Miami, FL

Dave Hyde: Miami Heat’s undrafted players outplay Philadelphia’s pedigree — it’s sports at its best

Published

3 years ago

May 13, 2022

Dave Hyde: Miami Heat’s undrafted players outplay Philadelphia’s pedigree — it’s sports at its best

There was a second within the second half of this signature Miami Warmth evening, this lovely Thursday evening, when the tv digital camera swung to a seated Pat Riley, who arched his neck and lifted his chin and supplied the angular concept of an eagle surveying his constructed world.

What was it the poet wrote, about this being your created world — about holding all the things that’s in it?

Under on the courtroom, Miami Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra was a star once more, not simply by strategic concepts like triple-teaming Philadelphia’s finest into submission however small-name gamers like Max Strus and Gabe Vincent outplaying their pedigreed Philadelphia counterparts, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.

In case you’re bored with egos, exhausted by cash, pissed off by the laissez-faire world of professional sports activities, this was your evening. That is your group. That is the antidote of a lot that turns you off.

Strus and Vincent climbed the laborious method. Strus performed in what we’ll name Division 0 — Lewis Faculty outdoors Chicago — earlier than going undrafted. Vincent, too, went undrafted and performed for the Stockton Kings. Not the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. The Stockton Kings of the developmental G League.

They began with perception in themselves and nothing else. Do you may have that in your self? Are you able to journey that to a constructed profession?

Strus and Vincent, these two non-names, didn’t play towards the $171 million contract of James Harden and first-round decide of James Maxey on this Warmth win within the second-round collection.

The out-played them.

They flat-out embarrassed them.

“I feel that was Max’s first double-double in his life,’’ the Warmth’s pit bull, P.J. Tucker, mentioned in taking a look at a statistics sheet exhibiting Strus had 20 factors and 11 rebounds.

Strus had an analogous double-double the earlier recreation, Tucker was instructed.

“I feel that was the primary two double-doubles in his life,’’ Tucker mentioned with out a pause.

That wasn’t even the signature of this evening. It was Strus being requested about taking part in like this, defining himself on this method, and saying, “That is too new to me, too new to me, I’m not able to reply that query but.”

He tried.

“It’s one of many greatest not solely of my profession, however of my life,’’ he mentioned. “That is a kind of moments you need to be in, being a basketball participant and doing what we do for a dwelling.”

He was speaking of the Warmth within the Jap Convention finals.

“I’m super-excited,’’ he mentioned. “I need to begin tomorrow.”

Look, the Warmth are led by Jimmy Butler, who as a big-name and big-money participant was a central story this collection with Philadelphia. Butler performed for Philadelphia, moved to the Warmth and outlined the distinction within the franchises. Philadelphia is smooth, unsure, and invested in Tobias Harris.

“Tobias Harris over me?” Butler mentioned after this evening.

The Warmth is hard and unflinching.

As a lot as his Butler’s two-way toughness, Strus and Vincent outline this blue-ribbon group. Spoelstra and his employees developed them with the sort of open thoughts — attain your ceiling — that’s typically lacking. Riley gave them a minimal two-way contract final season and — you need to discuss smarts? — a minimal, two-year contract beginning this season.

Meaning about $2 million within the gamers’ pockets. Who in in the actual world would flip that down? Solely now they’re both outplaying this concept or the definition of why the Warmth is a blue-ribbon franchise. They constructed hungry gamers into front-line gamers.

You need to love how Spoelstra talks. Improvement of youthful gamers isn’t, “linear,’’ he mentioned. There have been, “incremental steps.” They had been questioned by followers — “Issues that didn’t resonate with me,’’ Spoelstra mentioned, mentioning Vincent’s taking pictures share.

Vincent had by no means been a pure level guard earlier than. He grew. He realized. He was one of the best participant on the ground for the Nigerian group towards Workforce USA. Strus was a summer-league star. Some franchises say this doesn’t matter. The Warmth all the time present it does.

That is an NBA playoffs with out a roll name of massive stars. There’s Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is likely to be ready for the Warmth within the Jap Convention championship collection.

However who else? Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. He’s gone, dispatched by the Warmth. There’s no different stand-alone star within the East. That’s the world the Warmth thrives, the one Riley and Spoelstra constructed

They as soon as had been the franchise of The Large Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Now they don’t have a participant drafted within the High 10 on their group. They’re outlined by The Undrafted Two. Are you able to admire that? Even adore it?

