Miami, FL
Heat not lamenting what might have been, also not assuming repeat play-in success
MIAMI – The point of no return came Sunday, when even after finishing two victories better than last season, the Miami Heat found themselves right back in the precarious position of the NBA play-in round.
It could have been a moment of reflection, on both the ones that got away this season, as well as how the team emerged from last season’s play-in to advance to the 2023 NBA Finals.
But the Heat were having none of it, including coach Erik Spoelstra, when asked how as little as one more win could have gotten the Heat directly into the best-of-seven first round of the playoffs, instead of still needing a play-in victory for that opportunity.
“No,” he said firmly. “I’m not even thinking about that, at all. It doesn’t even make sense for me. We have to prepare for competition and a game on Wednesday and move on.”
As in when the Heat play the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, with the winner moving on to the best-of-seven first round against the No. 2 seed New York Knicks.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Spoelstra said. “Look, this is the best time of year, these kind of environments, the games, the context, all of that. You can’t expect it to be easy, no matter what the scenario might be.”
Moments later, at his locker, Heat forward Jimmy Butler was asked about confidence having been built from last season’s play-in round.
He, too, had no interest in looking back.
“We’re not the same group as last year,” he said. “So we’ll leave that where it’s at and we’re moving forward with the group that we do have.
“But we, I, are very confident in the guys we do have and we know what we’re capable of.”
Spoelstra has expressed similar sentiment when it comes to the comparisons to last season, when the Heat closed the regular season 44-38, lost in the play-in opener to the Atlanta Hawks, but then won their win-or-go-home second-chance game against the Chicago Bulls.
The difference is both of those games came at home for the Heat. Now there is a Tuesday flight to Philadelphia, a potential overnight flight back to Miami, and then a possible last-chance game Friday night against the winner of Wednesday night’s Hawks-Bulls game.
If the Heat do need two games again for their required one play-in victory, it then would mean moving on to face the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics.
But as Butler noted, much has changed. Among those who participated in last season’s play-in games for the Heat were Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller and Kyle Lowry, who now is with the 76ers.
Added to the mix since that play-in experience have been Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, Delon Wright, Thomas Bryant and Patty Mills.
“The biggest takeaway from last year is just anything can happen,” said guard Tyler Herro, who started each of those play-in games last year before going down in the Heat’s opening-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a season-ending hand injury. “Obviously it’s not ideal to be in the seven or eight spot. But we’re here and that’s our reality.”
A reality both similar and different from last season.
“I know we’re going into this confident,” center Bam Adebayo said. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs throughout this season, these past seasons, actually.”
So for Spoelstra, a fresh start in many senses.
“The playoffs always let you know,” he said. “We’re excited about it. You always think that we have a great opportunity in front of us.”
Play-in format
– The Heat (eighth place in the final Eastern Conference regular-season standings) play the Philadelphia 76ers (seventh place) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.
– The winner of that game opens the best-of-seven first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday at Madison Square Garden against the No. 2 seed New York Knicks, with a start time still to be determined.
– The loser of Heat-76ers then plays Friday night on their home court (for the Heat, Kaseya Center) against the winner of Wednesday night’s 9:30 p.m. game between the Chicago Bulls (ninth place) and Atlanta Hawks (10th place). The time for such a Friday night game has yet to be set.
– The winner of that Friday game then opens the best-of-seven first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Sunday at TD Garden against the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics, with a start time still to be determined.
– Should the Heat fail to win in either of their play-in chances (vs. 76ers or vs. winner of Bulls-Hawks) they then would be placed in the NBA draft lottery, with a random drawing that could leave them with as high as the No. 11 seed for that random-but-weighed process to determine the first four selections in the June 26 first round of the NBA draft (the Heat own their own 2024 first-round pick).
A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.
Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.
It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.
The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.
Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.
Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.
At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.
The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.
The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.
The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.
The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
-
Detroit, MI19 minutes agoWhat big announcement at DPSCD Hall of Fame Gala could mean for Detroit students
-
San Francisco, CA31 minutes agoCasting shade on shadows: S.F. supervisor seeks to bar using shadows to block new housing
-
Dallas, TX37 minutes agoDallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs
-
Miami, FL43 minutes agoMiami residents sue over land for Trump presidential library
-
Boston, MA49 minutes agoBoston has a secret society built on opium money in ‘The Society’
-
Denver, CO54 minutes agoDenver weather: Nearing record highs again
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoSeattle weather: Increasing clouds and cool showers on Thursday
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoDaily Business Report: May 14, 2026, San Diego Metro Magazine