Editors Pick Florida Panthers Miami Heat

It’s Truly an Unbelievable Year for South Florida Sports

May 14, 2023
Isaac Edelman

A few weeks ago, FAU and Miami had made the Final Four for the first time in program history.

And now, the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers are making their Conference Finals (the Final Four of their postseason).

So, to say the least, it’s been an unbelievable year for South Florida sports.

Heat and Panthers Advance on Friday Night

On Friday night, the Heat and Panthers both reached the Conference Finals in their respective leagues. According to ESPN Stats and Info, “over the last 40 years, there have been 16 instances of an NBA & NHL team from the same metro area reaching the Conference Finals in the same season, but none had clinched on the same day.”

The Heat are now advancing to their third Conference Final in four years. The Panthers, meanwhile, are advancing to their first Conference Final since 1996.
We haven’t even mentioned the fact that both South Florida teams were No. 8 seeds.
The Miami Heat are just the SECOND eight seed in NBA history to make the conference finals.
The Panthers, meanwhile, became the third Wild Card team to advance to the Conference Finals since the Wild Card format was introduced in 2013-14.
It is easy to say that both talented South Florida teams have overcome a lot of adversity. The Panthers and Heat may not have had the best regular season, hence their No. 8 seed, but when the playoffs hit, both teams stepped up.

Heat Culture

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts after the Heat beat the New York Knicks 96-92 during the second half of Game 6 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The Miami Heat started their playoff run with an appearance in the play-in tournament. Miami lost to the Atlanta Hawks for the seventh seed in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. But luckily, Max Strus and the Heat got the job done against the Chicago Bulls, notching the eighth seed.
The Heat matched up against the Milwaukee Bucks in round one. Behind Jimmy Butler’s epic performances of 42 and 56 points, the Heat stunned the No. 1 Bucks, winning the series 4-to-1.
In the second round, Miami went on to face the New York Knicks. In a series that ended Friday night, the Heat took the series 4-to-2.
Miami will now face either Boston or Philly in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Cardiac Cats

Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk (19), Sam Reinhart (13), Josh Mahura (28) and Anthony Duclair (10) celebrate the team's 3-2 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Friday, May 12, 2023, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Like the Heat, the Panthers notched crucial upsets to advance past the first round.

Being an eighth seed, Florida had to face the No. 1 Boston Bruins in round one. The Bruins weren’t an ordinary top seed. They had arguably the best regular season in NHL history, notching a record 65 wins.

As expected, Boston got off to a great start, taking a 3-to-1 series lead after four games. However, the Panthers wouldn’t back down, winning three straight games (including two crazy overtime wins) to stun the hockey world and take the series 4-to-3.

The Cats then faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat down on the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one. Toronto was also, of course, favored against the Panthers, but Paul Maurice’s squad didn’t let that impact the outcome of the series. Florida recorded three straight wins to go up 3-to-0 over Toronto. While the Leafs were victorious in Game 4, avoiding the sweep, the Cats finished business in Game 5 in overtime to take the series 4-to-1.

According to ESPN, the Panthers had a 2% chance to win the Stanley Cup after falling behind 3-1 to the Bruins. Seven wins later, Florida is now set to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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