Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Game 7s, no-name leads PGA, Fins, Messi, Rousey and more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 17): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Detroit forces NBA Game 7, hot Inter Miami seeks first home win (again), no-name leads PGA Championship, Buffalo forces NHL Game 7, Dolphins’ brutal schedule, Napoleon Solo wins Preakness, Rousey’s rousing comeback and more. Welcome to 149th 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. NBA: Detroit forces Game 7 in Cleveland Sunday night; West title series set: The rested New York Knicks (after a 4-0 sweep of Philly) await their East championship series playoff opponent in Detroit or Cleveland. Pistons forced tonight’s Game 7 in Motown with Friday’s 115-94 road win. The West finale will be rested Oklahoma City (after a 4-0 sweep of the Lakers) vs. San Antonio, which ousted Minnesota with Friday’s 139-109 road win behind 32 kingly points from Stephon Castle. Spurs-Thunder Game 1 is Monday night in OKC.
2. INTER MIAMI: Can Miami and hot Messi finally win at home tonight?: Inter Miami is 7-2-4 (four draws) and now second in MLS East after this week’s 5-3 win in Cincy powered by two Lionel Messi goals -- a second straight road win. Stunningly, Herons are now 7-1 away but 0-1-4 at home including 0-1-3 in their new stadium. Miami plays two more, both at home, before the league’s World Cup break, starting Sunday vs. Portland Timbers. With a foe 4-6-2 and desperation for a victory to finally properly christen Miami Freedom Park, tonight has a must-win feel to it.
3. GOLF: Who!? Smalley leads by 2 shots entering last round at PGA Championship: The 108th major PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia finds an unlikely leader entering Sunday’s final round. American Alex Smalley, 29, is up by two strokes at 6-under despite having never before won a PGA Tour event -- let alone a major. However bigger names such as Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy -- despite an opening round 74 -- are lurking close to the passing lane.
4. NHL: Buffalo wins to force home Game 7 vs. Montreal: The Buffalo Sabres won big in Montreal Saturday night 8-3 (including empty-netters) to force a Game 7 Monday in western New York. Winner will face rested Carolina in the NHL Eastern Conference finals after the Hurricanes swept Philly 4-0. The West finals was previously set. It’ll be Vegas vs. betting-favorite Colorado with Game 1 Wednesday night in Denver.
5. DOLPHINS: Brutal schedule magnifies low hopes but Achane deal a plus: Good news? The 4-year, $64 million extension for rising-star RB De’Von Achane assures he’ll be here beyond the budding rebuild (hopefully) to lead the dawn of happy-days-are-here-again. Bad news? Newly released schedule underlines way-low hopes for ‘26, with Miami’s sked the NFL’s second-toughest based on opponents’ combined records in ‘25. Fins are one of only five teams without a single prime-time game. The five home games beyond AFC East foes: Chiefs, Bengals, Lions, Bears, Chargers. Rough. Check out Fins’ clever and fun schedule-release video called “Mr. Ross.”
6. HORSES: Napoleon Solo’s strong finish wins Preakness Stakes: The 151st Preakness outside Baltimore Saturday crowned 8-1 semi-longshot Napoleon Solo its latest champion in the second leg of the Triple Crown racing season -- though the absence of Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo dulled the event and left a wide open, less-than-scintillating field of 14 horses. Solo held off Iron Honor down the stretch for his first victory of the year. Taj Mahal, 9-2 favorite, led early but faded late.
7. MMA: Epic. Sad. Weird. Rousey stops Carano in 17 seconds: Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano fought Saturday night in Inglewood, Cal. Yes, it is 2026. In a bout on Netflix promoted by Jake Paul’s company, Rousey (now 13-2) won by armbar over Carano (7-2) in about the time it took to read that sentence. Carano, 44, had lost 100 pounds in the past 18 months but looked ill-prepared. Rousey, 39, looked sharp compared to Carano. These are seen as the two most influential pioneers in women’s MMA, but Carano had last fought in 2009 and Rousey in 2016. Impetus for a rematch: Zero.
8. MARLINS: 8-run 10th inning salvages win for flailing Fish: Miami rode an 8-run 10th inning to a 10-5 win at Tampa Bay Saturday. It put the Marlins at 21-25 (4th in the NL East) as the Fish’s six-game road trip ends with a Sunday matinee in Tampa. Then it’s back home for seven games vs. the NL East-rival Braves and then Mets beginning Monday.
9. TENNIS: With Alcaraz out, Sinner a ridiculously big fave in French Open: Complaints about players’ cut of revenue preceded the French Open, but the show will go on boycott-free in Paris starting next Sunday. With rival Carlos Alcaraz out (wrist injury), Jannik Sinner is a nutty-big men’s favorite at -270 -- likely the biggest major fave since Rafael Nadal was -400 (then lost) at the French in 2009. Women’s side is obviously more competitive with Iga Swiatek (+225) and Aryna Sabalenka (+260) a near tossup and Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva and American Coco Gauff lurking.
10. PHILANTHROPY: Messi, 2 others in sports make Time 100 for giving: Inter Miami’s Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi, Carolina Panthers NFL owner David Tepper and former U.S. Open tennis champ Sloane Stephens (from Fort Lauderdale) are the only three sports figures to make the new Time 100 in philanthropy. Messi is honored for his foundation helping build a pediatric cancer-care center in Barcelona; Tepper for spending millions to combat anti-Semitism; and Stephens for funding the teaching of tennis and other sports to underprivileged kids.
THE LIST: HARDEST, EASIEST NFL SCHEDULES IN 2026: The five hardest and five easiest NFL team schedules in 2026 based on opponents’ combined won-lost percentage in ‘25:
HARDEST: Opp.% Team
.550 Chicago Bears
.542 MIAMI DOLPHINS
.538 Arizona Cardinals
.538 Green Bay Packers
.536 Kansas City Chiefs
EASIEST: Opp.% Team
.429 Cleveland Browns
.434 New Orleans Saints
.450 Cincinnati Bengals
.465 Atlanta Falcons
.465 Indianapolis Colts
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