Best Comebacks in Sports History
/granite-web-prod/15/68/156878e4bc3440448c6c9e796fd3aafc.jpeg)
Everyone loves watching a good drama, whether it’s a soap opera, reality television or a dramatic film. Well, sports can combine all of those into a single event, and there’s certainly no shortage of drama in watching two foes duke it out.
But the most dramatic of sporting events are those that have you on the edge of your seat, as one player or team is tasked with a seemingly impossible deficit to overcome. Yes, we're talking about the comeback — arguably the most exciting thing to watch in sports — and the sporting world has gifted us with many unforgettable ones.
Great comebacks can come in the form of games or even postseason series. They can also come from individual players who get hot at just the right time or from entire teams who catch lightning in a bottle. Reggie Miller, the Boston Red Sox and the Buffalo Bills are just some of the names many think of when sports comebacks are brought up, but there are many more.
We’ve selected our top 30 from 11 different sports. Which is your favorite sports comeback?
30. Aggies Pull Off an Improbable March Madness Comeback
/granite-web-prod/fd/54/fd54b2ec2cc144a08347b101ef4e2f4c.jpeg)
Event Name: 2016 NCAA Tournament – Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa
Sport: College basketball
Date: March 20, 2016
Bottom Line: 2016 Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa
/granite-web-prod/6a/68/6a686a33190143619d4a5efa92352ea4.jpeg)
The 11-seed Northern Iowa Panthers looked like a Cinderella March Madness team after it defeated No. 6 Texas in the first round and then had No. 3 Texas A&M on the ropes.
Northern Iowa was up by 12 points with 44 seconds left and up 10 points with 27 seconds left before a furious Aggies rally. Northern Iowa turned the ball over four times in the last 30 seconds as Texas A&M made its last six FG attempts of the game. Future NBA players Alex Caruso and Danuel House combined for 47 points for Texas A&M, as the Aggies pulled off the biggest NCAA comeback from a deficit in the last minute of a game.
29. The Start of the Kobe-Shaq Dynasty
/granite-web-prod/04/45/0445bbac36cc49d985911a2a1161b860.jpeg)
Event Name: 2000 Western Conference Finals – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Sport: Basketball
Date: June 4, 2000
Bottom Line: 2000 Game 7 Lakers vs. Blazers
/granite-web-prod/38/84/3884ec99fdbf4ba6bedb8000f0c85d0b.jpeg)
After blowing a 3-1 series lead and then falling behind by 16 points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Kobe-Shaq Dynasty looked over before it even officially began. But Brian Shaw nailed a 3-pointer off the glass at the end of the third quarter that kickstarted the Lakers' offense, while the Blazers suffered a shooting drought at the worst possible time.
Portland missed 12 straight shots and went scoreless for nearly eight minutes in the fourth quarter of the game as the Lakers got back into the game. L.A. took a two-point lead with two minutes left, and then a Kobe-Shaq alley-oop would seal the victory with under one minute to go. The Lakers would then go on to beat the Pacers in the Finals as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson won their first title together.
28. The Kings Execute the Miracle on Manchester
/granite-web-prod/e3/fe/e3feedb19c874dce879427a02d92c622.jpeg)
Event Name: 1982 Western Conference First Round – Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers
Sport: Hockey
Date: April 10, 1982
Bottom Line: Miracle on Manchester
/granite-web-prod/c2/49/c249a594726f48d2ad39494909949d16.jpeg)
During the 1981-82 regular season, the Oilers’ Wayne Gretzky set the single-season record with 92 goals. He then scored two of Edmonton’s first five goals in Game 5 of the first round as Edmonton went up 5-0. But then, Edmonton collapsed and the LA Kings — who would be Gretzky’s future team — scored five goals in the third period alone to tie the game with just five seconds left in regulation.
Then, in less than three minutes into overtime, Daryl Evans of the Kings scored the game-winning, series-winning goal to electrify the L.A. crowd. It is the largest comeback in NHL playoff history and is nicknamed the Miracle on Manchester due to the Kings’ arena — The Forum — being located on Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, California.
