Mike McDaniel, Dolphins, taking note of Panthers and Heat success
The Panthers and the Heat will each play for a championship in the coming weeks.
What a time to be a sports fan in South Florida.
Just look at the sports schedule for coming days:
June 1 (Heat), June 3 (Panthers), June 4 (Heat), June 5 (Panthers), June 7 (Heat), June 8 (Panthers), June 9 (Heat), June 10 (Panthers), June 12 (Heat), June 13 (Panthers), June 15 (Heat), June 16 (Panthers), June 18 (Heat), June 19 (Panthers).
That's an unbelievable stretch of unexpected games for two teams seeded eighth.
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Since 2003, the only market with NBA/NHL teams in the championship round in the same season was the San Francisco Bay Area, with the Warriors and Sharks in 2016.
Mike McDaniel hopes to follow success of Heat, Panthers
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is acutely aware of what's going on around him.
“How cool is that for South Florida sports just in general, just riding the 2023 but specifically the Heat and the Panthers doing a lot of things that people said they couldn’t do," McDaniel said recently. "Which I very much appreciate. We are definitely taking note.”
We're not sure how the Dolphins are an underdog despite the addition of cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but it's a card McDaniel can somehow still play.
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins somehow still 'underdogs'
Some say Tua Tagovailoa is the 21st-best quarterback in the NFL (come on, now) and some say Miami is no better than the third-best team in the AFC East (I mean, I guess you could at least argue the points.)
But McDaniel is huge fan of both the Panthers and the Heat. And it's a decent bet we'll see him present for at least one home game for each team in their respective Final/s series.
Miami Dolphins players support Miami Heat, Florida Panthers
Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins hopes all of this winning is contagious.
"Hopefully all the teams can continue that on and just continue to have success for the fans,' Wilkins said. "The fans that just deserve a winner."
Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is enjoying the local hoops and hockey runs.
"We’re supporting them just like they would support us," Ogbah said.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at.jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mike McDaniel wants Dolphins to follow in footsteps of Heat, Panthers
