After years of watching teams exit early from the postseason or not even make the playoffs to begin with, South Florida is in the national spotlight with not just one, but two teams playing for the title.
The Miami Heat are back in the NBA Finals for the seventh time in franchise history while the Florida Panthers will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time ever.
Even more amazing than that feat is the way both teams got to this point.
The Heat had to come out victorious in a win-or-stay-home game in the play-in round just to be the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami would go on to knock off a Milwaukee team with the NBA’s best record this season, defeat their rivals from New York before eliminating Boston in seven games after the Heat had a 3-0 series lead.
On the ice, the Panthers skated into the postseason also as the No. 8 seed in the East. In the first round, Florida knocked off a Boston team who had the best regular season record in NHL history, defeated Toronto in the semifinals and swept Carolina to bring home the second Eastern Conference title in franchise history.
The storylines write themselves: a Heat team led by Conference Finals MVP Jimmy Butler but also getting contributions from players like Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson and more to become just the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals.
Florida is being led by left winger Matthew Tkachuk, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade last offseason and has responded by being a MVP candidate and scoring the game-winning goal in three games against the Hurricanes to advance.
Now, the Heat turn their attention to a Finals matchup with the Denver Nuggets – a team who will be making its first appearance ever in the championship round. The Panthers will be facing a Vegas Golden Knights team who is also making just its second Stanley Cup Final appearance while seeking its first crown.
It truly is a great time to be alive if you’re a fan of sports in South Florida.
