Sunday, December 31, 2023

South Florida Sports Review 2023

     It was a great year for South Florida professional sports teams in 2023. Four of the five local sports clubs appeared in the postseason for the second straight year. Many teams were able to get deep into the postseason. 
     The Florida Panthers finished with the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers upset the Presidents' Cup winner the Boston Bruins in seven games during the first round. The Cats stopped the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Florida reached the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history. The Panthers were eliminated in the final round by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. 
     The Miami Heat ended up with the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA Playoffs following the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Heat upended the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games during the first round, took care of the New York Knicks in six games during the second round and got by the Boston Celtics in seven games during the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat reached the NBA Finals for the second time in the last four seasons and eventually lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets. 
     The Miami Marlins ended up in the second wild-card spot for the National League Playoffs. It was the second time in the last four seasons that the Fish reached the postseason. They were swept in two games by the Philadelphia Phillies. 
     The Miami Dolphins got to the postseason again for the second straight year. The Fins finished will an 11-6 record for an AFC Wild-Card spot with the sixth seed. They were edged by the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East Division title in the final regular season game. 
     Inter Miami CF did not reach the MLS Cup Playoffs. The team signed Lionel Messi, captured the Leagues Cup and lost in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship game. 
     The biggest story involving local college sports was in men's basketball The University of Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Atlantic University Owls reached the Final Four for the first time and both lost in the national semifinals.  

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