27. A Surprising Sport for a Comeback
/granite-web-prod/84/32/8432bd367d6048bfaecea0091fc048b8.jpeg)
Event Name: 1972 Olympics – 10,000 meters
Sport: Running
Date: Sept. 3, 1972
Bottom Line: 1972 Olympics 10,000 Meters
/granite-web-prod/eb/6f/eb6fd3797fc34d16987851bdfe8002b5.jpeg)
Falling behind in a sport like basketball or football is one thing, but falling behind in a running event is another thing. That’s because you then must exert extra energy just to get back in the race and then even more energy to get out in front.
Finnish runner Lasse Viren got his feet tangled midway through the 10,000-meter race at the ’72 Olympics and lost about 20 meters. But he then began an unprecedented kick to not only catch up with the pack but to overtake it. If that wasn’t enough, Viren would win the race, which was one of his four gold medals, and broke the seven-year-old world record in the race despite the fall.
26. A Monday Night Miracle
/granite-web-prod/33/4a/334a5b5a6fec4280921d41b4ef7f880c.jpeg)
Event Name: Indianapolis Colts vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sport: Football
Date: Oct. 6, 2003
Bottom Line: 2003 Colts vs. Buccaneers
/granite-web-prod/4e/a4/4ea4565977304bd9bfcf5cc6e63d9cc9.jpeg)
After being fired by the Bucs a year earlier, Colts coach Tony Dungy made his return to Tampa to face the reigning Super Bowl champs on Monday Night Football … and on Dungy’s birthday of all days. The Bucs held a 21-point lead with under four minutes left in the game before Indy went on a miraculous scoring spree. They got a quick touchdown thanks to a 90-yard kick return, then recovered an onside kick and scored another touchdown. Still down by seven, they forced a three-and-out and scored the game-tying touchdown with 38 seconds left.
In overtime, Tampa got the ball first and had a nine-play opening drive that ended in a punt. The Colts and Peyton Manning then got the ball, executed a 14-play drive and kicked the game-winning field goal. Indy became the first team in NFL history to win after trailing by 21 or more points with less than four minutes remaining.
25. T-Mac Goes Off for 13 points in 35 seconds
/granite-web-prod/4f/62/4f62c48d0b1e45f89cc1e8df53478221.jpeg)
Event Name: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs
Sport: Basketball
Date: Dec. 9, 2004
Bottom Line: 2004 Rockets vs. Spurs
/granite-web-prod/01/a7/01a73706a3ca4ba59a79c27ec5cd7558.jpeg)
The Spurs were the NBA’s best team in 2004-05, winning the NBA championship. But the best team was upended by the best player on the court in a December game, as Tracy McGrady went off in the last 35 seconds of the contest.
San Antonio led the Rockets by eight points with 35 seconds, and then McGrady hit a 3-pointer. The Spurs then made both of their free throws before McGrady converted a four-point play. The Spurs led by three at this point but then sank two free throws.
However, McGrady nailed another 3P to cut the deficit to two points before forcing a turnover with eight seconds left. McGrady got the ball and, predictably, hit another 3P to put Houston ahead for good.
24. Philly Was Down but Not Out
/granite-web-prod/8f/1b/8f1b0e07453c4119959c30b788cde5fd.jpeg)
Event Name: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs
Sport: Baseball
Date: April 17, 1976
Bottom Line: 1976 Phillies vs. Cubs
/granite-web-prod/ee/a2/eea2c71a7d144799825541aa1e690138.jpeg)
After going down 12-1 in the bottom of the third inning, the Phillies had a 1 percent win expectancy. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance?”
Powered by a record-tying four home runs by Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia would rally to take a 15-13 lead in the top of the ninth inning, only to then blow the save. Chicago scored two in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Philly then scored three in the top of the 10th, and Chicago got a run in the bottom of the 10th. But it wasn’t enough, as Philly got the historic victory.
