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Inevitable. Miami are heating up just in time for the playoffs
By James Brown, Published April 17th 2024Before Sunday’s 115-117 loss to the Pacers, the Heat had won 4 out of their last 5 and briefly held the 6th seed during that time. It’s been an inconsistent season in Miami with injuries plaguing the roster all season long, but they are starting to get healthy at just the right time and could make a push for a playoff spot in their final 4 games. At the time of writing, Miami are now in 8th and 1.5 games behind Indiana in 6th. With less than a week left in the regular season, just 3 games are separating Orlando in 3rd to Miami in 8th.
Throughout this season, key Heat players have missed significant time. Out of the 78 games played, the following key players have missed time: Tyler Herro - 40 games, Nikola Jovic - 36, Josh Richardson (out for the season) - 35, Kevin Love - 27, Jimmy Butler - 22, Caleb Martin - 18, Bam Adebayo - 11, Duncan Robinson - 10 and Jamie Jaquez Jr - 7. The majority of the Heat’s rotation have missed 10 games or more and missing the likes of Herro and Butler for long periods of the season has limited Miami’s ability to be consistent and move up the seedings.
Every team is faced with injuries, but Miami’s injury list has been deep all season and the fact they are still in contention for a straight-up playoff spot is a credit to the organisation. Year after year they can draft and sign players that embody the ‘Heat Culture’ and step up when they are needed. The likes of Jaquez Jr and Haywood Highsmith fit right into this category, with both playing more minutes than they would have expected this season, all while outperforming expectations. If Miami can get themselves fully healthy, their seeding doesn’t come into play as regardless of who they may face in the play-in, it’s hard to picture a scenario where the Heat do not secure a playoff spot. They may still be able to sneak into the 6th seed or higher but they will have to rely on Indiana, Cleveland and Philadelphia to drop games. Play-in or playoffs won’t make much difference to this team as facing adversity is engraved in Miami’s DNA.
There is a real possibility we could witness Miami make a deep playoff run again with the current state of the other contenders in the East. Milwaukee are going cold at the wrong time, losing four in a row and going 3-7 over their last ten games. Doc Rivers has a lot of work to do to raise chemistry and make a deep run. New York has struggled with key injuries in the second half of the season and will be without their second-leading scorer Julius Randle for the entirety of the playoffs after dislocating his right shoulder and requiring season-ending surgery. The Knicks have a deep roster but will certainly miss Randle's Contribution of 24 PPG, 9.2 RPG and 5.0 APG. Cleveland are struggling as well, losers of 3 in-a-row and 3-7 over their last ten games. Donovan Mitchell and Even Mobley have missed time recently and it has clearly affected the Cavalier's overall chemistry. Much like the Bucks, it’s a question of if they can get it right in time for the first-round matchups as both teams could be susceptible to surprise exits. Orlando and Indiana are the hottest teams other than Boston but are inexperienced when it comes to playoff basketball and we can expect Miami to make the most of this if they were to be matched up. Philadelphia will be a dangerous lower seed with Joel Embiid coming back to full fitness, but we have seen the former MVP struggle in the postseason before and Miami will look to utilise this with Adebayo patrolling the paint. Other than Boston, all other East playoff teams have asterisks around them as they enter the postseason and if Miami can avoid the 8 seed and ultimately Boston, they can make a serious run at the Eastern Conference Finals.
It’s safe to say that no Eastern Conference team wants to face Miami in the playoffs. Over the past two postseasons, they have made it to the ECFs as the 1st seed and made it to the finals as the 8th seed. It doesn’t matter what seed they land, Miami will be extremely difficult to beat in a seven-game series, especially with a healthy roster. Butler, Adebayo and Herro will lead the way and they will need to rely on the rest of the rotation to pick up the slack, which with Miami, seems to happen frequently. Last season saw the rise of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Caleb Martin who all contributed greatly to the Heat’s run to the finals. If any of Martin, Jaquez Jr, Robinson, Love, Jovic, Rozier and Highsmith can rise to the occasion like those before them, Miami has a real chance of being in the ECF’s three years in a row. Boston will more than likely be waiting for them if they do, a rematch all NBA fans would welcome.
Is The Dynasty Over? Play-in or bust for the Golden State Warriors
By James Brown, Published March 28th 2024There are three weeks left in the regular season and as it stands the Golden State Warriors are the 10th seed in the West, 2.5 games back of LA in 9th and 1 game ahead of Houston in 11th. It’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone as planned with multiple storylines focused on discomfort within the franchise. If they fail to make the play-in or even the playoffs, we may witness the end of one of the most successful dynasties in NBA history.
