Miami, FL
Miami Heat think they are ready to make another unlikely run: 'It'll be a show'
MIAMI — Before he was done with the sentence, Bam Adebayo caught himself. The Miami Heat center was about to consider this season in isolation. Whoops.
“We’ve (gone through) a lot of ups and downs throughout the season — these past seasons, actually,” Adebayo said after the Heat polished off a 46-36 regular season with a 118-103 win over the Toronto Raptors. “This is the time of year when backs are against the wall. You start to find out who everybody is.”
It is clear that, while acknowledging each season is a bit different, the Heat bathe in a self-assurance that belies their eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. After last year, the Heat might have to miss the playoffs to rule them out of making a deep run into late spring.
Our play-in matchup is set. pic.twitter.com/UStoWaTks0
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 14, 2024
After losing the 7-8 Play-In game to the Atlanta Hawks, the Heat were a few minutes away from missing the playoffs proper last season. They came back to edge the Chicago Bulls, and that’s when the fun started: upset wins, at least by seeding, over the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, the first, fifth and second seeds in the Eastern Conference respectively. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
The Heat have made the conference final in three of the four last seasons, despite being the fifth and eighth seeds in the two in which they made the Finals.
And so it is again, with the Heat seeded eighth heading into the Play-In Tournament. They will visit the Philadelphia 76ers in the 7-8 game on Wednesday. If they win, they play the New York Knicks in the 2-7 matchup. If they lose, they will play the winner of Tuesday’s game between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks for the right to play the Boston Celtics, the heavy favorites to advance out of the Eastern Conference.
The question is obvious: Can the Heat do it again?
“The playoffs will let us know. But we’ve certainly experienced a lot together, that’s for sure,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the Raptors game. “It’s been an eventful season. Many different things have happened. But I think as long as your team approaches all of those experiences the right way, you’re gaining something from it and then developing some collective grit and toughness and all of that.”
Last year, the Heat entered the Play-In Tournament with the ninth-ranked defense and the 25th-ranked offense, sporting a negative net rating. This year they were fifth and 21st, respectively, before Sunday’s finale. Jimmy Butler played 64 games last year as opposed to 60 this season, but his per-minute and advanced statistics were some of the best of his career in 2022-23. They fell to previous levels this year, although he has been a more dangerous and prolific 3-point shooter this year. Adebayo won’t win Defensive Player of the Year, but he will find his way on to many ballots.
The broad strokes are similar.
“We’re not the same group as last year, so we leave that where it’s at,” Butler said. “We’re moving forward with the group that we do have. But we … are very confident in the guys that we do have, and we know what we’re capable of.”
“I think the biggest takeaway from last year is just (that) anything can happen,” Heat guard Tyler Herro added. “It’s not ideal to be in the seven or eight spot, but we’re here and that’s our reality. We can make moves with wherever we’re at.”
Herro, the Heat hope, is one of the biggest differences. Last year, he broke his hand in the first game in Miami’s first series, not playing another minute in the playoffs. This year, Herro missed 20 consecutive games in February and March with a right foot injury. Obviously, nothing can insulate him — or anyone else — against suffering another random injury, but he should be fresh heading into the playoffs.
Herro came back for the last six games of the regular season, averaging 21 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from the floor. That is close to where his regular season numbers finished.
The supporting cast has changed from last year, with Max Strus in Cleveland and Kyle Lowry in Philadelphia. The man who Lowry was traded for, Terry Rozier, has missed the last four games of the season with a neck injury. Duncan Robinson missed the last four games, as well, with a back injury. They are considered day-to-day, with their status for Wednesday up in the air. Kevin Love also has an upper arm injury that could hamper him or keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday.
With that said, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jović have stepped comfortably into meaningful roles. The Heat have made runs at less than full strength before. So long as they have Adebayo and Butler, they will believe in themselves, even as the rest of the world is skeptical that they have another magic trick at their disposal.
“I’m good. We all are,” Butler said. “It is another opportunity to play basketball at a high level in front of the world, in front of our fans, in front of their fans. So it’ll be a show.”
Given his past playoff exploits, when Butler says it, you tend to believe, too.
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(Photo of Tyler Herro: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
Miami-Dade County is one of the most desirable places to live in the country, but its median listing price of $595,868 is pushing many everyday people out of the market.
That’s why an affordable alternative is drawing attention.
Cottage Grove, a manufactured housing community under construction in South Miami-Dade, will feature 349 single-family homes with prices starting at just $129,900. It will be the first new manufactured housing development in Miami-Dade in decades.
“The interest has been tremendous,” Ross Partrich, the CEO of RHP Properties, which owns Cottage Grove, tells Realtor.com®. “The market is showing there’s a real need—we’ve had over 1,000 inquiries.”
RHP Properties has built manufactured housing communities across 31 states, including Florida, but this is its first project in Miami-Dade.
“Cottage Grove addresses a critical gap in the housing supply at a time when rising home prices and construction costs are putting homeownership out of reach for many families and when supply is shrinking due to redevelopment,” says Partrich.
According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, approximately 22 million Americans reside in manufactured homes. These homes are faster and cheaper to build.
“There’s much less waste and more precision when you’re building in a factory,” says Partrich. “The economies of scale are better, and we’re passing on the savings to our residents.”
About the community
At Cottage Grove, homeowners will own their houses but lease the land beneath them, paying $1,445 a month in lot rent.
Partrich says residents of the community will enjoy five-star amenities.
“That includes a beautifully maintained pool with a large sun deck, contemporary clubhouse, fitness center, yoga and lounge rooms, scenic biking and walking trails, and serene gazebos,” he says.
While many manufactured housing communities in Florida are age-restricted to 55 and older, this 92-acre community will welcome residents of all ages.
“The playground, expansive green spaces, and gated entrance add to the community’s appeal for families,” says Partrich.
Partrich says people have already begun putting down deposits on the homes—each of which has four bedrooms and is around 1,600 square feet.
“They’re spacious, with open floor plans, multiple living areas, and kitchens equipped with stainless-steel appliances and islands,” he explains.
The first group of homes is expected to be completed and move-in-ready by late summer.
Durability and long-term value
In hurricane-prone Florida, durability and safety are key considerations.
Homes in Cottage Grove meet a set of quality standards from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
They’re set on concrete foundations, and Partrich says they’re able to withstand hurricane-force winds—which gives residents added peace of mind.
Over the past seven years, manufactured homes sold without land have appreciated by 51.6%, according to the Realtor.com Perks of the Park: Mobile Homes as an Affordable Alternative Report.
By comparison, median single-family homes rose 58.6% over the same period.
“Financing has typically been more challenging to obtain on manufactured homes, with fewer lenders and higher interest rates,” Florida real estate agent Cara Ameer tells Realtor.com.
“Most manufactured housing communities use land leases, adding a monthly fee that can make it harder for some buyers to qualify or stay long-term. As a result, appreciation has historically been more limited,” Ameer explains.
But Florida real estate broker Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO of Echo Fine Properties, says he believes manufactured houses will only continue to rise in popularity, especially in the Sunshine State.
“Stronger manufactured homes are going to be big,” he says. “The reason is that people just want a piece of the American dream and don’t want to be stuck in rentals. These, in many cases, are stepping-stone communities that let someone get started and not be forced to move two counties away. It solves the problem of homeownership, individual placement, and a sense of community.”
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Four men were convicted in Miami for their roles in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse that further destabilized the government and led to years of violence in the country.
Jurors returned guilty verdicts Friday against the men, who prosecutors said had organized the plot using Colombian mercenaries and Haitian gang members to violently oust Moïse and replace him with a friendly successor to allow them to obtain lucrative contracts with the government. The group helped supply equipment from Florida to aid in the killing, prosecutors said.
Miami, FL
Future of Miami historic landmark continues in limbo after redevelopment plan rejected by zoning board
The fight over the future of the Coconut Grove Playhouse continues after a controversial redevelopment plan was rejected by a city zoning hearing on Wednesday.
The historic landmark, built in 1927, has been a dilapidated eyesore since it closed its doors in 2006. Developers had previously come in for renovations, but the project stalled following a partial collapse. The site is currently covered under a black tarp as the city continues to disagree on its final plans.
The city zoning hearing reviewing the proposal for the Coconut Grove Playhouse went late into the night on Wednesday. Miami-Dade County leaders plan to redevelop the site into an open campus with a new theater, shops, and parking. However, not all residents are for it.
“This is a place that is a treasure in Coconut Grove,” said Carl Hawks, a Coconut Grove resident.
Marlene Erven, with the Coconut Grove Women’s Club, explained the neighborhood’s concerns.
“We are fighting to preserve as much as we can for the intent of the property, which is a cultural use and to help the neighborhood be protected from the commercial intrusion of all of the development,” Erven said.
In the end, the plan was rejected, which thrilled residents like Erven.
“I think yesterday was a win to some extent for saving the Playhouse and the residents of West Grove,” Erven said.
While most “Grovites” disagree with the county’s major plan, they do say something needs to be done, all while keeping the history of the site alive.
The developers will now have to return to the drawing board. It is unknown when those new plans will be presented. The saga of the Coconut Grove Playhouse continues.
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