Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: NBA scandal, Messi, olive-green Canes, Dolphins, more
Note to readers: Hot Button Top 10 (and the Poll Dance) will have next Sunday Nov. 2 off. Both regular features will return on Sunday, Nov. 9. See you then!
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 26): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: NBA gambling scandal, Messi carries Miami in playoff opener, Canes crush Stanford, Dolphins-Atlanta, Heat win!, Cat’s Bob bags 50th, World Series even, NASCAR’s big Sunday and more. Welcome to the 124th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds from a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as the sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. NBA: Billups, Rozier arrests in FBI gambling probe rocks league: NBA placed Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier on immediate leave after their arrest by the FBI in a widespread illegal gambling investigation involving basketball and poker. Commissioner Adam Silver said the league is fully cooperating. Heat captain Bam Adebayo said Miami stands behind Rozier, who is accused in a role to help associates win bets based on his performance. The probe is ongoing.
2. INTER MIAMI: Messi signs extension, leads win in playoff opener: The well of Lionel Messi’s epic greatness runs deep and shows no signs of drying. Messi this week formally signed the contract extension through 2028 he’d previously agreed to, assuring he at least will play for Inter Miami in its ‘26 season in the new stadium, with an option for beyond. He celebrated Friday night with two goals in a 3-1 home win over Nashville in the opener of the teams’ best-of-3 first round MLS playoff series. Game 2 is next Saturday in Nashville.
3. HURRICANES: Canes win despite olive-green uniforms: No. 9 Miami rebounded from last week’s loss to Louisville with a 42-7 home rout over Stanford Saturday night despite being outfitted in ghastly olive-green ‘Camo Mode’ uniforms. The military looks great wearing this; a football team, not so much. UM trailed 7-0 early and was tied 7-7 at halftime before a second half straight outta Mario Cristobal’s dreams. Hurricanes visit SMU next. Nationally in collball six Top 25 teams lost but none higher than 13-Oklahoma. Instate (non-UM division), FIU, FAU and No. 18 South Florida all lost; Gators and ‘Noles were idle.
4. DOLPHINS: Fight left, or Fin-ished? Let’s find out today: Not shocking: Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury has him pondering retirement. More pressing: Do the 1-6 Dolphins have any fight left to help save coach Mike McDaniel’s job? Or the desire to? The underdogs’ effort today in Atlanta may help tell. Because the 31-6 beatdown in Cleveland last week left doubt. First order of business for the mocked Dolphins: A bad run defense surprising us by standing up to Bijan Robinson, and a much better Tua Tagovailoa than we saw last week. Wounded, desperate, cornered animals fight hardest. What you got, Dolphins?
5. HEAT: Miami wins first after Rozier arrest; home opener tonight: Heat suffered an 0-6 preseason then lost its season opener in Orlando before scoring a big 146-114 rout in Memphis Friday off an 86-point first half. Bam Adebayo’s 24 led eight in double figures. It was Miami’s first game since the arrest of guard Terry Rozier [see No. 1] on illegal gambling charges. Heat’s 38th home opener is this evening/Sunday vs. the rival New York Knicks.
6. PANTHERS: Cats blank Vegas with Bob’s milestone shutout, get even on year: Rocky since a 3-0 start, the double-defending champ Panthers blanked Vegas 3-0 in Sunrise Saturday, led by Sam Reinhart’s kick-starting goal and Sergei Bobrovsky’s 50th career shutout. Win squared Florida at 5-5 on the season. Cats are back on nice Tuesday at home vs. Anaheim.
7. MLB: Dodgers pull even with Jays as World Series heads to L.A.: Reigning champ Dodgers won in Toronto 5-1 Saturday behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s gem of a complete game to pull even in the World Series after getting clobbered by Blue Jays 11-4 in the opener. Best-of-7 heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 Monday.
8. NASCAR: Two to join Hamlin, Briscoe in Championship 4: Denny Hamlin -- most accomplished driver to never win a Cup Series season title -- and Chase Briscoe have secured their tickets to next week’s Championship 4 season finale in Phoenix. Two more will qualify today at Martinsville. Likeliest based on odds: Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. Still alive but longshots: Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, William Byron and reigning champ Joey Logano.
9. SOCCER: La Liga pivots, snatches Barcelona game from Miami: After a weekend of protests by Spanish clubs, La Liga said a Barcelona-Villareal regular season match would no longer be played Dec. 20 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. That avoids a potential problem involving the stadium and Miami Hurricanes football. The four College Football Playoff first-round games are scheduled Dec. 19-20 (three on the 20th), and a UM home game could be one of those.
10: HALLS OF FAME: Ex-Canes, Fins who make cut for Canton: Pro Football Hall of Fame reduced its 2026 contenders from 128 to 52, and surviving the cut were ex-Hurricanes Frank Gore, Greg Olsen, Reggie Wayne and Vince Wilfork, and former Dolphins Troy Vincent and Richmond Webb. Other locals to survive in senior or other categories: Dick Anderson, Bill Arnsparger, Chuck Foreman and Bob Keuchenberg. Overall class ‘26 is lead by Canton favorites Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald.
THE LIST: THE ROYAL SYNCHRONICITY: Monday, October 27 is a rarity, the Royal Synchronicity, the date when all of the traditional Big Four sports of NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB are playing on the same day. It does not happen every year and when it does, rarely more than one day, but we have it on Monday:
League: Game(s)
NFL: Commanders-Chiefs on MNF
NBA: Full slate of 11 games
NHL: Blues-Penguins and Bruins-Senators
MLB: Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series Game 3
Other select most recent stuff from me: How Miami project -- and forgiveness -- helped Marc Buoniconti turn tragedy to triumph // NFL Week 8 picks // Chargers-Vikings Thursday pick // NFL Week 7 QB rankings // Dolphins’ 31-6 debacle in Cleveland could be beginning of end for McDaniel // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Messi, Inter Miami // No. 2 Hurricanes crash at home vs. Louisville, lose first game // Beloved cast member leaving Dan Le Batard Show // Wounded, doubted but nobody’s underdog, champ Panthers win opener // Barkov lost for season a mortal blow to Panthers’ 3-peat bid // Dolphins owner Ross’ prior in-season firings hints McDaniel at risk // Super Bowl to Dolphins to dregs: My annual NFL Team Rankings! // Cristobal has ‘insatiable’ drive for new Hurricanes glory days, and he’s getting close // Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still chasing glory -- and attention // Heat getting 3-point ace Powell a pickpocket-win for Riley // Champion Panthers keep revving this summer while Heat stays quiet // Inter Miami falls to PSG but won big to reach Club World Cup final 16 // Major news on future of Dan Le Batard Show, Meadowlark Media, DraftKings // A tribute to Miami sports legend Jimmy Johnson as he retires from Fox TV // 15 years later, Dolphins Cancer Challenge is life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // And my latest podcast:
This story was originally published October 26, 2025 at 9:56 AM.