They begin undrafted gamers within the playoffs like Strus and Vincent. They win due to them, too. Riley, surveying his world in Sport 6 towards Philadelphia, needed to be happy by this. However not too happy. The query turns into if small names can maintain profitable massive.

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Miami, FL

Award Talk, Pro Bowl Voting Begins

Published

4 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been on a tear since he returned from injured reserve, and his performance in the Miami Dolphins’ 34-15 victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday might have been his best so far this season.

Not surprisingly, that performance has been recognized by the NFL, which has made him one of the three nominees for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Tagovailoa completed 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions against New England, good for a passer rating of 128.9.

The other nominees are Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Minnesota’s Sam Darnold.

Fans can vote for the award on Twitter, with the winner announced later in the week.

Based on the performances of Week 12, Tagovailoa would seem to be a front-runner for the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award — though the Monday night game features an AFC matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers.

On Monday, Tagovailoa also was announced as the Dolphins nominee for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Eight finalists will be selected and put on the Pro Bowl ballot for when players make their votes in December.

The award, which began in 2014, went to Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell in 2022 when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Tagovailoa is one of five QBs among the nominees, along with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love.

Former Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy is the nominee for the Ravens this year.

Fan voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games opened Monday.

Fans can make their selections at ProBowl.com/Vote, on team websites (such as www.miamidolphins.com/pro-bowl-games/vote) or on social media.

During the final two weeks of voting (Dec. 9-23), fans can vote directly on
“X” (formerly Twitter) by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player’s official
Twitter handle or creating a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these
methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. During the final two days (Dec. 22-23),
social votes will count as double.

The selections will be determined by balloting from fans, players and coaches, with each counting one-third of the process.

Players and coaches will cast their votes Friday, Dec. 27.

The Pro Bowl Games will take place in Orlando on Feb. 2.

The Dolphins had six Pro Bowl selections last season: QB Tua Tagovailoa, RB Raheem Mostert, FB Alec Ingold, WR Tyreek Hill, T Terron Armstead and CB Jalen Ramsey.

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Miami, FL

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Published

12 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Last Saturday was a day of relative chaos in college football.

Seven of the top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll lost, with much of the carnage occurring in the SEC, where three top-15 teams fell, all to unranked opponents.

If there’s a conference that stands to benefit the most from that mayhem, it just might be the ACC, which now has a conceivable path to getting two teams into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Its three most likely entrants — SMU, Miami and Clemson — held up their end of the bargain with comfortable victories Saturday against Virginia, Wake Forest and The Citadel, respectively.

But what does the rest of the league look like?

Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 13 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC)

Last week: 1
This week: vs. Cal

The Mustangs’ 33-7 win at Virginia was the eighth victory in a row for coach Rhett Lashlee’s team and clinched it a spot in the ACC championship game. A win against Cal at home on Saturday would give SMU its second-consecutive season with at least 11 wins — a mark it hadn’t previously reached since 1982.

2. Miami (10-1, 6-1)

Last week: 2
This week: at Syracuse

In their first game since a gutting loss at Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes pulled away late from Wake Forest, scoring 22 unanswered points in the final eight minutes for a 42-14 victory. With a win at Syracuse, Miami will earn just its second-ever trip to the ACC championship game, a surprisingly rare appearance for a program of its historical caliber.

3. Clemson (9-2, 7-1)

Last week: 3
This week: vs. No 14 South Carolina

The Tigers are done with ACC play and can make the conference championship game if Miami loses at Syracuse. Even if they don’t make it to Charlotte, a win against rival South Carolina would give them not only in-state bragging rights, but it would keep their playoff hopes alive, with a 10-2 overall record.

4. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 4
This week: vs. No. 7 Miami

The Orange’s 31-24 victory against UConn gave it at least eight wins for the fourth time since 2010. With 470 yards against the Huskies, Kyle McCord broke the program’s single-season passing yardage record. Syracuse can cap off what has been a strong first season for coach Fran Brown with a win against Miami that would shake up the national playoff picture.

5. Louisville (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 7
This week: at Kentucky

The Cardinals’ loss to Stanford in Week 12 was as ugly a setback as a ranked team has endured this season, but they bounced back by throttling Pitt 37-9. Louisville nearly doubled the Panthers in total yardage, 507-265. Now, it will try to snap a five-game losing streak to rival Kentucky.

6. Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 5
This week: vs. No. 6 Georgia

The Yellow Jackets held on for a 30-29 victory against NC State, assuring them of back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years. They racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense despite playing much of the game with backup Aaron Philo at quarterback. Next up? Their annual rivalry game against Georgia.

