Best Of’s – 7 Game Series
What is the most exciting “event” in all of sports? Many would say the Super Bowl, due to the winner take all element of it. Same can be said for any March Madness game, or any College Football Playoff Game. And that’s fair. But for my money, any Game 7 tops that. Not only do you have the winner take all aspect, you also have the buildup of 6 previous games. A winner take all game, with sometimes historic moments already have taken place. And for this reason, Game 7’s are the most exciting thing sports has to offer. Here are my best 7 game series of all time.
20. 1987 Eastern Conference Finals
Matchup – Celtics over Pistons
Hall of Famers – 9 (Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Adrian Dantley)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 2 (Games 5 & 7)
Notable moments – An enormous amount of bad blood between the hard-nosed Celtics and the Bad Boys; Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer ejections for fighting in Game 3; in Game 5 a blocked Bird shot, immediately followed by the famous "aaand, now there's a steal by Bird", sealing a 108-107 victory; a Game 6 suspension of Robert Parish for punching Laimbeer; and a dominant performance by Bird in Game 7 to secure the game and Series, 117-114
19. 2016 World Series
Matchup – Cubs over Indians
Hall of Famers – 2ish (Kris Bryant, Aroldis Chapman?)
Walkoff wins – 0
Extra inning games – 1 (Game 7)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 3 (Games 3, 5, & 7)
Notable moments – Overall this Series was not outstanding, the first 6 contests included a couple 1-run games, but nothing dramatic; however the Series did have 2 things - the ending of a 108 year drought, the longest in professional sports history; and an absolutely amazing Game 7 - a leadoff HR by Dexter Fowler; a blown 4 run lead by the Cubs, highlighted by an overused Aroldis Chapman giving up a 2-run HR to Rajai Davis in the bottom of the 8th; a 17 minute rain delay; a Jason Heyward pep-talk for the ages; a pair of Cubs runs in the top of the 10th; and finally Kris Bryant’s smile-on-his-face toss over to buddy Anthony Rizzo to end it; in Harry Caray’s voice, “CUBS WIN, CUBS WIN!!!”; drought over
18. 2013 Eastern Conference Finals
Matchup – Heat over Pacers
Hall of Famers – 5 (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Paul George)
Overtime games – 1 (Game 1)
Games decided by 7 or less points – 3 (Games 1, 2, & 4)
Notable moments – In Game 1, Paul George hit a 3-pointer with .7 seconds left to send the game into overtime; but LeBron James hit a layup as time expired in overtime to give the Heat the 103-102 victory; in this game, LeBron registered his 9th career playoff triple-double; Game 2 was another competitive game, with the Pacers evening the series led by a breakout game from Roy Hibbert (29 points, 10 boards); the Heat won Games 3 and 5, with the Pacers winning Games 4 & 6, setting up a Game 7, which the Heat won easily 99-76, sending them to their 3rd consecutive NBA Finals
17. 2016 Western Conference Finals
Matchup – Warriors over Thunder
Hall of Famers – 4 (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 2 (Games 1 & 6)
Notable moments – The defending Champion Warriors were coming off a record breaking 73-9 season, and had rolled through the 1st two rounds of the Playoffs, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that they would be in the Finals again; they and the Thunder split the first 2 games in Golden State; the Thunder blew out the Warriors in the next 2 games, winning by an average margin of 26 points; the Warriors found themselves in a 3-1 series deficit; but the Splash Brothers (Steph Curry & Klay Thompson) took over, scoring 58 points in Game 5, 72 points in Game 6, and 57 in the decisive Game 7, sending them to the NBA Finals for the 2nd consecutive year; Note – this was the last game that Kevin Durant played for the Thunder
16. 1986 World Series
Matchup – Mets over Red Sox
Hall of Famers – 3 (Gary Carter, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice), plus Roger Clemens
Walkoff wins – 1 (Game 6)
Extra inning games – 1 (Game 6)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 3 (Games 1, 5, & 6)