23. Luck Was on Indy’s side
/granite-web-prod/f3/ae/f3aeb5d171804d55a4cd8252917797e2.jpeg)
Event Name: AFC Wild Card – Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sport: Football
Date: Jan. 4, 2014
Bottom Line: 2014 Colts vs. Chiefs
/granite-web-prod/81/cf/81cfd65372c449e09fc9d6b85c1bd69e.jpeg)
This game started off making history, marking the first-ever Wild Card game between two former No. 1 overall picks in Andrew Luck of the Colts and Alex Smith of the Chiefs. The game also ended with history, as the 1,049 total yards set an NFL postseason record.
In between, fans were treated to Indy rallying from a 28-point, third-quarter deficit to win the game, which is the second-largest comeback in postseason history. The Colts shot themselves in the foot all game but were able to overcome their mistakes and had a stretch in which eight straight possessions ended with either a turnover or a touchdown.
22. Flyers Pull Off Both a Game and Series Comeback
/granite-web-prod/31/05/3105241ed37746bd884bcd6a1d9b85a0.jpeg)
Event Name: 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
Sport: Hockey
Date: May 1-14, 2010
Bottom Line: 2010 Flyers vs. Bruins
/granite-web-prod/62/5e/625e3a4a7730458b9a01af78e0ec2733.jpeg)
Down 3-0 was a theme in this series, as the Bruins won the first three games of it to put the Flyers in a 3-0 hole. But after an overtime win in Game 4, a shutout victory in Game 5 and a one-goal win in Game 6, Philly managed to claw its way back into the series ahead of Game 7 on the road.
Once again, the Flyers would find themselves down 3-0 as the Bruins scored the first three goals of the game. But Boston would be shut out over the last 45 minutes, while Philadelphia would rally with four goals to lead to improbable game and series wins. The Flyers became the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but their run would end in the Stanley Cup Finals at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.
21. The Largest Comeback in NBA Playoff History
/granite-web-prod/24/74/2474215d05294894801bf61266d7db68.jpeg)
Event Name: 2019 Western Conference First Round – Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Sport: Basketball
Date: April 15, 2019
Bottom Line: Game 2 Clippers vs. Warriors
/granite-web-prod/74/f0/74f010effd334dd2b45f96eca5a80b47.jpeg)
The Warriors entered this game as the reigning two-time champions with a 33-6 postseason record over their previous 39 games. They started five All-Stars in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, while L.A. had a group of journeymen and role players, none of whom has ever made an All-Star team.
The Warriors won Game 1 and led Game 2 by 31 points midway through the third quarter. But L.A. then finished the game by outscoring Golden State 72-37, taking the lead with 16 seconds left and then winning 135-131. The 31-point comeback would set a record for the largest comeback in NBA postseason history.
20. Spider Does the Improbable
/granite-web-prod/f7/c8/f7c86f422b52489b8487aae7908e433f.jpeg)
Event Name: UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen
Sport: Mixed martial arts
Date: Aug. 7, 2010
Bottom Line: UFC 117
/granite-web-prod/3e/47/3e476ce887f846399730e6bdb97ca21e.jpeg)
Anderson Silva began his UFC career 11-0 en route to winning the Middleweight Championship. But win No. 12 was his most difficult, as challenger Chael Sonnen dominated through the first four rounds of their title fight. The brash Sonnen was well on his way to winning his first UFC championship until Silva showed why he is considered, perhaps, the greatest middleweight in UFC history. He surprised Sonnen with a triangle armbar and forced Sonnen to submit with less than two minutes left in the fight.
Sonnen landed more strikes on Silva in the fight than Silva’s previous 11 opponents had landed on him combined. All three judges also had Sonnen winning each of the first four rounds, but all it took was one submission hold to erase all of that.
19. Cleveland Rallies From Down 12 runs to Topple the Mariners
/granite-web-prod/15/f7/15f75d6f07e64391952fbb3368884d83.jpeg)
Event Name: Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Indians
Sport: Baseball
Date: Aug. 5, 2001
Bottom Line: 2001 Indians vs. Mariners
/granite-web-prod/0a/e2/0ae2fcf5543941849ffecc10ab9fbac7.jpeg)
It’s one thing to have a come-from-behind victory in baseball, and it’s another for that comeback to be following a 12-run deficit. If that wasn’t enough, this epic comeback came against MLB’s best team in 2001 — the Seattle Mariners — who would go on to win a record 116 games that season.
Cleveland fell behind 12-0 in the third inning and then trailed 14-2 at the seventh-inning stretch. Apparently, the stretch was all the offense was waiting for to show up, as the Indians proceeded to score three runs in the seventh, four runs in the eighth and five runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. Cleveland then scored in the 11th inning to go from trailing 14-2 to winning 15-14 in what was MLB’s largest comeback in 76 years.
18. Tennis Comeback or Collapse?
/granite-web-prod/8d/cb/8dcb07a265e249e6aae6a6e938dcefa3.jpeg)
Event Name: 2019 ITF Sunderland – Tara Moore vs. Jessika Ponchet
Sport: Women’s tennis
Date: April 9, 2019
Bottom Line: Jessika Ponchet vs. Tara Moore
/granite-web-prod/07/28/0728b3ab0e8f49b3b8a51679f8ad518e.jpeg)
The most improbable comeback in tennis history came on a U.K. court in the minor league ITF in 2019. British player Tara Moore — who was ranked No. 479 in the world — had lost her first set 0-6 and was down 0-5 in the second set. Her opponent, Frenchwoman Jessika Ponchet, had a match point to achieve a double bagel, but she just couldn’t muster one final point.
Moore would take the game to deuce, then hold serve for the first time, push the game to a tiebreaker and win 9-7. She then breezed through the third set 6-3 to win the match and, afterward, joked her win was “never in doubt.”
17. Bill Elliott
/granite-web-prod/8a/f5/8af5dfebb8f7476da967ecb96f88e0b5.jpeg)
Event Name: 1985 Winston 500
Sport: Auto racing
Date: May 5, 1985
Bottom Line: 1985 Winston 500
/granite-web-prod/91/64/91649dfb03144a528ad332dae7f80919.jpeg)
Elliott led this race for 25 of the first 36 laps before a broken oil fitting put him two laps behind everyone else. Even with that, and without the aid of a yellow flag or draft, he managed to make up the deficit by consistently running laps near 205 mph.
The average speed of the race was 186 mph, so Elliott was flooring it to get back into the race. He did more than just get back into the race — he regained the lead within the last 50 laps and would go on to win at Talladega Superspeedway.
16. The Miracle Minute
/granite-web-prod/29/f7/29f74cb6519245148ed0c89fe6ed6235.jpeg)
Event Name: Duke Blue Devils vs. Maryland Terrapins
Sport: College basketball
Date: Jan. 27, 2001
Bottom Line: 2001 Duke vs. Maryland
/granite-web-prod/29/b7/29b7cfbb6f294ea3883b9ef9ad7d72ba.jpeg)
The Terrapins were the No. 8 team in the country and seemed to be well on their way to upsetting No. 2 Duke. Maryland was up by 10 with under a minute remaining, but that next 60 seconds would forever be remembered as the Miracle Minute in Durham, North Carolina.
Jay Williams made a layup to cut the deficit to eight, and then a trap forced a turnover and Williams hit a 3P to cut it to five. Maryland then proceeded to brick two free throws, and Williams hit another 3P to make it a two-point game … and there were still 30 seconds left.
Duke then forced another turnover, went to the free throw line and tied the game before the end of regulation. With momentum on their side, Duke scored two more in the extra period to win 98-96. To make matters worse, Duke would then eliminate Maryland in the Final Four en route to winning the national championship.
15. Golf’s Greatest Comeback … and Greatest Choke
/granite-web-prod/81/74/8174cac138214169a58f1a3dd8d9475a.jpeg)
Event Name: 1999 Open Championship
Sport: Golf
Date: July 18, 1999
Bottom Line: 1999 British Open
/granite-web-prod/73/e0/73e027be2fba448d8ce51dc6e11b9d0b.jpeg)
Scottish golfer Paul Lawrie’s only career major and his only career PGA Tour win came in the unlikeliest of ways. He was 10 strokes back entering the final round of the 1999 British Open, so he needed some help to lift the Claret Jug. He got that help in the form of Jean van de Velde, who had a five-stroke lead entering the final round but then imploded on the course.
Van de Velde still had a three-stroke lead on the final hole and needed only a double-bogey to win. But poor club selection and poor execution led him into knee-deep rough, and then a water hazard, and then a bunker, and he ultimately triple-bogeyed the hole. That led to a three-man playoff alongside Lawrie and Justin Leonard in which Lawrie prevailed. Lawrie coming back from being down 10 strokes is the largest final-round comeback in PGA Tour history.
14. 2005 UCL Final
/granite-web-prod/0b/48/0b48421dd7704893802eb01a9d3a089d.jpeg)
Event Name: UEFA Champions League Final – Liverpool vs. Inter Milan
Sport: Soccer
Date: May 25, 2005
Bottom Line: Miracle of Istanbul
/granite-web-prod/f7/a5/f7a598f8aab946e9bf1962b852037354.jpeg)
Soccer isn’t a sport built for massive comebacks as you can only get one point at a time. But Liverpool managed to pull off a historic comeback in the most important club tournament of the world — the UEFA Champions League — and they did it in the final no less.
Inter Milan had a 3-0 lead going into halftime, but Liverpool came out like gangbusters in the second half. They managed to tie the game just 15 minutes into the second half, and the game would go to extra time at a 3-3 score. No one scored in the 30 minutes of added extra time, so the game went to a penalty shootout in which Liverpool prevailed 3-2. With the game taking place at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, it garnered the nickname the “Miracle of Istanbul.”
13. Leafs Become First team to Overcome 3-0 Series Deficit
/granite-web-prod/8c/fc/8cfcbe22c3d6400ab278196ff5fb1953.jpeg)
Event Name: 1942 Stanley Cup Finals – Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Sport: Hockey
Date: April 4-18, 1942
Bottom Line: 1942 Stanley Cup Finals
/granite-web-prod/e1/37/e137ababb6654a80ab0973de19c0ad2e.jpeg)
The first team, in any sport, to overcome a 3-0 series deficit was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, and they did it on the biggest of stages — the Stanley Cup Finals. Something just flipped in the Leafs during the second period of Game 4 when they were already down 3-0 to the Red Wings in the series and on the verge of getting swept.
Toronto was also down 2-0 in that game at that time, having been outscored 14-6 in the series. But from the second period of Game 4 through the third period of Game 7, Toronto outscored Detroit by a staggering 19-5 margin. Game 7 was emblematic of the entire series as Toronto fell into a 2-0 deficit, only to score three goals in the final period to hoist the Cup.
12. The Largest Comeback in NBA History
/granite-web-prod/0d/10/0d1075ffe09f4016a50e51ca867da24d.jpeg)
Event Name: Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
Sport: Basketball
Date: Nov. 27, 1996
Bottom Line: 1996 Jazz vs. Nuggets
/granite-web-prod/54/8f/548f939812a44850b29490bdccbef4d1.jpeg)
With 20 seconds left in the first half of this game, the Nuggets led by 36 points with a score of 70-34. What would ensue over the next 24 minutes and 20 seconds remains the greatest comeback in NBA history.
Denver shot just 26.7 percent in the second half while Utah shot 61 percent. The Jazz would outscore Denver 71-33 in the second half as Karl Malone went for 31 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. This game would prove to be a microcosm of each team’s season, as this loss would begin a 10-game losing streak for Denver, which finished with a 21-61 record. Meanwhile, this would be the eighth straight win for Utah, and that streak would reach 15 games as the team would advance to the 1997 NBA Finals.