Before the season started, Golden State dominated the headlines with the trade of Jordan Poole to the Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul, a trade that didn’t make basketball sense then and makes even less sense now. To add to the confusion around this move, they re-signed Draymond Green to a four-year $100 million extension which will pay Green $27 million in his final year, at the age of 36. To put this into perspective, Green will be paid more yearly than OG Anuoby, Domantas Sabonis and Mikal Bridges, who are far more productive players. In hindsight, with the array of issues Green has caused this season, Golden State may regret letting Poole go for a minimal performance return. It’s clear a series of questionable franchise decisions has led Golden State to this position.
Although Green is a concern for the franchise with his outlandish altercations that even led to a 12-game suspension this season, the play of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins can also be attributed to the team's struggles. Both players have looked like shells of themselves this season. Klay is averaging over 4 points less a game and shooting his worst 3-point % of his career, which ultimately led to him being removed from the starting lineup in February and he has continued to come off the bench since. Wiggins is averaging 12.7 PPG and 26.7 MPG, which are both career lows. Klay and Wiggins have been instrumental parts of the Warriors dynasty but their decline this year is in plain sight and has clearly impacted the teams' performance.
Steve Kerr has also come under much scrutiny this season, most recently in the loss to Minnesota where he only played Curry for 30 minutes, almost 3 minutes less than his season average. When asked about this decision after the game Kerr snapped back saying “If you want to say that him playing 30 minutes instead of 32 is a difference between a win and a loss, I totally disagree with that." It’s difficult to understand this decision when they are teetering on the edge of the play-in tournament and only lost the game by 4 points. Even Curry expressed his surprise at the decision "I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so I'm a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run". It’s fair to say that Curry hasn’t been playing to his usual standards in March, averaging just 22.3 PPG, but without his heroic performances this year, Golden State may have already been eliminated from play-in contention.
In January, Jonathan Kuminga also had concerns with Kerr because of his playing time, stating he had lost faith in the head coach. During this time, Kuminga was being limited to roughly 19 minutes a game even with Green and Payton II sidelined, a decision that didn’t make much sense. It looked like Kuminga was on his way out, but Kerr listened and Kuminga was added to the starting lineup, which turned out to be a great decision. Kuminga is now a consistent starter playing over 30 minutes a game, averaging 17.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 2.8 APG in the 43 games he has started this season. You have to wonder why it had to get to the point of Kuminga talking publicly about his playing time for this change to happen.
Golden State needs to close out the season strong to ensure they make the play-in tournament and have a shot at making the playoffs. Draymond may not “give a damn” about the fast-approaching Houston Rockets, but the rest of the franchise should. Houston is currently on a 9-game winning streak and just a single game back of Golden State for the final play-in spot. If the worst happens and they do drop to the 11th seed, this may be Kerr’s last season and major changes may be afoot franchise-wide. Klay will be an unrestricted free agent at the season's end, Draymond continues to be more trouble than he is worth, Chris Paul is 38 years old and Curry is questioning Kerr’s decision-making more than ever. Only time will tell, but it seems like we are witnessing the final stages of the Warriors dynasty.
Under the radar. Banchero bringing Orlando back to relevancy.
By James Brown, Published March 21st 2024The Orlando Magic last made the playoffs in the 2019/20 and 2018/19 seasons and both were met with expected first-round exits to the Bucks and Raptors respectively. The last time they made it past the first round was the 2009/10 season during the Dwight Howard years when they lost to Boston in the conference finals. In the ten years between playoff appearances Orlando were essentially bottom feeders, finishing no higher than 11th in the East. After a long rebuilding process, Orlando is quietly positioning itself as a top 5 team in the East with one of the youngest rosters and Paolo Banchero at the helm.
Orlando currently sits 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 41-28 record, 2.5 games ahead of Philadelphia in 6th and 2.5 games back from Cleveland in 3rd. Before the season started there were very few who expected Orlando to be here now. The Athletic had them finishing 13th with a 32-50 record. Orlando surpassed that win total in February.
The Magic’s success can be attributed to the play of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the rest of their young core who seem to even out their contribution each game. Banchero’s play earned him his first All-Star appearance which was well deserved and Orlando’s first representative since Nikola Vucevic in 2021. Banchero is averaging 22.7 PPG, 5.3 AST and 6.7 REB while F. Wagner, M. Wagner, Suggs, Anthony and Carter Jr are all averaging over 11 PPG. The rest of the rotation also boasts productivity, with Fultz, Harris, Issac and Bitadze filling up the rest of the minutes.
