Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Why Dolphins-Jets is Miami must-win, Messi’s latest honor, Pistons

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 17): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US LATELY: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 had been blog-only but when our blog retired it moved, re-imagined, to online-only. HB10 means what’s on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or otherwise worth needling as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 42nd edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the new HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Is Miami Super Bowl-good? After Monday, next 4 games will tell: The Dolphins’ first three losses were against quality teams on the road. Monday night’s collapse was against the 4-8 Titans, at home, and happened with a 14-point lead blown in the last four minutes. That gives Sunday’s visit by the Jets almost a must-win feel to it if Miami is serious about winning the AFC East and making a run at the SB. With the regular season schedule closing brutally vs. the Cowboys, Ravens and Bills, a loss to the Jets would have the sky falling to some Dolfans.

2. HEAT: Herro to finally return this week -- and Miami needs the spark: NBA season nears its one-third point with Miami a just-OK 15-11 after Saturday’s win vs. Chicago on Jimmy Butler’s buzzer beater. The winning record is despite Tyler Herro missing an 18th straight game Saturday with an ankle injury. Bam Adebayo also has missed 10 games. Herro’s much-needed return is close and likely either Monday vs. Minnesota or Wednesday at Orlando.

3. INTER MIAMI: Messi wins ‘Time’ honor, to face rival Ronaldo again: Lionel Messi is Time magazine’s 2023 Athlete of the Year, a logical choice -- as opposed to the shell of Sports Illustrated naming Deion Sanders its Sportsperson of the Year after a 4-8 season at Colorado. Inter Miami has added January 29 and February 1 exhibitions in Saudi Arabia vs. Al-Hilal and Al Nassr, respectively. The latter will mark Messi’s 36th and possibly final match against rival Cristiano Ronaldo -- and they’re billing it The Last Dance. That’s fine. But Inter Miami ought not be chummy with the Saudi government and complicit in its sportswashing. Jamal Khashoggi and a terrible human-rights record against the LGBTQ community are among reasons why.

4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: CFP responds to griping about FSU not making playoff: College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock responded to complaints by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and other Florida congressmen over why unbeaten Florida State was not included in the four-team playoff. In a letter sent Friday Hancock said the decision to rank FSU No. 5 was based on two main reasons: Strength of schedule, and the protocol requiring that significant injuries such as to starting QB Jordan Travis be taken into account. My letter to Scott, et al, would have read: “How about you all worry less about sports and more about your state increasingly Dystopian banning books and passing anti-LGBTQ legislation?”

5. NBA: Detroit 23-game losing streak threatening all-time worst: The Pistons once were the “Bad Boys” of basketball. They are that now quite literally. Detroit lost a franchise-record 23rd straight game Saturday at Milwaukee -- tied for the third longest in-season L-streak in NBA history. The record is 26 straight defeats by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. That Sixers teams holds the overall mark of 28 straight losses set at the end of ‘14-15 and start of ‘15-16.

6. PANTHERS: Florida busts out after dip in offensive punch: The Panthers are a solid 18-10-2 despite after a 5-1 Saturday win at Edmonton followed consecutive 4-0 losses. Cats finish their western roadie Monday in Calgary. Florida goal-scoring was fifth in the NHL at 3.54 per game in last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, but had fallen to 21st at 2.93 per game before Saturday’s breakout. An offensive surge Matthew Tkachuk is the fastest fix.

7. HURRICANES: Miami busy in transfer portal. But where’s the QB?: BY our latest count the Canes have lost nine players to the transfer portal -- notably QB Tyler Van Dyke to Wisconsin and RB Don Chaney to Louisville -- and gained two in S Savion Riley from Virginia and DL C.J. Clark from N.C. State. But UM really wants and needs to land an experienced passer as insurance for Van Dyke’s departure and thus far has struck out.

8. MARLINS: MIami needs to re-sign Soler or find another big bat: Marlins free agent Jorge Soler might be the biggest bat still available. He led the league with 48 home runs in 2019 and had 36 last season for Miami, with an .853 OPS. The Fish cannot afford to lose that offensive production without replacing it. The Marlins are interested in re-signing and must spend to do it. But will they? Doubts about that.

9. CANES HOOPS: UM men, women both No. 24 after losses: Hurricanes men at 7-2 but fell with No. 24 with a bad 90-63 home loss to unranked Colorado. Next litmus test: January 3 vs. No. 13 Clemson. The UM women were 8-0 and finally ranked at 24th before suffering a first loss to No. 10 Baylor. They host No. 18-Louisville December 31.

10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: With the glut underway, the Top 5 silliest bowl names: There are 43 bowl games, now underway with the first seven on Saturday. Only four matter: The three games that comprise the College Football Playoff, and the one involving your team (and barely that one). Our Top 5 Dumbest/Most Embarrassing Bowl Sponsor-Names, a.k.a The Poulan Weedeater Cup: 5) Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; 4) Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl; 3) Military Bowl Presented By GoBowling.com; 2) Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl; 1) Cricket Celebration Bowl. Congrats to all!

Other most recent stuff from me: NFL Week 15 picks / Is sky falling with Dolphins’ Monday collapse or did law of averages even out? / Updated Herald NFL QB rankings / Previous HB10 / And my latest podcast: