The 25 best Game 7s of all time

This is one of the first Game 7s I remember, mainly because, as a 6-year-old Pirates fan, I desperately wanted the Twins to beat the evil, hated Braves. And beat them they did, thanks in large part to one of the greatest individual efforts in Game 7 history. Jack Morris pitched 10 shutout innings, silencing Atlanta and setting a standard by which all future Game 7 pitching performances would be judged. The Twins could not support him with any runs until the 10th inning, when Gene Larkin's deep single scored Dan Gladden and gave Minnesota its second title in five seasons.

Lot going on here, none of it good for Toronto. The Maple Leafs were down 3-1 in the series, then rallied to tie things up. In Game 7, they took a 4-1 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining in the third period. Phil Kessel, who the Bruins had traded to Toronto several seasons prior, scored Toronto's third goal and assisted on the fourth, which looked like the dagger. It wasn't. The Bruins staged an improbable rally, scoring three goals in the final 11 minutes of regulation, including two in the final two, to shock the Leafs and force overtime. Patrice Bergeron, who tied the game with less than a minute left, scored the winner just over six minutes into OT. It was the first time in NHL history that a team trailing by three goals in the third period of Game 7 won the game. Boston rode the wave all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, while the Leafs didn't return to the playoffs for four seasons and still haven't won a Cup since 1967. Being a Maple Leafs fan doesn't seem fun.

Pirates fans, please skip to the next game on the list. Don't do this to yourself again. Are they gone? OK. The Pirates and Braves met for the National League pennant two straight years. Both series went the distance. In 1991, the Pirates blew a 3-2 series lead, getting shut out in Games 6 and 7. In 1992 they trailed 3-1 in the series, only to rally with two blowout wins. That brought them to Game 7 in Atlanta, and they brought the goods. Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead to the bottom of the ninth inning — and then the roof caved in. A double, error and walk loaded the bases and chased starter Doug Drabek. In came Stan Belinda, who got a sacrifice fly, a walk to load the bases and a pop out. The score was 2-1 with two outs, when pinch-hitter Francisco Cabrera came to the plate. I'll let the picture tell you the rest.

The 103-win Cubs were looking to end the franchise's 108-year title drought, and they needed to go through a similarly tortured Indians club to do it. After Cleveland jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, it looked for all the world like it would deny Cubs fans their catharsis. Chicago roared back to win the next two and seize momentum for a decisive Game 7. The Cubs built a 6-3 lead, and when the bottom of the eighth inning rolled around with that same score on the board, Cleveland looked cooked. Jon Lester got the first two batters out, then gave up a single. Aroldis Chapman entered to slam the door, and the Indians shocked him and the baseball world. Brandon Guyer doubled in Jose Ramirez, then Rajai Davis battled Chapman before lining a tying home run to left field. Chicago took an 8-6 lead in the top of the 10th thanks to Miguel Montero, but the Indians cut it to 8-7 before their comeback magic ran out, and the Cubs were - finally - champs.

The 73-win Warriors were looking to finish off a record regular season with back-to-back titles, and for the first four games of the series, it looked like they'd do just that. They jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but LeBron James and the Cavaliers rallied back to tie things up. Curiously, the first six games of the series were all decided by double-digit scores. That was not the case for Game 7, a taut defensive struggle that went back and forth for the duration. With the score tied at 89, LeBron James kept it that way with a spectacular chase-down block of Andre Iguodala. A minute later, Kyrie Irving hit what would prove to be the game-winning three, James made a free throw to extend the lead to four and the Cavaliers held on to bring the city of Cleveland its first championship in 52 years, turning the Warriors' blown 3-1 series lead into a meme in the process.

Two years removed from losing the 1995 World Series despite winning 100 games in a strike-shortened season, the Indians were back in the Fall Classic facing the upstart Marlins, who shocked the Braves in the NLCS. The teams alternated wins in Games 1 through 6, but it looked like that trend would end in Game 7, as the Tribe took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Jose Mesa, who two years prior had saved 46 games and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting, came on to try and close the door. He was unable to, and a Craig Counsell sacrifice fly tied the game. Things moved on uneventfully through the 10th inning and the top of the 11th, but in the bottom half, the Marlins got the win, with Edgar Renteria singling in Counsell to bring a championship to south Florida in the team's fifth year of existence. 

Played less than two months after 9/11, the 2001 World Series was one of the most emotional sporting events in history. For once, the Yankees were a sentimental choice, and many fans rallied to their side. After Alfonso Soriano's eighth-inning home run off Curt Schilling staked the Bronx Bombers to a 2-1 lead in Game 7, it looked like they would bring a championship back to still-reeling New York City. Tony Womack and the Diamondbacks had other ideas. After a single, an error and a failed sacrifice bunt left Arizona with runners on first and second with one out against Mariano Rivera, Womack lined a game-tying double down the right-field line. Rivera hit the next batter with a pitch, and Luis Gonzalez singled over a drawn-in infield to topple the seemingly invincible Rivera and bring a title to the desert.

This one is still controversial, even five years later, but whether or not you think Vegas got robbed of a win, this game was still one for the ages. The Golden Knights were up 3-0 and cruising with just over 10 minutes left. Cody Eakin cross-checked San Jose's Joe Pavelski, who lost his balance, bumped into Vegas' Paul Stastny, and fell to the ice. The impact knocked him out cold, and Eakin was hit with a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The call was bad, but the Golden Knights' penalty kill was worse. The Knights gave up four goals during the power play and found themselves trailing 4-3. Incredibly, Jonathan Marchessault tied the game with 47 seconds left, giving Vegas a stay of execution, but Barclay Goodrow completed the comeback and sent the Sharks to the second round with a goal at 18:19 of the first overtime.

Twenty years before Minnesota's Jack Morris authored his Game 7 gem to best the Braves in the 1991 World Series, Pittsburgh's Steve Blass nearly topped him, throwing a complete game four-hitter to best Mike Cuellar and the Baltimore Orioles. Roberto Clemente homered for the Pirates, and Jose Pagan doubled in what would prove to be the winning run in the top of the eighth inning. The Orioles halved Pittsburgh's lead in the bottom of the eighth, but Blass worked out of the jam without further damage and set Baltimore down one-two-three in the ninth to bring the title to Pittsburgh. Perhaps the most inconceivable thing about the game, for modern audiences, is the fact that it took all of two hours and 10 minutes to complete. 

Isiah Thomas was battling a bum ankle after suffering the injury in Game 6, so Game 7 of this hotly contested series had every reason to be a laugher. It wasn't. Joe Dumars paced Detroit with 25 points, and seven Pistons reached double figures as they rallied from a 10-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. A controversial foul call on Bill Laimbeer turned things in Los Angeles' favor for good, however, and James Worthy posted a triple-double in victory, notching 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. How many players have put up at least a 35/15/10 line in a Game 7 in Finals history? Only Worthy, according to Basketball Reference. Detroit would have its revenge, however, sweeping the Lakers in a Finals rematch the following year. 

The Shaq-Kobe Lakers won three straight titles at the turn of the century, but that run was almost short-circuited by the Portland Trail Blazers before it ever got started. Portland rallied from 3-1 down in the series to force a Game 7, and 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers were up by 15. Brian Shaw hit a few threes to start the comeback, Shaquille O'Neal hit a late jump hook to give the Lakers the lead and after Portland tied it back up, Kobe Bryant took over. He hit a pair of foul shots, then buried a jumper in Scottie Pippen's face to extend Los Angeles' lead. The final nail was the most spectacular, as Bryant penetrated into the lane, drew the defense to him and then threw up a lob that O'Neal violently slammed home. The comeback was complete, the Blazers were vanquished and the Lakers' three-peat would soon have its first jewel.

A hotly contested series between the Raptors and Sixers had a climax worthy of the back-and-forth, emotional games that preceded it. Game 7 was tight throughout, with defense the order of the day. The Raptors held a late lead, but Kawhi Leonard, who finished with a game-high 41, failed to stretch it to three points after he missed a free throw with 10 seconds left. Jimmy Butler tied the game for Philly, which set the stage for Leonard to redeem himself. He did so in cinematic fashion, hitting a fall-away baseline jumper that bounced straight up off the rim, then hit it two more times before finally falling in. Enough time passed from the time the ball first hit the rim to the time it fell through that the whole arena, and every player on the court, had time to stare at it and process it. Though it might seem unbelievable, Leonard's shot was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history.

Ottawa was a bit of a Cinderella story in the 2017 playoffs, riding Erik Karlsson's ability to control games from the blue line all the way to a surprise appearance in the Eastern Conference finals against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. A back-and-forth series culminated in a Game 7 in Pittsburgh, which saw Ottawa send things to overtime thanks to a Ryan Dzingel goal late in the third period. The first overtime was exceptionally tense, owing to Ottawa's rope-a-dope style, but the Penguins finally prevailed when Chris Kunitz beat Craig Anderson with a partially-screened, knuckling shot. Pittsburgh went on to win their second-straight Cup, becoming the first team to go back to back in the salary cap era. 

Things would soon get better for Red Sox fans, but they didn't know it at the time. It was going well in this one until manager Grady Little left Pedro Martinez in for the eighth inning. At the time the Sox were up 5-2, and things looked to be well in hand. But Martinez started to flag immediately, and in the span of five hitters, had given up three runs. Boston's relievers stopped the bleeding, but the damage was done. The game proceeded tied into extra innings and stayed that way until Aaron Boone stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning. Boone took the first pitch he saw from knuckleballer Tim Wakefield deep into the left-field seats, and the Yankees were off to the World Series again. 

Houston had a chance to put away the champs in Game 6 of this series and jumped out to a 39-22 lead after one quarter. Ding, dong, Golden State dead, right? Wrong. The Warriors roared back to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter then routed Houston in the final 12 minutes. Game 7 saw the Rockets back at home, still with another chance to topple their rivals. It looked like they'd take advantage, holding an 11-point lead at halftime. Then Stephen Curry happened. Curry scored 14 of his 27 points in the third quarter, all of them in a span of just over three minutes, and in the process turned what was a 61-58 deficit into a 72-63 lead. The Rockets tried in vain to claw back, but Curry's avalanche of triples was too much and Golden State would survive its toughest test of the Curry-Durant Era, 101-92.

The Kings were still smarting after Game 6 of this series, an affair where the officiating remains a topic of debate to this day. Still, they had a chance to put down Los Angeles and do so in the friendly confines of ARCO Arena. The game was a see-saw battle, with 16 ties and 19 lead changes, and neither team blinked. After 48 minutes the teams were tied at 100, but in overtime, despite Mike Bibby's heroics, the Lakers finally pulled away, scoring the final eight points of the game to come away with a 112-106 win. Shaquille O'Neal was a force, with 35 points, including an uncharacteristically sharp 11-of-15 from the foul line, to go along with 13 rebounds, as Los Angeles survived what was by far its toughest test of an otherwise breezy title run.

The high-flying Penguins were a heavy favorite to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions in the spring of 1993. Pittsburgh won the President's Trophy and entered the playoffs by winning 17 straight games then tying their season finale against the Devils. Pittsburgh hammered New Jersey in five games in the first round, and many figured the Islanders would be little match for the Pens. They were wrong. New York battled the whole way and won 7-5 in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 in Pittsburgh. In that contest, the Isles jumped out to a 3-1 lead before the Pens showed some championship mettle, tying the game with two goals in the final four minutes. The momentum from that comeback wouldn't last, though, as New York's David Volek blasted home the winner, his second of the game and series, at 5:16 of the first overtime. Despite many of them having been part of back-to-back titles, most Penguins players felt that the 1992-93 team was the best and most talented in franchise history. 

Only two teams forced a Game 7 against Michael Jordan's Bulls in their six title runs. The 1992 Knicks, who bowed out quietly in a 110-81 blowout in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and the 1998 Pacers, who pushed Jordan and Co. to the brink in a much more competitive Game 7. Indiana's stifling defense held Jordan and Scottie Pippen to 45 points on a combined 15-of-43 from the field. That carried over to the foul line, where the two combined to shoot 15-of-24, a mediocre 62.5 percent. Despite the five-point margin of victory, Indiana held a fourth-quarter lead in this one, and watching the game, it truly felt like the Bulls might actually lose. The hero for Chicago was Toni Kukoc, who blistered the Pacers for 21 points, including three triples, as the Bulls battled a through a tough team effort from Indianapolis to earn an 88-83 win.

There were plenty of iconic moments in this one; Yadier Molina's ninth-inning go-ahead home run stands out as the first, and Adam Wainwright's curveball to strike out Carlos Beltran and end the series is another. Yet it was a play made by a member of the losing team that may have been the most spectacular of all. With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning and a man on first for the Cardinals, Scott Rolen sent an Oliver Perez pitch toward the left-field wall. Mets outfielder Endy Chavez sprinted back for it, timed his leap perfectly and caught the ball about 2 feet over the wall, the ball nearly falling out of the top of his glove. Chavez, who appeared surprised that the ball stayed in his mitt, fired it back into the infield to start an inning-ending double play. Over a decade later, it remains an all-time great defensive play, postseason or otherwise.

