Best games of 2016

In one of the greatest Game 7s ever, the Chicago Cubs finally won their first World Series in 108 years over the Cleveland Indians. The Cubs appeared to have the game wrapped up leading 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth, but closer Aroldis Chapman faltered. Chapman gave up three runs with two outs, including a game-tying two-run dinger to Rajai Davis. The game headed to extra innings, where a rain delay allowed Chicago to regain its composure. The Cubs scored two runs in the top of the 10th and held on to win 8-7.

In a heart-stopping Game 7, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged victorious against the heavily favored Golden State Warriors to win the 2016 NBA Finals. It was a tightly contested game throughout, and with about four minutes left to play, both teams went cold with the score tied at 89. After James made an incredible block in transition against Andre Iguodala to preserve the tie, Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving hit a fall-away three-point shot to give Cleveland a lead it would not relinquish with just under a minute remaining. The Cavs won 93-89 in a Game 7 for the ages.

In one of the most memorable college basketball games ever, Villanova defeated North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Finals via a Kris Jenkins three-point shot as time expired. Jenkins’ buzzer beater gave the Wildcats their first NCAA title since 1985 and provided basketball fans with a moment they’ll never forget.

Left for dead on their own 2-yard line down by seven points with about a minute remaining, the Packers needed a miracle to pull level against the Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. They got not just one, but two. Rodgers completed two Hail Mary passes to receiver Jeff Janis on the drive, including the game-tying touchdown as time expired. Unfortunately for Packers fans, the ball would never get back into the hands of their star quarterback, as the Cardinals drove downfield on the first drive of overtime and scored a touchdown. The Cards won 26-20 in a playoff classic.

In one of the most shocking moments ever in international soccer, Iceland, a country of 330,000 people, defeated England in the round of 16 at Euro 2016. Iceland’s 2-1 win over a country as large and rich in soccer tradition as England not only added to the country's amazing underdog run, but has left a stain on English soccer that will be hard to wash away.

In a thrilling overtime game, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-118 via a 30-foot three-pointer from Stephen Curry. The February 2016 showdown was a small taste of what was to come between the two teams in the playoffs.

A late touchdown reception by Michael Crabtree earned the Oakland Raiders a one-point victory on the road against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. It was a thrilling game in which Derek Carr and the Raiders proved that they would be one of the NFL’s better teams in 2016.

In what was the first of what is expected to be many division battles between these quarterbacks, Dak Prescott’s Cowboys were able to overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against Carson Wentz’s Philadelphia Eagles. Tied at 23, the game went into overtime, where Prescott wouldn’t give Philly a chance to even hold the ball. A touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten on a broken play gave the Cowboys the 29-23 victory and a stranglehold on the NFC East.

In the longest NHL game of the season, Game 4 of the Sharks-Predators second-round playoff series took nearly three overtimes to settle. Deadlocked at three, Nashville forward Mike Fisher was able to pounce on a rebound at the front of the net, pushing the puck by San Jose goaltender Martin Jones with just over eight minutes remaining in the period. Although it was an emotional win for the Predators, Jones and the Sharks would get the last laugh, as they won the series in seven games.

In a high-octane affair, Alabama was able to hold off Clemson in 2016’s edition of the College Football Playoff Final. The Crimson Tide won 45-40, and head coach Nick Saban won his fourth title as Alabama’s head coach.

The long and legendary career of Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully couldn’t have come to a better end. In the Dodgers' final home game, Scully's last call was a Charlie Culberson home run in extra innings that won the NL West Division crown for the Boys in Blue. Although Scully will be missed dearly by baseball fans, it would have been hard to ask for a better ending to career that spanned 67 years.

Never the same since tearing his Achilles tendon in 2013, the career of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant came to an end in the Purple and Gold’s final regular-season home game of 2016. Amazingly, Bryant, who appeared to be a shell of his former self all season, scored 60 points in his last game. The “Black Mamba” nailed the final five shots of his career, as the Lakers came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Utah Jazz. It was a remarkable way for the future Hall of Fame shooting guard to say goodbye.

Brackets were busted early on in the 2016 edition of March Madness, as 15-seed Middle Tennessee State defeated second-seeded Michigan State 90-81. Considering the Spartans were the top-rated two seed, Middle Tennessee’s upset is arguably the biggest in NCAA Tournament history.

In one of the most thrilling games of the NCAA Tournament, the Texas Longhorns thought they were going to overtime against Northern Iowa after they tied the game at 72 with two seconds remaining. However, Northern Iowa’s Paul Jesperson had other plans. Jesperson banked in a jaw-dropping half-court shot at the buzzer, sending the Panthers into the second round.

With their season on the line in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors needed one of their star players to step up. Klay Thompson answered the call. Thompson caught fire against the Thunder, nailing an NBA-record 11 three-pointers in one playoff game. Thompson’s hot shooting sparked a fourth-quarter comeback from the Dubs, as they took the series back to Oakland, where they finished off OKC in Game 7.

Leading 4-3 in Game 5 of the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed just two outs to finish off the Washington Nationals. In a shocking move, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called upon starter Clayton Kershaw, who had thrown 110 pitches two days earlier, to save the day for the Boys in Blue. Kershaw did exactly that, earning his first career save and a trip to NLCS.

In a back and forth contest, it appeared the Pittsburgh Steelers would emerge victorious over the Cowboys after Antonio Brown caught a late touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger on a fake spike play. But 40 seconds still remained on the clock, and Dallas drove downfield and won the game on a 32-yard touchdown scamper from running back Ezekiel Elliott. Led by Elliott’s three touchdowns on the day, the Cowboys won 35-30.

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks were able to get some measure of revenge against the New England Patriots. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson played one of the best games of his career, throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns, and Seattle went into Foxborough and earned a rare road win over the Pats. The 31-24 victory was made all the more sweet by a late goal-line stand from the Seattle defense.

A late Georgia touchdown with 10 seconds remaining appeared to seal the deal for the Bulldogs in a heated October game against the Tennessee Volunteers. However, Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs had other plans. On the final play of the game, Dobbs launched a Hail Mary pass to the end zone that was caught by receiver Jauan Jennings as time expired. Tennessee won 34-31.

College football is full of shocking upsets, and one of 2016’s biggest came in early November when Pittsburgh went into Death Valley and defeated the No. 2 Clemson Tigers. The Panthers won 43-42 on a last-second, 48-yard field goal from kicker Chris Blewitt. Blewitt, who had missed an extra point earlier in the game, more than redeemed himself with the kick.

The sans-Durant era in Oklahoma City got off to a rousing start this season, as Russell Westbrook scored 51 points and recorded a triple-double in the Thunder’s second game of the year against the Suns. It was the NBA’s first 50-point triple-double game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had one in 1975.

In one of the most competitive first-round matchups of the NCAA Tournament, Iowa had a chance to pull out a dramatic victory against Temple in overtime. Tied at 70 apiece, the Hawkeyes missed a game-winning shot along the baseline, but center Adam Woodbury was there to tip the ball into the net just before time expired. Iowa won 72-70 and advanced to the second round.

The Wisconsin Badgers advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament via a Bronson Koenig buzzer beater against Xavier. Tied at 63 with two seconds remaining, Koenig curled into the corner off an inbounds pass and hit pay dirt on a fall-away three-pointer as time expired.

In the midst of their worst season in franchise history, the Lakers pulled off a stunning February Sunday afternoon upset of the record-setting Golden State Warriors. The Purple and Gold blew out the Warriors by the score of 112-95, handing the Warriors one of their nine losses on the season.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles needed extra innings to settle their AL Wild Card playoff matchup in October. In the bottom of the 11th with the O’s in a bind, manager Buck Showalter chose not to put star relief pitcher Zach Britton into the game. Showalter’s decision would effectively end Baltimore’s season, as Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion blasted a three-run walk-off home run to give Toronto a 5-2 victory.

