New LeBron James Record — 2nd to score 38,000 career points

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The greatness of LeBron James is difficult to express with ordinary statistics. However, some numbers are too significant to ignore. On the evening of January 15, 2023, “The Chosen One” surpassed 38,000 career points. Along the way, he beat the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O’Neal in NBA scoring. 

Ahead of him in this indicator in entire history, there was only one basketball player – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From the record of the eternal legend of the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers, and the whole league, LeBron is now a little more than 300 points. 

How It Was

LeBron James conquered the achievement in the 2022/23 NBA regular season home game. The Philadelphia 76ers played against the Lakers at Staples Center. 

To break Abdul-Jabbar’s record, LeBron had only 11 points to chalk up before the starting whistle. Despite the excellent position of the opponent in the Atlantic Division, no one had any doubts that this figure was achievable against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Therefore, this match aroused great interest among betting enthusiasts. By the way, betting on similar events at the bookmaker www.bodog.eu/sports/basketball/nba is open to European users.

 

It didn’t take long to get the desired result. Already towards the end of the 1st quarter, “The Chosen One” scored the most crucial goal for the record in a jump, being close to the three-point line. A two-point shot brought his team a slight lead – 20:17. However, it was impossible to maintain and develop the advantage. The match ended with a score of 113:112 in favor of the guests from Philadelphia. 

Therefore, despite the historical success and good personal statistics (35 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds), LeBron was not satisfied with the evening. In a post-match interview, he lamented the failure to secure a win, even though the Lakers were able to put on some good basketball.

Relationship Between LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

As you know, the symbols of the past and present of the Los Angeles Lakers are not eager to communicate with each other. The last time LeBron was asked if he kept in touch with the star of previous generations, the basketball player was relatively straightforward. He stated that he had no communication or thoughts on this matter with Karim. 

Basketball fans remember the chronicle of one clash of positions between two legends in the media. During the coronavirus outbreak, Abdul-Jabbar said that LeBron should have shown more responsibility in the issue of vaccination against COVID-19. 

This opinion caused dissatisfaction with “The Chosen One.” However, this did not develop into a severe conflict: Karim apologized promptly, and the story was gradually forgotten.

Extreme differences in the players’ personalities speak in favor of the fact that no genuine rapprochement is expected. LeBron did not develop in the conditions that the stars of previous generations found. He is accustomed to the all-pervading attention of the media and communication with celebrities from other spheres. He understands well the importance of how he is represented on social networks.

The image of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is seriously different. His formation fell in the era of more brutal basketball. He was educated at the University of California, grew up during the civil rights movement, and is now a successful poet.

However, one can speak of an actual confrontation only in the context of the expected drop in the record. Despite their differences of opinion, both figures important to the NBA’s legacy show each other due respect and neutrality. Of course, whether their relationship will develop depends largely on their reaction to Abdul-Jahar to the fall of his record (if it takes place). 

When Will LeBron Break Kareem’s Record?

The official statistics of the NBA recorded that in the last match of his career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the floor with a total of 38,387 points. After playing the Philadelphia 76ers on January 15, 2023, King James has accumulated 38,072 points. Simple arithmetic shows that at the time of this writing, LeBron only needs 316 points to beat Abdul-Jabbar. 

It is convenient to keep track of current changes on the ESPN counter, the indicators updated from game to game.

Basketball experts believe the record will fall even before the end of the 2022/2023 season in the NBA. Of the significant reasons that can prevent this, we can single out the absence of games due to injuries. 

What will happen if LeBron keeps up with the pace of scoring this season? Then the current performance record will be updated in early February 2023.

It is amazing how close and accurate the onset of this event is. LeBron admitted that before the start of the 22/23 season, he had to seriously think about how close he was to the milestone of 38,000 points. According to him, the pressure on him was added by the fact that most of the NBA audience at that time considered this mark unattainable even for King James. 

LeBron’s current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers ends in 2025. Will the debate about its effectiveness continue when this period expires? And if so, will the King, by the end of this period, have enough physical capabilities and motivation to fight the opinion of those experts who continue to challenge the significance of his sniper achievements? Regardless of the answers, great statistics will remain in history, which you can still increase.

 

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pelicans

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The Heat faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans once again, and it definitely wasn’t as smooth as the first match-up.

In the mud offense, defensive spike, and a late Lowry scoring run.

But here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Well, that was some ugly first half offense.

There’s a tough watch when it comes to half-court offense in the NBA, and then there’s the first 24 minutes of Heat-Pelicans. If it wasn’t for a hot defensive stretch for the Heat, that I will dive into heavily next, They would’ve been in the mid 30’s through two full quarters. Everything is a grind when it comes to this team’s slow-paced approach. Teams try to eliminate the top players: Butler sees mid-post doubles, Bam sees extra help on the role, Herro sees great defenders with the occasional blitz. Teams want Lowry/Martin types to obtain heavy usage. We can continue to look at the shooting or certain elements, but there are simply too many moments I sit back and say ‘what are they trying to accomplish on that end right now.’ Maybe a good chunk of that is the need for extra talent, but it looking that ugly when healthy can’t be the case by any means.

#2: It all starts with the defense.

Bam Adebayo switches, Orlando Robinson blitzes. Early in this game, the defensive coverages weren’t much flashier than the offense since it was getting pretty bland. Good players like CJ McCollum can see right through that. Then the final 2 minutes of the second quarter hit. Here were the last 5 defensive possessions of the quarter: Kyle Lowry hits the weak-side passing lane for the steal, Jimmy Butler doubles high and gets a hand on the ball for a steal, Victor Oladipo blitzes and rips the ball away and onto the break, Heat force a turnover off good rotations due to a travel, and finally, Butler doubles at the nail for yet another steal (as Lowry nails a non-counting full court shot). This half-court offense is atrocious at the moment, so the defense holds all the wait. If they can force turnovers and get easy baskets over a stretch, that’s their outlet. Plus, it’s an eventual energy boost to the offense on the other end.

#3: A continued look at the Jimmy Butler usage.

Jimmy Butler’s first field goal attempt came with 3 minutes to go in the first quarter, and it was on an open break. As I discussed after that Dallas game, the blueprint to defending Butler and the Heat was being laid out on national TV. And well, it’s clearly a new add to teams’ scouting reports. Off every mid-post catch, the Pelicans were sending that double to Butler. He loves playing with his back to the basket to eventually attack, plus it’s one of their biggest triggers in the half-court. Double, swing, swing. Now it’s a late shot clock heave. But aside from the focus on the actual double teams, his usage has been off as of late. A lot of screening and rolling, to simply make up for the fact his on-ball stuff on the perimeter is being taken away. It’s good to find alternatives, but the ball needs to be in your best player’s hands a good bit, especially when struggling in the half-court like they did to start. That’s exactly what they did more of in the third quarter, but still something to monitor.

#4: Tyler Herro finding his rhythm.

It has been no secret that Tyler Herro has been having some three-point trouble as of late. With that, he’s found his rhythm in these two Pelicans games by finding his spots inside the arc. Floaters, pull-ups, paint touches. That’s where he was generating most of his points to begin this game, while every three-pointer that drops feels like a sigh of relief for him on the floor. But there was something else that happened that was cool to see. Herro being guarded by McCollum, screaming at Butler on a certain possession to play for the switch. Butler turns back toward Herro to listen, gives him the ball, and screens. They get the switch and Herro feeds him, leading into a foul at the rim. This offense needs a lot, but communication is a decent start. Take any advantage you can find.

#5: Late game lay-out…

With under five minutes to go, we got a continuation of the last topic, as Herro knocks down a tough corner three to give Miami some more life on that end. After a Butler pump-fake and forced whistle, the Heat found themselves up 86-84. Adebayo blitzes McCollum on one end to force the turnover, into forcing a switch on him on the other end. Lowry feeds him, and he lays it in. 88-84. With under four minutes to go, I don’t have any answer to how in the world they were flirting with 90 after the disastrous first half offense. But well, those Bam type blitzes is what created buckets in this one. An eventual Lowry step back wing three pushed the lead to 91-86, flashing a moment we haven’t seen in some time. Pelicans answer, but so does Lowry. A pump-fake, up and under move gets him the bank shot in the lane. But then, McCollum comes right back with a catch and shoot three. This exact dialogue continued. Lowry scored 9 straight points, but the Pelicans kept responding. Heat up 98-96, Pelicans had a shot. Heat double, they feed down low to Nance, and it goes through his hands with Oladipo coming up with it. He went 1 of 2 from the line, going up 98-96, as the Heat force a 5 second violation on the potential game tying inbound. Heat counter with their own inbound trouble, using two timeouts and a forced jump-ball, giving the Pelicans another chance. McCollum misses the 3, Heat escape.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Mavs

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The Heat’s nationally televised Friday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks went…just as you would expect.

The offense was jammed, and Luka Doncic was having his way. The two elements that simply can’t occur.

Plus, the way to defend Miami was put right on display. Some takeaways….

#1: Dealing with Luka Doncic…

When it comes to individual scouting, there are not many players tougher than Luka Doncic. Single coverage is never going to be a possibility, as the ultimate goal is to consistently get the ball out of his hands. The Heat started in drop coverage on Doncic, as Caleb Martin was matched up to chase. On guard screens, if he went at the Tyler Herro matchup, somebody like Martin or Jimmy Butler would quickly double Doncic to get the ball out of his hands. The issue with that: the Mavericks were knocking down their open triples. Heat mixed in some zone shortly after, which Doncic looked just as comfortable with. He was just play-making right over that initial line of defense to feed it to that middle zone. The switching was the final stage among the three coverages, as Doncic and Bam each got their fair share of wins, which is as great of a matchup as you can form. Either way, the point is that Doncic can figure things out so quickly and efficiently, as seen in that first half.

#2: Victor Oladipo taking over the half-court offense early on.

As much as I talk about the Heat dealing with Doncic, the real grind for them early on was on the offensive end. Bam Adebayo had a rough start due to the constant collapsing of the Mavericks defense, and Jimmy Butler kept seeing two defenders on the catch. So, that means a lot of focus on the guards. Victor Oladipo took the reigns early on, as he kept getting two feet in the paint following that initial screen. He flowed into two immediate floaters in the lane, followed by a right flowing hook shot off the glass. He was the one guy that looked comfortable inside the arc. He capitalized his first half excellence with a transition catch and shoot three on the left wing, putting Miami in a decent position with the starters returning. As I’ve talked about a ton after games, he’s been a bright spot. Saving the offense multiple times would not have been on my checklist before the All-Star break. Yet he keeps coming through.

#3: A playoff reversal? Butler doubles and Herro inside the arc…

As I stay in that first half theme, other than Oladipo coming through for their half-court offense, Tyler Herro also picked up where he left off. He began finding his spots on his pull-ups right around the elbow, as his floaters continue to be a comfort spot. As I mentioned before with Jimmy Butler, the Mavs were doubling him off the catch often in that mid-range area. That means the extra pass is made, trying to find the open three-point shooter. Similar to the Mavs plan, yet they were actually converting from deep, knocking down 11 first half triples to the Heat’s 2. Butler seeing doubles and Herro finding a rhythm inside? It’s almost a reversal topic from a few playoff series the previous season. Herro’s play tailed off in the third quarter with a real rough stretch on both ends, but that wasn’t anything coverage related. Just interesting to note the different ways teams elect to defend the Heat’s top guys. Lastly let me add, the Mavs have usually given Butler this exact look to throw size at him and block off the rim, so this is nothing new.

#4: The three point shooting dilemma.

The Heat were the league’s number one three point shooting team in the NBA a year ago. Even aside from the high percentage shooting, the entire offensive base was predicated on simply generating looks from deep, ultimately opening up the interior for their top two guys. So far this season, they haven’t been as lucky to have that blueprint, they’ve had to work in reverse. Try to grind out paint point after paint point to eventually get some three-point looks that benefit this squad. Through the first three quarters tonight, the Heat only had 3 made triples, but more importantly, they only got up 14 of them. Erik Spoelstra’s blueprint has consistently been trying to get up 40, but if we can be completely honest, I don’t know if that’s the best thing at the moment. But when looking at a game like tonight: Butler is being doubled on every tough and Bam wasn’t his consistent self, you can’t combine those two elements with more rough outside shooting. The defense is a different conversation, but that’s pretty much the game.

#5: So, let’s talk trade deadline.

I finished the last takeaways piece asking a simple question after a dominant win against an inferior squad: could this build momentum? Well, we got our answer rather quickly. This next span would be the real measuring stick for this squad against better talent, but no matter the result, one thing should be constant: the trade deadline must be active. Instead of hammering home the same trade targets discussed over and over, a night like this gives some perspective to the build needed in their lineup. Watching Martin chase around Doncic to begin this game, it’s clear they’re missing that physical four that can match up with versatile types such as Doncic. But more importantly, they don’t need a strict defender. They seriously need some shooting. The success of a contender cannot be determined by the shooting numbers of their role players. And right now, that’s not looking too promising. A 3 and D front-court partner would be extremely useful right about now, while bringing in an extra role player or two on the wings/back-up big position. The next few weeks will be all about those possibilities.

Why Live Blackjack is Perfect For Basketball Fans

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Are you a fan of basketball? It is one of the best sports around. It is fast-paced, and requires some concentration or you could miss a game-changing throw. There are a number of benefits that come with being a basketball fan and immersing yourself in the game. Some of the reasons why people love the game so much include the following: 

 

  • It’s full of personality 
  • It’s high intensity
  • It’s complex
  • There is a strategy involved 
  • The teamwork element 
  • How it is solidified in pop culture

 

That being said, as is the case with so many different hobbies that people are a fan of, it can often be the case that you want to take a brief break from it. This is not because you have begun to dislike the game, more so that too much of anything can sometimes become a bit intense. So, if this is the case and you are looking for something new that you can do while you take a break from basketball, you are likely scratching your head and wondering what your options are. Well, you might find that live blackjack is the perfect game for you, and the reasons why will be discussed in more detail below. 

 

It’s Easy to Access

 

If you are trying online blackjack because you like basketball, then you will want to make sure that the games you are playing are easy to access. These days, online gambling games have never been easier to play on; as such, they are perfect for people looking for a new hobby. The Cafecasino website has plenty of different games available. One of these is live blackjack, meaning if you are interested in giving it a go, it will be incredibly easy for you to get started. 

