Connect with us

Miami, FL

March sadness: Heat blow big lead in 4th again

Published

on

March sadness: Heat blow big lead in 4th again


The Miami Heat were up by 11 over Charlotte with 6:47 left on Monday. They led by 11 over Chicago going into the fourth quarter Saturday. They led 10 over New York midway through the fourth quarter on March 2.

All at home, too.

And all ended up as losses.

College basketball has March Madness. The Heat have March sadness. Blown leads are becoming commonplace for the Heat, who lost 105-102 to the Hornets on Monday night — yet another costly collapse. And now it’s a team simply searching for answers.

Advertisement

“We went through too much this season to let go of the rope now,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said.

The Heat — who are 9-18 in their past 27 games, a stretch that started with Jimmy Butler III being oft-suspended before eventually traded to Golden State for Andrew Wiggins — have lost a league-high 11 times this season when leading after three quarters, already the third most in any season in franchise history.

And they’ve lost nine games after leading by at least 15 points, three of those coming in a nine-day span that ended Monday.

“In terms of our spirit, we’ll be fine,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We just have to forge ahead. You have to forge. Sometimes you get tested. Sometimes you get tested in a way that you don’t want to be tested in this league. And you can fold the tent, or you just keep on forging and forging and forging. And that’s what our group is going to do.”

The Heat are the first team to lose seven games after holding double-digit fourth-quarter leads since Memphis did it in 2018-19.

Advertisement

“We’ve just got to find a way to get ourselves out of this hole,” guard Tyler Herro said. “This isn’t fun for anybody. It’s a tough time right now. But we’re staying with it. We’ll figure this out.”

This isn’t just a recent trend for Miami. Fourth quarters have been trouble all season. The Heat had a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter at Orlando on Dec. 21 and lost by seven — being outscored 37-8 in the final 12 minutes.

And there was another nine-day span of down-the-stretch disasters in February. The Heat were outscored 39-21 in the fourth quarter of a nine-point loss to Chicago on Feb. 4, 31-9 in a 16-point loss at Brooklyn on Feb. 7 and 32-8 in the fourth quarter of a loss at Oklahoma City on Feb. 12.

“We’ve got a very tough-minded group and that’s what we need right now,” Spoelstra said. “Even some veterans in the locker room, or a veteran coach like myself, you just realize how tough it is to win in this league. It really is. On any given night, it is a challenge. We just have to stay together and figure this out.”

This run of losses in March has even put playoff plans in serious peril. The Heat — who are ninth in the Eastern Conference — will almost certainly have to get through the play-in tournament just to have a chance at getting to the first round of the postseason, where NBA-leading Cleveland or reigning champion Boston probably will be waiting.

Advertisement

“We just have to stay together and use this an opportunity, a growth opportunity to overcome something that sucks,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going to figure this out.”



Source link

Miami, FL

Jeff Hafley suggests Miami Dolphins entertain Malik Willis Tush Push

Published

on

Jeff Hafley suggests Miami Dolphins entertain Malik Willis Tush Push


play

MIAMI GARDENS ― The Miami Dolphins held a third and final mandatory minicamp practice on Thursday, June 4, at the Baptist Health Training Complex.

The Dolphins plan a practice open to media next Tuesday, June 9 and soon after the entire NFL will shut down for summer break for about five to six weeks.

Advertisement

Get ready to enjoy the World Cup.

Here is some of what we saw at mandatory minicamp practice three:

*Coach Jeff Hafley said offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and wide receiver Caleb Douglas escaped serious injury at a recent practice.

*Hafley said he believes in the value of immediate correction on the field. Some coaches want to just keep moving practice along and wait for film review.

Advertisement

*Hafley suggested Dolphins might need to look into value of Tush Push and Malik Willis.

^Malik Willis completed passes underneath to Greg Dulcich and Malik Washington, a consistent theme.

*Ben Sims could not complete the catch on a pass from Quinn Ewers into the end zone.

*Cam Miller overthrew a potential touchdown near a front pylon of an end zone.

*Malik Willis ripped the throw on a touchdown over the middle to Theo Wease. 

Advertisement

*Kevin Coleman looked slippery after a short completion from Quinn Ewers.

*Terrace Marshall skied high to catch a touchdown from Quinn Ewers. 

*Miami focused heavily on red zone work and the offense performed quite well.

*Safety Louis Moore had a pass breakup in the red zone.

