The Florida Panthers Join The Miami Heat In Finals Eliminations
South Florida fans preparing for a dual celebration for the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers unfortunately have to scrap their plans.
The Heat and Panthers met similar fates in their respective Finals, losing four games to one after miraculous runs as eighth seeds. The Heat were outmatched by the Denver Nuggets, while the Panthers got obliterated in a 9-3 defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights.
But as their journeys came to ends, both teams reflected on their transcendent seasons to make the Finals.
“This group of guys just gave it all out there every single night,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “It’s hard right now but it’s definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Every time I step on the ice, whether it’s a practice or a game, I’ll remember this group and this hell of a journey.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had similar comments Monday night.
“I think this is a team a lot of people can relate to,” Spoelstra said. “If you’ve ever felt dismissed or made to feel less than…But the way this team handled setbacks and adversity with collective grit and perseverance, hopefully these are lessons that will transcend this beautiful game.”
Spoelstra said this season was a lesson on persistence that could translate to real life.
“Obviously we didn't get the final win, but sometimes that's true in sport and also in life,” Spoelstra said. “You don't always get what you want, but there's no regret from our side. Everybody, staff and players alike in the locker room put themselves out there and put themselves into this team. The tough pill to swallow is that it just wasn’t good enough, we ran into a team that was just better than us in this series.”
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