Notable moments – A 1-0 Red Sox victory in Game 1, thanks to a Danny Heep fielding error allowing the only run of the game; a much hyped pitching matchup between Roger Clemens and Doc Gooden in Game 2…where neither pitcher made it past the 5th inning; then there was Game 6 – a Gary Carter sacrifice fly to tie the game in the 8th, extra innings, a Dave Henderson HR in the top of the 10th; a 2 run lead going into the bottom half, Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi getting the first 2 batters to fly out, the Mets accidentally congratulating the Red Sox on the Championship on the jumbotron; 3 consecutive singles, a pitching change, a wild pitch, a tie ballgame, then…the little roller by Mookie Wilson; when that ball rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs and Ray Knight scored the winning run, the Series was over; the Red Sox still had their shot in Game 7, even holding a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning, but the damage had been done; after coming back to win Game 6 in that manner, there was nothing standing in-between these Amazing Mets and the World Series Title
15. 2019 Western Conference Semifinals
Matchup – Blazers over Nuggets
Hall of Famers – 2 (Damian Lillard, Nikola Jokic)
Overtime games – 1 (Game 3 (quadruple-overtime))
Games decided by 7 or less points – 4 (Games 2, 3, 4, & 7)
Notable moments – Being the only series on this list that wasn’t a Championship series, it was an absolute thriller; 5 games were decided by less than 10 points, 3 of which were within 4 points; Game 3 was the showcase of the series, going into quadruple-overtime; in both the 1st overtime and 3rd overtime, the Blazers hit game-tying shots with 8 seconds left (C.J. McCollum in 1st, Damian Lillard in 3rd) to force an extra session; despite a heroic effort by Nikola Jokic (33 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists, and a record 65 minutes played), the Blazers won 140-137; the Nuggets did eventually hold a 3-2 series lead, but the Blazers won the series in 7 games
14. 1988 NBA Finals
Matchup – Lakers over Pistons
Hall of Famers – 7 (Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Adrian Dantley)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 2 (Games 6 & 7)
Notable moments – The Lakers were looking to become the 1st repeat Champions since 1969; in Game 6, a phantom foul call on Bill Laimbeer; an Isiah Thomas injury, followed by an absolutely legendary performance, with 43 points, including 25 in the 4th quarter (NBA Finals record), only to come up short 102-103 as the Lakers staved off elimination; and in Game 7, a big Pistons comeback (with Thomas on the bench); a triple-double by James Worthy, earning him the nickname “Big Game James”; a wild last minute, including the Lakers fans rushing the court before the game was officially over; and the Lakers repeating, becoming the 1st team to do so in 19 years
13. 2016 NBA Finals
Matchup – Cavaliers over Warriors
Hall of Famers – 5 (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 1 (Game 7)
Notable moments – In a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals, the LeBron James-led Cavs were matching up against the record breaking 73-9 Warriors, who were coming off a series against the Thunder where they overcame a 3-1 series deficit; the first 6 games were all pretty much blowouts, with the margin of victory averaging almost 20 points; the Warriors won 3 of the first 4 games, which put the Cavs in a 3-1 hole; then LeBron absolutely took over the last 3 games, averaging 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, including “The Block” in Game 7; the Cavs won Game 7 by a score of 93-89, winning the 1st professional sports Championship in Cleveland since 1964; Note – these teams met in the Finals the next 2 seasons, 4 consecutive overall
12. 2003 National League Championship Series
Matchup – Marlins over Cubs
Hall of Famers – 2 (Ivan Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera), plus Sammy Sosa
Walkoff wins – 0
Extra inning games – 2 (Games 1 & 3)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 2 (Games 1 & 3)