In a showdown between two top contenders for the Heisman Trophy, DeShaun Watson’s Clemson Tigers would prove to be just a little bit too much for Lamar Jackson’s Louisville Cardinals. It was an exciting game that saw Jackson lead his Cardinals on a second-half comeback, only to falter in the red zone with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Clemson won 42-36, but Jackson’s efforts made him the nation’s leading candidate to win the Heisman.

Up 21-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes looked well on their way to taking down Penn State on the road. But the Nittany Lions rallied and took a lead they would not relinquish when Grant Haley returned a blocked Buckeyes field goal attempt 60 yards for a touchdown. Penn State won 24-21 and pulled of a major upset.

In an action-packed affair, the Portland Trail Blazers gave the Golden State Warriors everything they had in Game 5 of the teams' second-round playoff matchup. Unfortunately for Damian Lillard and the Blazers, the three-point shooting of the Splash Brothers proved to be just a little too much, as the Dubs finished off the series with a 125-121 victory.

In Game 5 of the Hornets and Heat’s first-round playoff series, Charlotte pulled a shocking fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Dwyane Wade’s squad in Miami. In the waning moments of the game, Hornets guard Courtney Lee grabbed on offensive rebound, sprinted out the three-point line and nailed the game winner for Charlotte. The Hornets took Game 5 by the score of 90-88.

After limping into the playoffs, Rockets star James Harden gave Houston fans their finest moment of the year. Trailing the Warriors by one point with 10 seconds remaining, Harden calmly took the ball down court and sunk a fall-away jump shot to give the Rockets their lone playoff win of the year, 97-96.

Although not a marquee college football matchup, the Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the Syracuse Orange in the highest-scoring FBS game ever. The Panthers scored nine offensive touchdowns to win by the score of 76-61. Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo put up the absurd stat line of 13 catches for 178 yards and five touchdowns in a losing effort.

In another classic between two of the most bitter rivals in North American sports, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines in double overtime by the score of 30-27. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines largely controlled the game, but in the end Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett proved to be little too much for Michigan’s defense to handle. The win for Ohio State has likely cemented its place spot in the College Football Playoffs this season.

For the first time since 2005, the NFL returned to Mexico in 2016, featuring a Monday Night Football affair between the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders. In what has been a near-weekly routine for the Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr rallied the Silver and Black in the fourth quarter with a pair of long touchdown passes. The Raiders took down the Texans 27-20 in a game that the fans in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium loved from start to finish.

In a bizarre, albeit entertaining, matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off an upset victory over the Denver Broncos in overtime, 30-27 in Week 12 of the NFL season. Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos’ game-winning field goal in overtime banked off the left upright and past the crossbar, giving KC its eighth win of the season. Additionally, Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill became the first NFL player since Gail Sayers to have a kick turn touchdown, receiving touchdown and rushing touchdown in a single game.

La Liga and intra-city rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were pitted against each other in the UEFA Champions League Final this past year. Real Madrid held on to a 1-0 lead for the better part of the match, but a late goal from Atletico Madrid forward Yannick Carrasco sent the two teams to extra time. The match would eventually go to penalty kicks, where Real Madrid would emerge victorious.

In perhaps the most exciting English Premier League match of 2016, Liverpool defeated Norwich City 5-4. Liverpool’s Adam Lallana scored the emotional game winner for the Reds in the fifth minute of stoppage time, just moments after Sébastien Bassong pulled Norwich level for the draw.

New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis scored a franchise-record 59 points in a February game against the Detroit Pistons. As if scoring 59 points wasn’t impressive enough, “The Brow” added 20 rebounds for good measure, as the Pelicans won 111-106.

