The greatest rivalry in Florida: What led up to Panthers Game 1 win over Lightning

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Sunday afternoon was a successful day for the Florida Panthers in their 3-2 Game 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

For historical accounts, winning their first round one opening game since 1997 is a nice addition for the record books, but with half of the current Panthers team not even being old enough to skate in 1997 ( if they were even born),  it’s an insignificant stat to them. 

 

Now, what is important for the Panthers is the early series lead, the win on home ice and obviously a great performance against their biggest adversary — the Lightning.

 

A Rivalry Brewing 

Last season, the Panthers experienced the grind it takes to reach the Stanley Cup Final. They know how grueling it is, the ups and downs and ultimately the 14 players who remain from the 2022-23 team understand just how tough it is to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup. 

 

But before they tasted victory and defeat in the playoffs, it was mostly just defeat — by hand of the Lightning.  

 

In 2020-21, the Panthers ran into the Lightning, the defending cup champions, in round one. As the higher seed and with home ice, hopes were high for the Panthers. The buzz quickly died down  as they lost both games 1 and 2 and ultimately the series in six games. Nine players still remain from that team.

 

Tampa would go on to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup. 

 

The following year was a historic one for the Panthers. They won the Presidents’ Trophy, set a franchise record for points, were the highest scoring team in the league and finally won a playoff round for the first time since 1996. 

 

A clear cup favorite, they would once again run into the Lightning — this time in the second-round. 

 

Over the course of the season, the 2021-22 Panthers team was way better than the team which lost in the first round the previous year.

 

Once again with home ice, an improved team and series win under their belt, the assumption was a better fight would be seen from the team in Sunrise…

 

Florida got swept.

 

The loss was brutal, disappointing, embarrassing, it was bad. This couldn’t happen again, so general manager Bill Zito played his hand. 

 

The Panthers didn’t retain then interim head coach Andrew Brunette, instead hiring a veteran to run the bench, Paul Maurice.

 

Matthew Tkachuk was brought in from Calgary while Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were on their way out of town.

 

All chips were put on the table and what could have been seen as a gamble at the time, turned into a heist by Zito.

 

A season after Tampa swept them, the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final with a new franchise player and a new head coach behind them.

 

The apparent third playoff ‘Battle of Florida’ was brewing from the second Tkachuk hit South Florida, as he fired away in his introductory press conference with, “I hate Edmonton, but I hate Tampa more now.”

 

This season, Florida won their division again, this time in the final game of the regular season. A loss in game 82 against Toronto would have set them up with home-ice in a series against… Toronto — a team whom they beat in five games the previous postseason.

 

A matchup against the Lightning would be the reward for winning the division and the Panthers did just that, lighting up the Leafs 5-2 en route to the Atlantic title — setting up another matchup with their cross-state rivals. 

 

Florida. Tampa. Playoffs. This is what hockey fans wanted.

 

“I don’t know if they feel the same way, but I would sit here and say they are our biggest rivals,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said before Game 1.

 

Eleven players on the Panthers playoff roster were there when they got swept in 2022 and the feeling hasn’t been forgotten.

 

“We remember a couple of years ago how our season ended,” Anton Lundell told Five Reasons Sports before Game 1. “The Battle of Florida is always pretty heated and both teams want to win so bad.”

 

GAME 1

Going into Game 1, it felt like this matchup had some more buzz to it than the previous two. People around the league acknowledge that Maurice’s Panthers play hard and aggressive playoff style hockey.

 

“Previously (they) really hadn’t had a taste of (playoff) success,” Jon Cooper said pregame. “ Now they have and I’m sure they are hungry for more,” 

 

As you’d expect, when the puck dropped shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time for Game 1, Amerant Bank Arena was juiced. The fans were buzzing as the Panthers came out hot — scoring the first goal and controlling the opening 15 minutes of the game.

 

“I thought the fans here were amazing. Our fans have been so good all year.” Matthew Tkachuk said. “Coming out for the first period, I had goosebumps… they’re very passionate down here, I love playing in front of them. I had chills definitely during that first period.”

 

It was a game you’d expect from two teams of their caliber and it fit into how Florida wants and needs to play to take down the Lightning.

 

Both sides played aggressive hockey, with 116 combined hits. Players like Aleksander Barkov, who isn’t known for his physicality, led all Panthers skaters with six hits.

 

A key matchup going into the series was the Panthers penalty kill against the deadly Lightning power play. Florida has seen far too many times how Tampa’s powerplay will carry them to victory.

 

Tampa did score once on the power play, but it was too little too late as the Panthers had a two goal lead when Steven Stamkos finally got the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky with 10 seconds left in regulation. 

 

Florida did relatively well staying out of the box, only taking two penalties in the game. They had a huge kill in a tied game midway through the second period to keep things even as the game went into the third.

 

The Panthers had three power plays, capitalizing once thanks to Carter Verhaeghe’s goal just 58 seconds into the third.

 

Matthew Tkachuk had the game winner, by way of an empty net goal with 2:05 left in the game — giving the Panthers much needed breathing room as there was still plenty of time on the clock with the game then 3-1.

 

Goaltending from both sides was huge in the game. Unsurprisingly, Andrei Vasilevskiy had another big performance, keeping the game close when Florida had their spurts of domination. Sergei Bobrovsky only saw 19 shots all game, but he was peppered by the Lightning’s late barrage as the clock expired. 

 

“It seems like every game he makes a phenomenal save. You saw what he did last year in the playoffs”, Carter Verhaghe said of Bobrovsky’s performance. “He was our best player and kind of our best player all year, again. We have so much faith in him back there, he’s our backbone.”

 

Plenty Left To Go

Obviously, the win was huge for the Panthers. A home-ice advantage is only beneficial if you actually make use of it — otherwise the ball is now in the road team’s court.

 

Statistically, Florida is one game closer to winning the series than the Lightning, but it’s a best-of-seven for a reason and neither of these teams will go away until there’s no more hockey to be played.

 

Mentally, taking a 1-0 series lead at home is important. The Panthers fought themselves out of a 3-1 hole in the first-round last year against Boston, but playing from in front is always better than clawing back up from the bottom. 

 

In the playoffs, there’s no time to ponder. You have to learn, and adapt quickly and move on even faster. 

 

The Panthers showed up in Game 1 and won playing Panthers hockey. Now, they need to build on that if they want to take a 2-0 series lead into Tampa later this week. 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Celtics torched the understaffed Heat in Game 1

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The hosting Celtics were up nine points within two minutes on the Heat, compelling coach Erik Spoelstra to call an emergency timeout. It didn’t get much prettier after the first frame as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown zoomed by Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the cup. Kristaps Porziņģis feasted at close and long range. And Derrick White plus Dan Houser poured in a glut of trays; while the Heat were stopped from getting into actions, misfired makable shots and failed to generate trips to the line.

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).

But the 2-2-1 press, a stretch of stops in the 2-3 zone, and a stimulus from vintage Kevin Love cut the deficit to three points at the start of the second quarter. Yet, it was short-lived, and the Celtics converted its next 11 of 21 attempts. Gang Green’s leading man in the sequence was sharpshooter Sam Houser, who buried four jumpers.

Tatum successfully isolated Haywood Highsmith and JJJ for midrange buckets, scored on the break and made four freebies.

On the other side, Adebayo tried to drag the crew forward, logging seven of 19 field goals.

Jaquez nailed a fadeaway over White in the post, finished two layups and spun past Houser into the lane on the right side for two points.

But Tyler Herro didn’t produce. He was hounded by White and Payton Pritchard, scoring once in the first half while they were on him. And on defense, Herro was lost, giving up multiple 3-pointers.

At halftime, the Heat was below 45-60 and out-hustled on the glass by six. Additionally, the team had 24 paint points, four on the break, two via second chances, two after turnovers and 12 from the bench.

The Celtics had 16 interior points, four in the open court, eight on extra tries, 12 after turnovers and 22 from the reserves.

Later, Brown scored twice, racing by the Heatles in transition and swishing two outside jumpers. White downed two triples as well.

Yet the visitors came out of the half registering four of 12 ventures, credited to Nikola Jović, Jaquez and Adebayo. The group followed up with six straight misses as the Celtics contested perimeter shots cleanly and disrupted rim attacks.

Subsequently, the Heat supplied 14 of 19 baskets in the fourth quarter but never came closer than within 14 points. The Celtics were already in clock control, taking only six attempts in the first five minutes of the fourth.

The Heat was slaughtered 94-114 and allowed the Celtics 10 more rebounds. To boot, the squad had 44 paint points, 13 on the break, five via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 29 from the bench.

Adebayo totaled 24 points on 10 of 18 attempts, with six rebounds and three assists. Delon Wright put up 17 points on 85.7% accuracy, with one rebound, three assists and two steals. JJJ had 16 points on 16 tries and recovered four rebounds and four assists. And Herro logged 11 points, making four of 13 baskets, with four rebounds and four assists.

The Celtics had 24 interior points, six in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Tatum (23), White (20), Porziņģis (18), Brown (17), Hauser (12), and Al Horford (10) were the six Celtics who scored in double digits.

At the postgame presser, Herro said the Celtics pressured the Heat on both sides. He also included that
the team didn’t “play with enough force and effort on the defensive end.”

Spoelstra said, “It’s clear, Boston controlled this game from the tip. The very first possession, offensive rebound and three. And from there, they controlled it.”

—

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‘You’re looking for that third line advantage’: Anton Lundell and company are ready for the playoffs

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Good hockey teams win games because of their stars. Great hockey teams win titles because of the guys who fly under the radar. 

 

Look at recent championship teams — what did they have? Yes, they all had elite goal scorers or Norris caliber defenseman. Great Goaltending? You bet. But what played a pivotal role for teams like Tampa, Colorado or Vegas win the Stanley Cup? Their depth. 

 

The ability to confidently and consistently roll four lines all game is a luxury that not every team has, but it’s needed if you want any hope of winning the Stanley Cup. 

 

“I think, it seems to be the deciding factor in almost any series,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said on the importance of a team’s depth in the postseason.

 

A day before the Florida Panthers were set to take the ice for Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anton Lundell took the ice — dawning his baby blue Panthers practice jersey. 

 

Unlike the other forwards, who wear white (top six), or dark blue jerseys (fourth-line, scratches), Lundell and his third line companions  — Eetu Luostarinen and Evan Rodrigues — stood out in their bright Panthers attire. 

 

The distinctive uniform color was nothing more than a way to separate one line from another, but the variance of the jersey aligns with the role that’s bestowed upon the ones who wear it — it’s unique. 

 

The top-six on the Panthers — really on most teams — is where you expect the bulk of the offense to come from. The fourth line is where you’d like to see your grinders generate some energy, whether that’s laying a big hit or disrupting the flow of the opposition. 

 

So what’s the role of the third line?

 

On the Panthers, it’s a little bit of everything. 

 

“The elite players are elite on both sides, there’s no advantage to one or the other, they’re just great,” Maurice said. “But It’s the third line, it’s the guys that come out third. They’re going to play against the top two [lines] at some point. And then you need an advantage somewhere in your lineup. So if it’s true that the first two lines saw off, then you’re looking for that third line advantage.”

 

Anton Lundell will be playing in his third Stanley Cup Playoffs — in as many years as he’s been in the league. The 22-year-old was heavily relied on by the Panthers on their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. 

 

“I saw last year, it was no problem to play against whoever,” Lundell told Five Reasons Sports. “I saw I’m able to play great and it felt like I played the best hockey of my life in the finals and the playoffs. 

 

A year after putting up 10 points in 21 playoff games as a 21-year-old, he will once again command the middle of the ice as the Panthers’ third-line center come Sunday’s Game 1. 

 

Alongside him will be another Finn, Eetu Luostarinen, who has basically been glued to Lundell’s wing since last year’s postseason. First-year Panther Evan Rodrigues is the other piece to Florida’s third-line puzzle.  

 

“I’m going to put a lot of pressure on those guys tomorrow morning (Game 1),” Maurice smiled. 

 

The identity of the line is almost congruent to the roles of the three who will start the playoffs on it. 

 

Lundell has often been the guy to center the top line when Panthers captain Aleksandeer Barkov is out of the lineup. Luostarinen has bounced around numerous lines and positions since joining the Panthers in the 2020-2021 season and Rodrigues has been stapled to basically every line combination in the top-nine, all of which were fairly successful.

 

Like a Swiss Army knife, the three have more tools than you originally thought you needed, but in the end, they’ll be heavily relied on.

The Panthers will look to get off on the right foot this Sunday as they begin their playoff journey against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sunrise. 

 

Expect to see Paul Maurice roll out his third line quite frequently as they face off against their cross-state rivals. 

 

The task at hand won’t be easy, as the Panthers have yet to beat the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions (2020,2021) in the postseason, but with their experience from last year’s run to the final — it should be a different ball game in this rendition of the Battle of Florida. 

 

“We remember a couple of years ago how our season ended (by the hands of Tampa),” Lundell said. “It’s a new series, it starts from nothing, 0-0. We want to take the charge in this series.”

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat beat the Bulls in the Play-In Tournament and advance to round one vs. Celtics

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The undermanned crew held off the Bulls in the Play-In Tournament to advance to the first round against the 64-win Celtics. The high Heatles were Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr..

The Heat was absent Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (kneck).

Two nights earlier, the team laid a second-half egg vs. the 76ers that would have made its Playoff road much easier.

But on Friday, the Heat played unlike themselves, racing down the floor and snatching control of the first quarter on a 19-0 run supplied by Herro, Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jović, JJJ and Haywood Highsmith.

Defensively, the squad permitted six of 23 baskets in the first frame.

Then DeMar DeRozan scored a dozen points in the second quarter, pivoting past multiple defenders for a layup, dribbling through protections in transition and nailing a tray. He also blocked Herro’s floater from behind when defending a pick-and-roll set.

Coby White scored the two remaining Chicago field goals in the second in six tries. The rest of the visitors were stifled to a fruitless nine ventures.

Naturally, the Heat’s offense sunk in frame two as well, producing 13 points on 25% accuracy.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead, 47-37. The hosts also had 18 paint points, 10 on the break, six via second chances, six after turnovers and 15 from the bench.

