Heat, Panthers at risk of losing in the finals after improbable runs

The Heat and Panthers are both on the brink of elimination.

Why it matters: The teams have been on improbable, inspiring playoff runs that have captured the imaginations of South Florida sports fans, but are now both down 3-1 in their respective finals.

What's happening: The Heat play the Nuggets Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals after losing Friday, 108-95.

• And the Panthers play Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Tuesday after losing Saturday to the Golden Knights, 3-2.

Threat level: Only one team in NBA history has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals to win the championship: LeBron James' 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Heat center Kevin Love was on that 2016 team.
• In the NHL, the only team to ever pull off a 3-1 comeback to win the Stanley Cup was in 1942.

Flashback: For all their similarities, the Heat and Panthers have been on opposite ends of a comeback during these playoffs.

• In the first round, the Panthers were down 3-1 to the Boston Bruins before rallying back to win 4-3.
• The Heat were up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Celtics but let Boston win three in a row before winning Game 7.

Both teams now need to win three straight games to pull off historic comebacks.

What they're saying: "You take it one game at a time," Heat center Bam Adebayo said to reporters after Saturday's game. "We've seen a team come back from 3-0 firsthand. So we just have to believe, and one game at a time."

• "Where we've been at our strongest is in the most critical time," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.