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Giannis-led Heat open

Sports · Heat 3.0 / 10 · 4 shows · 25m airtime

The Miami Heat opened their 2026-27 season at home against the Timberwolves on ESPN on October 21, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. added in the offseason. The discussion has moved to how Miami will manage Giannis and Bam Adebayo, opening and closing together but alternating in the middle, and to Giannis saying after a game that he needs to get used to playing this fast. His 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 62 percent shooting in 36 games last season underpin the case that Miami is a real East contender. Klay Thompson picking up four fouls in about eight minutes in the opener is the newest concern.

How 4 podcasts covered it

  1. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-09 (21:13 to 22:26)
    Speculates Giannis inherits Hacquez's fast breaks
    Amin's fourth preseason observation: Miami ran constantly in the exhibition game, and Giannis should inherit the easy fast-break baskets Jaime Hacquez Jr. got last year. Speculation on how the new pieces fit, not a new development.
  2. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-09 (22:37 to 24:22)
    Breaks down the two-big rotation plan
    Takes up the Heat's two-big look as a style question, comparing it to McVay's three-tight-end sets, and gets Amin's read on the rotation: Giannis and Bam open and close together but alternate in the middle, with four-shooter stretches in between. Also sizes up the Sixers' shooting as the counter.
    New angle: The Heat will open and close with Giannis and Bam together but alternate them in the middle.
  3. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-09 (24:18 to 26:43)
    Recaps Giannis's preseason lobs and dunks
    Amin's top observations from the Heat's preseason game: a scary awkward lob to Giannis in the first quarter, and a fast-break left-handed dunk and one over Emisi that he calls breathtaking from media row. Giannis said afterward he has to get used to playing this fast.
    New angle: Giannis said after the game he needs to get used to playing this fast.
  4. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-09 (32:22 to 34:00)
    Ranks the East contenders with Knicks first
    Amin is pressed to name the East teams that can reach the finals and puts the Knicks first, then the Heat, the Sixers and the Raptors. Opinion and a list, not a development in the Heat's season.
  5. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-09 (36:41 to 38:44)
    Makes Giannis's 36-game case for Miami
    Turns to Giannis's 36-game season as the case for Miami: 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 62 percent shooting on the floor, with Amin arguing the late absences were the Bucks sitting him during his trade push, sourced to Eric Nehm's warmup observations.
    New angle: Giannis averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and shot 62 percent in 36 games last season.
  6. First Take, 2026-10-20 (36:07 to 42:08)
    Debates Miami's haul against the East odds
    Debates Miami's offseason haul of Giannis, Portis, Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. against the 11-to-1 East odds, arguing the defense and open threes make the Heat a contender. Opinion and projection, with no new development.
    New angle: The Heat open their season tomorrow night against the Timberwolves on ESPN.
  7. The Athletic NBA Daily, 2026-10-23 (39:39 to 41:49)
    Questions Giannis fitting with Bam
    Mailbag answer on whether Miami can contend: the hosts call the Heat a likely play-in team that needs a trade, and question whether Giannis's heliocentric style can coexist with Bam Adebayo. Opinion and prediction, no new development.
  8. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-23 (5:12 to 10:20)
    Pivots to Detroit and Klay's foul trouble
    Pivots from the opener to the next game: Detroit, the East's best regular-season team last year, can put Miami in an 0-2 hole. Notes Klay Thompson's four fouls in about eight minutes and the two-guard defensive hole.
    New angle: Klay Thompson picked up four fouls in about eight minutes in the opener.
  9. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-29 (17:58 to 20:48)
    Debates whether Klay is washed
    Fat Joe and Jadakiss argue over whether Klay Thompson is washed, leaning on his preseason misses and his career shooting numbers. It is a debate about the Heat's new shooter, not a new development in the opener.
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