Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Knicks

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The Miami Heat walk into the Garden and take care of business yet again.

Battling through more and more injuries, getting big time contributions down the roster, and a Kyle Lowry fourth quarter masterclass.

Some takeaways as the Heat go up 1-0 in the series.

#1: Taking a look at the Heat’s matchups, and defensive structure.

As I was hinting at before the series, Jalen Brunson is the head of the snake, so they need to try and cut him off early. That means Jimmy Butler should get the assignment, especially since Erik Spoelstra always dares RJ Barrett to beat them with Gabe Vincent defending. With all of that said, the Knicks were having their way on the interior pretty much the whole first half. How? Brunson was doing Brunson type things by getting to his spots in that mid-range and play-making from there. While I mentioned Butler defending him, it didn’t matter since the Heat were giving up switches all over the place. Attacking Max Strus or Duncan Robinson, sliding by Kyle Lowry to get inside. It may not be an individual assignment. It’s about loading up with extra help most likely. We will see the adjustments to come.

#2: So, the bench points?

If there was a positive for the Heat heading into halftime, it was that they only trailed by 5 in a game that felt like a grind on both ends. One of the main reasons for that aside from Gabe Vincent’s shot making? The Heat’s bench coming to play. When I asked Duncan Robinson about that total flip from regular season to playoffs, he told me it’s “rising to the occasion.” Kyle Lowry felt important in that first half to control things on-ball a good bit when Butler went to the bench or when he needed to get the insert pass in the low post. Caleb Martin was their source of instant energy and perimeter defense, but he also did a good job of trying to attack off the help that got sent away from him and onto Butler. Miami had 16 bench points to the Knicks’ 10, which felt like a battle that was going in the opposite direction.

#3: The Knicks eyeing down Jimmy Butler.

While both teams do play a similar base in drop coverage, the defensive structure of the Bucks and Knicks is completely different. The Knicks play higher up to the level, they load up on-ball, and well, they’ll adjust to send more help at the main threat, which in this case is Jimmy Butler. He opened the game 1 for 4, and credit to Josh Hart for digging into him down low in a way he honestly didn’t feel in the first round. But as I said, this was more team wide. Every drive to the basket was met by his defender, the roller’s defender, and the corner shooter’s defender. He was seeing three guys around him consistently, which forced him to play that play-making role with the reliance on shooting. Clearly, that’s what you want as a defense. He still found ways to work through that in his own ways, but this just sets the blueprint for the series. He’s going to be working through some shifting adjustments this time around.

#4: Kevin Love’s timely moments, making the outlet pass.

When it comes to third quarter takeaways as the Heat made a bit of a run, there wasn’t one bigger than the energy shift from Kevin Love. He got things started with a pick and pop with Butler as both defenders flew down, yet Love knocked down the open left wing three to make them pay. Timely. Shortly after, the Heat got in a defensive flow by getting some stops and securing the boards, and Love took things upon himself to make plays. Flings it down the floor to Strus for the layup. A few plays later, overhead pass down the floor to Butler over the top: layup. Then capitalizes on one final one to Butler in stride to force a Knicks timeout. The half-court offense was a grind with the Butler doubles, but Love getting the outlet passes going and playing into the open floor was a game changer. He’s been crucial in this post-season so far.

#5: Kyle Lowry’s fourth quarter masterclass.

As the Heat led by 6 walking into the fourth quarter with Jimmy Butler ready to stay on the floor the entire second half, they needed to find ways to close it out. Kyle Lowry did a good job of settling the offense with the necessary pull-ups that they’re missing without Tyler Herro. He found his shot multiple times at the head of the offense, keeping the Knicks on-ball defense honest to a degree, for somebody not named Jimmy Butler. With 6 and a half minutes left, the Knicks call timeout to settle their group as they trail 93-86. The Knicks made a run, but that’s not why things got dark. Butler drove to the basket, turned his ankle, and went down. He was in clear pain, but eventually got up to shoot his free throws. Better yet, he stayed in the game. Lowry decided to make a pair of game changing plays, making a swiping steal to force an extra possession then forcing a jump ball in the lane. Shortly after, he takes a baseline pull-up out of the timeout and knocks it down yet again. Full Kyle Lowry masterclass on both ends.

 

*****

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Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson on some Heat-Knicks schematics, Playoff Jimmy, and more

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From any Heat fan’s perspective following the Heat’s game 4 and 5 wins to close out the Bucks, you would usually get the same answer when thinking about the all time performances from Jimmy Butler.

When asking his teammates that same question 60 hours after it’s past by, you get the same exact response.

Simply, amazement.

When I rehashed his play to Caleb Martin, he looks at me and laughs, saying: “That was very new to me bro.”

“Obviously one of the best performances I’ve seen in the league in the four years I’ve been here,” he continued. “It was pretty dope to see.”

Duncan Robinson’s take was very similar, as he starts off saying: “That was crazy. That was 1 of 1. That was a special performance.”

Everybody’s minds are on New York, but everybody’s hearts are still in that Milwaukee series just a tad. It’s human nature, following a series of events that just simply are tough to just “wear off.”

To continue on the Butler subject, after his 56 point night in game 4, I asked him a rather simple question: “Is Playoff Jimmy a thing?”

It’s something he has denied in the past, and he flowed right back into the sentiment telling me, “It’s not a thing. It’s not. I just be hoopin.” The latter portion is definitely true as he was giving every Bucks defender buckets in that series, but it’s hard to eye down this production from him in April and May every year and say there isn’t a trend.

So, I talked to multiple teammates and brought up the “Playoff Butler” label that he’s gotten.

Robinson quickly cuts in with “If he says it’s not a thing, it’s not a thing. He’s a great player regardless of the time of year. When the competition is at its highest, I think that’s when he’s probably his best.”

That last part is the answer I’ve gotten from anybody I’ve brought it up to. Martin told me, “That’s just Jimmy. I don’t think it’s Playoff Jimmy, I think that’s just Jimmy, it’s who he is.”

“He’s a competitor and it just comes around that time of year with the highest level of competition, so it just comes out,” he adds.

All of this Butler propaganda leads us into the true story 24 hours before game 1 of the second round between the Heat and Knicks: we know Butler is playing at an incredible level right now, and so do the Knicks who are being directed by somebody Butler knows well, Tom Thibodeau.

To that point, Butler is not going to see anywhere close to the same amount of single coverage that he saw in the Milwaukee Bucks series. The Knicks are going to send doubles his way, so a major way to open things up is by the guy being helped off of makes them pay.

Many times this season, that guy is Caleb Martin.

“I get to come in knowing how I’ll get those open looks,” Martin said about reacting to his defender being a helper. “I just gotta be ready to knock them down.”

As for Robinson, he won’t be as lucky to be dipped off of on the perimeter. “He’ll (Jimmy) probably see different coverages throughout the course of it. They’ll mix up a few different things. For us, it’s just about being ready to make a play and be aggressive. Not just reactive, but proactive and try to make something happen.”

The other main element about this series for Martin is going to be the baseline roaming aspect. Why in this series compared to the first round? Well, while both series involve a heavy amount of drop coverage, it’s a total different scheme.

Robinson even detailed some of the obvious differences, “They guard it very differently. With the way Milwaukee was guarding, really not giving away a lot of air space, especially on like kick-outs and stuff like that. It’s different schemes, but you just gotta find a way to attack it.”

The Bucks use their dropping big to completely protect the rim with helpers on the side, while the Knicks run Mitchell Robinson much higher up to the level. When bringing up the schematics favoring Martin in that realm, he felt the same way by operating corner to corner.

“Definitely get on the baseline and those slides will be very important for spacing. Obviously for our rollers, for Bam to get open against those taller, longer guys. Mitchell Robinson is a guy we have to try and get him out of position a lot, and that’s going to do a lot with our drives and our slides.”

Out of all the conversations I had today on the schematic side of things, that was by far my biggest takeaway. The Heat are heavily focused on moving Mitchell Robinson into different spots to find offensive openings. The Knicks can do some intriguing things defensively, but Miami can bend certain things in a way that they just couldn’t against the Bucks.

With Milwaukee staying in that base and not adjusting, Miami walked in knowing what shots they were getting every night.

On that same Mitchell Robinson topic, they’re trying to move him in ways to force easier looks for Bam Adebayo. As I mentioned here, it’s about getting him behind the second line defense more often to get to the rim.

Now that Tyler Herro won’t be involved in this series again, it puts more pressure on some of the other guards to shine as pocket passers in that PnR or other Heat sets. And in my opinion, Duncan Robinson could be the best pocket passer on the squad.

I brought up the focus to get Bam to the rim in this series with that higher drop, which he responded, “It’s an important aspect for sure, just getting the ball back to Bam really regardless of what the coverage is. Just try to get it back to him so he can play-make and be aggressive, so definitely a component for sure.”

