Meaningful Games During The Holiday Season

Miami FL

24 December, 2020

9:38 AM

Description

the Miami Times By Mark Stallworth Miami Times Contributor Dec 23, 2020 The holiday season is here in Miami and things will be picking up again for the beginning of 2021. The Miami Dolphins just completed their final home game of the season, posting a 5-3 record at home this year after eliminating the New England Patriots from the postseason for the first time since 2008. Said Dolphins head coach Brian Flores: "We got great fans, people who are lifers … They love this team, so I'm happy to bring some joy to our fans because they deserve it." With a depleted offense, the Dolphins came with a "next-man-up" mentality and found a way to finish the job as they head to another victory. The resurgence of the team's defense and gadgetry of rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has the Dolphins just a few wins away from an NFL wild card postseason berth. They defeated the New England Patriots 22-12 on Dec. 20 and now, for the first time since 2016, will have a winning record at the end of the season. The Dolphins ran for a season-high 250 yards in the victory and all three of their touchdowns came on the ground: two by Tagovailoa and one by rookie running back Salvon Ahmed. Ahmed ran for 122 yards and is the first running back since 2018 to rush for over 100 yards. The Dolphins will travel to Las Vegas for a prime-time showdown against the Raiders on Saturday, Dec. 26. Miami currently holds the seventh and final position in the AFC playoffs. The Dolphins will now hand over the Hard Rock Stadium keys to the Orange Bowl, which will host the 87th edition of the game featuring the #5 Texas A&M Aggies vs. #14 North Carolina Tarheels. This is not the basketball classic, but the actual football bowl game. The #18 Miami Hurricanes will be traveling to Orlando, Florida, as they are set to play the #21 Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Cheez-it Bowl on Dec. 29 at Camping World Stadium. The defending Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat will be playing basketball on Christmas Day, again. Overall, the Heat have a 10-2 holiday record, with their last matchup coming back in 2015 against the New Orleans Pelicans where they won 94-88. In the 73rd NBA Christmas Day showcase, the Heat will take on the 2019 top overall pick Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. The game is set for a noon tipoff on ESPN. The Miami Heat will begin their season Dec. 23 against the Orlando Magic with no in-person attendance. Off the court and field, several professional athletes and local sports organizations have been stepping up during this time and giving back to their communities in need. Allen Hurns of the Miami Dolphins and his mother, Erica Wilson, who started the 88 Blessings Foundation, passed out some holiday help throughout South Florida with his Winter Wonderland Toy Drive. Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo also surprised one Miami family with a holiday gift of a lifetime by presenting a single mother on the verge of facing eviction with a year's worth of rent. Adebayo stated: "Just helping somebody like that, in that situation, and all the negative situations that's happened to her the last couple of months, that's definitely top of my list." The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.