When a game has a nickname, you know it must be great. Great might be an understatement for the "Easter Epic," as this game is known. The Caps and Isles started play Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, but the game did not finish until 1:58 a.m. Easter morning. This contest, the only Game 7 in NHL history go four overtimes, ended when Pat LaFontaine scored the winner at 8:47 of the fourth extra period. LaFontaine's turning slap shot beat a screened-out Bob Mason, and the Islanders moved on. The game was, at the time, the fifth-longest in NHL history and the longest since 1943.

Dominique Wilkins did all he could. The "Human Highlight Reel" delivered a superlative individual effort, but it was still not enough to topple Larry Bird and the powerhouse Celtics. Wilkins poured in 47 points for Atlanta, but Bird still managed to best him, scoring 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. Boston sneaked out of the game with a 118-116 victory, but Bird and Wilkins' individual battle is one of the best Game 7 showdowns in league history. Wilkins shot nearly 60 percent from the field and went 8-of-9 from the line, but it still wasn't enough. The hidden factor that carried the day for Boston? Kevin McHale, who scored 33 points and was nearly as brilliant as Bird.

This one didn't go to overtime, but it did go right down to the wire and produced one of the most iconic images in hockey history. Mark Messier and the Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Trevor Linden brought Vancouver back with a short-handed goal. Messier's power-play tally at 13:29 of the second period made it 3-1 before Linden cut the lead back to one with a man-advantage marker of his own at 4:50 of the third period. Despite Vancouver applying pressure and New York having a few close calls the rest of the way, including the Rangers having to survive several defensive zone faceoffs in the final minute, Messier and Co. hung on to win. With the win, Messier became the first and so far only player in league history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships.

Now this was a pitcher's duel. Ralph Terry threw a four-hit shutout for the Yankees, but the most interesting fact about this contest is one that you can use to impress your friends, if they're impressed by random bits of baseball trivia. This is the only Game 7 in history where the winning team did not record an RBI. The Yankees got the game's only run by virtue of a Tony Kubek double-play ball, one that scored Bill "Moose" Skowron on the play. That was all Terry needed, as he navigated some serious trouble in the bottom of the ninth inning — a Matty Alou single and a Willie Mays double — to keep the Giants off the board and bring another title to the Bronx.

Game 7s are always compelling, but when a defending champion is at risk of being eliminated, there is always a little more juice to the proceedings. Such was the case in 2015 when the defending champion Spurs were pushed to the brink by the Clippers. Game 7 was a tight affair throughout, with 16 ties and 31 lead changes, and things were knotted at 109 after Tim Duncan made a pair of free throws with nine seconds left. Chris Paul would not be outdone, however. Despite missing several minutes earlier in the game to receive treatment on a strained left hamstring, Paul hit a bank shot over Duncan with one second left to send the defending champs packing.

Of all the games mentioned this one featured the most lopsided final score, but it started off with one of the most iconic moments in league history. Knicks center Willis Reed, not expected to play due to a thigh injury, surprised everyone by coming out of the tunnel to start the game. Reed scored the first two baskets of the game, and while those were his only points in 27 minutes, the Knicks were visibly inspired by his presence and it showed in their play. Behind 36 points and 19 assists from Walt Frazier, New York beat Los Angeles, 113-99. Reed's entrance into the arena is still replayed to this day, and it remains one of the most dramatic moments in league history. 

You didn't think this one would go unmentioned, did you? The 1960 Fall Classic is noteworthy for many reasons. For one, the Pirates were outscored by the Yankees, 55-27, in the series. New York batted .338 as a team and hit 10 home runs. The Pirates hit .256 and smashed only four round-trippers. New York's victories were by 13, 12 and 10 runs. The Yankees' scoreboard dominance is one interesting aspect of the series. Another is that they lost, and in historic, never before seen (and never seen since) fashion. The Pirates jumped out to a 4-0 lead in Game 7 at Forbes Field, but New York rallied with seven unanswered runs and carried a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth. The Pirates rallied though, thanks in part to a bad-hop grounder that hit Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat and knocked him from the game. Hal Smith put them ahead 9-7 with a go-ahead three-run homer, but the Yankees tied it in the top of the ninth. That set the stage for Bill Mazeroski, who led off the bottom of ninth with a walk-off, series-winning home run off Ralph Terry. It remains the only Game 7 walk-off home run in World Series history.