The Bulls accumulated 10 interior points, two in the open court, four on extra tries, six after turnovers and four from the reserves.

Next, Herro came out of the break blazing for 12 points, hitting a fadeaway over Alex Caruso on the baseline, attacking the rim on a PnR play with Adebayo, splashing a transition trifecta and downing freebies. On top of that, JJJ cut from the left wing to the paint twice for dunks, and Kevin Love’s activity at close range against mismatches resulted in six filed free throws.

On the other side, Nikola Vucevic countered with a basket in the post and a pair of threes. And Ayo Dosunmu dribbled past Herro from the wing to the cup for a layup and made a corner triple.

Afterward, the Heat entered the fourth quarter up 82-60. The crew shut down Dosunmu by closing out on time to his attempted deep jumpers but allowed the rest of the Bulls 13 of 24 buckets.

Yet it didn’t count for much. The Heat’s advantage bloated to 29 points midway through the period as Love attacked Caruso in the post and swished a corner banger, plus JJJ and Herro feasted from short and long distance.

The Heat won 112-91, ending the Bulls’ season for the second straight year. The squad picked up nine more rebounds and logged 36 paint points, 20 on the break, 14 via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 42 from the bench.

Herro tallied 24 points on eight of 17 attempts, with 10 rebounds, nine assists and five turnovers. Jaquez had 21 on his scoring ledger on 50% accuracy, with five rebounds and six dimes. Kevin Love put up 16 points on two of six looks and picked up seven rebounds. And Adebayo had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Bulls had 36 interior points, seven in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 11 after turnovers and 24 from the reserves.

DeRozan notched 22 points on eight of 16 tries, with three rebounds, four assists, one steal and a block. Vucevic scored 16 points on 41.2% shooting, with 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. And White had 13 points on 31.6% accuracy and recovered two rebounds and four assists.

Herro handled the on-court interview. He said, “I tried to be as much as I could of Jimmy [Butler] tonight, just trying to make the right play, get my guys shots and not force anything.”

Regarding the Celtics matchup in round one, Adebayo said, “It’s gonna be in the mud; it’s not gonna be pretty basketball.”

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“I would rather it be me than her…”: Coban Porter, brother of Nuggets forward, sentenced to six years in prison for role in drunken fatal crash

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Coban Porter was sentenced to six years in prison for the drunken automobile accident that killed Katharina Rothman, who was a mother and injured another. He will also serve two years for a related charge that will run concurrently, plus three years parole. He was also given one day of pre-sentence confinement credit.

Porter is the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr..

Porter arrived at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse with a large party, and more came after. They took up the entire left side of the courtroom, all of the jury seats and a section of the back row on the right. Family members of the victim and representatives of the District Attorney’s office sat and filled out the remainder of the right side. Porter’s arresting officer, Aaron Botts, stood on the left side of the room.

Following a few cases, Porter’s was picked up from the docket at 9:12 AM MT, but Judge Ericka Englert summoned DA Austin Leighty and Porter’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, to the bench for nine minutes for a quiet discussion.

Six family members plus Leighty spoke on behalf of Rothman. First was her mother, Connie Johnson.

“This pain and trauma have become my worst reality,” Johnson said. “I stand here before you today, but all at the same time, I am elsewhere. On Jan. 22, 2023, my life ended with my sweet, innocent daughter, Katharina Rothman.”

The DA’s office advocated for the maximum eight-year penalty.

Leighty said, “He was driving more than 50MPH in a 30MPH zone… From the videos that were submitted, the light that Ms. Rothman was going to be driving through and tried to drive through was green at the beginning of the video. The crash occurred 23 seconds into [the video]. For 23 seconds, [Porter’s] light was red.”

Then friends and family of Porter spoke for him, including his brother Michael, who wasn’t planning on talking but wanted to offer his perspective on character.

“Coban was the one who [while I was growing up], that pushed me to achieve… He was the one I looked up to, even though I’m the oldest brother. I truly don’t think I would be in the position I am [in] today as a professional basketball player if I didn’t have a brother like Coban push me every day.”

Michael continued, adding that he wished to take his brother’s place. He posted the $2,000 bond payment for his brother following the arrest.

Lisa Porter said her son is remorseful for the crash and prays for the Rothman/Johnson family. “He has pleaded with God, to help them, to do something, to bring honor to Katharina.”

Subsequently, Steinberg defended his client, saying no one had suffered more than him throughout the case. On top of that, he said, “I hate to even say this, but maybe some good can come out of this… maybe Judge, if you choose, you can fashion a sentence that allows him to try to make up for what he’s done by making this world a better place, and by deterring others for making the tragic mistake he made in his youth, instead of simply saying ‘sorry’ and having that cell slam behind him.”

