Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Messi sets record, Knicks can sweep, NFL schedule, more
A Mother’s Day greeting!: To all the wonderful, dedicated Moms out there ... Happy Mother’s Day! To those of you who gave birth but are derelict in the caring love and responsibility involved and fail by example to earn the holiday, try harder. Be better.
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 10): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Messi sets MLS record in win, Knicks can sweep today, Carolina advances in NHL, NFL schedule out this week, March Madness now 76 teams, French Open boycott?, Golden Tempo sits out Preakness, Marlins, Champions League and more. Welcome to 148th 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 sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. INTER MIAMI: Messi sets MLS record in needed Herons victory: Inter Miami cashed a needed 4-2 win in Toronto Saturday after failing to win in its first four matches in the new home stadium with three draws and a dispiriting blown-lead loss to Orlando. Messi’s goal and two assists Saturday made him the fastest player in MLS history to reach 100 goals/assists with 59 goals and 41 dishes across 64 regular-season matches -- obliterating the previous mark 95 games. Miami is now 6-2 with four ties and third in MLS East. Herons play this Wednesday in Cincinnati then two at home before league’s World Cup break.
2. NBA: Knicks can clinch in East semis Sunday; Heat hoping in draft lottery: New York Knicks are up 3-0 and in position to sweep this afternoon in Philadelphia in the NBA East semifinals. Out West, reigning champ and betting favorite to repeat Oklahoma City also is up 3-0 after beating L.A. Lakers again Saturday. The other semis are at 2-1 with San Antonio up on Minnesota and Detroit leading Cleveland. The draft lottery today has Miami Heat hoping or a miracle with a scant 1 percent chance at the overall No. 1 selection and 4.8% for a top-four pick.
3. DOLPHINS: Rookies convene for 2-day camp; NFL schedule on deck: Miami’s 13 recent draftees led by Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor as well as other newbies convened for a two-day rookie camp Friday and Saturday. Next, NFL schedule release day is this coming Thursday. The full Dolphins squad will continue offseason work under new coach Jeff Hafley with 12 practice days including a mandatory three-day minicamp bunched between May 18 and June 9.
4. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Madness! NCAA Tournaments grow to 76 teams: The men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments will grow from 68 to 76 teams next spring. It’s the biggest one-year increase for the men’s format since it grew from 53 teams to 64 in 1984-85. And it’s the biggest leap for the women since a 48 to 64 expansion in 1994. Hence, the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams and 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers will play in a 24-team opening round. Why? Easy. More games = more $$.
5. NHL: Carolina sweeps, first to advance in conference semis: Stanley Cup betting favorite Carolina completed a 4-0 sweep of Philadelphia Saturday in the NHL East semifinals. In the other conference semis Colorado is up on Minnesota 2-1, Vegas leads Anaheim 2-1, and it’s 1-1 for Buffalo and Montreal.
6. TENNIS: French Open boycott threatened over revenue share: Men and women tennis pros for years have sought a bigger share of tournament revenue. Now that may come to a head at the major French Open starting May 24. The French has trimmed the players’ cut from 15.5 to 15 percent, far short of the 22% players seek. Top women’s players such as Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff say they would consider boycotting a Grand Slam event, now world No. 1 man Jannik Sinner hasn’t ruled it out. If a handful of top men and women boycott, their demands will be met. Stay tuned.
7. MARLINS: Late homers brighten bad homestand for Fish: Jakob Marsee’s three-run homer in the eighth inning led an 8-7 rally-win over Washington Saturday as Miami overcame an early 4-0 deficit. It was a bright spot in a disappointing 10-game homestand at 3-6 entering one more vs. Nats today/Sunday. The budget-ball Fish are now 18-22, tied for third in the NL East and 4 1/2 games back in the wild-card hunt at the season’s quarter mark.
8. SOCCER: PSG, Arsenal makes for delicious Champions League final: One (Paris-Saint Germain) is the reigning UEFA Champions League titleist and plays an attacking style. The other (England’s Arsenal) is seeking its maiden Euro crown, has only reached the final once before in 2006 and plays a defensive brand. They’ll meet May 30 in Budapest for futbol’s second-biggest trophy to the World Cup, after Paris eliminated Bayern Munich and the Gunners ousted Atletico Madrid. Most sports books have PSG a fairly narrow early favorite to repeat as champs at about -175.
9. HORSE RACING: Triple Crown season deflates as Golden Tempo skips Preakness: Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t run in next Saturday’s Preakness -- the sixth time in past eight years hopes that any thoroughbred might win the Triple Crown have been dashed so soon. It’s the sport’s fault. The Derby, Preakness and June 6 Belmont Stakes should be more spaced out. Very few race horses now are run two weeks apart or three times in 35 days. That’s a big reason why only two of the 13 Triple Crown winners have been since 1978.
10. FRAUD SPORTS: ‘Enhanced Games’ nears dubious debut in Vegas: Nobody should watch this or care other than to show disdain. It’s an embarrassment! In the Enhanced Games debuting May 24 in Las Vegas shameful “athletes” are not only allowed but encouraged to be on steroids or other PEDs. HB10 is including this here only to publicly wish that all the participating sadsack shortcutters in track, swimming or weightlifting suffer pulled muscles and get written out of their parents’ wills.
THE LIST: CHAMPIONSHIPS ON BY NBA AND NHL’S FINAL 8 TEAMS: The NBA and NHL are down to their final eight teams in the conference semifinals. Those 16 -- only one has been eliminated entering Sunday -- are listed here in order of most championships won:
Titles Team (Most recent)
24 Montreal Canadiens (1993)
17 Los Angeles Lakers (2020)
5 San Antonio Spurs (2014)
3 each: Colorado Avalanche (2022), Detroit Pistons (2004), Philadelphia 76ers (1983).
2 each: Oklahoma City Thunder (2025), Philadelphia Flyers (1975; eliminated), New York Knicks (1973).
1 each: Vegas Golden Knights (2023), Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), Anaheim Dicks (2007), Carolina Hurricanes (2006).
0: Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Stephen Ross takes last big swing to rescue legacy as Dolphins owner // Poll Dance: On Stephen Ross // Should America be rooting for Knicks and Sabres in NBA, NHL playoffs? // Podcast: Mom’s Day, Brad Williams, new ITKGT bit // Previous HB10 // Why ‘26 is very good year for Dolphins to be really bad // Heat’s Pat Riley still fighting for career finish Shula never got // Dolphins’ new GM earns trust on Proctor, draft. But he better be right // Cote’s 35th annual Mock Draft // Power of Lionel Messi shows in Inter Miami’s latest coaching change // Heat end season valiantly, but effort and almost are not enough // Sorry, Lamar, but Super Bowl win is the harsh reality for elite QBs // No Tiger, no Phil at Masters and why it’s so hard in sports to let go // State of Miami Sports; Grading Fins, Heat, Cats, Fish, Inter Miami & more // It was a grand opening night -- finally -- for Inter Miami in Miami // U.S. team struggles, doubts grow as men’s World Cup nears // NFL’s Rooney Rule needs protecting in face of Florida’s dumb attack // Sandy shines, Marlins win to launch latest season of budget-ball // Baseball, politics, emotion lift Venezuela past U.S. to WBC championship // Dolphins got good haul, but blame Curse of Tua for trading Waddle at all // 46 years later and on top of world, USA hockey owns Canada’s sport // Dolphins’ major rebuild is on -- and it’s about damned time // No Giannis (yet), but for Heat it’s a dream deferred, not dead // Belichick’s stunning Hall snub is a shame on sanctimonious voters // Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // Stugotz signs major iHeart Media deal, but says not done with LeBatard Show // And my latest podcast:
