The Most Unique Playoff Games in US Sports History
A list of the most unique playoffs in sports history
Sometimes, while trying to find the best team in a sports league, controversial or unusual things can happen along the way.
In this article, we are going to examine five of the more unique things that have happened in sports during clutch time.
Tuck rule game
Coming into the opening round playoff game versus the Oakland Raiders, it’s seemed unlikely that this game would become infamous.
In fact, no-one would have suspected that Tom Brady would be called lucky and a cheater.
For those who may not be aware, there was a highly controversial call towards the end when Raider Cornerback Charles Woodson hit Tom Brady while he was going forward.
This was initially called a fumble and recovered by the Raiders, but after further review the call ended up getting reversed in a snow-filled game.
Later on in the drive, the Patriots converted on a field goal giving them the opening round win in 2001, 16-13.
This single play was a key play to the Patriots, as they eventually went on to win their first Super Bowl.
Music city miracle
This game happened between two teams whose future rivalry was one for the ages, but this game was a blast from the past.
In the 1999 AFC Wild Card game, after Bills kicker Steve Christie converted a field goal it looked like the game was over with only 16 seconds remaining.
Despite there only being 16 seconds remaining, the Titans had other ideas. Upon returning the kick after the field goal, the Titans promptly gave it to tight end Frank Wycheck.
Wycheck, who didn’t feel he could make it the entire way, spotted Kevin Dyson, who took the ball down the right sideline for a touchdown and clinching a 14-13 win.
The Titans made it all the way to the Super Bowl only to fall short to the Saint Louis Rams 23-16.
If you are wondering, yes, this is the Super Bowl where they were down a touchdown with less than 10 seconds left and their quarterback Steve McNair threw a pass to Dyson.
However, this time around he did not have the same success in getting the ball to the end zone.
1989 World Series earthquake
It’s not uncommon for Mother Nature to get in the way of outdoor sporting events such as baseball.
However, when that occurs, it’s usually rain- and every once in a blue moon there may even be snow. However, very rarely, if ever, does an earthquake occur.
This is precisely what happened during the 1989 World Series contest between the Oakland Athletics and San Fransisco Giants.
This particular earthquake was named the Loma Prieta earthquake. The game did not resume that day and there were many stories of that memorable day.
Heat game, Lakers versus Celtics game 5 NBA finals
Sometimes certain sports in June have some very unusual weather during practice and maybe even on the court or field.
However, if you weren’t alive to see it, you may not have believed that in the 1984 NBA finals it was hotter on the court than it was outside at a blistering 90 plus degrees.
The Celtics ended up the victors in that game, with a 121-103 victory and it was naturally led by forward Larry Bird who finished the night with 34 points and 17 rebounds.
Boston ended up the finals champion this year after losing to Los Angeles in the game 6 119-108 and then came back to win the game 7 111-102.
After beating the Lakers, Bird also wasn’t afraid to say that the Lakers were a soft team during that particular season.
2011 Winter Classic: Capitals at Penguins
For those who may not be familiar, the Winter Classic is a yearly game put on by the National Hockey League, where the game is played outdoors.
Any time you schedule an activity outside well in advance, you need to have a plan for the weather.
If you are playing in a city in January where it tends to be very cold, you’d think that you would plan on that happening. Unfortunately, in the case of the NHL, this did not happen!
On game day, it rained and the state of the ice on the outdoor rink did not help at all as both teams struggled to generate any form of offense.
The game was viewed as having the potential to be one of the best games of the year offensively, as both teams had some of the league’s best offensive players in the league.
These were Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. However, that did not pan out as planned due to the dreadful weather.