11. Switzerland Austria 1954 WC
/granite-web-prod/b0/37/b037e44904dd4861971a546458b495da.jpeg)
Event Name: FIFA World Cup Quarterfinal – Austria vs. Switzerland
Sport: Soccer
Date: June 26, 1954
Bottom Line: World Cup Switzerland vs. Austria
/granite-web-prod/86/43/8643b246c2d04d479f2aa51939655f4a.jpeg)
This game was nuts! World Cup hosts Switzerland jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 19 minutes into the game, only for Austria to then score five goals over a nine-minute span! The Swiss got another late in the half to give them a 5-4 deficit at halftime.
You may normally have to watch five soccer games to see nine total goals scored, but these teams weren’t done. Austria scored first in the second half, followed by a Switzerland goal, then followed by a final Austria goal. Once down 3-0, the Austrians rallied to win 7-5 in what looks like a baseball score. The 12 total goals remain an all-time World Cup record.
10. Michigan State Authors the Biggest Comeback in FBS History
/granite-web-prod/f8/30/f8305fc84a4b40a19a5d4f6b1df4cb70.jpeg)
Event Name: Michigan State at Northwestern
Sport: College football
Date: Oct. 21, 2006
Bottom Line: 2006 Michigan State vs. Northwestern
/granite-web-prod/6b/72/6b7245dd872540bba4b6367d3dde3e72.jpeg)
The Wildcats were seemingly on the way to an upset as they led the Spartans 38-3 midway through the third quarter. But Northwestern then imploded, and their ensuing six drives ended: punt, interception, blocked punt, punt, punt, interception.
MSU tied the game at 38 in the fourth, but Northwestern had one last chance to win the game. However, a Hail Mary was unsuccessful and resulted in Michigan State having a 35-point comeback win, which is the largest in FBS history.
9. In the End, It Proved to Be a Conn
/granite-web-prod/68/c5/68c50d8896734fc4a83c43b32a989c20.jpeg)
Event Name: Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn
Sport: Boxing
Date: June 18, 1941
Bottom Line: Louis vs. Conn
/granite-web-prod/49/60/4960ea25c00848f2a1ae424a7de0ebde.jpeg)
Light heavyweight boxing champion Billy Conn was attempting to go up in class to heavyweight and take the championship off Joe Louis. He was well on his way to doing that, as he was ahead on the scorecards going into round 13 and could have boxed conservatively for the last three rounds in order to win.
But Conn wanted the knockout and got a little too close to Louis in order to try and get one. That’s when a clearly exhausted Louis summoned up just enough to deliver a blow that knocked out Conn with two seconds left in the round. After the fight, Conn would say, "I lost my head and a million bucks,” and Louis would win a rematch five years later.
8. 73 Wins Don't Mean a Thing Without the Ring
/granite-web-prod/9e/52/9e525448e41e4716ae40dba4b1e5685d.jpeg)
Event Name: 2016 NBA Finals – Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
Sport: Basketball
Date: June 2-19, 2016
Bottom Line: 2016 NBA Finals
/granite-web-prod/9f/d6/9fd63a14e71d4ec5b821171a13b2fabf.jpeg)
A great comeback doesn’t have to be defined to just one game as the 2016 Cavaliers can attest. They were facing the impossible — a juggernaut Warriors team that had set the NBA wins record of 73 victories and was up 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Making the task even more difficult was that two of the remaining three games were on the Warriors’ home court, including the pivotal Game 7. But Cleveland got some fortune in Game 5 when Draymond Green was suspended, and the Cavs would take that game, bringing the series back to Cleveland for Game 6.
