Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Canes, Messi, MLB win big, plus Heat Opening Week, Fins-Indy & more

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 20): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column brings you 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 78th edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the HB10:

1. HURRICANES: No. 6 Cardiac Canes stay unbeaten with wild 53-25 shootout in Louisville: Cam Ward feathered his Heisman candidacy with 319 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 6 Miami’s wild 52-45 win at Louisville Saturday. The victory kept alive ACC and College Football Playoff hopes. UM seldom trailed but could never quite pull away off its bye week in a game that followed wild, last-second wins over Virginia Tech and at Cal. Next for UM: Prime-time home game vs. rival Florida State next week, then 6-1 Duke led by former Canes coach Manny Diaz.

2. HEAT: It’s Opening Week for Miami’s 37th season!: Heat ended a solid preseason 4-1 with a win in Memphis Friday night and now prepare to open their 37th NBA regular season Wednesday night at home vs Orlando. Will this be the last title shot in the Jimmy Butler era? Odds says no title shot. With Boston favored to repeat as champs, Miami is tied for seventh in odds in the East. One of teams ahead is Orlando, so the opener serves as an immediate gauge.

3. INTER MIAMI: Team Messi sets MLS mark, clinches Club WC, awaits playoff foe: An Inter Miami whirlwind, 1-2-3: 1) Herons’ 6-2 home win over New England Saturday night closed the regular season and set a new MLS single-season points record with 74 as Lionel Messi came off bench to score three goals. I.M. previously had clinched the Supporters’ Shield for best record. 2) FIFA announced the Supporters’ Shield had clinched a spot for Inter Miami in the inaugural 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with Miami hosting the first match. 3) MLS Cup playoffs are next. Miami opens at home this Friday night in a best-of-3 series vs. the winner of Tuesday’s wild-card play-in game between Atlanta and Montreal.

4. DOLPHINS: Hey look! A positive spin on Tua-less Miami saving its season!: Coach Mike McDaniel said this week he expects QB Tua Tagovailoa to return from his concussion and play again this season, but didn’t say when or if it might be soon. Implication: Could be awhile. Even so, there’s hope for Fins on wing of the pre-bye win at New England putting Miami 2-3 at Indianapolis Sunday as only 3-point road ‘dogs. After Indy, four of the next five opponents (all but Buffalo) are today a combined 6-17, with three of those four games at home. This has been your quenching Sunday sip from a half-full bottle.

5. MLB: Dream Series close. Yankees clinch, Dodgers can tonight: It’s been a glorious, ratings-giant postseason for baseball, and now the Dream World Series -- Dodgers vs. Yankees, Ohtani vs. Judge -- is one win away. Yankees advanced Saturday with a 5-2 win over Cleveland that won the ALCS 4-1 for NYY. Dodgers lead the Mets 3-2 in the NLCS, with Game 6 tonight and a Game 7 if needed Monday, both in L.A.

6. PANTHERS: Champ Cats winning despite key absences: Stanley Cup champ Florida improved to 4-2-1 in the young NHL season with Saturday’s 4-3 home win over Vegas -- again without top forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Both stars could return as soon as this coming week. Cats are back on the ice Tuesday a home vs. Minnesota.

7. WNBA: Liberty, Lynx go distance with Sunday winner-take-all: The WNBA Finals expand to seven games next season -- but the five-game series is going out in a big way. The Minnesota Lynx beat the New York Liberty 82-80 Friday night in a must-win to tie it 2-2 and force a deciding Game 5 Sunday night in New York. Lynx are four-time WNBA champions, but not since 2017. Liberty have never won -- but have lost a record five times in the Finals including last year.

8. WNBA: Unrivaled, offseason 3-on-3 women’s league, to make run at Caitlin: Unrivaled startup league debuting in January in Miami has 26 of 30 roster spots now filled with top WNBA stars -- but is saving one for coveted super-rookie Caitlin Clark. The 3-on-3 league will do all it can to woo Clark, with broadcast partner TNT in on it. .Six five-woman teams will play a two-month schedule on a reduced-size court, with all games set for Miami in the inaugural season. The where is not yet announced. Games will not be at the Heat arena but likely at a smaller, specially built venue.

9. NASCAR: Homestead next as playoffs’ final eight whittles to Championship 4: Las Vegas today, Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday, then Martinsville November 3 will pare the current final eight drivers to the Championship 4 for the November 10 season-title race in Phoenix. Former champs still alive are Joey Logano (2018, ‘22), Chase Elliott (2020), Kyle Larson (2021) and reigning champ Ryan Blaney (‘23). Larson is the betting favorite ahead of Christopher Bell. Also still alive: Tyler Reddick, William Byron and veteran Denny Hamlin, looking for his elusive first crown in his fifth Championship 4.

10. SPORTS ‘N POLITICS: Caitlin supports Taylor supporting Kamala, sort of: WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark on her ‘liking’ Taylor Swift’s Instagram presidential endorsement of Kamala Harris: “I have this amazing platform so I think the biggest thing would be just encourage people to register to vote. That’s the same thing Taylor did.” Well, no. Swift directly endorsed Harris. Clark endorsed voting. Gran diferencia. In any case, no matter who you support, always remember: Democracy only survives when we all go out and vote for the candidate of my choice!

THE LIST: HEAT ALL-TIME SCORERS: As Miami Heat open its 37th season Wednesday night, the team’s all-time top 10 scoring leaders based on per-game average (minimum four seasons with team):

Avg. Player Heat seasons

26.9 LeBron James 4: 2010-14

22.7 Dwyane Wade 15: 2003-19

21.3 Jimmy Butler 5: 2019-current

19.6 Shaquille O’Neal 4: 2004-08

19.3 Glen Rice 6: 1989-95

18.1 Tyler Herro 5: 2019-current

18.0 Chris Bosh 6: 2010-16

17.3 Tim Hardaway 6: 1995-2001

16.2 Goran Dragic 7: 2014-21

16.0 Eddie Jones 6: 2000-07

Other most recent stuff from me: No. 6 Cardiacs Canes do it again, stay unbeaten with wild 52-45 shootout in Louisville // NFL Week 7 picks // Jets, Bills, Pats all make big moves as Miami Dolphins remain hostage to Tua’s concussion // Herald NFL Week 6 QB Rankings // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Messi vs. Ronaldo // Florida Panthers celebrate Cup with opening win. But should game have been played? // With eyes on Milton, we rank Miami’s Big 6 teams on Exhilaration to Angst scale // Dolphins’ win in New England was ugly but sweet for a team just trying to survive // Don’t sleep on Canes! Miami’s epic 39-38 comeback at Cal a redeye win for the ages // Pete Rose wasn’t perfect, but MLB’s endless lack of mercy followed him to grave // Messi at 37 has missed more than half of Inter Miami games. Cherish him while you can // Book it! Miami Hurricanes will vie for ACC title, make playoff in huge return to power // Jazz trade continues Miami Marlins’ losing cycle of talent-for-prospects cost cutting // And my latest podcast: