South Florida sports expert puts Heat, Panthers finals runs into ...
If I would have said any of the following to you two months ago, you might have thought I was crazy:
◦ The Miami Heat would lose their first play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks and have to mount a major comeback against the Chicago Bulls in a second play-in game just to get into the NBA playoffs as a No. 8 seed.
◦ Then, that No. 8 seed Heat team would eliminate the heavily favored No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in just five games.
◦ Then that No. 8 Miami Heat team would knock off the No. 5 New York Knicks in six games.
◦ Then that No. 8 Miami Heat team would go up 3-0 on the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, lose the next three, then dominate the Celtics in Boston in Game 7 to make the NBA Finals.
Would have sounded crazy, right?
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Game 7: The Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler dunks against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at TD Garden. The Heat won the game, 103-84, to advance to the NBA Finals.
How’s this for crazy…
What if I said to you two months ago:
◦ The No. 8 seed Florida Panthers would face a No. 1 seed Boston Bruins team that many considered as one of the all-time great squads in league history and knock them off in Game 7 in Boston.
◦ Then that No. 8 seed Panthers team would cruise past the Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 games.
◦ And finally, they’d dominate the Carolina Panthers in a 4-0 sweep that put them in the Stanley Cup finals.
Still sounds crazy.
Here’s another stat that sounds crazy: The two south Florida teams in the NBA and NHL knocked off the two Boston teams in Game 7s in Beantown, the first time ever two different sports teams have been defeated in Game 7s in their home town in the same season.
And one more crazy piece of info: Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem is heading to his seventh NBA Finals over a 20-year NBA career that actually started a year prior in France because he went undrafted and had to prove himself elsewhere until the Heat signed him in 2003. Haslem played in the 2000 NCAA championship game for the Florida Gators, which they lost to Michigan State. A player on that Spartans team has become so successful in life in the time since, he bought the Phoenix Suns last year!
May 24, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
I could go on, but instead, I urge you to listen to the latest episode of “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast," powered by the USA TODAY Network.
This week’s guest is Rick Horrow, a lifetime South Florida Sports fan, former Dade County Sports Authority Executive Director and current Professor of Sports who is a visiting expert on sports business at Harvard Law School.
He’s also the host of the “On the Record” sports podcast and purveyor of horrowsports.com.
If anyone knows South Florida sports, it’s Rick.
We talk about the historic nature of what the Panthers and Heat have done, we break down the coaches, the matchups and so much more.
If you can’t get enough of what is going on in South Florida, you have to listen to this podcast.
Join the tens of thousands that have downloaded us and find out why we give you the best sports breakdowns in the state.
We can be downloaded wherever you listen to podcasts, or simply type in “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast” into your favorite search engine. We also can be found on any of the 17 USA TODAY-Network Florida websites.
If you like it, you can check out previous shows, which feature current and former professional athletes and coaches, as well as our stable of journalists who cover beats and write columns, all of whom have a tie to the Sunshine State.
Contact Walters at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Podcast looks at how Heat, Panthers are on cusp of sports history
