Coming off an NBA Finals where the "best player in the game" decided to phone it in for a few games, I started thinking about the biggest choking performances I've seen in sports. I didn't think a whole lot about it, until I started watching a little bit of coverage of the U.S. Open, seeing the first round leader's name on the leader board. Twenty-two year old Rory McIlroy shot a six under par 65 to open the first round of the 2011 U.S. Open. Outstanding performance for anyone, but even more so for McIlroy, coming off what could've been considered a major choke in this year's Masters. So, what are some of the other "chokes" in sports, either specific plays, matches, games, or series?
Given McIlroy's age (22) and virtual inexperience at the top of the leader board in major championships, it might be hard to actually consider his 2011 Masters fourth round performance a "choke", but it does have to be put into the conversation. However, when it comes to the Masters itself, one performance in my mind sticks out as an even bigger collapse. Back in 1996, Greg Norman entered the final round of the Masters up by six strokes. After his final round on Sunday, he finished a total of five shots behind eventual winner Nick Faldo. For someone widely considered to be one of the better golfers of his generation, this was easily one of Norman's darkest hours, and definitely ranks up there as one of the greatest chokes in all of sports, not just golf.
Boxing saw one of it's biggest choking performances back in 1990, when Mike Tyson was knocked out for the World Heavyweight title in Tokyo to little-known James "Buster" Douglas. For a lot of people, this was one of those events in history where, if you were old enough, knew exactly where you were when you heard the news. Tyson was always a little off-key, but the loss to Douglas was just the beginning of the downward spiral Tyson's career would see. Was it a choke? Maybe. Or, maybe Tyson just took Douglas a little too lightly. Hard to say, but regardless, it goes down as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
When it comes to choking in a playoff series, the most recent that comes to mind is that of the 2004 New York Yankees. Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the hated rival Boston Red Sox, it was considered a lock that the Yankees would end up in yet another World Series. It had never been done before in Major League Baseball history, that a team trailing a series 3-0 had come back to win the series...until 2004. Boston scrapped and clawed their way back, eventually winning four straight games, and moving on to the World Series, where they went on to win their first World Championship in 86 years. Definitely an amazing performance by Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and the rest of the Boston Red Sox...but, an equally impressive meltdown by the New York Yankees.
Sometimes, it's difficult to distinguish between a "choke" and a hard-fought comeback. This was definitely the case in the 1993 NFL Playoffs, when the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32 point deficit, to comeback and defeat the Houston Oilers in a Wild Card playoff game. The Oilers had looked very impressive for the first half of football, seemingly steam-rolling over the powerful Bills. The second half, however, saw a completely different game. The Oilers looked nothing like they had in the first half, and the Bills looked twice as hungry as they had to start the game. So, was it a choke, or did the Bills just outplay the Oilers? Always a tough call, but I think any time you lose a 32 point lead, there has to be some choking involved.
So...help me out everyone. What are some of the other choking performances in sports history? Give me your thoughts. Let's see how many we can come up with.
Showing posts with label NBA Finals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA Finals. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Dallas Earned The Title, But Miami Earned The Loss
It's always hard to make statements like this, but I think it's safe to say that the good majority of the country was fully behind the Dallas Mavericks last night as they went on to win their first NBA Championship. There really isn't an awful lot to dislike about the Mavericks. They have one of the greatest superstars in league history in Dirk Nowitzki. They had one of the best point guards in history in Jason Kidd. And they have probably one of the best owners in all of sports in Mark Cuban. But all those reasons combined weren't the main purpose for the country-wide backing of the Mavs. The primary cause for the support of the Mavericks was nothing more than the shear disdain for the Miami Heat, centered almost exclusively around #6, LeBron James.
When it was all said and done, Dallas outplayed Miami, Rick Carlisle outcoached Erik Spoelstra, and the Maverick players outclassed those of the Heat. All told, the Mavericks earned the right to call themselves champions. On the flipside, the Miami Heat earned the right to call themselves runners-up, chokers, or classless losers.
Over history, in all sports, teams often times take on the form of their leaders. Michael Jordan's teams in Chicago took on his killer instinct en route to six NBA titles. The Yankees teams over the last 10-15 years have taken on the persona of Derek Jeter, their calm, cool, and collected captain. And this NBA Finals was no exception, with the Miami Heat taking on the form of the "leader" in LeBron James. The only issue is that James clearly, by going to Miami, never wanted to be the "leader," and it showed over the last week.