Just as the Heat are going to try to move Mitchell Robinson around defensively for openings, Jalen Brunson is going to try and shift things for the Heat defensively. I personally believe Butler starts on Brunson, but Martin is going to see a good amount of time on him as well when there’s not a switch.

What makes guarding Brunson different than some of the guards in the Bucks series?

“He’s very patient, very crafty,” Martin starts to note. “He knows what he wants to do, very poised, not very sped up at all. So that’s going to be the biggest thing: staying down on shot fakes and being disciplined.”

It’s going to be a series of on-court counters, and the Heat seem prepared. Let Jimmy Butler off his leash, see the reaction to him, then react to the reaction.

Should be a good one.

(Extra content)

One last thing away from the court, that Caleb Martin shot in the corner on Giannis Antetokounmpo right before an amazing celebration just keeps gaining attention for obvious reasons.

Is it going to make an appearance in the garden?

“It might come out again.”

Where did it come from?

“It just came to me in the moment.”

Panthers defeat Bruins 7-5, force Game 7 in Boston

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SUNRISE — Facing elimination for a second straight game, The Florida Panthers kept their season alive once again on Friday night, defeating the Boston Bruins 7-5 in Game 6 at FLA Live Arena. 

 

Coming off a huge 4-3 overtime win in Boston on Wednesday, the Panthers returned home, where they were yet to win a playoff game this year.

 

The Panthers struck first and early in tonight’s contest, which has been important all series as the team to score first won all the previous five games. Brandon Montour’s 4-on-3 powerplay goal beat Linus Ullmark just 2:01 into the game. 

 

Florida wasn’t able to hold onto the lead for long, which was also the case in Game 5. Every Time the Panthers scored tonight, the Bruins answered.

 

In this twelve goal game, neither team held more than a one goal lead until the last 28 seconds of the game. 

 

The Bruins once again were dangerous on their power play, scoring on three of their four attempts. 


Entering the third period, the Panthers had a 3-2 lead due to their captain Aleksander’s Barkov’s first goal of the series. 

 

With the Panthers leading and 20 minutes to go, one of the hottest Bruins on the ice Tyler Bertuzzi quickly scored his second goal of the night  1:31 into the third, tying the game at three. 

 

Minutes later the Bruins took their first lead of the game off of David Pastrnak’s second goal of the game – Boston’s third on the power play.

 

Trailing for the first time in Game 6, the Panthers didn’t waver. They were pulled back into it by Zac Dalpe, who spent a large portion of the season in AHL Charlotte as their captain.

 

“That’s just a great story, Zac Dalpe,” said Panthers head coach Paul Maurice. “That’s the right guy to come up and pull us out of the fire.”

 

After Dalpe’s tying goal, the Bruins kept pushing. Now 4-4 and the Panthers on the power play, the momentum was swinging Florida’s way.

 

Boston’s first lead came on the power play. They grabbed the lead again, but this time they were short handed. Jake DeBrusk jumped into the play and Pavel Zacha slipped a pass between two Panthers players – DeBrusk gave Boston the 5-4 lead.

 

Needing to get the tie back, Florida still had some power play time after giving up the short handed goal. The one to get them back even was none other than their star Matthew Tkachuk. 

 

27 seconds after DeBrusk’s go-ahead goal, Tkachuk relentlessly whacked at the puck in front of goal until it made its way past Ullmark.

 

This wild third period had the building energized and the roof nearly fell off  minutes later when the Panthers regained the lead from Eetu Luostarinen’s second goal of the series. 

 

“I couldn’t really hear what was going on in my head for the last 20 minutes,” Barkov said about the noise in the building. “It was insane, it was awesome.”

 

With the Bruins down one, they gave it one final push to try and tie up the game. A few big blocks by the Panthers eventually led to Sam Reinhart sending this series to seven with his 7-5 empty net goal. 

 

Florida trailed the series 3-1 last time they left for Boston – they will return to Massachusetts tomorrow riding a two-game winning streak in a 3-3 series. 

 

The two sides will face off for the final time this season on Sunday in Game 7. Winner goes onto the second round, the loser packs their bags and heads home for the year.

Final 2023 NFL Mock Draft

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Another 2023 NFL Mock Draft! As the hour winds down to Draft night, there’s been a lot of movement in the last 48 hours and things are radio silent in the NFL World.

While last night I ran a mock, things have started to shake up a little

This 2023 NFL Mock Draft answers the biggest questions on where the quarterbacks will be going, potential trades and big surprises. In this 2023 NFL Mock Draft I will be focusing on the first round. So here is my predictive 2023 NFL Mock Draft round 1:

Top 10 Mock Draft

1) Carolina Panthers (from Chicago): QB Bryce Young

2) Houston Texans: EDGE Will Anderson

3) Tennessee Titans (Projected Trade with Arizona): QB Anthony Richardson

4) Indianapolis Colts: QB, CJ Stroud

5) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): DL Jalen Carter

6) Detroit Lions: CB Devon Witherspoon

7) Las Vegas Raiders: QB, Will Levis

8) Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Tyree Wilson

9) Chicago Bears (from Carolina): OT Paris Johnson Jr.

10) Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans): RB Bijan Robinson

The Middle picks

11) Arizona Cardinals: OT Darnell Wright

12) Houston Texans (from Cleveland): OT Peter Skoronski

13) Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets): EDGE Nolan Smith

14) New England Patriots: OT Broderick Jones

15) New York Jets (from Green Bay Packers): Jaxon Smith Njigba

 

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16) Washington Commanders: CB Joey Porter Jr.

17) Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Christian Gonzalez

18) Detroit Lions: DL Calijah Kancey

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE Myles Murphy

Rounding out the teens

20) Cincinnati Bengals (Projected Trade with Seattle): TE Dalton Kincaid

21) Los Angeles Chargers: WR Quentin Johnson

22) Baltimore Ravens: CB Deonte Banks

23) Kansas City Chiefs (Projected Trade with Minnesota): WR, Zay Flowers

24) Jacksonville Jaguars: OT Anton Harrison

25) New York Giants: WR Jordan Addison

26) Dallas Cowboys: EDGE Lukas Van Ness

27) Buffalo Bills: DL Bryan Breese

28) Seattle Seahawks (Projected Trade with Cincinatti): G O’Cyrus Torrence

29) New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco through Miami and Denver): DL Mazi Smith

30) Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE Keion White

31) Minnesota Vikings (Projected Trade with Kansas City): SAF Brian Branch

 

Hussam Patel is a Miami Dolphins contributor and Lead NFL Draft analyst at Five Reasons Sports Network. Follow him on Twitter at @HussamPatel

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Series Clinching Win Over Bucks

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With a 3-1 lead, the Heat headed right into Milwaukee for the potential closeout game.

Another Jimmy Butler/Heat comeback late in the fourth led to a wild finish.

Heat head to the second round…

Some takeaways…

#1: The early pull-up shooting from the PG crew: Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry.

Well, when it comes to the need for Jimmy Butler to get some help, it starts with pull-up shooting. Against this defense, a couple pull-ups can shift the profile for everyone. And well, Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry did that. On one hand you could point out Vincent having a higher usage and more shot attempts than Jimmy Butler at half, but he had 16 points on 50% shooting up to that point. It wasn’t even three point shooting dominance, it was finding gaps in those mid-range jumper pull-ups. As he exited and Kyle Lowry entered, he played a very similar game except he did it from beyond the arc. That put Miami in a pretty decent position offensively aside from the Butler bursts.

#2: The free throw shooting disparity.

24 to 8. That was the free throw shooting disparity at half between the Bucks and Heat, as Milwaukee tripled them up to that point. Luckily for Miami, the Bucks only knocked down 63% of those, but man was that whistle blowing often when it came to the attacks from the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo flying down the lane is as tough of a spot to be in when it comes to being a defender on the Miami Heat. Even if he initiates contact, it’s tough to recover as the foul is already in the process of being called. This isn’t even a moment of referee complaining, it’s recognizing Miami’s position as they fight to find a defensive structure that works. It pretty much looked like this in simple terms: no Bam means double, Bam means allow single coverage. All jokes aside, it felt like a win for Miami to survive that disparity and walk into half with only a 6 point deficit.

#3: Bam Adebayo tough times continue, but shows up when it matters…

There’s no doubt in my mind that Bam Adebayo is slightly injured at the moment. His bottom half seems to restrict him at times for total burst, but with that I add: those limitations aren’t an excuse for his recent play. No Tyler Herro meant he would be the clear cut secondary offensive option in this series. Yet it hasn’t felt like a trusted source. A 1 for 7 shooting first half sums it up decently well, but he just continues to get great looks inside the lane. Short jumpers, timely drives to the basket. He just can’t seem to connect right now. I think we’re also past the point of the reasoning being the need for actions being run for him. The shots just need to fall. And that’s what happened late in the fourth into OT on his way to a triple double. The passing and defense was loud and needed, before he fouled out late in OT.

#4: Third quarter: hot shooting from Bucks, cold perimeter defense from Heat.

It took until the third quarter before I found a game 2 theme, when they were in this building last. They matched energy and shot making early, but I kept saying they needed to find a way to slow it down or muck things up, because once the water shuts off for a stretch, it could get dicey. And well, the Bucks made that run late in the third as the Heat’s half court offense hit a wall. But the bigger key about that run was the Heat’s perimeter defense was mirroring game 2. The shooting was just tough to deal with from deep at that point from Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, but man Miami wasn’t making it any easier on themselves. You know what I sensed at that point: fatigue. The defense began to look lazier and much more tired with much of the close-outs, and yeah, that’s just a tough thing to fight against.

#5: Late-game madness…

102-86. The Bucks late 3rd quarter push felt like just the beginning as they took over the energy and flow. Yet with Jimmy Butler taking a breather, the Heat made the push. Adebayo still struggling to find his shot gets a tough left handed hook to drop, leading into a Love three off the kick. 8:30 to go, and Miami has cut it to 8. Spoelstra tried to get away with giving Butler some extra time of rest, but it felt like they squeezed as much as they could out of that five. Butler entered, and a Jrue Holiday step back 3 later it’s a double digit lead again. For the next few minutes, the odd part about the Heat’s defense was the placement of Butler. A lot of off-ball corner sitting with others running the offense. But then the 5 minute mark hit. He knocks down a pull-up elbow jumper, Strus get a block at the rim on the other end, and Heat finish the stretch with a Bam-Butler high/low action for the Butler finish. 5 point game. With the flow shifting now, they send Love off the screen for the three, but it’s off the mark. On the other end, Matthews knocks down a similar look, pushing the lead to 8 for a major swing. The Heat’s response: high-low from Bam to Jimmy for floater, high-low from Bam to Jimmy for layup and-1, Butler three. What a run. Antetokounmpo answers with an and-1 layup, as Bam Adebayo comes back with the jumper. Tie game. Middleton was fouled and sent to the line with under 30 seconds left, as they take a 2 point lead. Timeout. Butler and the Heat go for the kill yet again, as a right wing triple is the look for Butler, but it’s off the mark. Two Bucks free throws and they’re down 4. Heat inbound quickly and a Vincent pull-up triple cuts it to 1. Bucks throw it in, ball was loose, Lowry and Middleton fight for it, and a foul was called. Heat challenge, was successful, and ends in a jump ball at mid-court. Holiday gets fouled, knocks down 1 of 2, and Heat trail by 2 with 2 seconds left. Wild inbound play sends Butler to the rim, Vincent lobs, Butler finishes while falling to send to OT. Insane. Some more Butler madness continued with tough buckets, as the Heat have a 5 point lead with 2 minutes left in OT. Miami takes control late with a foul on a Strus three, as the Heat head to the second round…

Game 5: Panthers stay alive in series with 4-3 overtime win in Boston

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On the brink of elimination and a goal away from their season coming to an end, the Florida Panthers lived to fight another day after their Game 5, 4-3 overtime win against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden Wednesday night. 

 

A back and forth game saw the Panthers score the first goal of the game for just the second time in the series. The team that scored first through the first four games ended up winning.

 

8:26 into the first, Anthony Duclair opened the scoring. Carter Verhaeghe carried the puck behind the Bruins net, taking goaltender Linus Ullmark out of position. Duclair batted Verhaeghe’s shot-pass out of mid-air to score his first goal of the playoffs. 

 

The Panthers held onto their one goal lead into the first intermission, but it took Boston just a few minutes out of the break to tie the game, off of a Brad Marchand power play goal.

 

Boston flat out dominated the second period, outshooting the Panthers 18-8. The Panthers were holding onto the tie until the dying minutes of the period where playoff Sam Bennett picked up his third goal of the series to give Florida a 2-1 lead.

 

Florida led the Bruins after the first two periods for the first time all series. 

 

A big story of tonight’s game was Boston’s resilience all night. Three times the Panthers took the lead in regulation and three times the Bruins tied the game. 

 

With the game dwindling down, the Panthers were called for too many men on the ice with 3:35 left in a 3-3 game. The Bruins who had been peppering Sergei Bobrovsky all night had a chance to basically end the game if they could score their third power play goal of the night. 

 

The Panthers came up strong on the kill and overtime seemed on the horizon in Boston. 

 

With 7.7 seconds left in the third, Florida had a faceoff in the Bruins zone. It looked like the Panthers would have the last chance of regulation, but that wasn’t the case. Florida fumbled at the blue line and Marchand turned on the jets to get a last second breakaway on Bobrovsky. 

 

With about a second left in regulation, Marchand ripped what would have been the game winning shot towards Bobrovsky. The Panthers goalie stood tall and denied Marchand for his 40th save of the game. He finished the night with 44 saves.

 

The teams were heading to overtime for the first time in the series. 

 

Now in sudden death OT, both teams were expected to play it carefully and only take a chance if the coast was clear. 

 

Six minutes into overtime, Verhaeghe chased down a puck behind the Bruins net on the forecheck. A bad passing attempt by Ullmark found its way to Verhaeghe rather than a Bruins player. 

 

Verhaeghe’s off angle shot found its way to Matthew Tkachuk in front of goal and the Panthers star forward iced the game with the overtime winner.

 

The Panthers were able to win their second playoff game on the road in Boston to force a Game 6 back at home in Sunrise on Friday with the series at 3-2 in favor of the Bruins.

Panthers fly to Boston facing elimination – Get Duclair and Ekblad back, Lomberg and Bennett questionable

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SUNRISE – With Game 5 one day away, the Florida Panthers will head to Boston today with the hopes of returning to Sunrise with another game on the schedule.

 

The Panthers held a practice today at FLA Live Arena with most of the team in attendance.  Both Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Duclair were full participants today after missing Game 4 to injury.

 

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirmed that both Ekblad and Duclair would be “good to go” for Game 5.

 

While two players come back into the lineup, there’s question marks surrounding another pair of Panthers. 

 

Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg were the only two players to not be on the ice today at practice.

 

Maurice said that he expects “one of them in for sure”, while the other will be a gametime decision. He did not specify which player would be the game time decision.

 

Bennett missed Game 1 with a lingering injury that had kept him out of the lineup for the last 12 games of the regular season. Bennett is a point-per-game in this series and is a key player as the Panthers’ second line center. 

 

Ryan Lomberg played in all 82 regular season games as well as the first four games of the playoffs. 

 

Both Bennett and Lomberg played their normal minutes in Sunday’s Game 4 loss. 

 

As for the starting goalie, Maurice didn’t say who would be in the net tomorrow, which was expected. Alex Lyon started Games 1-3, giving up nine goals over that span. Sergei Bobrovsky conceded five goals in his Game 4 start, while also giving up one goal in his short third period stint in Game 3.

 

Down 3-1 in the series, the Panthers locker room still has full confidence that they can turn the series around and return home for a Game 6 on Friday. 

 

“We’re not out of this series, we still got a lot more in our locker room, now it’s just do or die,” Sam Bennett said on Monday. 

 

The Bruins can advance to the second round with a win on Wednesday night, but they’ll still have some breathing room if they can’t get the job done at home tomorrow. The Panthers know the task at hand won’t be easy, but they have no other choice but to win – otherwise they’ll be packing up their lockers this week. 

 

“Essentially we got three Game 7’s coming up, we’re just going to focus on Game 5 right now,” Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura said. “Obviously it’s not the easiest situation to be in, but we’re not out of it. It’s the first team to four.”

 

Puck drop will be tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET at the TD Garden in Boston. 

 

If the Panthers can get out of Boston with a win, there will be a Game 6 on Friday in Sunrise.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bucks

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Let’s just say this:

Jimmy Butler is just insane.

Some takeaways…

#1: More incredible first quarter heroics from Jimmy Butler.

Well, 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting would be a pretty good game for somebody in this league. But try a quarter, as that was Jimmy Butler’s line after 12 minutes of play. The one stretch that turned it around included: a Love pick and pop with the expectation of an Antetokounmpo switch turning into a dive and dunk on Giannis, a pull-up 3 as Holiday sags off, takes Antetokounmpo in the low post before converting on a tough right hand scoop, and a transition elbow jumper. Oh, by the way, this was a minute and a half span. He completely took over in that opening quarter and couldn’t miss, with anything he touched turning to gold. I often detail his polished schematic reads, but if I can be honest: the dude was just hooping at the highest level.

#2: The beams pointing right at Bam Adebayo as Butler searches for help.

The first half stat-line: 2 points and 2 turnovers? A -11 in only 10 minutes of play? It was just bad, when it comes down to the level they needed from him. As I detailed before the game, they were intentional about running plays for him to start. Those first two possessions were a Adebayo elbow isolation into a turnover and a low box screen into a block at the rim by Brook Lopez. Just brutal results. He then picked up a pair of fouls and had to exit early, but that was far from the biggest problem. He just wasn’t acting as a primary offensive option, as that mid-range space wasn’t being utilized in that drop. This team simply won’t let him attack, and it seems to tap into the mental side for him. Just a bad first half, as Butler had to carry along his Minnesota third stringers.

#3: Role player evaluation: Duncan Robinson adding some offense, Haywood Highsmith bringing the defense.

As I detailed earlier, there wasn’t much help being thrown around from the Miami Heat early. But there were two guys that did their job. Duncan Robinson came out firing like birthday Duncan, as his shot just seems as confident as ever. First play of second quarter was a DHO for Robinson, blending into some high PnR stuff for pull-ups. He was doing the needed things as that spacer and filler for Tyler Herro. As for Haywood Highsmith, he entered after that Bam Adebayo foul trouble, and man was he doing the dirty-work. Hounding in the zone, defending post-ups, rebounding. He was playing a role that the Heat desperately need usually, but wasn’t as noticeable as the flashy scoring stuff just wasn’t there as a unit. But just two guys to keep some tabs on.

#4: The Bucks front-court….

The defensive front-court combo of Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the toughest to face in the league. Lopez just planted under the rim for rim protection as Antetokounmpo lurks weak-side for lengthy help. But well, they were even more noticeable offensively in this one. Should be noted that Antetokounmpo didn’t look to be favoring that back at all, aside from his sideline standing instead of sitting down with the potential of it locking up. His transition play was dominant, his half-court attacks put major pressure on Miami, and it opened up his big man partner. Lopez was the guy who really tore them up at all three levels. Efficiency from deep, activity around the rim offensively, and just a force for most match-ups. Each game has been a new story, but when those guys are that efficient, it’s tough to overcome…

#5: The fourth quarter…

As we sat back watching a Lowry-Vincent-Robinson-Martin-Zeller lineup to start the 4th, the feeling was in the air that this game had passed far from their grasp. But then you hear those words: “Jimmy Butler checks into the game.” A few floaters later, midway through the fourth, you kind of looked up saying to yourself: “how is this only a 9 point game?” With 6:30 left on the clock, Heat call timeout following Butler coming up with the fumble in the bottom of the pile. As Lowry throws it in with 2 seconds on the shot clock, he throws it right to a plethora of Bucks defenders who go in the other direction. Sums it up well. Even with that gut-punch, it’s somehow an 8 point after a Butler pull-up in transtion? Off a miss, he drives on Middleton to the cup: and-1. 5 point game. Just insanity. Back to defense, Lowry on Holiday strips it away, Martin grabs it, and gets fouled off a strong attack. 3 point game. Martin bangs a foot on the line jumper in the corner with the place going nuts, as Miami forces a turnover into a Butler dunk. Heat up 1. How? I have no clue. Antetokounmpo comes back with an and-1, as Martin swings right back with a triple. With energy shifting back and forth, a cold blooded three by Holiday puts them up 2. Fast forward to the Butler takeover: pull-up 3 after pull-up 3. Heat up 3 with 58 seconds left. And Butler closes it out. Heat up 3-1.

 

*****

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Florida Panthers Game 4 lineup news

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SUNRISE – The question of who starts in net this afternoon for the Florida Panthers is still a mystery.

 

Head Coach Paul Maurice told the media that we will find out who is in net at game time. 

 

In Game 3 Florida ran both of their goalies. Alex Lyon started the game and Sergei Bobrovsky came in to finish it. 

 

Both goalies took part in the “extremely” optional practice yesterday in Sunrise. 

 

As for the rest of the lineup, that remains a question that is to be answered at puck drop.

 

Aaron Ekblad and Josh Mahura both left Friday night’s game with injuries. Ekblad took a few shifts after initially  leaving the ice, but ended up calling it a game.

 

Ekblad did take part in yesterday’s optional practice, while Josh Mahura did not.

 

The Panthers called up defenseman Lucas Carlsson from AHL Charlotte earlier today. Whether that is just to have an extra body with Charlotte not playing until April 28 or him being in the lineup will also be known later today at warmups. 