 

The Game Promotes Positivity 

 

Having a positive mindset is always important. This is the case whether it is in your professional or personal life. As such, it is something you need to have when watching the sport you love, basketball. When you are playing a game like blackjack and placing money on the outcome of the game, it’s non-negotiable that you have a positive mindset. If not, then you are simply not going to enjoy playing the game that you’re gaming on, and you’re going to find it hard to think of a reason to play on. 

 

As such, when you play the game, you are going to be improving your ability to have a positive mindset. You are steadily going to be less negative about the games you play because having a positive mindset is quintessential to the likes of live blackjack. You will be able to transfer those emotions to your basketball watching, meaning you will be better equipped for those harder games to watch. 

 

There Are Different Offers You Can Take Advantage Of 

 

If you are looking for a good deal in the games you play, then online casinos are an excellent way to get some. Because there has been a large increase in the number of people who play these games over the years, it means that different websites are keen to attract as many customers as possible. One of the most effective ways they do this is by offering different deals. These deals could be free games or some free chips, either way they are an excellent way that you can gauge whether or not you are interested in playing some of the different online games. As such, if you are taking a bit of a break from basketball and are keen on seeing whether this is the right hobby for you but don’t want to commit too much too soon, taking advantage of the different deals is the best way to go about it. 

 

Conclusion 

 

We all have different hobbies, which can vary from activities to sports we like to watch. One of the most popular sports in the world is basketball, and as such, if you are a fan of that, you likely enjoy looking up different teams, watching games, and seeing who will come out the best in the next year. Of course, like all hobbies, you might need to deviate from them or pick something else that can complement such a hobby. If you enjoy basketball, you will more than likely enjoy playing online blackjack. Be sure to consider the above points to find out more about why this might just be the case. 

Five Takeaways from Panthers’ win over Canadiens

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MONTREAL: The Panthers ended their three game road trip with a dominating 6-2 win over the Canadiens in Montreal. 

 

The team will head back home to face Minnesota on Saturday night before jumping on the road again for another away back-to-back.

 

Here’s tonight’s takeaways.

 

Early injuries for the Panthers

Florida saw two of their veterans leave the game in the first period, both of whom did not return.

 

In the opening minutes of the game, goaltender Sergei Bobrosvky appeared to hit his foot against the post when sliding over to the opposite side of the net.

 

He left the game at the next whistle, leaving Alex Lyon in goal the rest of the way.

 

Later in the period, when Eric Staal was chasing a puck in the offensive zone, Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson laid a reverse hit on Staal.

 

Staal did not have possession of the puck when he took the hit.

 

 The 38-year-old was slow to get up and eventually went to the Panthers’ locker room.

 

Both players will get looked at tomorrow, per head coach Paul Maurice.

 

Alex Lyon comes in relief for Bobrovsky

With Sergei Bobrovsky leaving the game in the first two minutes, the usual Panthers’ third-string goalie Alex Lyon had to play pretty much the whole game. 

 

Lyon has been the Panthers’ backup goalie with Spencer Knight on IR, however he has not played in a game this season with Florida.

 

The 30-year-old goalie played a solid game, finishing the night with 23 saves on 25 shots.

 

Lyon had no problem jumping into the game after Bob went down.

 

“I think experience goes a long way,” Lyon said.  “Just getting into more of those situations, you get more confident. Just trust yourself and trust the things that make you good and just stay in the moment.”

 

Power play goal fest 

The biggest area of domination for the Panthers tonight was on the man-advantage. 

 

Florida scored four goals on the power play, with two of those coming from Matthew Tkachuk. By the time they scored the last power play goal, it was a five goal game.

 

The Panthers took their time on the PP; controlling the puck, feeding the open man and shooting with open lanes. 

 

“We had good patience on the power play,” Paul Maurice told the media.

 

Brandon Monotur hits his career-high in points

It has a fantastic season for Panthers’ defenseman Brandon Montour.

 

On Tuesday night in Toronto, the 28-year-old tied his career-high point total at the 44 game mark of the season.

 

Two days later in Montreal, Montour surpassed his previous best, as he now sits at 38 points in 45 games. Last season was his best year to date, with 37 points in 81 games.

 

As he sits top-10 in defenseman scoring league wide, Montour is on pace to shatter last season’s point total.  

 

The game turned physical, lots of fights

Montreal and Florida really have no history between each other. 

 

Besides a few trades and former players playing on both teams, there’s not alot there.

 

This season on the other hand has seemed to ignite a new fire between the two sides.

 

In tonight’s game, it was anything but clean hockey. The third period had three fights, there were bodies flying everywhere, the game had more than the usual bad blood.

 

By the end of the night, there were 90 combined penalty minutes, with Montreal’s 57 being the majority. 

 

Panthers’ forward Ryan Lomberg was one of the players who dropped the gloves in the game.

 

“Two teams that are close in the standings pushing for that spot…they’re a good team, it’s competitive,” Lomberg said. “We love that type of game and we’re pushing for the playoffs here so we’re trying to play a playoff style game for sure.”

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pelicans

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The Miami Heat were looking to bounce back from their rough performance against the Hawks on Monday, and did just that, coming out scorching from start to finish in New Orleans.

They got a little bit from everybody all the way down the nine man rotation, as Bam Adebayo led the way.

Some takeaways from this high level performance….

#1: The Heat’s opening possessions telling the whole story.

Before this game, I said the game-plan I would go with would begin and end with the Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo PnR. Against a team in drop with two drop killers, that could open up the rest of the offense. Herro got into his floater twice in the first few minutes, as Jonas Valanciunas sat right under the rim. The very next possession following that second floater, the Heat found themselves running a PnR at a different coverage. He was now defending at the level, and when they are forcing adjustments this early, that’s when they have you. Herro reads it, leads a bounce pass in the pocket to Bam who lays it in. Fast forward to the next play, Valanciunas was right back under the rim, so Herro flowed right into a mid-range pull-up that dropped. In the opening minutes, Adebayo had 8 points and Herro had 5 assists. The blueprint against teams like this as I said before the game: that Herro-Bam two-man combo.

#2: The first half: the Heat simply blazing in all areas.

Going down the checklist of things you wanted to see, the first half was marking every area for the Heat. Kyle Lowry comes out with high energy, pushing pace, and getting the team transition buckets. Check. Going back to the previous point, Adebayo and Herro doing their drop in that in-between game to really set the tone. Check. The bench scores 28 points in the first half, with everybody contributing. Check. And well, the team shot 72% on twos in the first 24 minutes, pretty much getting wherever they wanted off initial and secondary attacks. Major check. In all honesty, the easy way to describe it was ‘one of those nights’ since the team just couldn’t miss on many shots in their overall profile. But the process stood out to me. There was diversity, there were paint touches into kick-outs, and they followed the base of their half-court game. That was the more promising part.

#3: Let me take another moment for Gabe Vincent.

Gabe Vincent knocked down 3 triples in the opening quarter, yet that’s no surprise as of late since he keeps breaking his own career high every night. But when zooming in a bit more on him coming back into form following the injury stuff, the one thing he displayed in this game is the real component to keep eyeing. Spot-up shooting. He’s been on an uphill climb when it comes to that spot-up three point percentage this season, but it’s been trending up as of late. Not only is that important for that extra punch from deep, but it makes it easier on the primary on-ball threats. Capitalizing on those kicks from Herro, Butler, Oladipo drives really can convert the offense in a positive manner. The other element of this emergence is it can provide lineup versatility. They can get back to plugging him in different spots if he’s hitting like this, so it’ll be interesting to monitor.

#4: X’s and O’s time: A set that I continue to like for this Heat offense.

The Pelicans began making a bit of a push in the third quarter as the Heat were forcing certain looks that they shouldn’t have. In a period that they needed to be offensively settled, they went to old reliable within their offense. I started out this piece talking about the Herro-Bam PnR in space, yet there’s a layered shift that always seems to generate a good look. Before Herro took a dribble with Bam screening, Butler slips dunker spots to catch his defender by surprise. He receives the ball on the left block, turning into an and-1. The very next possession, they baited the Pelicans a bit more. Herro and Bam actually run this PnR as Herro gets deep into the paint, Butler flips spots late, and he hits him for the easy flip shot. It’s a very subtle thing, but that’s a lot to account for on offense with those three pressure points.

#5: A potential momentum builder?

As I’ve discussed across this entire piece, this was a hot scoring night for the Miami Heat. But this was also the first time they’ve been fully healthy, probably all season. The starting lineup back intact, as the bench four were all locked into their respective roles as well. Sliding everybody down a slot simply does wonders to many of their role players. But now it’s all about seeing if this can be another one of those momentum builders. Consistency has been the word I’ve brought up all year, both on and off the court. On the court, they need consistent themes and identities on both ends of the floor. Off the court, they need to simply string some things together over a large span. They’ve done that this week, mostly against worse talent, but now they are facing Luka Doncic and the Mavs plus Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in 2 of the next 3 games. The true challenge.

Florida Panthers head coach wearing black suit and tie speaking to the media

Five Takeaways from Panthers’ OT loss to Leafs

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TORONTO: In a game that was anything short of ordinary, the Florida Panthers dropped a hard fought game to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime.

 

Between the interesting calls in the game and the reaction from head coach Paul Maurice, this game was something to talk about. 

 

Here are the takeaways.

 

Penalties, penalties and controversy?

By the second period, this game had so many penalties called we started to lose count. 

 

The story of tonight’s game was all about the officiating. 

 

Between 30 combined penalty minutes, confusion on which team received the penalty, on top of questionable calls.

 

Panthers coach Paul Maurice spoke about the questionable officiating in tonight’s game.

 

“I don’t know what the hell those guys were doing tonight but it wasn’t Florida Panther friendly.”

 

Maurice continued, “I just explained to them [his team], it had nothing to do with my players, it had to do with me and the relationship that I have with one of the referees, that’s what that was all about,” he said. 

 

At the end of the night, Florida had 18 of the 30 total penalty minutes in the game.

 

Brandon Montour ties his career-high in points

The Panthers’ defenseman has been having a career season on the blueline. Tonight in his 44th game of the season, he got point No. 37, which ties his career best.

 

Last season, Montour finished the year with 37 points in 81 games. In nearly half the amount of games, he has reached that.

 

“He is an incredibly elite skater, above and beyond what you normally see,” Paul Maurice said. “He’s starting to use that speed, that skating to defend. When he does that, he’s going to be a star.”

 

The Brantford, Ontario native has been one of the best players for the Panthers this season and comfortably sits top to in points by a defenseman in the NHL.

 

“He’s calm, he’s confident,”  Aaron Ekblad said about Montour. “I love Monty’s game and it’s a treat to play with him.”

 

Cats pick up points in three straight games

While Florida wasn’t able to string together that third-straight win tonight, which would’ve been their first winning-streak of the season, the team has picked up five of a possible six points over that three game stretch. 

 

“I feel like we’ve been finding our identity a little bit,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “I think the last two, three weeks we’ve been kind of finding how to play as a team, how to work really hard, play smart.”

 

The Panthers next opponent is a Montreal team that they defeated a few weeks ago 7-2 at home. Florida has a great chance to pick up more points on the road on Thursday.

 

Panthers get second short-handed goal of the season  

Florida’s penalty kill was extremely busy tonight and they fared pretty well considering they had seven power plays to kill, keeping the Leafs to two goals on those attempts.

 

The short-handed goal department hasn’t been explosive this season, with Florida only having one tally on the kill to their name prior to tonight, which belonged to Anton Lundell. 

 

Lundell was able to make that number two tonight, as he scored the team’s second shorty of the season, off a nice link up play on the kill between him and Barkov.

 

Barkov didn’t convert on the initial breakaway attempt after stealing the puck in the neutral zone, however his linemate and fellow countrymen were right behind to put away the rebound.

 

Lundell has goals in back-to-back games. 

 

Grigori Denisenko is working hard to stay in the lineup

Tonight was the second game in a row that saw Grigori Denisenko in the lineup. He replaced a struggling Colin White yesterday in Buffalo and retained his spot on the third line tonight in Toronto.

 

The former first-round pick of the Panthers hasn’t been able to make his mark in the NHL yet, however you can see the clear improvements in his game and why the team wants him in the lineup now.

 

Denisenko played a hard fore-checking game and his game down low led to him picking up an assist on Josh Mahura’s goal.

 

Paul Maurice said he likes the type of puck control game that Denisenko brings to the table.

 

“He’s hard on pucks and he’s strong on pucks and I’m really trying to work on some puck control here, not throwing pucks away,” Maurice said. “He’ll hang onto a puck… he’s got the understanding on how hard you have to work to be a good player and he’s starting to do it, so we’re pretty excited.”

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Hawks

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This Heat-Hawks game felt like multiple games in one. From an early Hawks on-pour into a Heat second half run into more Atlanta tough shot making.

Some takeaways from this Heat loss on Monday afternoon…

#1: Well, the first half summary is…something.

65% from the field and 67% from three. Those were the Hawks shooting numbers after the first 24 minutes of basketball. The Heat’s zone was being picked apart into middle of the floor push shots and kick-outs for threes, but I wouldn’t say this was by any means a schematic lapse. The switching was being countered as well, simply based off tough shot making in isolation. Those numbers aren’t just mirrored by a rough defensive night, that’s just offensive insanity to be quite honest. Now as for the Heat’s offense, they actually went through a 5 minute stretch in the first quarter where they didn’t miss a single shot. 9 of 9 from the field. How did they not make up any ground? Well, they turned the ball over about 6 times in that span, just demolishing their offensive flow. Shot making and turnovers: pretty much the summary of this one early.

#2: Herro, Martin back. But rust making an appearance as well.

The Heat were rounding back into form a bit on the injury report, as Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin were inserted back into the starting lineup this afternoon. Martin’s four first half minutes told the story for him, since he had 3 fouls in that span. He was looking a bit rusty as you would expect, which leads us into the Herro conversation. He starts the game 0 for 5 from three, but my biggest issue wasn’t really the zero. He seemed to be forcing that three ball on a night you would expect rust. Getting off that three point line into that floater was clearly his blueprint, which he flowed into slightly late in the second quarter. Not based off missing time, but Bam Adebayo looked rusty too in that first half with that 2 of 8 stat-line. Yet he was able to turn it around shortly after.

#3: Jimmy Butler generating points to start into an interior jam into an eventual flow.

While I discuss the many issues to begin this game, Jimmy Butler had an early 12 point to give Miami’s offense a tiny jolt. Mostly off fast-break buckets, but he was finding his lane a bit. As we saw a shift into the half-court, the Hawks were overly collapsing on his rim attempts. Atlanta had 3 blocks in the first half, and I’m sure all were on tough Butler drives. He wasn’t getting the calls to get to the line, so he began trying to play through it. There isn’t much to overly analyze when it comes to Jimmy Butler’s offensive game, but one thing that stands out on a night like this is the choice of attempts at the rim. There will be moments of that extra pass to Robinson under the rim that kills a possession, just needing to go up immediately. Then a tough force on multiple defenders the following play. Fast forward to the third quarter, his shot selection opened up, mostly off his defensive uptick, which I’ll get into next…

#4: The third quarter run: Bam Adebayo led offense, Heat locked in defensively.

While I’ve diagrammed the entire first half struggles for the Heat, the third quarter was just the opposite. Jimmy Butler set a tone defensively to begin the half, as the Heat closely followed. They began hitting passing lanes, doubling and recovering, and getting out into transition. A Heat style. As for the offensive flow to make this a game after trailing by a ton, it was all Bam Adebayo. After a rough start, he began finding his rhythm on his usual mid-range face-up game. Turnaround jumpers, play-making over the top, and crashing the boards for put-backs. He is the engine to what this team can do on both ends. These type of runs always begin with him setting the tone as an offensive base, since once a defense begins to pinch, the Heat’s offense can flow from there.

#5: Let’s talk about a certain 4th quarter substitution pattern…

As I just described the Heat’s gritty run, they rolled into the fourth quarter only down 11. With the momentum shift, that lead seemed very gettable. Yet one thing was clear as Butler went to the bench to finish the third: they will need him back soon to steal this game away. Dejounte Murray kept hitting tough shots to keep the lead, as Butler stayed on the bench through every minute bench mark. 10 minutes to go, 9 minutes to go, 8 minutes to go: it drew a very viable question to ask why is Butler not in the game yet.  He finally entered after a timeout with 7 minutes to go, as Bam went to the bench as he had been on the floor the whole half essentially. But by that point, in my personal opinion, it felt as if their window had closed. They had a pocket of time to attack on the fall-off from Atlanta, but the survival mode of the non-Butler minutes into another survival mode stretch of the non-Bam minutes didn’t help their case. Miami still made a late push anyway, but this pattern felt like it made things so much harder for this Heat team following the run.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bucks

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The Miami Heat faced the Bucks yet again, with similar rosters on both sides as Tyler Herro and Giannis Antetokounmpo each missed another game.

It was the Gabe Vincent show yet again, as Victor Oladipo heated up late.

Some takeaways from this win…

#1: Gabe Vincent picks right back up where he left off.

After Gabe Vincent put up a career high 28 points against the Bucks on Thursday, he followed that up with a 21 point first half on Saturday afternoon. For starters, the way he was doing it was impressive within the PnR. Manipulating the point of attack defense around screens before keeping his defender on his back into a tough leaner or step back. But most of all, we saw his shooting from deep really return with 5 threes in the first 24 minutes of play. He’s obviously extremely confident in his pull-up, but the spot-up three returning is massively important. That number has been rough so far this season, and with all of the ball handlers on the roster, that making a return can shift the offensive structure. His play can be characterized as hot shooting nights, but it’s simply the growth of his offensive game.

#2: Looking a bit deeper into the Victor Oladipo usage.

I’ve been talking a lot about the Victor Oladipo minutes as of late, mostly since he’s been great on both sides of the floor. Yet if we were to point out one single downfall, it would definitely be his overall handle and being loose with the basketball at times. Some early turnovers made an appearance in this game, and it flowed into a consistent takeaway of mine. The extra ball-handler in the back-court with him feels like the most necessary adjustment to his minutes. When he’s forced to be the sole handler, that’s when the mistakes roll in. Yet next to somebody like Vincent or Tyler Herro, he can shift right back into his usual role and excel on the offensive end off secondary attacks. Fast forward to the second half, he takes off again after rough starts. While I can depict the minor stuff in his game, his energy and current level of play is hitting real highs at the moment. Bypassing the early uneven play into a 20 point night.

#3: Orlando Robinson doing the right things.

When watching this game tonight, there was a play where Spo was yelling at Haywood Highsmith on the weak-side defensively to fully help off the corner for the right slot drive. He second guessed, and a lay-in was the result. Spo called timeout to get in his ear a bit. Last game, Jamal Cain was pinching to hard at the top of the 2-3 zone, giving the Bucks an open three. Spo got in his ear at the next stoppage. We just haven’t seen many of those moments with Orlando Robinson. He’s played his role pretty well and simplified it. Fights on the offensive boards, and always seems to kick it back out to work on a short clock. He had zero points at half, but I saw more promising things than not.

#4: A statistical shift: assisted field goals down.

At the end of the third quarter, the Heat had 32 made field goals. Only 13 of those were assisted. That’s not really a Heat trend as of late, but that can be pointed toward a couple of things. Vincent’s hot shooting stretch pretty much led to a good amount of isolation cooking on pull-ups and floaters for a good portion of that first half. Jimmy Butler’s offense was also slow-paced post work on Jrue Holiday types, taking away the over-passing elements to generate a ton of assists. Also, Bam only having three made field goals at that point feeds that statistic, since most of his buckets are always assisted by the creators. I thought the offensive flow was good anyway, but just an interesting trend.

#5: Taking care of business.

The excitement of a Heat-Bucks prime-time match-up surrounded by the star players was pretty much eliminated from the equation, as Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out yet again. What could’ve been a game to kind of judge where the Heat are against real talent, it quickly shifted to a completely different theme: take care of business on nights like this. The Heat are in an uphill climb at the moment in the Eastern Conference standings following the early struggles, meaning they will take any break they can get. But knowing this team, games like this never feel like a break. They’re more likely to get up for an Antetokounmpo match-up than a short-handed group. But they did capitalize on this stretch with some gritty wins against the Thunder and two against this Bucks group. Now they head on the road for another test.

Five Takeaways from Panthers’ 4-2 loss to Knights

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VEGAS – Florida ended their four game road trip in Thursday night with a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.



The Panthers finished the trip with a 2-2 record.

 

They’ll return home for a Saturday night clash against the Vancouver Canucks before hitting the road again for a trio of Atlantic Division matchups.

 

Here’s tonight’s takeaways. 

 

Florida survived Vegas’ first period attack

Florida entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, but it wasn’t a dominating period for the Panthers by any means. 

 

Vegas didn’t take their foot off the gas in the opening period and they were pretty much all over the Panthers for the first half of the period.

Even with a one goal deficit, the Knights stuck to their game; hard fore-checking, clean breakouts and puck possession in the o-zone. 

 

Sergei Bobrovsky weathered the storm of high-quality Vegas chances, stopping all 14 shots he faced in the first.

 

Florida strikes on their first man-advantage 

The first power play of the game for either side came midway through the second period. 

 

With Florida on the man-advantage in a tied game that saw Vegas dominating to that point, a successful power play would be very helpful to change the flow of the game.

 

On the back end of the power play, Aleksander Barkov fed a streaking Sam Bennett a glorious look at goal, but the play was ended by Knights’ goalie Adin Hill. On the play, Hill lost his stick while another Knights’ player broke his, leaving the Knights exposed around the crease.

 

The Panthers used the Knights’ misfortune to their advantage. Matthew Tkachuk hit an uncovered Sam Reinhart in the bumper position and Reinhart buried the shot past Hill, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead.  

 

The Anton Lundell wing experiment is working 

This is game number two in which Anton Lundell is playing on Aleksander Barkov’s wing. 

 

Paul Maurice decided to move the natural centerman to the wing in order to “Take some pressure off of him being down low.”

 

With Lundell not having the same defensive responsibilities he would need as a center, the ice is opening up for him and it was very clear that was the case tonight. 

 

Lundell appeared to have given the Panthers a 3-1 lead in the second period after he roofed a shot on a tight angle into the net. However, following a Vegas coaches’ challenge, the play was deemed offsides and the goal was taken off the board. 

 

Despite the disallowed goal, the play showed how much space Lundell has when he’s playing along the boards. 

 

A few minutes later, Lundell and Barkov played an aggressive gap near the Knights’ blueline. Barkov caused the turnover and stretched a breakaway pass to Lundell. If Lundell was playing down the middle, that play probably wouldn’t have occurred since he would’ve been playing lower in the zone. 

 

Panthers fail to convert on a third period 5-on-3

Florida had a glorious opportunity to put their stamp on this game in the third period.

 

The hot Panthers had 1:44 of 5-on-3 power play time in a 2-1 game. In such a tight game, just one goal would’ve given Florida some breathing room.

 

The Panthers had their top unit out there for nearly the entire man advantage but could not find the back of the net.

 

On the other side of the ice, Vegas picked up the momentum off the big kill.

 

It only took a few minutes after the kill to find the equalizer, off a Jack Eichel breakaway goal.

 

The Knights odd-man rushes proved troublesome for the Panthers 

Looking back to the effective breakouts from Vegas tonight, the area where they really had Florida on their toes was off the rush. 

 

The Knights had plenty of odd-man rush chances in the game, whether that was two-on-ones, three-on-twos or breakaways.

Jack Eichel’s tying goal in the third came via an offensive zone mishap by the Panthers blue line and a subsequent neutral zone lapse by the defense.

 

The same exact play happened later in the period with the same pairing, only this time the crossbar kept the Knights out of the goal.

Vegas would get the go ahead goal with 2:36 left in the third and seal the game away with an empty netter.