We are on the home stretch of this list. These plays, in my opinion, are just about the best of the best. The most meaningful. Or the most clutch. Here are the three that just missed proverbial podium placement.
6. The Kick Six (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9o2n09sSHc
Remember back in Part 2, where I chronicled “The Prayer at Jordan Hare”? Well, as I said, there was another event that completely overshadowed it. It’s the “Kick Six” game. No. 1 overall Alabama faced No. 4 Auburn in the 78th Iron Bowl, and a berth in the BCS national championship was on the line. SB Nation does a great “Rewinder” episode on this play, so I’ll spare you the minute details.
Auburn had ridden a magical season led by the Gus Bus in head coach Gus Malzahn, who was looking to get his first win against legendary Crimson Tide coach, Nick Saban. As with all three of Malzahn’s win over Alabama, the running back was the difference-maker on offense for Auburn. Tre Mason gashed the Tide defense for 164 yards, and quarterback Nick Marshall rushed for almost 100 yards as well.
Alabama was still in a position to win the game late with a long field goal, but the kicker couldn’t get it there (again, if you want to see the full story behind the play, watch the SBNation video). Chris Davis fielded the kick, and the rest was history. CBS broadcaster Vern Lundqvist called the return “an answered prayer.” The Auburn radio call adds to the majesty of the moment, as people began to storm the field following the Davis touchdown. Rod Bramblett, may he rest in peace, provided the best call escorting Davis to end zone.
“Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn’s going to win win the football game! Auburn’s gonna win the football game! He ran the missed field goal back! He ran it back 109 yards,” Bramblett said, as Auburn exploded into noise and Alabama fans slumped back in disbelief.
5. Sergio Aguero wins Man City the Premier League (2012)
It wouldn’t be the best sports moment of the decade list without a couple of moments from soccer, and so we go overseas to find the No. 5 moment on my list. Manchester City and Manchester United have a deep and bitter rivalry, but similar to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, one has way more titles to show for their enmity.
In the Manchester Derby’s case, United was looking in 2012 to win their 20th Premier League trophy, while Man City was still searching for its first since 1968 and just their third win overall in the top league of English football.
Man City was trailing Man United by eight points with six matches to play, but five straight wins wiped out the deficit and gave City the goal differential lead heading into the final day. Man City faced Queen’s Park Rangers, a team about to relegated, while Man United squared off against Sunderland simultaneously, with both teams at home.
QPR took a 2-1 lead into stoppage time, and as Man United beat Sunderland 1-0 thanks to Wayne Rooney’s first-half goal, Man City’s title hopes looked to be dashed. Man City needed a win, not just a tie. Edin Dzeko equalized in stoppage time, but City still needed a winner. In the 94th minute out of 95, an injured Aguero drove to the net and buried a Premier League winner in front of a delirious home crowd. Martin Tyler’s call went down in EPL annals as well.
“AGUEROOOOOOO!!! I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again,” Tyler said. “So, watch it. Drink it in.”
4. Ray Allen sends Game 6 of the NBA Finals to OT (2013)
Ray Allen has the most three-pointers made in NBA history, but his biggest shot came towards the end of his career. Trailing 3-2 in the 2013 Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat needed a win to send the series to a decisive seventh game and still have a shot at their second straight title.
The Heat were down five with 30 seconds to go when Gregg Popovich decided to take out star center Tim Duncan so the Spurs could switch on all screens. With Miami still down three with less than 20 seconds left, LeBron James took a three from the wing that rimmed out, but Chris Bosh got the rebound over the smaller defender, a rebound Duncan could’ve had.
Bosh looked around for options and noticed Allen leaking out towards the corner. Bosh hit Allen with the pass, and Allen, as he had so many times in his career, hit a big three, this time to tie the game with 5.2 seconds left. The rest, of course, is history, as the Heat went on to win the game and the series.
This was the swansong of a great NBA career, and this shot perhaps derailed another late dynasty the Spurs could’ve built, as well as sent LeBron back to Cleveland when he decided that the Heat were played out following the Spurs’ avenging Finals win over Miami in 2014.
Stay tuned for my top three.