LeBron James didn’t want the last home game of the season to coincide with the Warriors celebrating a championship in front of the Cleveland faithful, so he returned an epic performance. James had 41 points and 11 assists as Cleveland tied the series at 3-3. But they were then tasked with winning a Game 7 on the road, which is something no Finals team had done since 1978. Thanks to LeBron’s block and Kyrie’s shot, the Cavs shocked the world and won Game 7, ended Cleveland’s sports curse and became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit.
7. A Whopping 8 Points in 9 Seconds
/granite-web-prod/f4/0d/f40d1ae3c9d74a61aa1fb3dbd4c5d893.jpeg)
Event Name: Eastern Conference Semifinals – Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
Sport: Basketball
Date: May 9, 1995
Bottom Line: 1995 Pacers vs. Knicks
/granite-web-prod/fe/03/fe03c3c721c54c6da1bfc8e85f777167.jpeg)
The Knicks appeared to be on the way to a 1-0 series lead in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals until Reggie Miller happened. Indiana was down by six points when Miller hit a 3-pointer, stole the Knicks’ inbound pass and then hit another 3-pointer to tie the game in front of a shocked Madison Square Garden crowd.
On the ensuing possession, John Starks of the Knicks proceeded to brick two free throws only for Patrick Ewing to grab the offensive rebound and miss a shot of his own. Miller then grabbed that rebound, was fouled and sank two free throws to put Indiana up by two. That would prove to be the winning margin as Miller scored eight points in nine seconds.
6. The Philadelphia Athletics Make MLB Postseason History
/granite-web-prod/24/9b/249b9a4378d4488aa780dacba0083e94.jpeg)
Event Name: 1929 World Series – Philadelphia Athletics vs. Chicago Cubs
Sport: Baseball
Date: Oct. 12, 1929
Bottom Line: 1929 World Series Game 4
/granite-web-prod/5b/bd/5bbd7bbbbbd9403f925e6245ffe0c335.jpeg)
The Athletics were up 2-1 in the World Series but down 8-0 at the seventh-inning stretch of Game 4. They had just a 1 percent win probability, but the opponent Cubs then became seemingly incapable of getting anyone out. Twelve of the first 13 Athletics batters that came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh reached base safely, and Chicago cycled through four different pitchers in that half-inning alone. Philadelphia had 10 hits that led to 10 runs in the inning, including an inside-the-park homer that wouldn’t be seen in the World Series for another 86 years.
Those 10 runs scored would be the last runs scored in the game as Philadelphia won 10-8 to take a 3-1 series lead, and they would wrap up the World Series in Game 5. The comeback from down eight runs remains the largest in MLB postseason history.
5. Down 28-3 Means Nothing to Tom Brady
/granite-web-prod/4e/17/4e177908ce3d4977b1798d759dd268ce.jpeg)
Event Name: Super Bowl LI – New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sport: Football
Date: Feb. 5, 2017
Bottom Line: Super Bowl 51
/granite-web-prod/22/89/228929f387ed4cd9b63131c85a1895f0.jpeg)
Many in Atlanta can still hear the 28-3 jokes — as that was the score, in favor of the Falcons, midway through the second half of this game. But Atlanta would proceed to go scoreless on its four remaining drives of the game, while New England scored on five of its six drives, with the one outlier being when they took a knee at the end of regulation.
This remains the only Super Bowl to go into overtime, and the Patriots got the ball and predictably scored for the win. The Patriots were given just a 0.2 percent chance of winning the game when they were down 28-3, but you can never count out Tom Brady.
4. Kentucky Pulls Off a Mardi Gras Miracle
/granite-web-prod/51/5c/515c63d8051f4b8a80d23f834d765d0a)
Event Name: Kentucky Wildcats vs. LSU Tigers
Sport: College basketball
Date: Feb. 15, 1994
Bottom Line: 1994 Kentucky vs. LSU
/granite-web-prod/2b/bc/2bbc0e92029d4c5299d8f0e8cbae0a23.jpeg)
Imagine being up 31 points in an SEC basketball game with 15:30 left in the game … and losing. That’s what happened to LSU in a defeat to Kentucky in what’s college basketball’s greatest comeback/meltdown in the sport's history.