LeBron was tentative throughout the series, seemingly deferring at every chance he had, primarily down the stretch. If you match up the two superstars, Dirk outscore LeBron 26-3 in the final five minutes of each game in the Finals. How does the supposed best player in the NBA not score a single point in the final five minutes of all six Finals games, until 1:51 left in Game 6, when he hit a meaningless 3-point shot down 12? Although he put up 21 points last night, James never looked comfortable, aside from his 4-4 start from the field. From that point on, he looked to give the ball up rather than take control, in an almost cowardly display of leadership. Some will say he was just being unselfish by giving the ball up. Those whose eyes are actually open will say that he gave up, and chose to be the sidekick. Honestly, I almost feel that this was an attempt to shift the blame of a loss onto his supporting cast, almost in a way saying "I was letting them try to win it, and they couldn't hit the shots." No LeBron, those shots were supposed to be yours to take. Those shots were shots that Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe all would've taken. Those were shots that Dirk Nowitzki took, and that's the reason your season is finished, and your fingers are void of jewelry.
What truly bothered me about the Heat in these Finals wasn't necessarily LeBron, although it's no secret I am not a fan of his. It was the actions of Dwyane Wade. I'm not talking about actions on the floor. Dwyane Wade had no other alternative but to take the reigns of this team, his team, and try to win the title with seemingly little help from the greatest player in the game. What I'm referring to was the off-court actions of Wade, primarily in the moments before Game Five. Wade has been a player many have thought of as classy, full of heart, intelligent, and gritty. This will be the second time I've used this word in this post, but his actions prior to Game Five, mocking Dirk Nowitzki's Game Four illness by pretending to cough into his shirt on the way into the arena, was nothing short of cowardly. What was worse was his explanation of the incident when asked about it later. Wade claimed the cough was real, and that it was actually played up a bit more because their were cameras in front of them and they were hoping the media would "blow it up." No Dwyane, you did it because you were a coward, plain and simple. You earned what you got.
LeBron and D-Wade, the two leaders of this team, were both responsible for the overall let down, but the reason most people are excited about the Heat's loss can be centered almost solely on LeBron. When he chose to do what he did, taking his talents to South Beach, it was expected that he was also taking some leadership ability to the team, helping to take the burden off Wade's shoulders. Instead, with his inability to perform when it matters, he did just the opposite, putting D-Wade in a position to have to carry the Heat, which he was already doing the year before when he was by himself. Unfortunately for him, the results were the same, even though he now has a higher priced Robin to his Batman.
To make matters worse for James, he's now distanced himself even further from many of the fans he always looked to for approval. His post-game press conference alienated him even moreso than his play on the court. What LeBron doesn't realize is that the majority of the sports fan population is more intelligent than he is, and we can all read between the lines with what your comments actually were.
"All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before. They have the same personal problems they had to today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy that not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they'll have to get back to the real world at some point."
Basically, what he told all of us that were rooting for his failure is, in so many words, he's better than all of us. We, as everyday people, have to go back to our $45,000 a year jobs, our $250,000 mortgages, our $25,000 car loans, and our mundane lives, while he gets to continue living his multi-million dollar life of expensive cars, huge houses, and insane toys. Closed circuit to Mr. James: If the rumors are true and you have a cheating girlfriend, you're much closer to all of us than you actually realize. The biggest difference is that you get paid a lot of money to perform your job, and unfortunately for you, you can't perform it very well.
Congratulations to Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks. You earned the title of NBA Champions through hard work, dedication, and a will to not stop until you got it.
Congratulations to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat. You also earned something through all of this. You earned the titles of NBA Villains. You've earned the right to be rooted against, booed, and ultimately hated by the majority of, not just NBA fans, but sports fans in general. Good luck overcoming that "every day problem."
When it was all said and done, Dallas outplayed Miami, Rick Carlisle outcoached Erik Spoelstra, and the Maverick players outclassed those of the Heat. All told, the Mavericks earned the right to call themselves champions. On the flipside, the Miami Heat earned the right to call themselves runners-up, chokers, or classless losers.
Over history, in all sports, teams often times take on the form of their leaders. Michael Jordan's teams in Chicago took on his killer instinct en route to six NBA titles. The Yankees teams over the last 10-15 years have taken on the persona of Derek Jeter, their calm, cool, and collected captain. And this NBA Finals was no exception, with the Miami Heat taking on the form of the "leader" in LeBron James. The only issue is that James clearly, by going to Miami, never wanted to be the "leader," and it showed over the last week.