7. Duke (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 6
This week: at Wake Forest

The Blue Devils have thrived in close games this season, with five of their eight wins coming by a single score following a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech. They can pick up a ninth win on Saturday against a struggling Wake Forest team. It would be the fourth time since 2013 that Duke had won at least nine games, something it hadn’t previously done since its 1941 Rose Bowl season.

8. Pitt (7-4, 3-4)

Last week: 9
This week: at Boston College

The Panthers have lost four in a row since a 7-0 start that shot them up to No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. The latest setback was a 28-point dismantling at the hands of Louisville, a game in which Pitt lost starting quarterback Eli Holstein to a nasty-looking leg injury in the first quarter.

9. Boston College (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 12
This week: vs. Pitt

The Eagles rolled past North Carolina 41-21 after holding the Tar Heels to 212 total yards and forcing three turnovers. The win got Boston College to bowl eligibility in its first season under coach Bill O’Brien.

10. North Carolina (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 8
This week: vs. NC State

The Tar Heels’ three-game win streak got snapped in unsightly fashion, with a 20-point loss to Boston College in a game in which quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw three interceptions. The setback came days after 247Sports reported that 73-year-old coach Mack Brown plans to remain at North Carolina beyond this season.

11. Cal (6-5, 2-3)

Last week: 15
This week: at No. 9 SMU

The Golden Bears have had some tough luck in their first season in the ACC, with five one-score losses in conference play, but they’re ending the season on a strong note. Cal has won three of its past four games and became bowl eligible with a win over rival Stanford.

12. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4)

Last week: 11

This week: vs. Virginia

Since getting to 5-3 and seemingly putting its early season disappointments behind it, the Hokies have come undone, with three consecutive losses after a 31-28 defeat against Duke. It was Virginia Tech’s fifth one-score loss this season. Coach Brent Pry’s team will need a win against rival Virginia to earn bowl eligibility.

13. Virginia (5-5, 2-4)

Last week: 10
This week: at Virginia Tech

A difficult final stretch of their schedule has worn on the Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past six games after a 4-1 start. Four of those six matchups came against teams that were ranked at the time. Virginia was held to just 173 total yards in a 26-point home loss to SMU.

14. NC State (5-6, 2-5)

Last week: 13
This week: at North Carolina

The Wolfpack suffered an excruciating 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech, a game in which it took a six-point lead with a touchdown with 1:30 remaining, but allowed a go-ahead, 75-yard drive in just 1:08. It will need a win against North Carolina to avoid missing a bowl for just the third time in the past 11 years.

15. Stanford (3-8, 2-6)

Last week: 14
This week: at San Jose State

The Cardinal very nearly followed up its stunning win against Louisville with another victory, but allowed 17 unanswered points to squander a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter in a 24-21 loss to rival Cal.

16. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5)

Last week: 16
This week: vs. Duke

Whatever faint hopes the Demon Deacons had of reaching a bowl were dashed by Miami in a game in which they were out-gained by a 508-193 margin.

17. Florida State (2-9, 1-7)

Last week: 17
This week: vs. Florida

The Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak with a 41-7 victory against what’s now a 1-11 FCS Charleston Southern team. Already assured of a last-place finish in the ACC, coach Mike Norvell’s team can try to end a miserable season with a win against rival Florida.

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Miami, FL

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

Published

20 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

It’s do-or-die now for The Miami Hurricanes. Win and they are headed to Charlotte to face the SMU Mustangs for the Chance at hold the ACC Title for the first time since joining the conference in 2004.

First, they have to defeat one of the best offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Syracuse Orange led by Kyle McCord who is also on a mission of his own.

The Hurricanes have the No. 1 offense in the country but with a questionable defense, it could be hard to say what makes of the Canes and their championship asperation. One step at a time for the Hurricanes however as they look to get some players back for the final game of the season in the likes of Elijah Alston and Damari Brown.

The the additon of those two players on the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes could push pass the Orange and the offense that stands in their way. They will try to do it led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Cam Ward and his gunslinging arm and litany of weapons surrounding him.

Date: November 30

Time: 3:30 ET

TV: ESPN

Location: JMA Wireless Dome

Series: The Hurricanes lead the series 16-7 against the Orange.

Last Matchup: The Hurricanes dominated on defense in a 27-19 victory where Syracuse QB Eric Dungey threw four interceptions. Canes QB Malik Rosier threw for 344 yards and two TDs.