Notable moments – Game 1 featured a 9-8 Marlins victory, highlighted by a 2 go-ahead runs in the top of the 9th, a game-tying Sammy Sosa home run in the bottom of the 9th, and a Mike Lowell go-ahead home run in the 11th; Game 3 was a back and forth game, with the road team (Cubs) winning it again in 11 innings, on a triple by the sparingly used Doug Glanville; the Cubs again won Game 4, putting them up 3-1 in the series; a 3-hit shutout by Josh Beckett in Game 5 sent the series back to Chicago, where the Cubs had Mark Prior and Kerry Wood waiting; Game 6 was a game (well, an inning) for the ages, with the Cubs holding a 3-0 lead heading into the 8th inning, 6 outs away from the World Series…all hell broke loose…3 doubles, 2 singles, 2 walks, an Alex Gonzalez error, and a Steve Bartman assist (and an overreaction from Moises Alou…and that 3-0 lead had turned into a 8-3 deficit; onto Game 7, a 3-run home run by Miguel Cabrera in the top of the 1st, 3 runs in the Cubs half of the 2nd (including a home run by Wood), and a Alou home run had the Cubs up 5-3 after 3 innings; but 6 straight Marlins runs meant another blown Cubs lead, and a 9-6 loss; Marlins back to the World Series after a 3-1 series deficit and back-to-back comeback wins
11. 1994 NBA Finals
Matchup – Rockets over Knicks
Hall of Famers – 2 (Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 5 (Games 1, 3, 5, 6, & 7)
Notable moments – In a matchup between the 2 best centers of their generation, Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed Patrick Ewing most of the series, outscoring him in every game; the games were highly competitive, with 5 games being decided by 7 or fewer points, and the last 5 games of the series being within a 3 point game at the start of the 4th quarter; the Knicks blowing a 3-2 series lead; the Rockets winning Games 6 & 7 by a combined 8 points, for their 1st Championship in franchise history; Note – the day of Game 5 (June 17th), was one of the biggest sports news days in history – Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the New York Rangers were having their ticker-tape parade to celebrate their 1st Stanley Cup victory in 54 years, Arnold Palmer was playing his final round at the U.S. Open, the commencement of the 1994 FIFA World Cup (hosted on U.S. soil for the first time), and of course, the O.J. Simpson chase
10. 2003 American League Championship Series
Matchup – Yankees over Red Sox
Hall of Famers – 5 (Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz), plus Roger Clemens
Walkoff wins – 1 (Game 7)
Extra inning games – 1 (Game 7)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 4 (Games 3, 4, 5, & 7)
Notable moments – Tim Wakefield pitched 6+ innings of 2-hit, shutout ball to help the Red Sox win Game 1; Game 3 featured the highly anticipated pitching matchup of Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens…and an all-out brawl; in the top of the 4th, Martinez dotted Karim Garcia, who then slid hard into Todd Walker at 2nd base; in the bottom half of the inning, Manny Ramirez reacted (ok, overreacted) to a high Clemens pitch, charged the mound, and chaos ensued; a bench-clearing brawl, a 13 minute delay, highlighted by Martinez “steering” 72 year old Yankees coach Don Zimmer down to the ground; when the dust settled…a Red Sox groundskeeper got into a scuffle with Yankee reliever Jeff Nelson and Garcia; oh, the Yankees won the game 4-3; the Yankees and Red Sox split Games 4 & 5, and the Red Sox won Game 6 to force a 7th and deciding game; in a pitching rematch of Game 3, Clemens did not fare as well, being pulled in the 4th inning; Martinez pitched brilliantly, holding the Yankees to just 2 runs through 7 innings; but then the 8th inning happened…holding a 3 run lead, Martinez gave up a Derek Jeter double, a Bernie Williams single, a Hideki Matsui double…followed by Sox manager Grady Little deciding to NOT pull Martinez from the game…and a Jorge Posada game-tying double; 3 shutout innings by Mariano Rivera; and a walk-off for the ages, a Pennant clinching bomb by Aaron “F*cking” Boone, and a Curse that was still very much alive
9. 2017 World Series
Matchup – Astros over Dodgers
Hall of Famers – 4ish (Carlos Beltran, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger?)
Extra inning games – 2 (Games 2 & 5)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 5 (Games 1, 2, 3, 5, & 6)
Notable moments – Although this Series only had two 1-run games, it did produce 2 of the most exciting games in World Series history; Game 2 started off slow, going into the bottom of the 5th, it was a low-scoring 1-0 game; then the balls started flying out of the park, like, a lot of them; Joc Pederson and Corey Seager touched Justin Verlander in the 5th & 6th innings to give the Dodgers a take a 3-1 lead; that lead was down to 1 going into the 9th, but Marwin Gonzalez led off the inning with a solo home run off of Dodgers Closer Kenley Jansen; the top of the 10th inning was led off with home runs by both Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa; the Dodgers answered back with 2 runs of their own in the bottom half, including a solo blast by Yasiel Puig; the Astros hit another home run in the top of the 11th inning, a 2-run shot by George Springer; the Dodgers put up 1 more home run in the bottom half, a solo blast by Charlie Culberson, but it wasn’t enough; falling by a score of 7-6; for the game - 8 HRs, 6 in the last 3 innings, 5 of which were in extra innings, all World Series records; and somehow, that may have not been the most exciting game of the Series - Game 5 was an absolute slugfest; after the Dodgers got out to an early 4-0 lead, Yuli Gurriel launched a 3-run home run off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to tie the game at 4; both teams swapped 3-run home runs in the 5th inning (Cody Bellinger & Altuve respectively), knotting the game at 7; the next 2 innings featured 7 more runs, including 3 Astros home runs, which gave them a 12-9 lead; in the 9th inning, the Dodgers rallied to tie the game thanks to a Puig home run and a Chris Taylor single, sending the game into extra innings; after the Dodgers were blanked in the top of the 10th, the Astros won the game on a Alex Bregman single in the bottom half, winning the game 13-12; the game was 5 hours, 17 minutes, and featured 5 lead changes, 4 ties, and also included 7 more home runs; the Astros ended up winning the Series in 7 games
8. 1998 Eastern Conference Finals
Matchup – Bulls over Pacers
Hall of Famers – 5 (Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 6 (Games 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7)
Notable moments – In the 6 Bulls Championships in the 90’s, this was the only Series in which they were pushed to 7 games; 6 of the 7 games were decided by 6 or fewer points; in Game 4, Reggie Miller maneuvering…errr…pushing off Michael Jordan and hitting the game-winning 3 with .7 seconds left; followed by Jordan’s near-miss as time expired; Game 7 featured Jordan & Scottie Pippen shooting 15 for 43 from the field; 8 ties & 11 lead changes; a tie game as late as 5:34 in the 4th quarter; Indiana scoring just 4 points in the final 5 minutes; all adding up to a 6th and final trip to the NBA Finals for Jordan’s Bulls
7. 2011 World Series
Matchup – Cardinals over Rangers
Hall of Famers – 3ish (Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adrian Beltre?)
Walkoff wins – 1 (Game 6)
Extra inning games – 1 (Game 6)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 4 (Games 1, 2, 5, & 6)
Notable moments – Game 1 featured a pitchers duel between Chris Carpenter and C.J. Wilson, with Carpenter getting upper hand with a 3-2 victory; in Game 2, the Cardinals held a 1-0 lead in the 9th, but consecutive sacrifice flies gave the Rangers the lead and the 2-1 victory; Rangers hurler Derek Holland pitched a 2-hit shutout in Game 4 to even the series at 2 a piece; a Mike Napoli 2-run double in the 8th inning gave the Rangers a 4-2 victory, and a 3-2 series lead; Game 6 proved to be one of the best in history; a back and forth game throughout, with runs scored in 10 of the 11 innings and a combined 6 home runs hit; but the last 3 innings would be arguably the best 3 innings in World Series history; Rangers up 7-5 going into the bottom of the 9th, 3 outs away from a Championship; fast forward a few batters, score still 7-5, hometown kid David Freese down to his last strike, and he blasts a triple over Nelson Cruz’s head tying the score at 7; a top of the 10th Josh Hamilton home run putting the Rangers up 9-7; in the bottom half, the Cardinals again down to their final strike, Lance Berkman laced a single into center, tying the game at 9; and in the bottom of the 11th, it was David Freese again, this time hitting the walk-off “And we’ll see you tomorrow night” home run, forcing a 7th game; in the decisive game, the Rangers jumped ahead with 2 runs in the top of the 1st, but never scored again as Carpenter shut them down, and the Cardinals winning 6-2
6. 1969 NBA Finals
Matchup – Celtics over Lakers
Hall of Famers – 7 (Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Bailey Howell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor)
Overtime games – 0
Games decided by 7 or less points – 5 (Games 1, 2, 3, 4, & 7)
Notable moments – 7th Finals matchup between Lakers and Celtics in Finals (Celtics winning all previous matchups); last games played in Bill Russell’s career; Lakers blowing a 3-2 Series lead; Lakers Owner Jack Kent Cooke ordering thousands of balloons with "World Champion Lakers" printed on them suspended from the rafters of the Forum for Game 7 (pissing Bill Russell off); West (The Logo) averaging 38 points per game and having a triple-double in Game 7, becoming the only player from the losing team to win Finals MVP
5. 2004 American League Championship Series
Matchup – Red Sox over Yankees
Hall of Famers – 5 (Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz), plus Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and inexplicably not Curt Schilling
Walkoff wins – 2 (Games 4 & 5)
Extra inning games – 2 (Games 4 & 5)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 4 (Games 2, 4, 5, & 6)
Notable moments – In case there wasn’t dramatics in the ALCS last year, we got a rematch which proved to be even better; in Game 1 newly acquired postseason ace Curt Schilling, who was suffering from a torn tendon sheath, was highly ineffective, giving up 6 runs in just 3 innings, resulting in a 10-7 Yankees win; Game 3 was absolutely dominated by the Yankees, blowing out the Sox 19-8, giving them a 3-0 series lead…a deficit that had never been overcame in MLB history; Note – Tim Wakefield, the scheduled Game 4 starter, offered to forgo his start and pitch in this game, to preserve the Red Sox bullpen, which would be critical if the Red Sox had a chance in this series…little did we know at the time; in Game 4, the Yankees held a 4-3 going into the 9th, and with Mariano Rivera on the mound, the sweep seemed inevitable; but a Kevin Millar walk, a Dave Roberts steal, and a Bill Mueller single, and we had extra innings; the game remained tied into the bottom of the 12th, when David Ortiz walked it off with a home run, and the Red Sox lived to fight another day; Game 5 featured another Red Sox comeback, scoring 2 in the 8th inning to knot it at 4; the game remained tied into the 14th inning, and David Ortiz walked it off again, this time with a single to send the series back to New York; Note – This was (at the time), the longest game in MLB postseason history, at 5 hours, 49 minutes; Game 6 featured a heroic effort by Curt Schilling and his bloody sock, and a couple controversial calls - a reversed Mark Bellhorn home run call in the 4th inning, and a reversed Alex Rodriguez swipe of Bronson Arroyo’s glove call in the 8th inning; a 4-2 Red Sox victory, and 3-3 series tie; Game 7 was taken over early by the Red Sox; an Ortiz home run, a Johnny Damon grand slam, and another Damon home run, resulted in an 8-1 Red Sox lead after 4 innings and a 10-3 final; the Red Sox completed the comeback, and became the 1st team in history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit; the Curse of the Bambino was over!
4. 1975 World Series
Matchup – Reds over Red Sox
Hall of Famers –5 (Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk), plus Pete Rose
Walkoff wins – 2 (Games 3 & 6)
Extra inning games – 2 (Games 3 & 6)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 5 (Games 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7)
Notable moments – The Big Red Machine vs a 57 year drought; a walkoff single by Joe Morgan to end Game 3; in Game 6, a game-tying, drug induced Bernie Carbo home run in the 8th inning, an absolutely outstanding Dwight Evans catch to produce a double-play to end the top of the 11th inning, and Carlton Fisk hitting arguably the most memorable HR in World Series history, with his emphatic wave helping it stay fair to end the game; and in Game 7, another blown lead by the Red Sox, finished off by a Joe Morgan single in the 9th to give the Reds a 4-3 lead and a Series victory
3. 2001 World Series
Matchup – Diamondbacks over Yankees
Hall of Famers – 4 (Randy Johnson, Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Derek Jeter), plus Roger Clemens and inexplicably not Curt Schilling
Walkoff wins – 3 (Games 4, 5, & 7)
Extra inning games – 2 (Games 4 & 5)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 4 (Games 3, 4, 5, & 7)
