Image via Complex Original
In professional sports, everybody is good. This may seem like an obvious comment, but it’s important thing to remember when you’re watching your favorite team fall helplessly behind in a game, series, or season. Your team may have talent, but so does everybody else; that makes the probability of coming back from a huge deficit much, much smaller than you might see in high school or college.
Yet, it’s also important to remember that no athlete, regardless of age or level, is immune to pressure. Even the best of athletes can cave when the stakes are high, and conversely, some players and teams have a penchant for always believing that they can win, even when they shouldn’t. Across all sports and eras, a small group of players and teams have found ways to rally back from seemingly certain defeat, turning themselves into legends in the process. Here some of The Most Unlikely Comebacks in Professional Sports History.
Philadelphia Flyers Overcome 3-0 Series Deficit, Defeat Boston Bruins
Year: 2010
When the Philadelphia Flyers fell behind the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, they knew that, in at least two of the games, the result could have easily swung the other way. When the Bruins tied Game 4 with just over 30 seconds left, though, it looked like they’d take the goal’s momentum into overtime and use it to complete the sweep.
Philly was in no mood to allow that to happen, however, and with just over five minutes to go in overtime, the team managed to score and keep themselves alive. They easily won Game 5 in Boston, held off a Bruins comeback in Game 6, and in Game 7 on the road, came back from being down 3-0 to win both the game and the series, 4-3.
Boston Celtics Trail After First Quarter of NBA Finals Game 4, Win Game and Series
Year: 2008
Facing each other in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers quickly renewed their heated rivalry and engaged in three compelling games to start the series. Game 4 did not look like it was going to be close, as the Lakers jumped out to a 35-14 lead after the first quarter (the largest lead after one in Finals history), held an 18 point lead at halftime, and early in the third quarter, held a 20-point advantage. Playing at home in front of the Staples Center faithful, it seemed like the Lakers were going to cruise to a series-tying and momentum-stealing victory over their nemesis from the East.
The Celtics suddenly came roaring to life, however, closing the third quarter on a remarkable 21-3 run, fueled largely by their reserves, to close the lead to just two points. A stunned L.A. team could do little to stop Boston’s momentum in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics would hold off the Lakers to earn the win and, two games later, the franchise’s 17th championship.
Miami Heat Trail by Five With 28 Seconds Left in Game 6 of NBA Finals, Win Game and Series
Year: 2013
The tape was going up around the court. The fans were flocking to the exits. The Miami Heat were done in the 2013 NBA Finals, about to watch the Spurs win the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the their own floor. Just 28 seconds stood on the clock and the Heat trailed by five, and when LeBron James missed a three-point attempt, it looked like that was Miami’s last chance.
However, after the Heat managed to regain possession of the rebound, LeBron was spot-on with his next three to bring his team closer with 20 seconds to go. A missed free-throw by the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard gave the Heat a chance to tie on their next possession, and a missed three by LeBron was tipped out to Ray Allen—the man with the more made three-pointers than anyone else in NBA history—who buried the game-tying shot with just 5.2 seconds to go. The result felt almost inevitable from there, as Miami won the game in overtime and then took a closely-contested Game 7 to win their second consecutive title.
Liverpool Overcomes 3-0 Halftime Deficit, Defeats A.C. Milan in UEFA Champions League Final
Year: 2005
A.C. Milan entered the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool as the prohibitive favorite to hoist the cup, and showed why when Paolo Maldini hammered home a goal in the first minute of the match. Two Hernan Crespo goals for Milan followed before halftime, and it appeared that the Italians were going to cruise to victory in European club football’s most prestigious competition.
Something awoke inside of Liverpool when they came out of the locker room, however, and between minutes 54 and 60, they tied the game thanks to goals from talisman Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer, and Xabi Alonso. After a goal-less final half hour and extra time period, the game went to penalty kicks. Once there, Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saved two Milan penalties and distracted another shooter into blasting one over the bar, helping the English side capture its fifth Champions League title.
Reggie Miller Scores Eight Points in Nine Seconds to Beat the Knicks
Year: 1995
For Knicks fans who grew up in the mid-‘90s, there may be no person on planet earth they despise more than Reggie Miller. Everything about him—from his banter with Spike Lee to his propensity for hitting huge shots—was positively infuriating, and Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals may be the best example of that.
The Knicks led 105-99 with 18.7 seconds on the clock and with Indiana inbounding the ball. Miller took Mark Jackson’s pass and hit a quick turnaround three, but nobody in Madison Square Garden was sweating it. Only then, he stole the Knicks’ inbound pass, stepped back, and hit another three to tie the game with 13.3 seconds to go. After John Starks missed a pair of free throws on the other end and Patrick Ewing missed a short jumper, Miller grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and sank both of his foul shots with 7.5 seconds left. New York’s Greg Anthony then fell down while driving to the hoop, allowing the Pacers to somehow steal the game and go on to win the series in seven.
Yankees Overcome 14-Game Red Sox Division Lead, Win AL East in One Game Playoff
Year: 1978
On July 19, 1978, the Boston Red Sox held a 14-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. In those days, there was no wild card; the team that won the division went straight to the ALCS to face the AL West champion, with the winner going to the World Series. It looked like the Sox were a shoo-in to at least win the division, if not the whole thing. But then they started losing, and the Yankees—a pedestrian 47-42 at the time—started winning.
By mid-September, the Yankees had closed the gap between themselves and the Sox to just three games heading into a four-game series at Fenway Park that many felt would decide the division. In what has since been known as “The Boston Massacre,” the Yankees swept all four games and actually took the lead in the division until the Sox tied it on the season’s final day.
In the one-game playoff to determine who would go to the playoffs, the Sox seized a 2-0 lead before light-hitting Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent hit a three-run home run into the Green Monster to put his team ahead. New York built a 5-2 lead and held off a Sox comeback attempt to take a 5-4 win and cap an amazing finish to the season. Naturally, they rode that momentum all the way to a World Series title.
Peyton Manning, Colts Trail 35-14 With Four Minutes to Go, Win in Overtime
Year: 2003
In the entire Peyton Manning era, there was perhaps no other moment that better symbolized the Colts’ offensive dominance more than this one. Going against a stalwart Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that had just won the Super Bowl, Manning and the Colts fell behind 35-14 on the road with just four minutes to go. The task would have been monumental had they been facing even an average defense; this one, loaded with Hall of Famers, couldn’t possibly have blown it. Only, they did.
A brilliant kickoff return set Indy up for a quick 12-yard TD drive on the next series, and when they recovered the subsequent onside kick with 3:37 to go, they were officially alive. Manning threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison on fourth down to trim the Tampa lead to 35-28, and after a defensive stop, Manning took the Colts 85 yards in 1:06 to tie the game. In overtime, Mike Vanderjagt hit a 29-yard field goal to secure the win and make the Colts the first team in NFL history to come back and win after trailing by 21 or more points in the final five minutes.
Paul Lawrie Comes From 10 Strokes Back, Wins British Open
Year: 1999
An individual comeback of this magnitude would not have been possible without both transcendent play from Lawrie and a complete and utter meltdown by tournament leader Jean van de Velde. Going into the final day of play, Lawrie sat a whopping 10 strokes behind van de Velde in a tie for 14th place, and for him, it seemed like a top-10 finish would be considered a big win.
However, when it mattered most, Lawrie carded a 67—tied for the best round of the tournament—to get himself in contention, and along with Justin Leonard, he moved into a tie for first when van de Velde triple-bogeyed the 18th hole to finish his round with a dreadful 77. On the fourth and final hole of the playoff, Lawrie hit a miraculous four iron that allowed him to easily sink a birdie putt to take the championship.
Buffalo Bills Trail 35-3 at Halftime in Playoffs Against Houston Oilers, Win 41-38
Year: 1993
With Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly out with a knee injury, it was going to be tough for the Buffalo Bills to beat the Houston Oilers even though this Wild Card playoff game was being played in Orchard Park, N.Y. Things went very badly very quickly for the home team, as Oilers quarterback Warren Moon threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the first half in helping Houston build a 28-3 halftime lead. They added another TD onto that on a pick-six less than two minutes into the second half, and, at 35-3, it looked like the game was well in hand for Houston.
However, Bills’ backup quarterback Frank Reich had other plans. He helped guide his team back into the game with 28 points in an astonishing 6:52 of game time, capitalizing on a series of Houston mistakes and overcoming the loss of star running back Thurman Thomas to eventually bring his team level. In overtime, a 32-yard field goal from Steve Christie sent the Bills on to the Divisional round, and they eventually the Super Bowl.
Boston Red Sox Rally From 3-0 Series Deficit, Defeat New York Yankees in ALCS
Year: 2004
It’s hard to imagine being more down-and-out than the 2004 Red Sox. After getting humiliated at home in Game 3, they trailed the arch rival Yankees 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4. Mariano Rivera—the greatest closer in the history of baseball—was on the mound to finish off the sweep. It was over—the final three outs merely a formality. Only, they weren’t.
First, Kevin Millar worked a leadoff walk. Then, with Bill Mueller at the plate, pinch runner Dave Roberts (barely) stole second. Then, Mueller lined a single up the middle, scoring the speedy Roberts from second and tying the game. You know what happened from there: a David Ortiz walk-off home run, another Ortiz walk-off the next night (this time just a single), the Bloody Sock Game, a Game 7 beat down in Yankee Stadium, and finally a four-game sweep of the Cardinals for the Sox’s first World Series title since 1918.