South Florida Voices

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat’s Late Game Rally Not Enough In Madison Square Garden
The playoffs are supposed to start in April, but the New York Knicks and Miami Heat didn’t get the message. In the season's first encounter, both squads, only two games apart in the standings before the match, broke the other’s schemes. The Knicks went to man-to-man coverage and switched defenders against screens initially. Facing pick ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Bam Adebayo Deserves to be an All-Star
Ten of the 24 All-Star slots have been chosen. Fans, media and players each had a say in who got picked. It’s now on the league’s coaches to fill out the remaining spots. Snubs are expected, as they are every year, but some are sure to ruffle feathers. The All-Star Game is an undignified popularity ...
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The Bam Adebayo disrespect only helps Miami
Every time I open up my Twitter app it's filled with casuals comparing him to whoever scored more points than him that night. I’ve had enough. As if that’s not aggravating enough, it appears that ‘points per game’ Twitter is a microcosm of how (too) many NBA fans actually think. It’s the sole reason why ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Leave Celtics Green With Envy
True to form, the Heatles found themselves in their 22nd game, decided by five points or fewer. Despite any shortcomings this outfit has had this season, supporters, the press and team personnel are almost always guaranteed to be biting nails or sitting at the edge of their seats witnessing a dub or tumble. On Tuesday, ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Survive Against the Pelicans
For the first 21 minutes of Sunday’s competitive affair at Miami-Dade Arena, the Heat’s vain play from Friday night continued. As halftime approached, supporters grew anxious as NOLA’s lead ballooned to 16 points. Then, Miami flipped like a light switch and found a pulse on offense. In the first quarter, the Pelicans were ravaging the ...
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Injury Bug isn’t all that’s biting the Miami Heat
On Wednesday, the Miami Heat had their best performance of the season. Forty-eight hours later, they were embarrassed by the Dallas Mavericks on national television. That’s been the story of the 2022 Heat. Up and down. On and off. Hot and cold. If their season through 47 games were to be summed up using only ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Mavericks Annihilate Heat
For the second time in a week, the Miami Heat came up winless on primetime TV. First in Atlanta on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then on Friday, in Dallas for a second-half buzzsaw as brutal as JFK’s ride through the city. The team’s tape review will assuredly be as horrifying as the Zapruder Film ...
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Bam Adebayo’s Aggression is the Key That Unlocks Miami’s Offense
Through 45 games, the Miami Heat are settling in as an average team. At least that's what the numbers indicate. The rotation has resembled a game of musical chairs more often than not, but the numbers are the numbers. They are 24th in points per 100 possessions, 26th in eFG%, and thanks to a top-4 ...
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Gabe Vincent starting over Kyle Lowry is the Spark Miami Needs
The Miami Heat is currently enjoying its best (and healthiest) stretch of basketball this season. They’ve won 12 of their last 18 games and appear poised to make up lost ground over the remaining 37 games. In the midst of finding a rhythm, a scintillating two-game stretch from Gabe Vincent has ignited an interesting debate ...
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Pressure Point: Dolphins give Bills a scare, but leave fans frustrated
This is why they have playoffs, because there are no certainties in the NFL. Not for the Los Angeles Chargers with a 27-0 lead, only to get swamped by an epic Jacksonville Jaguars comeback in a stunning 31-30 loss on Saturday. For a while Sunday it looked like another Florida team might flip an improbable ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Gabe Vincent Shines in Kyle Lowry’s Absence
The Heatles went 2-0 in the miniseries against the Fawns between Thursday and Saturday in Miami. Giannis Antetokounmpo sat because of knee soreness, a gift for the hosts that assisted in padding its league record. Now, for the first time this season, the Heat are four games above .500. Miami’s 2-3 zone followed up its ...
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Pressure Point: Dolphins face unenviable task in playoffs, challenging offseason
The difference between a hit and a flop is often paper-thin in the NFL. For the Miami Dolphins, the 2022 season swung on a 50-yard field goal attempt by Justin Sanders in the final seconds of the regular-season finale last Sunday against the New York Jets. Essentially a coin flip. Heads, he makes it and ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Victor Oladipo Makes His Teammates’ Jobs Easier
Heat culture revived Victor Oladipo’s career. Then he saved the outfit’s season. In five of his last six games, he’s scored in double figures and helped Miami capture four wins. The five weeks it’s taken for Vic to find himself had a significant impact on the club’s two-way production. It’s a darn shame the NBA ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Historic Night for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat
On Tuesday, the Heat survived being undermanned and a meltdown of one of their own. Without Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin, Miami beat the Oklahoma City Thunder by a point in a match that had 10 lead changes, six ties, as well as personal and team records set. To dictate evening affairs within ...
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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Adebayo, Herro and Oladipo are Stunting on Tour
Quietly, the Miami Heat have turned into road warriors. They’ve won eight out of their last eleven games away from FTX Arena, stretching back to Nov. 27. One of the victories was against the San Antonio Spurs on neutral territory in Mexico City. On Monday evening, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo continued stunting ...
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Pressure Point: Tua’s uncertain future puts Dolphins in a bind
Maybe the Miami Dolphins will clinch that elusive wild card on Sunday. All they need is a win at New England — they’ve won four in a row against the Patriots — and a Jets loss at Seattle. It would be a feel-good story with backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leading his hometown team into the ...
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