5 NBA Injury Situations Updated as League Resumes

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After nearly a three month hiatus from the NBA, players and organizations are finally facing the reality of getting to play basketball again. Some teams will be getting back players and the outlook of their team will be impacted. Each team faces a unique NBA injury situation.

Barring a late snag, such as some or all players refusing to participate, the NBA season is finally set to return on July 31st. The NBA Board of Governors came to a consensus that will allow 22 teams to participate in an 8 game regular season for playoff seeding purposes. Beyond the current 16 playoff teams, New Orleans, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento, and San Antonio from the West and Washington from the East are the six additional teams joining in Orlando. After the eight regular season games are played, if the 9th seed is more than four games behind the 8th seed, the 8th seed will make the playoffs. Otherwise, if the difference is fewer than four games, there will be a play-in tournament.

Let’s look at five teams that should expect the return of players who were injured at the time the season was stopped, and how their NBA injury situation may affect their team’s chances.

NBA Injury Situations

Miami Heat

  • Meyers Leonard, Tyler Herro

Meyers Leonard was the starting center for the Miami Heat until he suffered a severe ankle sprain on February 3rd. Until that point, Leonard started all 49 games and was a great big man complement next to breakout all-star Bam Adebayo. The Heat struggled heavily at times without Leonard; they didn’t have a reliable backup center and they were often playing small ball with Bam at the 5 and Derrick Jones Jr or Kelly Olynk at the 4.

The acquisition of Jae Crowder and Andre Iguadola made up for some defensive defficiencies the Heat were experiencing but it became evident the Heat are most successful with Leonard on the court; spreading the offense with his 3 point making ability, rebounding, and guarding dominant centers like Joel Embiid to keep Adebayo out of early foul trouble. Rookie Tyler Herro also suffered an ankle sprain and missed 15 games before returning to action the same night the NBA postponed the season. Tyler only logged 7 minutes in that game.

However, with Herro expected to return in July fully healthy, the Heat will have a big boost with its bench scoring and playmaking back. Herro will provide an offensive spark for the second unit that sometimes was nonexistent when he was hurt. Goran Dragic won’t have as much of a ball-handling burden and Herro will help reduce Dragic’s minutes. Although Herro is a rookie and lacks playoff experience, his ambition and confidence shouldl guide him through the tedious postseason. If his defense doesn’t improve though Spoelestra may have no other option but to reduce his minutes, especially in crunch time.

Portland Trailblazers

  • Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins

After fracturing his tibia nearly 14 months ago, Jusuf Nurkic is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Nurkic had planned to return March 15th, just a couple days after the NBA decided to indefinitely postpone the season due to the Covid-19. He will share front-court minutes not only with Hassan Whiteside, but also Zach Collins, who will also be returning from a shoulder injury.

Nurkic was averaging 15.6 ppg, 10.4 rpg, and 3.2 apg before his gruesome leg injury in 2019. Collins was averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds per game on 43% from the three. Portland has had a disappointing season thus far being 8 games under .500. All star Damian Lillard can look for more pick and roll opportunities with his two big men back. All in all, Nurkic and Collins are frontcourt assets Portland will need, especially if they play the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets

  • Kyrie Irving 

Kyrie Irving missed 26 games this season due to a right shoulder injury.  He initially returned from his absence, but experienced lingering shoulder pain. Irving finally agreed on February 20th to undergo surgery, causing the Nets to shut him down for the rest of the season. Since there was no timetable for Irving’s return, many speculated a possible comeback, but realistically doctors say the earliest Irving can return is September 3rd, and Irving has already ruled himself out, as has star teammate Kevin Durant. (Irving, VP of the NBA Players Association, has also been at the forefront of raising concerns about the NBA’s return plan).

So the Nets will Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris Levert take the reins of the team and continue to develop into very nice complementary pieces next to Durant and Irving. Playoff experience will definitely catalyze their growth. Due to the injury history of the Brooklyn’s two superstars, adds value to these two. Dinwiddie and Levert’s playmaking and scoring abilities are crucial in Brooklyn securing one of the 8 seeds in the East.

Indiana Pacers

  • Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo already made his return to the NBA from a horrid leg injury prior to COVID. Oladipo was out for 11 months. Obviously, people expected some rust and time to adapt to the pace of the game. He only played 14 games but the struggles were evident; Oladipo scored 23.4 PPG on 48% from the field before his injury. He posted 13.8 PPG on 39% from the field when he returned.

Oladipo lacked the consistency that got him to be an all star. An extra 4 months to strengthen and heal could be vital to Indiana’s playoff push. If Oladipo is healthy and playing like himself, you can expect a high scoring, efficient guard to significantly improve Indiana’s outlook in the Eastern conference. And you can expect other teams that covet him — like the Heat — to be watching.

Phoenix Suns

  • Kelly Oubre

Phoenix Suns wing Kelly Oubre underwent right knee surgery for a torn meniscus in early March. His status to return was unclear but now Oubre’s return is likely and very much needed. He experienced a breakout season. Oubre’s averaging 18.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 45% from the field, and 35% from the three (all career highs).

Oubre will be part of a young improving core along with All Star Devin Booker and 2018 first overall pick DeAndre Ayton that will try and make noise this year and will gain valuable playoff experience for the future.

Bangin’ out West: Romello Brinson becomes 4th Canes commit from Miami Northwestern

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The floodgates have been as open as ever lately for Miami on the recruiting trail as they add another high-level prospect in four-star wide receiver Romello Brinson. He announced his commitment in an Instagram video in which he hosted friends and family.

 

Canes Commit: Romello Brinson

Brinson is ranked as the 25th best receiver in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite and 132nd overall. He’s the 4th Cane commit in this class from local powerhouse Miami Northwestern, joining CB Tim Burns, TE Khalil Brantley, and LB Ja’Corey Hammett, and now the second receiver to commit in the past week after Plantation’s Jacolby George. 

The name should sound familiar. Brinson had actually been committed to the Canes for a good chunk of 2019 up until November. Since, Brinson had put out a top-5 of Miami, Georgia, LSU, Alabama and Texas A&M. In May, he narrowed it down to UM and the Bulldogs.

On his scouting report from 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins, he’s “a big target with a long stride, shows good body control, and is a true deep threat with reliable hands.” Many scouts have considered Brinson a slightly taller version of former Northwestern receiver and NFL first-round pick Amari Cooper. Brinson caught 43 passes for 834 yards in his junior year with eight touchdowns. He helped the Bulls win the 5A state title in 2019.

It’s another big get for new WR coach Rob Likens. But a lot of credit should go to TE coach Stephen Field, who used to coach the Bulls and provided a big link for the Canes.

If he sticks, Romello Brinson adds much needed depth to the receiver room. The three upperclassmen wideouts on the roster are all eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft. 

As previously mentioned, Miami now has 4 commits in the class from Northwestern. But they are still in contention for another one. 4-star safety Kamren Kinchens is slated to pick between the Canes, Auburn, and Texas A&M in July.

How to Play Daily Fantasy Football

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While the 2020 NFL season is still  at risk and everyone is waiting for further announcements, the NFL DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) will pave the way for bettors to gamble for the upcoming NFL games online. The NFL DFS is a creative way of playing the NFL games online while earning through the betting games you can wager on. 

In some trusted sportsbooks, there are options to play fantasy football, and most of these are for rookies or beginners. Below is the step by step process on how you can play and gamble for a daily fantasy football. 

Create A Roster And Scoring Settings 

The first step you have to do before playing the NFL DFS is to create a team and scoring board. Do know that each bookie sets a salary range that you can use for the team you build. It is also the basis of how much you can wager. In creating a DFS team, the rules are the same, which consists of  1 Quarterback, 2 Running Back, 3 Wide Receivers, 1 Tight End, 1 Flex, and 1 Defensive End.

These nine players must divide the given salary depending on the value at stake for their assigned position. As for the scoring, you can refer to the real NFL rules and scoring guidelines as it follows the same process per position. 

Do know that the defense and offense players have different scoring methods, and you must know this before playing. Familiarize yourself with the difference in every position and what would be the varying score methods for each.

Know The DFS Basics 

Although the DFS rules work the same as the real NFL games, you still need to know the basics since you are playing this game virtually. So, before you create a roster and scoring board, here are the DFS basics you must first comprehend. 

Player’s Latest Updates 

The players competing in DFS are the same as the NFL. You need to ensure that you get updated with the player’s latest information, especially if they get injured, which can affect your picking and betting games.

Vegas Odds

This factor is an essential one that you must learn when playing DFS football. These are odds set before the game will start. You can refer to the moneyline bets, points spread, and prop bets that a usual NFL game is holding as DFS does the same thing. Although you have the sole decision to decide what to bet, if you get updated with Vegas DFS odds daily, you might end up winning the whole game.  

Schedule

You also need to check each team’s schedule along with their opponents. This fact will help you in preparing for the right roster of matches and DFS betting effectively. Thus, knowing the schedule increases your winning chances.

Understand That DFS Overtakes Real NFL Games 

In real NFL games, match-ups are essential because it is how you decide your bets. If a bookie identifies the favorites over the dog, then you can start researching which entry you can successfully wager. In fact, real NFL games are harder to contemplate compared to DFS. 

Daily Fantasy football betting does not rely upon the match-up but the player’s stats. It means that if the player like the wide receiver generates a strong start, the team who got this player can win most likely the fantasy game. 

Get Updated With The Weekly Player Value 

As stated above, the player’s value is a crucial factor you must take note of before playing DFS. Each player, whether performing an offense or defense task, has a different value depending on their current statistics. Also, the prize associated with DFS depends on the amount set by the oddsmaker. 

Here are the current NFL players who dominated DFS football along with their fantasy points that you can consider in betting. 

  • Patrick Mahomes (QB) – 23.55 fantasy points 
  • Lamar Jackson (QB) – 22.75 fantasy points
  • Russell Wilson (QB) – 19.89 fantasy points 
  • Dak Prescott (QB) – 19.46 fantasy points
  • Deshaun Watson (QB) – 18.88 fantasy points 

Takeaway 

Daily fantasy football is an excellent way of earning a considerable amount of money if you mix obvious reasoning and thinking outside the box. Also, if you are new to the world of NFL, keep up with the latest news regarding this event, especially with the rules of the game. Therefore, if you want to leverage a new alternative way of fast earning, playing daily fantasy football is the right answer. Make sure to mind the process outlined above to get you guided in playing this betting game.

Running game should be better for Dolphins

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The Miami Dolphins were historically bad when it came to running the football during the 2019 NFL season. The Dolphins were last in the NFL in rushing with just 1,156 yards gained on the ground.

Six NFL players – Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers, Ezekiel Elliot of the Dallas Cowboys, Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens – gained more yards running the football last season than the entire Dolphins team.

Here’s a great trivia question to stump NFL fans – name the two quarterbacks to lead their team in rushing during the 2019 campaign. Jackson, who set a new NFL single-season rushing mark for QBs, was one of them. But if you got Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick as the other answer, you win a cookie.

In his 15th NFL season, Fitzpatrick, 37, rambled for 243 yards.

That total was enough to lead the Dolphins, and that stat is truly embarrassing. Miami needs to run the football significantly better this season in order for people in Florida to bet on the Dolphins as a legitimate AFC East playoff threat.

Beefing Up the Backfield

The Dolphins signed RB Jordan Howard as a free agent. Photo by: YouTube.com screenshot.

During the offseason, the Dolphins set out to address their needs in the backfield. Matt Breida was acquired in a trade with the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Jordan Howard, who’s had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, was signed as a free agent.

Among NFL running backs from 2016-18, only Elliott and Todd Gurley churned up more yards on the ground than Howard, 25, who gained 3,370 yards over that span. A shoulder injury limited him to 525 yards last season. Howard has also suited up for playoff teams each of the past two seasons.

