Arena Most thrilling sports victories.

Okay, some of you asked for it, so here it is:

What are the most thrilling sports victories you have personally experienced?

My #1 is the San Antonio Spurs 2014 NBA Championship. That saved me from a veritable lifetime of agonizing over Game 6 from the previous year.

#2 When the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals. Both stopped the hated Lakers' chances of a historic fourpeat and avenged the humiliating losses in the 2001 & 2002 Western Conference Playoffs.

Unfortunately, I don't have a defining thrilling victory in the NFL--all of my memories of the Eagles deep playoff runs in the McNabb era are tainted by them ultimately coming up short that year; by the time the Eagles finally won the Super Bowl, I had switched to the Los Angeles Rams. I finally almost got to experience a Super Bowl the next year, but it was not to be. I'm still mad that the Chiefs lost the preceding AFC Championship Game; that Rams-Chiefs Super Bowl would have been a classic, probably. But, here's a list of the best wins so far

2001 Philadelphia Eagles Divisional Round upset at Bears--This was a bigger upset than people remember, and it closed down old Soldier Field, at that.

2003 Philadelphia Eagles divisional round win over Green Bay. Brett Favre was by far my most hated NFL player for almost his entire career. The Packers jumped out to a shocking 14-0 lead and it looked like my Eagles were going to be humiliated by my most hated player, but, true to form, he found a wide open Brian Dawkins in overtime to help us to victory.

2008 Philadelphia Eagles Divisional Round win at Giants--The Giants were the defending champions and were the best team in the NFC all season. There is a slight footnote to this one in that Plaxico Burress had shot himself in the leg late in the regular season and so didn't play in this game.

2012 Miracle at the New Meadowlands Eagles over Giants-- This was the last great victory of the Andy Reid era. Once he was gone, it was hard for me to even to make myself care as much as I used to.

2018 Los Angeles Rams upset Saints in NFC Championship--This one will always be slightly tainted by the cat-that-swallowed-the-canary quality of it, with the blatantly missed pass interference call at the end of the fourth quarter. Still, just three years after returning to Los Angeles, the Rams were headed to the Super Bowl! I will always be bummed that the Chiefs lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship, probably robbing us of a classic Super Bowl in replacement of the dud we got.

In terms sheer immediate visceral thrill, the Kings win over the Lakers in Game 5 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals after Bibby's (in Sacramento) iconic shot is #1 over everything. It is and always will be I suspect the loudest thing I have ever experienced.

And finally, two that didn't involve "my" team:

The first is unbelievably petty, but I was ecstatic when the Sixers beat the Lakers in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals to end their chance at a 15-0 postseason, because the Lakers had humiliated the Spurs in the preceding WCF. Absolutely humiliated them.

Finally, I went absolutely crazy when the Cavaliers beat the Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. LeBron's career historically would have always had a frustrating quality to it if he didn't win at least one championship with the Cavaliers. Once this happened, no matter what happened the rest of his way, the "narrative" of his career would be unequivocally positive, as it ought to be.

 

There are several starting with the 84' Bears stunning Washington (I was just turning seven so I was at that point really starting to understand sports and could sit thru an entire game) and obviously some of the Bulls greatest moments with his Royal Airness along with some of the thrilling victories of the Blackhawks this past decade (and a few of their more memorable games growing up) but honestly nothing will ever compare with the Cubs winning the World series. I mean my great aunt turned a 100 that December and she literally had to wait almost 100 years to see it happen! It truly was once in a lifetime moment that can never be duplicated. It was also the last moment in time where the planet seemed sorta normal for obvious reasons.

 

1994 NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. Suck it @imperial_dork

 

I was a basketball fan in the 80's. My teams were Boston and Detroit. So I had no dog in this race, but watched this awesome moment live:

 

From the "didn't involve my team" category, this is what comes first to mind

 

It was an exciting game all the way down to the end. Michigan almost made it out, Mike Hart was unstoppable in a heroic comeback, I was feeling pretty good after taking the lead, just couldn't hold it. It was your day. Armanti Edwards was just too damn good. Edwards and...Jackson? Too damn fast, the both of them.

Btw, that was like the very first game on the Big Ten Network. I remember because I had it and thought it was going to be the coolest thing, it was basically the Michigan Channel. I was super pumped for it. Not the most auspicious start for the network.

Posting these Mike Hart for Heisman videos because I remember having these on repeat before the season.




Mike Hart 4 ever

 

Braves vs Reds, 2010. Brooks Conrad grand slam. 2018 Clutch Dansby

Both 10-9 walk off victories

 

For pure drama, it was hard to beat this

 

i've had a lot of sports ups and downs, but it's hard to imagine anything will ever top this.

 

Fell off my couch when this happened.



Eight days later. Did not fall off my couch for this one, mostly because I was so exhausted by the time it was over.

Amazing.

 

Game 1 of the 2015 World Series. Alex Gordon ties it in the bottom of the 9th with a monster HR to center.



It went into extra extra innings, and became the second longest game in WS history. The Royals won...

... and I was there.

 

This one! Especially after the lost final in the year before against Chelsea
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