The Florida Panthers' trip to Raleigh on Wednesday was white hot.
Players boarded the team plane wearing white Miami Heat T-shirts -- similar to the ones worn during Heat "white out" home games -- in solidarity with their NBA counterparts, who began play in their conference final at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
The Panthers are set to take on the Caroina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday.
The two South Florida sports teams have some things in common this season. Both earned No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference of their respective leagues and knocked out the top-seeded team. For the Panthers, it was the Boston Bruins, while the Heat handled the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Heat defeated the New York Knicks.
Both teams, in fact, made some history, advancing to their respective conference finals on the same day, something that had not been accomplished before by two teams from the same metropolitan area.
"We're both gonna try to do our half," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "Wouldn't it be unbelievable in two weeks if we were both still playing? Craziness in this town, right?"
