What happened: On The Dan Le Batard Show, Dan Le Batard said this Miami Heat season opens with more hope than any since 2010. He called it bigger than the Jimmy Butler-era openers, including the summer the team added Kyle Lowry. The show also revisited the December 2021 opener after the October 2020 Finals run as a recent high-expectation start.

Why it matters: Le Batard said the gap matters because South Florida excitement has not shown up nationally in preseason odds and rankings. He said the team was listed tied for 12th in the league and seventh in the East. He argued a top-five MVP-level centerpiece beside Bam asks less invention from Spoelstra than last season's offense.

What to watch: The show framed the opening weeks as the test of what the fast offense looks like with the new centerpiece.