Breida averaged 5.1 yards per carry for the NFC West champion 49ers last season. He rambled for 623 yards on 123 carries and scored one touchdown. Equipped with explosive speed, he broke 18 runs of 10 yards or more. On average, that means he made a big play 14.6 percent of the times when he ran the football.

A Net Gain

Historically, when the Dolphins run the football well, things tend to go well for them. Miami’s most recent playoff appearance came in 2016. That season, Jay Ajayi rambled for 1,222 yards on the ground. Miami was ninth in the NFL in rushing that season with 1,824 yards gained.

A half-dozen of Miami’s 23 postseason squads have featured a 1,000-yard rusher. The legendary unbeaten Super Bowl champion 1972 Dolphins featured a pair of grand runners. Larry Csonka ran for 1,117 yards, while Mercury Morris contributed an even 1,000.

There were 17 Dolphins playoff clubs that included a running back with 800 or more yards on the ground. Of those that didn’t, several teams – especially the Miami clubs of the early-to-mid-1980s – were prominently led in the ground game by a backfield by committee formula.

Miami’s 1984 Super Bowl team that lost to the 49ers included Woody Bennett (606 yards), Tony Nathan (558) and Joe Carter (495) in the backfield behind rookie quarterback Dan Marino. The following season, four runners went over 250 yards on the ground, led by Nathan’s 667 yards.

Running Still Matters

The NFL might no longer be the run-dominated league that it was in the early 1970s when Miami ruled as kings of the hill. Sharing the workload between Csonka, Morris and Jim Kiick, those Dolphins teams could continually punish and simply wear out a defense.

Certainly, today’s NFL is first and foremost a passing league but to suggest running the football has become an afterthought would be pure folly. Five of the top six NFL teams in rushing yardage during the 2019 season were all postseason participants. Two of the top three – San Francisco and Tennessee – played in their respective conference championship games. Baltimore, which led the NFL with 3,296 yards on the ground, also posted an NFL-best 14-2 regular-season record.

The Dolphins will need to run the ball to succeed this season, whether it’s with the veteran Fitzpatrick or 2020 first-round draft pick Tua Tagovailoa at the helm of the offense. Sending the rookie Tagovailoa on the field to figure out and adjust to NFL defenses without a capable running game at his disposal would be suicide for the kid.

Finishing 2-2 to close out a 5-11 campaign last season, Miami actually averaged 100.75 yards per game on the ground. It was a big increase over the Dolphins’ season average of 72.25 yards per game.

That’s where Breida and Howard could really make a difference in Miami. Last season, Breida was a dangerous weapon in San Francisco’s three-back system that saw him, Raheem Mostert (722 yards) and Tevin Coleman (544) all run for over 500 yards. They were the first team to suit up three 500-yard rushers in the same season since the 1978 New England Patriots.

Working in combination with two-time 1,000-yard rusher Howard, they could provide a dynamic duo in the backfield for Miami.

 

How Major League Soccer will Return

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Major League Soccer will return with all 26 teams set to arrive in Orlando starting June 24. The “MLS is Back Tournament” will take place between July 8-August 11. Yesterday morning, the league announced all rules and new COVID-19 regulations for the tournament, which will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Disney World Resort in Florida. The return is just a few weeks away.

The Group Stage (July 8 – July 23)

In a World Cup style format, teams are to to be placed amongst six different randomly drawn groups. The Western and Eastern Conference will have 3 groups each, but different layouts when it comes to how many teams will be placed in each. Group A will feature Orlando City SC along with five other teams from the Eastern Conference. However, Groups C and E will feature four clubs each from the East. Atlanta United and Toronto FC will split into the remaining of the two Eastern groups. On the Western side, groups B, D, and F, will all have four teams each. LAFC, Seattle Sounders, and Real Salt Lake will be placed in separately in these groups.

In a traditional style group stage in any tournament around the world, each team has a chance to play against all the other teams in the group. With the league announcing there will only be three group stage matches, participants in Group A won’t be able to faceoff against the entire group. To aid the grouping and numbers, Nashville SC will temporarily play as an Eastern Conference team. All three group stage matches will count towards the 2020 regular season. The draw for the groups will happen this afternoon at 3:30 EST.

The Knockout Tournament (July 25 – August 11)

After the group stage, set to end on July 23, the top two teams from each group, and the four best third place teams will be seeded into a knockout tournament. There will only be one match in knockout play, with a tie game going directly into penalty kicks.

  • Round of 16 – July 25-28
  • Quarterfinals – July 30-August 1
  • Semifinals – August 5-6
  • Final – August 11

All times are TBA.

What to Play for

MLS announced after the new CBA deal was reached, that there is a $1.1 million prize pool. The tournament will allow the players to earn bonuses. It’s been rumored that there is also a trophy that will be lifted on August 11, but there’s one prize that makes this tournament serious.

Other than the fact that the three group stage matches will count towards the regular season, teams will be playing hard all tournament because of a 2021 CONCACAF Champions League spot that will be granted to the winner. Regardless if it’s an American or Canadian club, this one time berth into the CCL will be replacing the spot that is usually awarded to the top team in the conference that doesn’t have the winners of the Supporters Shield.

Inter Miami CF was cleared to return to full team training earlier this week. Fans will hope it’s enough time to put the club ahead of the rest, turn around the 2020 season, and qualify for the CCL in its inaugural year.

The league also announced that the 2020 regular season will take place shortly following the finale of the “MLS is Back Tournament.”

 

 

Meyers Leonard is Key to a Winning Miami Heat Team

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Meyers Leonard accepted his role as soon as he arrived in Miami.

A winning role.

He’s a player that compliments his fellow big, Bam Adebayo, perfectly. He spaces the floor due to his respected three point shooting, which leads to drawing the big man out of the paint for Bam and others. He also can take the defensive assignment of a true big, since Bam seems to thrive when playing perimeter defense due to his quickness.

Meyers played the first 49 games of the season with the Heat, but missed the next 16 due to an ankle injury. After Meyers went out with this injury, the Heat lost 7 of there next 9 games without him. Miami started the season 34-15 with Meyers, but went 7-9 in their last 16.

This is because Meyers is much more than a role player. When people talk about the reasons the Heat were so good this year, his name usually doesn’t come up.

But it should, especially after the Heat struggled to find consistency without him. They rotated several players next to Adebayo, from Derrick Jones Jr. to Jae Crowder to Kelly Olynyk, but none had the physical presence that allowed Adebayo to be his roaming, disruptive best. The difference was also seen during the season series against the rival Philadelphia 76ers — Miami turned that around when Erik Spoelstra chose to give him a second stint in each half, rather than shelving him after one.

He’s also a guy that makes teammates more comfortable on the floor with his willingness to communicate and direct, which is especially important in the postseason.

This is not only because the game slows down in the playoffs, but also with the many young guys in Miami’s rotation. Inexperienced performers such as Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro need their vocal leaders that they can look to in a tough playoff game.

And speaking of the postseason, Meyers definitely doesn’t shy away from big moments himself…

There are definitely many important pieces on this Heat team. But it seems as if one of those irreplaceable pieces — which is least spoke of — is indeed, The Hammer.

And now, after the extended break, he’s healthy. And in a contract year.

So it should be a solid finish.

The 5 Best Dolphins of All-Time? Here’s one list.

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Over the years the Miami Dolphins have seen some incredible talents walk through their doors, even if not as many the past decade or so. The latest of those is Tua Tagovailoa, who is just one of several that could have bright NFL futures ahead, but instead of speculating over what lays ahead we’re going to look back at some of the stars from yesteryear.

Here is a list of five of the best to have donned the Dolphins jersey.

 

Number 5. Zach Thomas 

Even allowing for the fact that Thomas was a round five pick, his arrival in Miami was underwhelming to say the least. He had a decent college career at Texas Tech but question marks remained over his size and attitude.