Advertisement

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Miami, FL

Patients left scrambling for care after Miami-Dade woman accused of operating an unlicensed surgery recovery center

Published

on

Patients left scrambling for care after Miami-Dade woman accused of operating an unlicensed surgery recovery center


A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after authorities say she operated an unlicensed plastic surgery recovery center out of an Airbnb in southwest Miami-Dade County, leaving several patients scrambling for care after her arrest.

Kerri Smith faces charges of operating an assisted living facility without a license and an organized scheme to defraud. Investigators say she collected more than $200,000 from clients seeking post-surgical care. Her arrest disrupted the recoveries of at least six women who were staying at the home after undergoing cosmetic procedures.

“I’m really disappointed. Extremely disappointed,” said Janell Dunn, one of the patients who traveled from Orlando for surgery and aftercare.

Dunn said that during her five-day stay, she saw about 12 women cycle through the property. She described chaos unfolding when deputies arrived to arrest a caretaker. “We were all looking at each other like, ‘What are we going to do now?’” Dunn said.

Advertisement

Authorities allege the operation was unsafe and poorly managed. In court, a prosecutor cited complaints of overcrowding, bug infestations, rodents, and improper handling of medical waste.

Despite those allegations, Smith told a judge she had been working to bring the business into compliance, stating, “I got educated. Hired a consultant.”

Patients, however, say they were left with little warning to find new accommodations after paying thousands of dollars for post-operative care. Dunn said she struggled physically in the aftermath, forced to move and lift items despite being in the early stages of recovery.

“I’ve been pushing, pulling, tugging, doing things I shouldn’t be doing at this point,” she said.

Some women booked hotel rooms after being forced out. Tonita Caban, a woman with experience caring for post-surgery patients, took in Dunn. Caban said she couldn’t turn Dunn away after hearing her story through a social media group for post-op patients. She calls Dunn an “angel”.

Advertisement

“And you’re here with me, and you’ll always be my little sister,” Caban told her. “Someone you can count on.” Caban said she is not charging Dunn for her stay, acknowledging the money she already lost to Smith’s now-shuttered operation.

Smith remained in custody at TGK on Wednesday evening.



Source link

Continue Reading

Miami, FL

This new Italian restaurant in Brickell only has 10 items on the menu

Published

on

This new Italian restaurant in Brickell only has 10 items on the menu


In a city where menus can read like novellas and cocktails arrive with enough smoke, sparks and theatrics to qualify as performance art, a new Brickell restaurant is taking the opposite approach and betting that fewer choices might actually make dinner better.

At Allegro Ma Non Troppo, a new 38-seat Italian restaurant that recently opened at 1000 South Miami Avenue, you’ll find exactly 10 food items on the menu. Not 10 sections. Not 10 pages. Just 10 dishes, period.

The concept comes from a group of longtime restaurant industry colleagues who wanted to create something that feels more like an Italian grandmother’s dining room than a typical Miami restaurant. There are no reservations, no phone number and no sprawling menu. Instead, guests simply show up, grab a table and eat what the kitchen does best.

Photograph: Courtesy of Allegro Ma Non TroppoAllegro Ma Non Troppo.

The menu follows a simple formula: four appetizers, three mains, two sides and one dessert. Among the highlights are a Caesar salad made using Caesar Cardini’s original 1924 dressing recipe from Tijuana, a Wagyu bolognese “lazy lasagna” layered with Italian sausage and slow-cooked ragù, a free-range chicken cotoletta alla Milanese and a whole branzino prepared with little more than olive oil, lemon and rosemary. And then, of course, there’s the shareable dessert course. Every main course is cooked in the restaurant’s single oven and there are no fryers anywhere in sight. 

Advertisement

What makes Allegro Ma Non Troppo particularly personal is the story behind it. The restaurant serves as a tribute to co-owner Carlos Galan’s mother, who died earlier this year at age 102. Many of her belongings now decorate the space, helping the restaurant feel more like a family home than a polished dining concept.

Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Photograph: Courtesy of Allegro Ma Non TroppoAllegro Ma Non Troppo.

“The goal was never to create a perfect luxury restaurant,” Galan said. “It was to create a place where people feel genuinely welcomed, nourished, and emotionally connected the moment they walk through the door.”

Co-owner Vanessa Velez says the team hopes diners remember more than just what was on their plates. “We always want to touch the customer emotionally, because when you touch someone’s emotions, you leave a mark,” she said. “Our goal is to leave a lasting imprint on our guests’ hearts.”

Whether the 10-item menu becomes Miami’s next dining obsession remains to be seen. But in a neighborhood packed with restaurants competing to do more, Allegro Ma Non Troppo is making a compelling case for doing less.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending