The 2011 NBA Finals will be remembered more for the fact that the Miami Heat lost and not so much that the Mavericks won. Seriously, listen to talk radio today and it was all about what Miami didn't do instead of what Dallas did.
It happens like that sometimes. Sometimes we remember the loser more than the champion. Here are a few examples:
8-1993 WOLVERINES: This seems to be Carolina's lost championship as most people instead remember the Fab Five and Chris Webber's timeout to seal the deal for the Heels. Jalen Rose said it best: you can remember the starting lineup for Michigan with little effort but unless you were a diehard UNC fan, you couldn't name three of their starters.
7-2004 LAKERS: Shaq and Kobe were joined by Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make a team of four future Hall of Famers. But the team spectacularly fell apart in the Finals to Detroit ... a team with no future HOFers ... and lost in five games.
6-1986 RED SOX: This is a close one. People certainly remember the '86 Mets, but that Series is known for Boston's implosion in Game 6. A mere out away for their first title since 1918, Bill Buckner became the icon of how a team can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Again, those Mets had their own character but that Series will always be about how the Red Sox choked away a title.
5-1993 KINGS: Wayne Gretzky's LA Kings made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and truly made it a Hollywood affair. Yet, it was just another championship for the mighty Canadiens, who won the last of their 24 Cups. And I bet most puckheads know that Barry Melrose was the coach of that team.
4-2011 HEAT: LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to Miami to join Dwyane Wade and turn the Heat into an instant contender. People loved that this controversial team choked away a title. Years from now, this will still be remembered as the one LeBron/Wade/Bosh lost.
3-ROCKY BALBOA: Okay, okay it is a fictional character. But other than Muhammad Ali, is there a more famous boxer? People still forget that Rocky lost his bout with Apollo Creed in the first film.
2-2007 PATRIOTS: Hard to believe a New York championship team could be overshadowed, but Super Bowl XLII will be remembered for the fact that the undefeated Patriots lost their only game in THE game. It really is amazing.
1-1919 WHITE SOX: Quick ... who won the 1919 World Series? I know, but that's because I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan. Yeah, the Reds won this Series but no one remembers that. All they remember is Chicago throwing the series for gamblers. The "Black Sox" are probably the most notorious team in baseball history and their tanking the World Series has far overshadowed who won it.
It happens like that sometimes. Sometimes we remember the loser more than the champion. Here are a few examples:
8-1993 WOLVERINES: This seems to be Carolina's lost championship as most people instead remember the Fab Five and Chris Webber's timeout to seal the deal for the Heels. Jalen Rose said it best: you can remember the starting lineup for Michigan with little effort but unless you were a diehard UNC fan, you couldn't name three of their starters.
7-2004 LAKERS: Shaq and Kobe were joined by Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make a team of four future Hall of Famers. But the team spectacularly fell apart in the Finals to Detroit ... a team with no future HOFers ... and lost in five games.
6-1986 RED SOX: This is a close one. People certainly remember the '86 Mets, but that Series is known for Boston's implosion in Game 6. A mere out away for their first title since 1918, Bill Buckner became the icon of how a team can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Again, those Mets had their own character but that Series will always be about how the Red Sox choked away a title.
5-1993 KINGS: Wayne Gretzky's LA Kings made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and truly made it a Hollywood affair. Yet, it was just another championship for the mighty Canadiens, who won the last of their 24 Cups. And I bet most puckheads know that Barry Melrose was the coach of that team.
4-2011 HEAT: LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to Miami to join Dwyane Wade and turn the Heat into an instant contender. People loved that this controversial team choked away a title. Years from now, this will still be remembered as the one LeBron/Wade/Bosh lost.
3-ROCKY BALBOA: Okay, okay it is a fictional character. But other than Muhammad Ali, is there a more famous boxer? People still forget that Rocky lost his bout with Apollo Creed in the first film.
2-2007 PATRIOTS: Hard to believe a New York championship team could be overshadowed, but Super Bowl XLII will be remembered for the fact that the undefeated Patriots lost their only game in THE game. It really is amazing.
1-1919 WHITE SOX: Quick ... who won the 1919 World Series? I know, but that's because I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan. Yeah, the Reds won this Series but no one remembers that. All they remember is Chicago throwing the series for gamblers. The "Black Sox" are probably the most notorious team in baseball history and their tanking the World Series has far overshadowed who won it.
4 comments:
Lebron is a very good athlete. As a basketball player, he is overrated. In crunch time, he has not shown up. Again, LJ is overrated. Top 5 players of all time you ask? So simple. Center..Kareem. Pwr forward..Magic. Str. forward...Bird. 2 guard...Jordan. And at point guard, the greatest player to ever hit the hardwood...Pistol Pete Maravich.
go to www.claybe.com and make the most important decision of your life..hands down.
Wait, so LeBron is overrated for not showing up in crunch time, but Pete Maravich -- a career loser who never appeared in the NCAA tournament, never came close to an NBA title, and was the embodiment of style over substance & the collection of empty stats over winning -- is "the greatest player to ever hit the hardwood"? Cognitive dissonance much?
Sam..Maravich was just what I said. He was the greatest basketball player in the history of the game. Bar none.
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