After this past weekend's Iron Bowl finish, there has been a lot of discussion about great sports finishes. As an avid sports fan I felt it necessary to get my two cents in as well. Obviously the discussion has to start with great college football finishes, but I wanted to discuss great finishes in other sports also. The issue becomes how we discuss the plays across sports. I'm not sure there is an answer to that, but at least I can go sport by sport and list what I think are the greatest finishes in each sport.
NCAA Football
Iron Bowl 2013 - This instantly makes the list as 109 yard missed field goal returns for touchdowns to end a game don't happen every day. Or even every decade for that matter! I can honestly say I will always remember where I was when watching this game. Unbelievable stuff, especially when you consider the magnitude of the game.
Stanford-Cal - The band is on the field! The band is on the field! I don't even think I need to say anymore about this one. Probably the craziest finish to a game ever.
NCAA Basketball
There are a lot of games to choose from here, mostly because the NCAA tournament provides so many opportunities for buzzer beaters. I chose game magnitude as a way to differentiate between the many choices.
1983 NC State - Lorenzo Charles' dunk off an airballed shot attempt by Dereck Whittenburg won the National Championship for NC State. It's one of the more indelible images in the history of the sport.
Christian Laettner beats Kentucky - Every time I watch this highlight I still can't believe that this play actually worked. Knock it down! It was an incredible play and incredible shot that sent Duke to the Final Four. It's quite possibly the pinnacle of buzzer beaters in college basketball.
Tyus Edney coast to coast - I'm including this one because I remember watching it and growing up in LA, this was the biggest of deals. It helped propel UCLA to a national title. And it's one of my favorite sports moments.
NFL
The Catch - Montana to Clark in the back of the end zone. We've all seen the highlight. We all can't believe the pass made it to Dwight Clark. But it did and it will go down in history. Plus it was against the Cowboys and I always love seeing them lose.
Immaculate Reception - If you watch the highlight of the play even the announcer gave up on it initially until he saw Franco Harris running down the sideline. Talk about a fortunate bounce and an amazing way to end a game.
Music City Miracle - This one gets an honorable mention because it caught everyone off guard, from the Buffalo Bills to the fans. Some will still argue that it was a forward pass, but no one can doubt that it was an incredible finish.
NBA
The Shot - Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo is one of the lasting images of the NBA. It probably also started the legend that is Michael Jordan.
Magic Johnson's skyhook - A game winning shot against your arch rival in the NBA finals over three of the tallest players on the court. It doesn't get more clutch than that. Another indelible image in NBA history.
MLB
The Shot Heard Round the World - The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thompson's home run off of Ralph Branca in a one game playoff to determine the NL champion is one the most iconic home runs of all time. And it's also one of the most iconic calls of all time as well.
Kirk Gibson - He could barely walk, let alone hit. He wasn't even on the bench for most of the game. There is no way this should have ever happened. But it did. And when Gibson launched a 3-2 slider from Dennis Eckersley into the Los Angeles night he became the author of, what I think, is THE greatest sports finish ever.
So this is my list. It is in no particular order and I'm not attempting at this point to compare plays across sports. Although, Gibson's homer has to be number one. I know I've left a lot of great finishes off the list, so please tell me what I forgot. And if you have thoughts about cross sports rankings, please share those as well.
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