Porter talked last. He said he could never make up for the wrong, but that he is sorry, wishing it was him who died instead of Rothman. He said he wants to make a difference for people who were like him, too.

Next, Porter was cuffed and taken away.

Englert approved Denver7 and 9News’ request for expanded media coverage for the sentencing hearing, despite the defense’s objection. Englert had previously denied the application of expanded media in her courtroom for the Oct. 17 arraignment date.

While the case was in the arraignment stage, Englert allowed Porter to live out of state and agreed to remove GPS tracking on him, in spite of the DA’s objections. Then, his permanent address was then listed in Denver, now Columbus, Missouri.

Steinberg had no comment after the hearing.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat lose Play-In bout in crunch time to 76ers in Philadelphia

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The Heat’s quest to upstage the hosting 76ers in the Play-In Tournament was another late failed effort after taking control of the first half.

Terry Rozier (neck) was unavailable for the Heat. The 76ers were absent De’Anthony Melton (back).

Joel Embiid attacked Bam Adebayo early, forcing two early fouls in the post and on a drive. Next, Kevin Love subbed in for him as the Heat was down six points.

Butler guarded Tyrese Maxey and dunked twice on the break after steals plus downed two freebies within the first eight minutes.

Tyler Herro matched up with former Heatle Kyle Lowry and got loose for a pair of floaters- one dribbling into the paint against Embiid and another in transition.

Yet, the host causing the most damage was Maxey. He rattled in a tray and finished twice in the paint.

Eventually, the Heat deployed its 2-3 zone, then had its 2-2-1 press, taking time off the clock, leading into the scheme. And the guests took their first lead of the night with 28 seconds left in the frame after going behind by eight points.

But in the closing moments of the first, Butler went down after being fouled by Kelly Oubre and held his right knee on the ground. Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning uncomfortably watched from their seats, and coach Erik Spoelstra looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Butler made one of two and limped to the bench.

But he stayed on the floor to start the second quarter and the Heat was still in zone defense.

Embiid and Maxey combined for one of seven baskets and Paul Reed was the lone 76er to make multiple in the second quarter.

Butler and Herro were no better on offense, but Adebayo bailed them out, catching a lob and hitting a jumper over Embiid. Subsequently, Caleb Martin, Love and Herro each hit a triple at the end of half, closing it on a 9-2 run.

The 76ers fans booed their team as it retreated to the locker room, and the Heat led 51-39 at halftime but was down on the glass by five. The squad also had 24 paint points, 11 on the break, eight via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 21 from the bench.

The 76ers had 18 interior points, six on the break, five on extra tries, two after turnovers, and seven from the reserves.

Then the Heat had another turd quarter experience. The group converted eight of 22 baskets against man coverage and the zone and its defense was solved.

On the other side, Nicolas Batum supplied three trifectas off Philly’s bench, and Buddy Hield added seven points.

The fourth began with the Heat above 74-69, but the hosts tied it up quickly and briefly seized the lead two minutes later.

Jaime Jaquez’s dunk through the middle and Haywood Highsmith’s floater on the left were two significant late baskets.

With Butler playing as a decoy, Herro was the only dependable on-ball scoring option. The latter put up 16 points, but when the team was down three with 28 seconds left, he had his triple blocked by Batum on the right side.

Highsmith instantly fouled Maxey and the free throw formality ensued.

Embiid, Batum and Oubre united for six of 13 baskets to close the game.

The Heat lost 104-105, gave up two extra rebounds, and committed two fewer turnovers. On top of that, the crew had 46 paint points, 13 on the break, 20 via second chances, 22 after turnovers and 40 from the bench.

Herro logged 25 points on nine of 27 tries, with two rebounds, nine assists and five turnovers. Butler had 19 points on 27.8% accuracy, with four rebounds, five assists and five steals. And Jaquez tallied 15 on his scoring ledger and picked up five rebounds, two assists and a steal.

The 76ers had 42 interior points, 11 in the open court, 15 on extra tries, 16 after turnovers and 36 from the reserves.

Embiid notched 23 points on six of 17 attempts, with 15 rebounds, five assists and three turnovers. Batum had 20 points, making 58.3% of his looks, with five rebounds and a block. And Maxey scored 19 on 16 attempts, with three rebounds, six assists and three turnovers.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said, “When you have a double-digit lead and a three-point lead going down the stretch, we just have to figure out a way to finish those games off.”

Spoelstra said Butler’s injury would be further checked out in Miami. 

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The 76ers are a tough matchup for the Heat in the Play-In Tournament

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The smoke has cleared: the Heat is facing the 76ers in Philadelphia for the Play-In Tournament. It’s not an ideal matchup for the guests, but a win reduces the arduous road in the East Playoffs by having the crew play the Knicks in round one. A loss would force them to duke it out with the winner of the 9 & 10 Game for a chance to go at the 64-win Celtics.

The last time the Heat saw the 76ers in the Postseason was two years ago, and PJ Tucker was around to box out and help defend Joel Embiid. Ascending sophomore Nikola Jović and Thomas Bryant will need to be stars of the dirty work if Kevin Love can’t play (left arm stinger).

But the 76ers won’t be handicapped by a slower James Harden, who plays scared in big moments. Instead, the reigning MVP’s running mate is Tyrese Maxey, a booming All-Star with jet engines in his sneakers who sometimes resembles The Answer.

And Doc Rivers’ predictable offense can’t foil the 76ers by bailing out the other team’s defense. All the movement in coach Nick Nurse’s attack makes the Philly outfit harder to guard.

Presently, the 76ers, victors of 25 of 41 home games, are 4.5-point favorites. When Embiid plays, the team’s win rate rises to 79.5% (31-8), and in those outings, Philadelphia scores 120.7 points per game on 48.4% shooting. Their opponents record 110.3 points with 45.8% accuracy.

On top of that, Philly is second-best behind the Celtics in taking care of the ball, losing it 12 times per contest. The league average for turnovers is 13.6, per Basketball Reference.

On Sunday, coach Nick Nurse didn’t want to say whether guard De’Anthony Melton would be available Wednesday, but he left the door open for the future. Melton has been a part of two of the seven most-used 76ers lineups this season, and both have the highest point differential on the team (33.3 & 25.7), per Cleaning the Glass.

On Wednesday, the starting lineup the Heat will likely see is Maxey, former Heatle Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris and Embiid. Their top reserves will be Nicolas Batum, an older but versatile switchblade, and Paul Reed, a dependable rebounder and roller.

The Heat’s two largest problems in this game are Philadelphia’s frontline size and Maxey’s speed. Adebayo will guard Embiid to start, but keeping him on the assignment too long could waste his energy for offense. The last time both groups faced off on April 5 in Miami, the visitors out-executed the Heat late. Adebayo also checked Embiid for almost five minutes, giving up six of 12 field goals, including three of four from deep.

On offense, Miami’s center converted six of 15 attempts in the last encounter.

And in that game, Maxey was 1A. His primary defenders were Caleb Martin, Butler and Rozier. He scored four of five baskets against Martin, none in front of Butler and four of five over Rozier. The zone didn’t slow him down much, either, as he dribbled into its heart for jumpers and floaters.

Don’t forget that Oubre thrashed the Heatles on the same night for 18 points, downing 57.1% of his tries, but notably, seven of those came in the fourth quarter. Over the last seven matches, Oubre is recording 22.3 points, making 48.9% of his shots, with 6.6 rebounds nightly.

There is no doubt, now that Don Embiid has returned, his squad is much stronger than Butler’s.

But the Heat has a chance.

It starts with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra striking a deal with Lucifer so Duncan Robinson, Love and Rozier regain perfect health, followed by the return of thermonuclear Butler, Adebayo channeling Alonzo Mourning, and Tyler Herro devouring drop coverage and blitzes.

The Heat is slightly sharper on the road and plays well when expectations are low. But Butler hasn’t been the same beast this season. While taking 14.4 drives per game, which is good enough for 16th in the NBA, he attempts 5.1% fewer buckets at close range.

At 0-3 feet, he is registering 67.5% of his ventures. It’s the second-lowest mark since he got to Miami in 2019-20, but in his first year, he took 7.7% more shots in the restricted area.

With Butler, the drops in production have caused a surplus of observers to question his hunger to compete. But he is 34.6 years old now. It shouldn’t stagger anyone, considering the juice he spent in three of the Heat’s last four Playoff runs, including two trips to the NBA Finals. And he’s been going through it personally after losing a family member earlier in the year.

His Miami tenure has been the NBA’s equivalent of turning water into wine. He’s made doubters into believers, and he can add to his folklore with a vintage performance- one with at least 14 free throw attempts and 10 rebounds.

Adebayo can’t go soft on the team, settling for outside jumpers. The 76ers will pack the lane against him, and he should take open looks, but he must assist Butler in putting Philadelphia’s backline in foul trouble. On defense, he must do his best to avoid needing the double team when defending Embiid because the 76ers splash 38.3% of hoisted trays when the MVP plays.

And Herro , who is excellent pick-and-roll option with Adebayo, will need to capitalize against defensive breakdowns to give him and Butler a boost. Furthermore, he can’t let Maxey outwork him badly.

An upset won’t come easy, but Spoelstra said he is looking forward to Wednesday’s bout after the Heat’s tune-up win over the Raptors in the regular season finale. “It’ll be a great environment. Philly’s been playing fantastic recently, so we know what to expect there. It’s for competitors only. It should be a lot of fun.”

When asked about an advantage to playing on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, Spoelstra said, “Could have been Tuesday and we would have been ready to rock.”

