Heat roll in Game 1, Panthers try to match Thursday night: CBS News Miami's Steve Goldstein
MIAMI - The great South Florida sports spring continues.
Both the Panthers and Heat are in the Eastern Conference Final. The Miami Heat started things out with an impressive 123-116 win in Boston to take Game 1 and steal home court advantage. Once again, led by Jimmy Butler and his 35 points, they erased a double digit Celtics lead and scored a franchise record 46 points in the third quarter to stun the crowd.
Thursday night, the Florida Panthers play Game 1 in North Carolina against the Hurricanes and will try to follow suit and match the Heat, who are now 9-3 overall in the playoffs.
The Panthers, incredibly, have won their last six road games in Boston and in Toronto. Their last loss away from home came in the first playoff game at Boston.
Both teams have come a long way since qualifying for the playoffs by a thread, both coming in as eighth seeds and continuing to upset opponents.
The Panthers' Game 1 challenge Thursday is to match the Hurricanes in intensity, forecheck, and goaltending. Although in Carolina, after the Panthers' impressive run, they are probably saying the exact same thing heading into Thursday's first game of the best of seven series.
This thrilling ride from South Florida teams doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon.
