Miami Heat, Florida Panthers are in the playoffs. Fingers crossed; we need some joy | Editorial

Hello! Our teams are having a moment.

In case you haven’t noticed: Two South Florida teams have made it to the playoffs. The Miami Heat is the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Florida Panthers have a shot at the Stanley Cup. And they didn’t get there by the skin of their teeth, either. These teams are contenders and lead their leagues.

Cheering our teams always rejuvenates our sense of community, this time, from Homestead to the Broward-Palm Beach county line. That’s one of the beauties of sports. So let’s cheer them on, typically fair-weather sports fans. Pay attention — they deserve some love.

Tuesday is a big day. Both the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers are playing.

The Heat will face the Atlanta Hawks in the second playoff game of their first-round series.

Miami convincingly defeated the Hawks in Game 1 on Sunday. A Miami Herald sportswriter used the word “smothered.”

Fingers crossed that the Heat smothers some more. And let’s fall in love with Tyler Herro, or Jimmy Butler, or Bam Adebayo. They are not the Three Kings of yore, but they are princes.

The Florida Panthers, too, are playing Tuesday night. The team is a powerhouse in the National Hockey League.

This marks the first time in franchise history that the team has made the postseason in three straight seasons. Florida becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season, and it’s the first time in franchise history that the Panthers have been the first to win a playoff spot.

Tuesday, they play the New York Islanders. Again, fingers crossed.

And while we’re in a frenzy of anticipation, the Miami Marlins, who just opened their season, also are playing Tuesday night. And they seem to have a star in the making. Left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo (who played at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland) is coming off a career-high 12-strikeout performance last week. He’ll be up against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

And we have backup: If the Heat and Panthers strike out — we know, we know, that’s baseball lingo — there’s more potential sports joy ahead in the fall.

The Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes both will be premiering reimagined teams under new coaches.

As we said, it’s time to catch the fever, and let sports do its thing for our community.

This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 7:52 PM.