Miami Heat, Rest Of South Florida Teams Hoping To Follow Messi And Inter Miami's Playoff Success

The Miami Heat headline the list of South Florida teams who have come up short in the postseason

On Saturday night, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami defeated Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup Final. 

The game came down to the wire, ending regulation tied at 1 but Miami prevailed in penalties with a score of 10-9.

Not only was this Miami’s first ever championship, but it snapped the postseason losing streak of South Florida teams, most notably the Miami Heat.

Last season the Heat went on a historic playoff run, becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals. They were defeated in the Finals for the second time in the past four seasons by the Denver Nuggets in five games. However, they were not the only Miami basketball team to suffer a heartbreaking defeat.

In the NCAA tournament, the Miami Hurricanes reached the Final Four as a No. 5 seed before losing 72-59 to the eventual national champion UConn Huskies.

Florida Atlantic entered the tournament as a No. 9 seed yet beat all odds, reaching the Final Four. They lost 72-71 to No. 5 seed San Diego State.

In the NHL, the Florida Panthers took a very similar route to the Finals as the Heat. They entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Their historic run was ended by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

Although Messi was able to snap the losing streak, Jimmy Butler is looking to lead the Heat to their first championship in nearly a decade, hoping to have Damian Lillard alongside him.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_