LeBron was tentative throughout the series, seemingly deferring at every chance he had, primarily down the stretch. If you match up the two superstars, Dirk outscore LeBron 26-3 in the final five minutes of each game in the Finals. How does the supposed best player in the NBA not score a single point in the final five minutes of all six Finals games, until 1:51 left in Game 6, when he hit a meaningless 3-point shot down 12? Although he put up 21 points last night, James never looked comfortable, aside from his 4-4 start from the field. From that point on, he looked to give the ball up rather than take control, in an almost cowardly display of leadership. Some will say he was just being unselfish by giving the ball up. Those whose eyes are actually open will say that he gave up, and chose to be the sidekick. Honestly, I almost feel that this was an attempt to shift the blame of a loss onto his supporting cast, almost in a way saying "I was letting them try to win it, and they couldn't hit the shots." No LeBron, those shots were supposed to be yours to take. Those shots were shots that Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe all would've taken. Those were shots that Dirk Nowitzki took, and that's the reason your season is finished, and your fingers are void of jewelry.
What truly bothered me about the Heat in these Finals wasn't necessarily LeBron, although it's no secret I am not a fan of his. It was the actions of Dwyane Wade. I'm not talking about actions on the floor. Dwyane Wade had no other alternative but to take the reigns of this team, his team, and try to win the title with seemingly little help from the greatest player in the game. What I'm referring to was the off-court actions of Wade, primarily in the moments before Game Five. Wade has been a player many have thought of as classy, full of heart, intelligent, and gritty. This will be the second time I've used this word in this post, but his actions prior to Game Five, mocking Dirk Nowitzki's Game Four illness by pretending to cough into his shirt on the way into the arena, was nothing short of cowardly. What was worse was his explanation of the incident when asked about it later. Wade claimed the cough was real, and that it was actually played up a bit more because their were cameras in front of them and they were hoping the media would "blow it up." No Dwyane, you did it because you were a coward, plain and simple. You earned what you got.
LeBron and D-Wade, the two leaders of this team, were both responsible for the overall let down, but the reason most people are excited about the Heat's loss can be centered almost solely on LeBron. When he chose to do what he did, taking his talents to South Beach, it was expected that he was also taking some leadership ability to the team, helping to take the burden off Wade's shoulders. Instead, with his inability to perform when it matters, he did just the opposite, putting D-Wade in a position to have to carry the Heat, which he was already doing the year before when he was by himself. Unfortunately for him, the results were the same, even though he now has a higher priced Robin to his Batman.
To make matters worse for James, he's now distanced himself even further from many of the fans he always looked to for approval. His post-game press conference alienated him even moreso than his play on the court. What LeBron doesn't realize is that the majority of the sports fan population is more intelligent than he is, and we can all read between the lines with what your comments actually were.
"All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before. They have the same personal problems they had to today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy that not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they'll have to get back to the real world at some point."
Basically, what he told all of us that were rooting for his failure is, in so many words, he's better than all of us. We, as everyday people, have to go back to our $45,000 a year jobs, our $250,000 mortgages, our $25,000 car loans, and our mundane lives, while he gets to continue living his multi-million dollar life of expensive cars, huge houses, and insane toys. Closed circuit to Mr. James: If the rumors are true and you have a cheating girlfriend, you're much closer to all of us than you actually realize. The biggest difference is that you get paid a lot of money to perform your job, and unfortunately for you, you can't perform it very well.
Congratulations to Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks. You earned the title of NBA Champions through hard work, dedication, and a will to not stop until you got it.
Congratulations to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat. You also earned something through all of this. You earned the titles of NBA Villains. You've earned the right to be rooted against, booed, and ultimately hated by the majority of, not just NBA fans, but sports fans in general. Good luck overcoming that "every day problem."
Thursday, June 9, 2011
LeBron's Legacy Can't Stack Up With Other Greats
When it comes to gut-check time in sports, there are certain superstars in history that show they want to be "the guy" (or "the girl" in ladies sports). There are names that come to mind: Michael Jordan, Curt Schilling, Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady to name a few. One name that won't appear on that list is LeBron James. His lackluster performance in the NBA Finals thus far has many asking questions about his heart and about his drive. With the Dallas Mavericks taking a 3-2 series lead on Thursday night, it appears that LeBron is exhibiting neither.
