Jimmy Butler has had a message for Duncan Robinson for a while now, which he tried to instill in him more following the game two loss. They had a little meeting in Jimmy’s room, which he was just letting him know that he needs to continue to shoot no matter what.

Jimmy said after game five, “You can’t shoot the ball if you don’t have the ball.”

This game five win just showed once again that it can be any player on any given night. Jimmy will do his thing no matter what, but having a bunch of guys that can explode out of nowhere.

Last night, that guy was clearly Duncan Robinson who hit seven three pointers, but he wasn’t the only one who stepped up. Kendrick Nunn took control of the game at one point, mostly since he had confidence in himself with the ball in his hands. And that all starts with the support of Erik Spoelstra. Even after a tough game four performance, he showed that he believes in Kendrick and he delivered. When Kendrick plays with confidence, he’s a totally different player. His play-making and defensive abilities begin to shine, which is why this game will be important for the rest of the series.

They won this game without huge performances from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Bam struggled with finding that offensive aggression and intensity that he usually has, but it may have something to do with not being 100%. Tyler on the other hand is being targeted by the Lakers defense constantly, which consequently opens up the game for others. That won’t be the case for long though, since a breakout Tyler Herro game is coming, and it could be tomorrow night.

This team just continues to show their resilience and fight to the finish. This team truly believes that they can win a title right now, especially since they see their leader leaving everything he possibly has on the floor.

This team truly is just a “bunch of dogs,” that are hungry to finally achieve what they have wanted their whole lives.

They are now two wins away from holding up that Larry O’Brien trophy.

It’s time to get what is yours.