Notable moments – Although many were sick of seeing the Yankees in the World Series (winners of 3 straight, 4 out of 5), this was post-9/11, they had become America’s team; the overwhelming amount of patriotism in this Series, specifically in New York, was simply breathtaking; as for the games…the Diamondbacks won the first 2 games behind dominant pitching performances by Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson; in Game 4 it was looking like the Diamondbacks were on the verge of going up 3-1; then closer Byung-hyun Kim, who had struck out the side in the 8th inning, was 1 out away from closing it out in the 9th…until Tino Martinez drove the first pitch he saw into the bleachers, tying the game at 3; into the 10th inning, and just after midnight (and into November), Kim, back on the mound for his 3rd inning, gave up a 2-out walk-off HR to Derek Jeter, earning him the nickname “Mr. November”; the same dramatics were matched the following night in Game 5, when Kim gave up a another bottom on the 9th, 2-out, 2 run HR to Scott Brosuis, tying the game at 2; the game was eventually won by the Yankees in the bottom of the 12th on a walk-off single by Alfonso Soriano; the Diamondbacks responded in Game 6, winning handily 15-2, which set the stage for Game 7….after the first 5 innings were scoreless, Arizona scored 1 in the 6th, with New York answering with 1 in the 7th and 8th innings; coming into the 9th inning, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, owner of the lowest ERA in post-season in history (0.70), gave up a single by Mark Grace, followed by a fielding error by Rivera, a mental error by Brosius, and a double by Womack, and a tie game; National League MVP candidate Luis Gonzalez blooped a single into left-center field over a drawn-in infield to clinch a World Series Title for the Diamondbacks
2. 2002 Western Conference Finals
Matchup – Lakers over Kings
Hall of Famers – 4 (Shaquille O’Neal, Mitch Richmond, Kobe Bryant, Vlade Divac), plus Chris Webber
Overtime games – 1 (Game 7)
Games decided by 7 or less points – 6 (Games 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7)
Notable moments – This series was marred by controversy and corruption allegations, both during it and after it, as former referee blew the whistle on this Series, specifically Game 6 being fixed; as for the games…in Game 1, a 36 point 1st quarter by the Lakers followed by a big comeback by the Kings resulted in a 7 point Laker win; the Kings bounced back in Game 2, with help of a little Kobe Bryant food poisoning; Game 3 was the only “blowout” of the series, with the Kings winning by 13; the Kings got out to a fast start in Game 4, with a 40 point 1st quarter, good enough for a 27 point 1st half lead…but they blew it, and with less than 10 seconds left, it led to a missed Kobe layup, a missed Shaq putback, an ill-advised Vlade Divac swat, and Big Shot Rob’s game-winner; Game 5 featured a game-winning jumper by Mike Bibby with 8.2 seconds left and a missed game-winner by Kobe as time expired, giving the Kings a 3-2 series lead; Game 6 is one of the, if not the, most controversial games in history – the Lakers shot 40 free throws, including 27 in the 4th quarter alone, and this doesn’t account for the numerous questionable calls that seemingly all went against the Kings – the NBA wanted a Game 7, and per former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, the refs were in on the fix; Game 7 featured 16 ties, 19 lead changes, a potential series-winning, air-balled 3-pointer by Peja Stojakovic, 2 Bibby free throws to send the game into overtime, and a stalled out Kings offense to end the series; Lakers (with a little help from their friends) win the series and move onto the NBA Finals
1. 1991 World Series
Matchup – Twins over Braves
Hall of Famers – 4 (Kirby Puckett, Jack Morris, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine)
Walkoff wins – 4 (Games 3, 4, 6, & 7)
Extra inning games – 3 (Games 3, 6, & 7)
Games decided by 2 or less runs – 5 (Games 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7)
Notable moments – 2 “worst to first” teams; the Ron Gant v Kent Hrbek incident at 1st base; Mark Lemke’s walkoff single in the 12th inning of Game 3; the bone-rattling collision between Lonnie Smith and Brian Harper at home plate; the walkoff sacrifice fly by little-known Jerry Willard to win Game 4; the Kirby Puckett Game (6), which included a 1st inning RBI triple, the iconic catch which still defies all laws of gravity, and of course the “And we’ll see you tomorrow night” walkoff winner in the bottom of the 11th; and of course Game 7 – Lonnie Smith’s baserunning mistake, a plethora of double-plays, and the best Game 7 pitching performance in history…Jack Morris’s 1-0, 10 inning shutout; best Series in sports history in my opinion
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