Home is where hope & hurt is: Panthers oust Tampa; Heat falls, faces elimination by Boston | Opinion

The tectonic plates of this NBA playoffs might have shifted for the Miami Heat and against the Florida Panthers as both played simultaneous first-round games at home Monday night.

For the Heat there was an opportunity. But they couldn’t take it.

For the Panthers there was a risk. But it didn’t phase them.

Now the Florida Panthers move on in the NHL playoffs with a 6-1 rout-win that eliminates rival Tampa Bay by 4 games to 1. A Lightning win would have give Tampa a Game 6 at home with a chance to even the series -- but the Cats wouldn’t have it. Two goals by captain Aleksander Barkov led an emphatic advance.

And now the Miami Heat, with a chance to even its NBA series with its own biggest rival, instead fell Monday to Boston, 102-88, to fall behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. The Celtics can now clinch at home on Wednesday as the life left in the Heat’s season threatens to flat-line.

Teams up 3-1 in NBA history win the series at a 95.4 percent rate. For Boston it’s 28 times with a 3-1 series lead, and 28 times advancing.

Like Boston, the Panthers were clear favorites over the Lightning but their series win still should be appreciated for its historic significance. Tampa had eliminated Florida in both previous playoff meetings as the Lightning won recent back to back Stanley Cup. So this was symbolic: The shedding of a nemesis.

This also marks the third straight season Florida has advanced beyond the first round in the postseason, a franchise first in the Cats’ 30th season. It is tough to do.

The Dolphins have done it only three times, and not since 1998-2000.

The Heat have done it only twice, last in 2011-14 when LeBron James was here.

Oh, those halcyon days. They seem so achingly distant for the current Heat playing without injured star Jimmy Butler and on the precipice of first-round elimination.

Miami has had the better of Boston in four of their past five playoff meetings, but that too seems like ancient history.

This Celtics team had the best season in the NBA. This No. 8-seed Miami team shot dreadfully Monday and had no hope. It will take a miracle in sneakers Wednesday in Boston to keep this series alive.

Inter Miami and global superstar Lionel Messi attended the game with his young son, who wore a Heat Culture jersey.

Messi could have made more 3-point baskets with his foot or perhaps head than the Heat did by hand, converting a meager 9 of 33, and many of those in late garbage time.

Derrick White scored 38 for Boston. Miami shot barely 40 percent.

“Offensively we struggled again,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “We had some decent looks early on, weren’t able to knock those down, and Derrick White was very good tonight, obviously. I know in my heart we have a game that’s there. It’s just a matter of the ball going in a few more times...”

There was a brouhaha with five minutes left when Bam Adebayo got a flagrant foul he objected to and Al Horford was given a technical. I a closer game, it might have been worthy of further discussion here.

Twenty-five miles north on the hockey side of the night, the Panthers led 1-0 on a goal off a deflection by Carter Verhaeghe, whom teammates cal l”Swaggy” because his game struts in the postseason.

It was 2-nil on Barkov’s shorthanded goal -- extra welcome because he’d only scored once in his past 10 games dating to the regular season.

Victor Hedman drew the Lightning within 2-1 but it would get no closer.

Barkov’s second goal was insurance with 8:54 left in regulation as the home crowd exhaled. Late goals by Evan Rodrigues and empty-netters by Verhaeghe and Niko Mikkola made the final score.

Tampa Bay had a pair of would-be goals negated on challenge and review. That undoubtedly has Lightning fans screaming foul, but they ought not because the replay cameras don’t lie. Both plays were overturned because goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was clearly interfered with both times by Lightning messing with him in the blue of the crease.

Bobrovsky was named earlier Monday as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender. He was not Playoff Bob level in the previous game, but was Monday with 31 saves.

Florida’s prize for advancing is likely the Boston Bruins in the second round. Boston is up 3-1 on Toronto and able to clinch in Game 5 Tuesday.

Miami’s prize, barring a miracle rally, will be an offseason too-suddenly here -- one full of questions as the Heat face likely significant changes.

The underdog Heat eliminated Boston in the Eastern Conference finals a year ago.

That, too, seems a long time and two different teams ago.