Paul George and the Indiana Pacers looked to be on their way to a Game 5 victory in their first-round playoff series with Toronto Raptors. But the Raptors outscored the Pacers 25-9 in the fourth quarter to eke out a 102-99 win. The contest was made all the more dramatic as a would-be game-tying three-pointer from Pacers forward Solomon Hill at the buzzer was disallowed after replay showed the ball didn’t leave his hands in time.

With their Western Conference Semifinals matchup tied at two games apiece, the San Antonio Spurs looked to be on their way to a Game 5 victory over the Thunder. However, OKC rallied to take a one-point lead in the final seconds of the game and capped of the comeback when Russell Westbrook converted a controversial three-point play to put the game out of reach for the Spurs. The Thunder won 95-91 and finished off the Spurs in Game 6 to win the series.

In a May game against the Tigers, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer tied an MLB record with 20 strikeouts in one game. Scherzer became just the fourth pitcher ever to accomplish the feat, and the fact that it came against his former team in Detroit made it all the more sweet.

In what would have been the most shocking moment of the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Serbia nearly took down the mighty United States Men’s Basketball team in their Group A matchup. Led by Nikola Jokic and Milos Teodosic, Serbia had a chance to tie the game at 94 at the end of the fourth quarter, but the last-gasp three-point shot glanced off the rim.

The Pittsburgh Penguins pushed the Washington Capitals to the brink of elimination in Game 6 of their second-round playoff matchup leading 3-1 in the third period, but two late goals from Justin Williams and John Carlson tied the game and sent it to overtime. However, the Capitals' comeback would fall short, as Penguins center Nick Bonino scored seven minutes into overtime off of a rebound. The Pens' win propelled them toward the Stanley Cup Final.

In their first-round series against the hated division rival Chicago Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues found a way come out on top in the decisive Game 7 of the series. Tied at two headed into the third period, Blues forward Troy Brouwer scored what proved to be the series-winning goal eight minutes into the final frame of regulation.

In a first-round NCAA Tournament upset, Arkansas Little-Rock defeated five-seed Purdue in a thrilling double-overtime matchup by the score of 85-83. Senior guard Josh Hagins led the way for the Trojans, putting up a game-high 31 points.

Fresh off of a stunning first-round victory over Texas, Northern Iowa participated in another top NCAA Tournament game from 2016. The Panthers faced off against the Texas A&M Aggies and appeared to have them beat, leading by 12 points with 44 seconds remaining in regulation. But Northern Iowa experienced a total meltdown, committing four straight turnovers that allowed the Aggies to tie the game. The contest eventually went to double overtime, where Texas A&M proved too much to handle, winning 92-88.

The Dallas Stars appeared to have their first-round playoff series with the Minnesota Wild sealed up, as they led 4-0 in the third period of Game 6. But the Wild furiously rallied, scoring three quick goals to pull within one, only to have Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski put the game out of reach with a fifth goal for Dallas. In the end, the Stars won 5-4 and advanced to the second round.

After the Vikings took a three-point lead via a Rhett Ellison touchdown with 23 seconds remaining, the Detroit Lions were in dire straights in their Week 9 matchup with Minnesota. But as he has so many time this season, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford made a clutch pass, which put the Lions into field goal range. Lions kicker Matt Prater hit a 58-yard field goal to tie the game at 16 as time expired, and Lions went on to win in overtime, 22-16.

In the Copa America Centenario, Chile upset Lionel Messi and Argentina in the tournament final. Chile played a strong defensive game, forcing the match to go to penalty kicks, where the Argentinians crumbled under pressure.

In college basketball’s most fierce rivalry, the Duke Blue Devils were able to edge out the North Carolina Tar Heels in a February mathup by the score of 74-73. Duke guard Grayson Allen hit a pair of free throws with about a minute remaining to give the Blue Devils the lead, and a Matt Thornton block on the final play of the game sealed it.

Trailing 1-0 late in the third period of Game 2 to Team Europe, it appeared Team Canada would be forced to play in a decisive third game of the finals of the World Cup of HOckey. However, Boston Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each found the back of the net in the final three minutes of regulation, giving Team Canada the victory.