At the age of 21, Banchero is leading this team into a new era. When watching him play you can’t help but notice the similarities with LeBron and Doncic in terms of how he uses his size, handles and fluidity to get to his spot offensively. He also boasts the 21st-ranked defensive rating which is the best on the team and sets a defensive precedent across the franchise. When your leader and best player is also leading you defensively, that’s only a recipe for a culture of success and grit. This has been prevalent in Orlando’s play this year with their defense currently ranked 4th in the league.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley deserves a lot of recognition for the job he has done with the 5th youngest team in the NBA, especially when looking at the records of other young teams such as the Hornets, Spurs, Blazers and Jazz who will all likely miss the play-in tournament. Mosley was rewarded with well deserved a four-year contract extension last week which signifies the stellar job he has done turning around a franchise and achieving success with such a young core of talent.
If the playoffs started today, Orlando would be matched up with the Knicks, a defensively focused series where Orlando could cause problems. Magic fans will hope for a more competitive series than those against Milwaukee and Toronto where they lost both series 4-1. It would be surprising if Orlando does not walk away with at least multiple wins in the first round, whether they are matched up with the Knicks or Cavs. If Cleveland continues to struggle with injuries they could fall to the 4th seed and this would be a better matchup for Orlando and would present them with their best chance of advancing to the second round for the first time since 2010. Let's not forget how Cleveland crumbled to a 4-1 defeat in the first round last year facing a lower-seeded Knicks team, Orlando is more than capable of pulling off a similar feat. Regardless of the outcome of this season, Orlando deserves a lot of credit for the season they have put together. The Magic are here to stay and we can expect them to become and remain a playoff team in the East as long as Banchero is leading the way.
Legacy of the Matildas lives on as attendance records for A-League are shattered on opening weekend.
By Imogen McNamara, Published October 22nd 2023August was a record breaking month for football in Australia as it, alongside with neighbour New Zealand, hosted the 2023 Women’s World Cup. While the glory of lifting the coveted trophy on home soil was just out of reach for the Matildas, the team was credited with driving women’s sports to new heights across the world. Their effect has clearly taken hold as the opening weekend of A-League football saw attendance records broken across the board.
It is no secret that Australia is a sporting country, rugby, cricket and Australian rules are incredibly popular, and the sporting culture runs deep within the psyche of Australians. However, football was never able to acquire that same attraction as other sports.
That all changed this summer.
The Matildas broke records left right and centre both for football in Australia and for women’s football on a global scale. Regularly selling out stadiums of 50,000 plus fans for a women’s football game would have been unfathomable even as recently as the 2019 world cup. The average attendance in 2019 was just above 20,000, this summer it had risen above 30,000 with over 75,000 fans turning up to watch the final between Spain and England, with millions more watching from home.
Fans of women’s football, and players in the A-League, were likely nervous to see how the legacy of the world cup unfolded after the curtains were drawn on the tournament. It was just under two months ago now that Spain were crowned champions as they defeated England 1-0.
Two months for the frenzy to die down, for fans to forget the hype that surrounded the national team. There were also concerns about the number of Australian players who became household names over the summer but play overseas in the WSL in England and NWSL in the U.S.
Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Alanna Kennedy as well as fan favourite and star striker Sam Kerr all play in England’s Women’s Super League. 21-year-old Kyra Cooney Cross joined Foord and Catley at Arsenal during the summer transfer season.
These are big names that resonated with the fans during the tournament but time differences make it a real challenge to watch the players. A 4p.m kick off in the U.K. for instance would mean staying up until (or getting up at) 2 a.m. in Sydney. A difficult task and after hosting a home world cup, one that might just be asking too much of new fans.
However, after this weekend it’s safe to say those nerves can be put to rest.
This weekend saw nearly 11,500 people take to the stands for the Sydney Derby making it the biggest crowd for a domestic women’s match in the history of Australian football. These numbers were replicated across the board as over 17,000 people came out to watch the opening round of matches, easily eclipsing the previous record for a single round of matches- 15,955 — a record that was held for nine years.
Initiatives were put in place to make sure the legacy of the Matildas lived on even when some of them were thousands of miles away. The league introduced a free ticket scheme that allows children under 16 to go to an ALW game of the club of their choice. For the first time ever the women had a separate, stand-alone season opener with the men starting a week later.
It is also clear the players themselves are committed to growing the game. Fan favourite Sam Kerr, who plays up front for Chelsea in the WSL introduced her own training camp for young girls and boys wanting to play football in Australia called Sam Kerr Football. Kerr’s dedication to domestic growth serves as a reminder that she may play at Kingsmeadow and Stamford Bridge but her home ground will always be Down Under.
Although Kerr plays abroad, a number of other major players have committed to the ALW. Courtnee Vine said she fended off interest this summer but ultimately decided to stay with her club Sydney FC. The Central Coast Mariners announced the signing of striker Kyah Simon who would be joining the club upon its return to the top flight of Australian football. A number of other players including Chloe Logarzo and Lydia Williams are playing in their home league.
The A-League will certainly look to keep up the interest for the rest of the season which culminates in April but as the country moves into the summer months, there is certainly a sense of change in the air for football in Australia.
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