 

Carlsson had a phenomenal regular season with the Checkers – putting up 54 points in 61 games. In Charlotte’s first three playoff games this season, he has 4 points. 

The Bruins currently lead the series 2-1.

 

Puck drop is at 3:30 p.m. ET at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.

 

Tonight’s Betting Odds – Presented by BettorEdge 

 

Bruins: Winner -146  Spread (-1.5)  +175 Over (6) -107

Panthers: Winner +146 Spread (+1.5) -175 Under (6) +107

 

Use code: 5RSN

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bucks in Game 3

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The Heat took care of business in game 3 behind Jimmy Butler’s leading play, but everybody followed behind for a leveled stat sheet across the board. High level shooting helps.

Before I talk about the game though, the air was sucked out of the building after Victor Oladipo had another incident.

His knee buckled, the stretcher came out which he declined, and the entire Heat bench was in pain.

Some takeaways…

#1: Jimmy Butler’s first quarter masterclass…

Jimmy Butler dropped 17 points in the opening 12 minutes of this game, but that base stat wasn’t the impressive part. It was how he was doing it. For one, he decided to form into Steph Curry mid-quarter which was a fun twist. Three triples in that span as the Bucks were basically daring him to take it. Screen comes, Jrue Holiday disrespectfully slips under staring, and Butler just kept capitalizing. But the true art of that quarter was that he scored 17 points with absolutely elite defense being played on him. When it comes down to players defending Jimmy Butler, not many do as good a job as Jrue Holiday does. Strength, quickness, and overall activity. Yet Butler didn’t care. It wasn’t even affecting him, which made that first quarter one of the best I’ve seen him play. (Which says A LOT)

#2: Happy Birthday, Duncan Robinson???

Who would be the 8th guy? That was a common question pregame around the arena after Kevin Love officially got the start. After Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin, would they go big with Cody Zeller? Defense with Victor Oladipo or shooting with Duncan Robinson? Well, he actually went with both of those last two options. And before I get to the first guy, man was it good to see Robinson play like that. Early in the second quarter, he runs a pick and roll in an empty corner, finds space on the left wing, and knocks it down. Right after, he sprints toward Bam Adebayo for a hand-off on the short wing, hitting a tough fade-away to provide that spark. To cap off his run, a transition possession led by Oladipo leads to a toss to Robinson running full speed, who bangs another one. They need any role player fire they can get with Tyler Herro out, and that version of Duncan is a cool sight.

#3: From a game perspective, Victor Oladipo showed out. But an unfortunate end to the game…

I often express the two sides of the Victor Oladipo experience. As he sits outside the rotation looking in, the uneven shot selection seems to hold him back, while the perimeter defense is screaming to be utilized. As Coach Spo called on him to replace Jimmy Butler for the final 24 seconds of the first quarter, it was a loud 24 seconds. Inbound to Holiday as Oladipo presses, moving laterally off every burst Jrue tries to make. Ends in a miss at the rim as he hounded, leading into second quarter minutes. Did that short span win him his playing time tonight? I believe so. He continued to do some incredible on-ball things with his overall activity, which leaves you unable to keep your eyes off of it. Then the finish to the game ended in that scene I detailed earlier. Extremely sad stuff.

#4: Caleb Martin: the connector role to perfection.

There were some loud performances across the Heat’s roster tonight that deserved praise. Certain scorers, other defenders. But the most underrated and necessary of them all to me was Caleb Martin. The complete definition of a bridge on both ends. Defensively he didn’t have many 1-on-1 challenges with the Heat’s shaded help constantly, but his back-line consistency was big on that end. As for the offense, he was generating a lot of the good things that we were seeing. Pushing pace to get things brewing in the open court, but mostly his overall movement in the half-court. Quick slashes, hitting guys in the dunker spot on the move, and needed attacks. Wasn’t anything flashy, but I thought he was big in this one.

#5: It’s 2-1. Time to really pounce on this series.

We still don’t know the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo moving forward, but I’d guess he’s making a strong push to return Monday in game 4 as they have a chance to go down 3-1 in the series. But the issue is we have to monitor of everybody, as Jimmy Butler took a similar spill in this game that sent him to the locker room. Either way, the Bucks are going to be hungry. Yet the Heat need to be hungrier. We saw this play out in Milwaukee this week, as the Heat punched first then followed it up with a no energy performance in game 2. They should’ve learned their lesson though, now it’s time to take control of the series. Barring Jimmy Butler’s health, Monday is the true needle pusher.