In the locker room, Butler addressed the press. He said, “It will be a show.”

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat decimated the Raptors in the regular season Finale

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The outcome was important, but the Heat’s regular-season finale transpired as an expected rear-kicking with seven hosts in double-digit scoring and four recording at least four dimes against the understaffed Raptors.

The Heat were absent Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (back). The Raptors were missing Chris Boucher (knee), Jakob Poetl (finger), Immanuel Quickley (left adductor strain) and Scottie Barnes (hand).

Early, Jimmy Butler scored a putback in the lane and cut back door for a lob on the right side. Adebayo consumed four rebounds, notched a tip-in and dribbled into the paint, swishing a floater. And Jaime Jaquez Jr. added six points.

Kevin Love hurt his left arm going for a loose ball at the end of the first quarter. He did not return and the team said it was a contusion.

Yet visitors had the game tied through the first quarter. They misfired on all eight 3-point tries against man coverage and the zone but finished in the paint on eight occasions and made eight freebies.

Afterward the Heat went on a 36-13 run in the last seven minutes of the first half and seized total control the rest of the way. Wright, Butler, Herro, Martin and Adebayo flooded the Raptors with jump shots and Butler barreled into the square for a left-handed scoop.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 67-46 and up on the glass by four. The crew also picked up 34 paint points, six on the break, 11 via second chances, 19 after turnovers and 20 from the bench.

The Raptors had 30 interior points, four in the open court, nine on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

Then the Raptors were overwhelmed by the Heat’s backline and help defense, scoring only three of eight baskets in the restricted area in the third quarter.

On the Heat side, Adebayo cut into the paint thrice, dunking twice and making a layup. Thomas Bryant tallied two putbacks, two freebies and a two-foot basket. And Martin soared into the box for a booming jam and nailed a long two-point jumper at the top of the key.

Next, the fourth quarter started with the Heat above 94-71.

The Raptors only played two spot starters- Ochai Agbaji and Javon Freeman-Liberty- to close the match. The Heat forced six consecutive misses to begin the frame, contesting well in transition and on time from deep. But Jaquez and Bryant’s rim attacks and Delon Wright’s catch-and-shoot right-wing triple put the affair in garbage time with over seven minutes left.

The hosts won 118-103 and picked up two more rebounds. No starting Heatle logged more than 29 minutes, and the squad picked up 68 paint points, 16 on the break, 20 via second chances, 29 after turnovers and 36 from the bench.

Butler (15), Adebayo (17), Martin (12), Herro (17), Jaquez (18), Delon Wright (11) and Thomas Bryant (18) were the seven Heatles who scored in double digits.

The Raptors had 54 interior points, eight on the break, 24 on extra tries, 22 after turnovers and 42 from the reserves.

When asked about playing Wednesday in the Play-In Tournament against the Philadelphia 76ers, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Could have been Tuesday and we would have been ready to rock.”

When asked about Love’s injury, Spoelstra said he suffered a stinger and will be evaluated on Monday.

Herro later mentioned his goal for the postseason is to stay healthy.

Adebayo said the team is going into the Play-In against the 76ers confident and that he expected to see defenses packing the paint.

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat took out the Raptors in tune-up game

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The first half was unsightly for the Raptors as the Heat inflated its lead to 19 points and then coasted the last two quarters for a win in its penultimate game of the regular season.

The Heat was absent Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (back). The Raptors were missing Scottie Barnes (recovering from left hand surgery, Jakob Poetl (finger). 

Early, Nikola Jović disrupted the visiting attack as help in the backline and finished at the rim three times off a cut, putback, and drive from the top. Bam Adebayo successfully attacked the lane twice. And Jimmy Butler poured in five points.

On the other side, the guests were a two-raptor horde. Immanuel Quickley nailed a right-wing 3-pointer with Adebayo in front and made two freebies. And RJ Barrett mauled the hosts in transition, sliced the baseline to score plus dribbled past Butler into the paint for a layup. The latter followed up the second frame with an encore, and Bruce Brown downed a pair of threes.

In response, Adebayo detonated. He jammed a fastbreak lob from Jaime Jaquez Jr., rim rolled for a layup, swished a tray and punished the cup from the dunker spot. And JJJ produced seven points and four dimes.

On top of that, the Heat’s advantage swelled to 19 points as Adebayo set up Jović at the post with Quickley on his back for a basket.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 66-50 and ahead on the glass by one with nine less turnovers. Additionally, the crew had 32 paint points, two on the break, four via second chances, 12 after turnovers and 19 from the bench.

The Raptors had 22 interior points, four in the open court, six on extra tries, three after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

By the halfway mark of the third quarter, the Raptors chewed down the Heat’s lead to a dozen, getting to the restricted area on five occasions and making a transition 3-pointer.

