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The uncanny resemblance between the Florida Panthers and Miami Heat’s improbable championship appearances as Eastern Conference eight-seeds had one final dark turn, as the Panthers’ Cinderella run met a demise strikingly similar to that of their crosstown counterparts.
On June 13, the Las Vegas Golden Knights hoisted the franchise’s first Stanley Cup trophy on its home ice after its blowout 9-3 win over Florida in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena.
The Panthers’ loss ended a postseason run that included overcoming a 3-1 deficit to the top-seeded Boston Bruins in the first round, eight straight postseason road wins, and the franchise’s first Stanley Cup appearance in 27 years. The Cats lined up seven overtime playoff victories, three of which came on scores by Matthew Tkachuk, who tied the NHL single-year record for most overtime playoff goals.
On June 12, the Heat suffered a similar end to their playoff push, watching the Denver Nuggets celebrate an NBA championship (also their first) on its home court after a 94-89 Game 5 win. It was Heat anchor Jimmy Butler’s second defeat in an NBA Finals, an abrupt conclusion to a run propelled by his high-scoring heroics early in the postseason.
And so ends the wildest month in South Florida playoff history.
It was no small feat that both teams pushed their way to the finals: It’s rare that NBA and NHL franchises from the same metropolitan area accomplish as much. The then-New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils did it in 2003; the New York Knicks and Rangers did it in 1994. More recently, the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks made dual championship runs in 2016, though it could be argued their home cities are separate metro spaces.
This week’s championship losses added a few more bruises to South Florida sports fans who just recovered from a Final Four in which the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University both fell before reaching the championship game. It’s been an intense two months, and with the Panthers out, fans have a moment to lick their wounds and maybe even watch a Marlins game (they’re actually faring well).
While it was disappointing to watch the Panthers and Heat meet a crushing end, the teams have a solid base to build on and the confidence to know that they can compete at the highest level even when the oddsmakers counted them out from the get-go.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 14, 2023
Similarities In, Similarities Out
Once the dust has settled to allow South Florida to digest and appreciate the two months of high-octane postseason truly sports the Panthers and Heat unexpectedly provided, there may need to be scientific studies performed to unravel just how insane the similarities between their two playoff paths were.
Matthew Tkachuk suffered a broken sternum, which is what kept him out of Game 5.
— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) June 14, 2023
For the Panthers, it was a rocky 42-32-8 regular season that resulted in clinching the final spot in the postseason by a single point. Their run to the Finals as an eight-seed would end in a 4-1 series loss in large part due to its biggest star being a shell of himself and for Game 5, absent altogether. Tkachuk had been playing with a broken breast bone he reportedly sustained in Game 3.
For the Heat, a lackluster 44-38 regular season ended as a play-in team on the cusp of being more focused on NBA lottery balls than postseason press conferences. Their run to the Finals would similarly end in a 4-1 series defeat attributable to decreased productivity from Jimmy Butler, who was dealing with an injured ankle.
Jimmy still can’t land on his right ankle 😩 pic.twitter.com/THLrUkLbXK
— Ramiro Bentes (@ramirobentes) June 7, 2023
What’s Next: Diverging Paths
The Panthers and Heat may have had a similar past two months of performances and results, but what happens from here on out in the offseason couldn’t be more dissimilar.
For the Panthers, much of the team’s core is locked up for 2023-24 and beyond. Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are both secured until 2030. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will mind Florida’s nets for the foreseeable future. Much of the remainder of the team is signable, or locked up, with few major changes expected.
By contrast, the Heat are set for a major roster overhaul. Three starters, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Kevin Love are entering free agency, and Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is hinting at a push to join Miami, which would likely send Tyler Herro and possibly Kyle Lowry to Portland.
A prediction that the Heat will have nearly half of their roster revamped by next season doesn’t seem all that crazy.
Whatever happens before they re-enter the fray, one thing will remain the same between the hometown teams – 2023 was a season to remember, and both franchises did South Florida proud.