This was a good but not great UK team that had four future NBA players and was ranked No. 1 in the country earlier that season. Meanwhile, LSU finished that season at 11-16 and sent no one to the NBA. The Wildcats knocked down 11 3-pointers over the last 15:30, while LSU also contributed to the miraculous comeback by missing 11 free throws over the last 12 minutes. UK took its first lead with just 19 seconds left in the game and would end up winning by four points, 99-95.
3. The Comeback
/granite-web-prod/00/66/00667b89d38e424fb8edfcf3773290e4.jpeg)
Event Name: AFC Wild Card – Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills
Sport: Football
Date: Jan. 3, 1993
Bottom Line: AFC Wild Card Oilers vs. Bills
/granite-web-prod/a2/36/a23619b9c93f476eb56631ff13f4a0c6.jpeg)
The Gold Standard of comebacks, the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32-point deficit in what is the largest comeback in NFL postseason history. Houston was up 35-3 early in the third quarter before Buffalo ripped off 35 straight points to take a fourth-quarter lead. The Oilers made a late field goal to tie the game in regulation, and then Buffalo used an interception return to set up the game-winning field goal.
What made this comeback even more remarkable was that the Bills were without Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly for the entire game and lost another Hall of Famer, RB Thurman Thomas, early in the second half. The Bills used the momentum from this game to advance to their third straight Super Bowl but would ultimately lose to the Cowboys, who would also defeat them in the Super Bowl the following season.
2. The Red Sox Finally End the Curse of the Bambino
/granite-web-prod/a6/3c/a63ccc4e90094d4a917b13c67ebd54c8.jpeg)
Event Name: 2004 ALCS – Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
Sport: Baseball
Date: Oct. 12-20, 2004
Bottom Line: 2004 ALCS
/granite-web-prod/3d/05/3d05d53300694d8896de83794b7948cc.jpeg)
The major leagues had been around since 1871, and never in the previous 133 years had a team overcome a 3-0 postseason series deficit. The Red Sox then proceeded to end that drought in the most epic of fashions versus their most hated of rivals.
Boston was one inning away from having their season ended in Game 4, but they rallied in the ninth and won thanks to a David Ortiz homer in extra innings. That game would prove to be a microcosm of the series, as once Boston got momentum, it couldn’t be stopped. It used another Ortiz walk-off hit to win Game 5 and to make the series 3-2 before winning Game 6, also known as Curt Schilling’s “bloody sock” game. The Sox then routed the Yanks in Game 7 to become just the third team in sports history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
1. The Greatest High School Football Game Ever Played
/granite-web-prod/12/ab/12abfe6cdc0b4968829d38ba9fe089be.jpeg)
Event Name: John Tyler High School vs. Plano East
Sport: High school football
Date: Nov. 26, 1994
Bottom Line: 1994 Plano East vs. John Tyler
/granite-web-prod/c3/42/c342de76e0bc48799865b28501c460ec.jpeg)
The Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years in the 1990s, but none of their games were as memorable as a high school game played in their stadium. Two undefeated schools met in the regional semifinals, and the game appeared to be over with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter as Tyler High took a 24-point lead with a 41-17 score. But then Plano East did something that seems even improbable for Madden when playing on the easiest setting. Plano East scored a touchdown and then successfully recovered three straight onside kicks, converting each of those into touchdowns!
Plano East came back and went on top 44-41 with 24 seconds remaining, and the key part of this sentence is “with 24 seconds remaining.” On the ensuing kickoff — and with no need to do another onside kick after getting the lead — Tyler High took the kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown to put them up 48-44 with three seconds left! The player who scored the TD was the same one who had muffed two of the onside kick recovery attempts, and it was the only TD of his career. John Tyler’s comeback overshadowed Plano East’s comeback, as seven touchdowns were scored in the last 4.5 minutes of the game.
Who doesn’t love a great plot twist at the end?