To counter, Adebayo rolled after a handoff to Herro and punched in a two-handed dunk, and Heat closed the interval, logging five of 10 attempts.

The fourth quarter started with the hosts up 92-75.

Despite Barrett draining a corner triple, scoring against the zone and getting by JJJ and Haywood Highsmith, the Heat was never in danger of an upset. Aside from him, the only other Raptor to record multiple field goals late was Garrett Temple.

For the hosts, only three starters played in the fourth- Butler, Jović and Martin- but the Raps never got closer than below 16 points with over 10 minutes to go.

Late, Jaquez made a 3-pointer, canned four freebies, dunked on the break, hit a baseline layup and set up four plays. And Kevin Love supplied seven points and four rebounds.

The Heat won 125-103. The team picked up 54 paint points, seven on the break, eight via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 50 from the bench.

Jović scored 22 points on nine of 18 looks, with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Jaquez recorded 20 on his ledger on 46.7% accuracy, with four rebounds and nine assists. And Adebayo put up 19 points on 10 attempts, with six boards and three dimes.

The Raptors had 48 interior points, 10 in the open court, 12 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Barrett tallied 35 marks on 13 of 18 tries and picked up 11 rebounds and three helpings. Quickley had 15 points, making 36.4% of his shots, with four rebounds and five assists. And Brown had 14 points on six attempts.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We have a lot to work on…This was a step for sure.”

Jović came next. He was asked about the team’s ball movement and said, “It feels great to get a win where [we] had so many assists. Thirty-seven? That’s what it was all about in the morning practice… That’s how we got to play if we want to score and that’s what we did tonight.”

The Heat will not practice on Saturday.

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Mavericks dismantled the Heat at Kaseya Center

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Luka Dončić uncorked the Mavericks’ offense with back-to-back triples and knocked down another tray five minutes later. He guarded himself by picking up three first-quarter fouls and sat with 13 points until nearly midway through frame two. The Heat countered, splashing four of seven deep shots and cutting up the baseline, but Kyrie Irving took over Kaseya Center.

The Heat was absent Duncan Robinson (back) and Terry Rozier (neck). The Mavericks played without Dereck Lively II (knee).

Then it got ugly. The team with “Culture” on its jerseys was pushed around and burned from distance, while its effort levels were low for the first half. The hosts trailed by as much as 25 points and were below 47-69 at halftime. Up to that moment, the Mavericks had made 12 of 17 baskets in the lane.

Jimmy Butler took it easy, attempting only five shots and committing five turnovers against the Mavericks’ defense. Bam Adebayo was the worst big man on the court, misfiring on one 3-point try and seven consecutive close-range looks against Maxi Kleber and Daniel Gafford.

The only bright spots before intermission were Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin, as the former broke into the lane for three baskets and the latter downed two triples.

Yet, the Mavericks blanking makable deep tries, and Kevin Love supplying 10 points on rim attacks and long-distance buckets opened the door for a comeback. At the end of the interval, the Heat was behind 74-88.

Then the squad deployed the zone in the fourth quarter, but the Mavs were not fazed. PJ Washington hit two shots at the heart of the scheme, Irving dribbled left past it to the rim, and Gafford scored from the dunker spot on consecutive plays.

Adebayo and Butler were subbed back in with 6:43 left as the team was down 13. Their impact to close out the game was microscopic. Adebayo missed his only attempt in the fourth quarter, but Butler made his, hoisting over Irving on the baseline.

Herro was the only Heatle to record multiple baskets in the fourth- a pair of threes that cut the Heat’s deficit to nine and eight points with under nine minutes to go. But the Mavs resisted any further comeback attempts.

Dončić dribbled into the paint and hit a fadeaway over Love on the right side; former Heatle Derrick Jones Jr. dashed by Butler and scored on Adebayo at the rim; and Irving’s left baseline drive around Herro for a left-handed layup sealed the deal.

The Heat lost 92-111. The crew picked up 36 paint points, five on the break, 14 via second chances, eight after turnovers and 23 from the bench. The hosts also had seven more rebounds and eight extra turnovers than the Mavs.

Herro produced 21 points on six of 15 attempts, with seven rebounds, six assists and four turnovers. Love had 16 on his scoring ledger on 66.7% accuracy, with 11 rebounds. And Martin put up 14 points on five of 14 looks, with four boards and six dimes.

The Mavericks had 48 interior points, 24 in the open court, seven on extra tries, 19 after turnovers and 21 from the reserves.

Dončić registered 29 points on nine of 23 tries and recovered nine rebounds, nine assists and three turnovers. Irving had 25 on his ledger, making 66.7% of his attempts, with three rebounds, four assists and two steals. And Jones and Washington had a dozen points apiece.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “[The Dallas Mavericks] jumped us…sometimes this league can just really humble you and that’s what happened tonight.”

Butler did not speak to the media.

The Heat will not practice on Thursday

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