By the time he retired after a 13-year NFL career, those questions had been well and truly answered. Seven Pro-Bowls, five first team All-Pro honours and he was twice named Linebacker of the year.

All bar one of his professional years were spent with the Dolphins – the other being at the end of his career in Dallas – and he called it a day having landed 1,700 tackles. Doubters, what doubters?

And he should be in the Hall of Fame.

 

Number 4. Dwight Stephenson

Stephenson was snapped up in round two of the 1980 draft after he’d been part of the Crimson Tide side that had just won back to back National Championships. He wasn’t the headline maker of the Dolphins but he was a big player and was a vital cog as they made two Super Bowls in three years during the mid-eighties.

Of course, Stevenson might be held in even higher regard had he not been forced to call time on his career after just seven years. Then again, five Pro-Bowls and five All-Pro awards in consecutive seasons along side winning the NFL Man of the Year award and being named in the 100th anniversary side isn’t a shabby legacy.

 

Number 3. Larry Little

For a brief moment it looked like Little had missed his chance to compete at the top when he went undrafted. The San Diego Chargers offered him a chance though and two years later he was jetting into Miami. Little wasn’t keen on the move but he quickly had an impact on the Dolphins. Fast forward five years and he had made three Super Bowls – winning two – and had been honoured with five All-Pro and four Pro-Bowls. From there on out Little was a Dolphin through and through before retiring in 1980.

 

Number 2. Larry Csonka

Csonka was a machine that would not be stopped. He was the Dolphins round one pick in 1968 but a couple of serious blows to his head early on in his pro career left things in the balance. He overcame the odds to return to the field. Thank goodness he did. Four seasons followed with Csonka an ever present in the team.

Of those four years, the final three ended in Super Bowl appearances with the Dolphins triumphant in 1973 and 74. Csonka was named Bowl MVP for his contribution in the latter. He moved on after that but couldn’t stay away and returned in 1979 for one last season, which saw him awarded the comeback award after recording a career high of 12 rushing touchdowns. Who says ‘never go back’?

 

Number 1. Dan Marino

Then there was one – Dan Marino. Who else? We’ve touched on the team that dominated in the early to mid-seventies and it’s fair to say that if Marino played then, he would not have looked out of place.

For 17 years he loyally served the Dolphins as he carried them to 10 play-off appearances but, sadly, just one Super Bowl, which ended in defeat. If anyone deserved the glory of a Super Bowl win then it was Marino too. However, just like a horse who underachieves in the Kentucky Derby odds, Marino never quite made it as far as he deserved.

Over his career he threw more than 61,000 yards with his second season seeing him throw 48 touchdowns and 5,084 yards – records that stood for 20 and 27 years respectively. We could list all his honours but, quite frankly, that would be exhausting instead we leave you with the thought that this is just a snapshot of what Marino achieved – nine Pro-Bowls, five years of leading the league on passing yards, another three where he led on passing touchdowns, a league MVP award and a place in the Hall of Fame.

There you have it, five legendary Dolphins. Over to you, class of 2020, just some small shoes to fill.

 

Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes in curious spot in Street & Smith’s ACC rankings

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It’s that time of year again. The preseason lists have come out, and the Miami Hurricanes are not getting much respect, at least from one publication. Street and Smith released their projected rankings for the Coastal Division in 2020. Miami finished fifth.

North Carolina tops the list, followed by Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Virginia. The publication references Miami’s 13-16 record since the 2017 season.

Mark Richt certainly is not going to walk through the door anytime soon. However, Miami quickly reloaded this offseason and put themselves in a much better position to compete.

They were able to land coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who quickly put his stamp on the program in recruiting. It started with landing D’Eriq King, Since then, the program has added names such as Quincy Roche and Jarrid Williams. Are the pieces new? Yes, they are. That’s part of what made Miami’s offseason rebuild so impressive. They were able to get a new influx of talent in a short amount of time.

Miami Hurricanes played ACC tough in 2019

I get that these moves may contribute to some growing pains. That may be why Miami is penciled into the fourth spot in these rankings. However, consider last season. They were able to beat Virginia by a 17-9 score on October 11. They narrowly lost to UNC on September 7 by a 28-25 margin.

With the new talent the program has, they should definitely be higher. I would certainly argue that they got better this offseason. I think any regression that they are probably going to suffer will be due to players playing with each other for the first time and not based on skill. However, you never know.

It will be interesting to see what this edition of the Miami hurricanes can do. It is evident that Manny Diaz and his staff have a plan. Next, it’s all about execution.

Inter Miami returning to training in Fort Lauderdale

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The return of Inter Miami CF is closer than ever as the club announced this afternoon that they have received approval from Major League Soccer to begin full team training as early as this week.

 

The MLS debutants played only two matches to kick off their inaugural campaign and were on the heels of making their much-anticipated home debut versus the Los Angeles Galaxy prior to MLS, and the rest of the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

MLS lifted the team training moratorium on June 4 and Inter Miami was one of the first clubs to release their plans to return to training with a comprehensive explanation of procedures which highlighted all of the main points in helping both stop contamination and keeping athletes and staff members safe as they returned to training.

 

Before sending their plans to MLS, Inter Miami CF had to have its plans approved by the Club’s medical staff and local infectious disease experts.

 

According to MLS, “A strict schedule of COVID-19 testing will also be required, and full team training is mandatory after previously being in the phase for voluntary small group training.”

 

On May 6, players began to slowly return as part of the voluntary individual training sessions, but now the club has the green light to return to full team training at Inter Miami CF Training Center.

 

Inter Miami CF will now begin preparations for their return to the pitch as MLS has also agreed on a summer return in late-June with a Tournament in Orlando with three group games and a 16-team knockout round.

 

Heat should seek second round with the Bucks

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As it stands right now, the Miami Heat would face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. As the 4-seed, the Heat find themselves in the same half of the bracket as the Bucks and defending MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. While some may say that’s not ideal, the Heat should seek that second-round match up with Milwaukee.

 

Miami is one of two teams this season (Denver the other) to have multiple wins over the 53-12 Bucks. The Heat were one of three teams to win in Wisconsin, doing so without Jimmy Butler. Then, in Miami, the Heat held Milwaukee to a season-low 89 points en route to snapping a six-game Bucks winning streak.

 

During those contests, the Heat made Antetokounmpo work for every bucket. Coach Erik Spoelstra rotated multiple defenders at Giannis, and the Heat limited him to just 13 points that night in Miami.

 

Leading into a second-round tilt with Milwaukee will afford Spo more than enough time to sharpen those defensive efforts. Miami will have fully integrated Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder by then, giving the team even more options for Antetokounmpo beyond just Bam Adebayo.

 

The Heat would ill-afford slipping to the 6-seed, because that would likely signal a first-round tilt with Boston. The Celtics are 2-0 versus Miami this season, including a convincing 19-point drubbing at TD Garden in early December.

 

The Celtics have length on the perimeter to frustrate Miami’s offensive efforts, and the Heat have always struggled to contain shoot-first point guards, ala Kemba Walker. While the Bucks have the reigning MVP, the rest of their roster lacks the potent punch of someone like Walker.

 

Upsetting Milwaukee in the playoffs could also have a Durant-like effect on Antetokounmpo’s free agency decision come 2021.

 

This is not to say that the Heat would have an easy first-round opponent before facing the Bucks. Although Miami is 2-0 versus the Pacers this season, neither game featured Indiana’s best players: Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon.

 

Miami may also see the 76ers in the first round. The Heat were 3-1 against Philadelphia this year, including a rousing victory 117-116 overtime win in December. Jimmy Butler versus his former team would incite endless intrigue and entertainment, and Adebayo could give Joel Embiid fits.

 

Best case scenario for the Heat is they see an Indiana team that’s still integrating Oladipo and a hobbled Brogdon with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. They’ll be without Jeremy Lamb, too. They’d move on to an upset win over Milwaukee in the second round and face the battered winner of a series between Boston and Philadelphia for a spot in the NBA Finals.