This NBA Finals was supposed to be LeBron's coming-out party. He made his bed by "taking his talents to South Beach," and this was the time he was supposed to sleep in that bed. Unfortunately for Heat fans, LeBron is showing why his Cavaliers teams of the past always came up short at the end. When you look back at championship teams led by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, what you saw was an unwillingness to accept defeat. Their drive and their heart carried their teams to multiple championships, not just one. And, aside from Kobe's first three titles with the help of Shaquille O'Neal at his side, neither Jordan or Kobe had multiple superstars to play with. LeBron has two in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And what we're seeing from LeBron is more of a stance of "I'll take a back seat to let you two be the stars." That's not the attitude of a champion.
Yes, champions are unselfish. Champions know when to delegate. But champions also know when it's time to take over and ensure victory. With all the scrutiny placed on LeBron this season, this was his time to squash all of his "haters" and critics. Instead, he's gained more of each, and in some cases, deservedly so. Scoring 8 points in Game Four showed a complete lack of heart. That performance was his first single-digit scoring performance in over four years, and it came at a time when he should've been having his best performance in four years. When questioned after both Game Three and Game Four, LeBron insinuated that he was allowing Dwyane Wade to be "the guy." This was a convenient reason given the results of each game. But, had that game plan been one that was discussed before the series started, it's probably one that we all could've bought as legit. Instead, we got the performances, followed by the "reason" for the performances. Put two and two together here.
Thursday morning, a rumor began circulating that LeBron's Game Four performance came because of a lack of focus. That lack of focus was apparently caused by something off the court. Regardless of what this may have been, it shows his inability to compartmentalize outside situations and take control of things on the court, as a true leader would do. Instead, he decided to defer to the other stars on his team...not in the way of delegation, but moreso in the way of pacification. He chose to take himself out of the mix, and it cost his team a game. After the game, as a result of his passive approach, he chose to put much more undue pressure on himself for Game Five, tweeting that "It's now or never." What the Heat got was a slightly better version than the Game Four LeBron, but still a shell of what a leader should be.
And the result? A long flight back to Miami with the likelihood of being sent home as the 2011 NBA Finals Runners-Up after Game 6, and an off-season to contemplate what you actually want your legacy to be. The question is whether or not LeBron has the heart to change that legacy. At this point, that doesn't appear likely.
This NBA Finals was supposed to be LeBron's coming-out party. He made his bed by "taking his talents to South Beach," and this was the time he was supposed to sleep in that bed. Unfortunately for Heat fans, LeBron is showing why his Cavaliers teams of the past always came up short at the end. When you look back at championship teams led by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, what you saw was an unwillingness to accept defeat. Their drive and their heart carried their teams to multiple championships, not just one. And, aside from Kobe's first three titles with the help of Shaquille O'Neal at his side, neither Jordan or Kobe had multiple superstars to play with. LeBron has two in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And what we're seeing from LeBron is more of a stance of "I'll take a back seat to let you two be the stars." That's not the attitude of a champion.
Yes, champions are unselfish. Champions know when to delegate. But champions also know when it's time to take over and ensure victory. With all the scrutiny placed on LeBron this season, this was his time to squash all of his "haters" and critics. Instead, he's gained more of each, and in some cases, deservedly so. Scoring 8 points in Game Four showed a complete lack of heart. That performance was his first single-digit scoring performance in over four years, and it came at a time when he should've been having his best performance in four years. When questioned after both Game Three and Game Four, LeBron insinuated that he was allowing Dwyane Wade to be "the guy." This was a convenient reason given the results of each game. But, had that game plan been one that was discussed before the series started, it's probably one that we all could've bought as legit. Instead, we got the performances, followed by the "reason" for the performances. Put two and two together here.
Thursday morning, a rumor began circulating that LeBron's Game Four performance came because of a lack of focus. That lack of focus was apparently caused by something off the court. Regardless of what this may have been, it shows his inability to compartmentalize outside situations and take control of things on the court, as a true leader would do. Instead, he decided to defer to the other stars on his team...not in the way of delegation, but moreso in the way of pacification. He chose to take himself out of the mix, and it cost his team a game. After the game, as a result of his passive approach, he chose to put much more undue pressure on himself for Game Five, tweeting that "It's now or never." What the Heat got was a slightly better version than the Game Four LeBron, but still a shell of what a leader should be.
And the result? A long flight back to Miami with the likelihood of being sent home as the 2011 NBA Finals Runners-Up after Game 6, and an off-season to contemplate what you actually want your legacy to be. The question is whether or not LeBron has the heart to change that legacy. At this point, that doesn't appear likely.
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