Biggest Sports Chokes and Collapses of 2016

2016 will largely be remembered by sports fans for the numerous chokes and collapses that happened throughout different competitions. 

The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, and those three losses turned the Warriors into an internet meme that will live on long after 2016 comes to a close. What's ironic is that it's become forgotten how Golden State erased a 3-1 deficit of its in the Western Conference Finals before becoming a punchline of jokes tossed out there by fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Cleveland became the city of champions in 2016 thanks to multiple teams and an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, but local fans experienced an all-too-familiar feeling when the Cleveland Indians failed to win the World Series. One could argue Holly Holm should still be a champion in the UFC. Jordan Spieth will forever be linked with the epic collapse he suffered at the Masters this past spring. 

Monumental chokes and collapses stick in the memories of sports fans for various reasons. Perhaps it has something to do with the thrill of victory being matched by the agony of defeat. A positive for each of the teams and athletes who suffered chokes and collapses this year is that all can recover and notch memorable victories in 2017. 

Who among these 10 will have the best year over the next 12 months? 

England National Team

Ariel Schalit/Associated Press

As Paul Hayward of the Telegraph explained, the England national team choking on a major stage is hardly a surprise these days. That doesn't excuse England losing 2-1 to Iceland at the 2016 European Championship, a result Phil McNulty of BBC Sport referred to as one of the "darkest moments" in the country's football history. 

Iceland started a squad made up of players largely unknown to casual followers of the sport. England, on the other hand, featured a team of recognizable stars. Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Chris Smalling and Daniel Sturridge were just some of the names on the England team sheet that fateful night. 

They couldn't prevent England from losing both a 1-0 lead and the match. 

Manager Roy Hodgson parted ways with the national team after the contest, the only acceptable outcome following such a disgraceful defeat. Younger players who will called to join the England squad before Euro 2016 will, in the future, need to prove Hodgson and his tactics, not the athletes on the pitch this past June, failed the national team. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Oklahoma City Thunder blew a 3-1 lead. 

This didn't become an internet meme. Truth be told, some casual fans out there probably forget Oklahoma City held a 3-1 advantage over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. 

Oklahoma City appeared almost destined to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals this past spring. The Thunder eliminated the San Antonio Spurs in stunning fashion in six games, to the point it seemed we watched Tim Duncan pass the figurative torch to Kevin Durant by the end of that series. Oklahoma City then beat Golden State in three of four contests to come within a victory of the Finals. 

The Thunder ultimately choked and collapsed in a trio of elimination games. 

Losing to Golden State cost Oklahoma City more than just a shot at a title. In the aftermath of the collapse, 2013-14 NBA MVP Kevin Durant left the club to sign with the Warriors in July, signaling the end of an era for the Thunder. 

Perhaps Durant would still be with the Thunder had the club defeated the Warriors. 

Michigan State Basketball

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

This one still stings for those who tossed their brackets away the first day of the 2016 NCAA tournament. 

The Michigan State Spartans began the tournament as a No. 2 seed that seemingly had a reasonable road all the way to the Final Four. Michigan State losing to lowly Middle Tennessee State, the No. 15 seed in the bracket, was unthinkable at the start of the game for those of us who penciled Michigan State into the round of 32 without giving it much thought. 

Middle Tennessee didn't just defeat Michigan State—the Blue Raiders never looked back after jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Middle Tennessee likely would've blown Michigan State out if not for a Michigan State run that lowered the deficit to 41-35 at halftime, but the favorites failed to even the score before the final whistle. 

Michigan State lost, 90-81. 

As ESPN.com's Matt Draper wrote, only six perfect brackets remained among the many millions filled out on the company's website. Mike Rutherford of SB Nation called Middle Tennessee's win over Michigan State the biggest upset in the history of the tournament. 

Michigan State probably beats Middle Tennessee 95 out of 100 times in regular-season play, but the Spartans collapsed under the big lights of the tournament and in front of a national audience. 

Michigan Football

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

The Michigan Wolverines gave a win and an opportunity to play for a national title away to the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 26. 

Michigan outplayed its rival for much of the contest played at Ohio Stadium, but the visitors ultimately couldn't overcome the costly mistakes they made throughout the afternoon. Quarterback Wilton Speight tossed a pick-six from his own end zone in the second quarter, and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker intercepted Speight late in the third quarter of the contest. 

That second interception, one that occurred when Michigan held a 17-7 advantage, changed the course of the game. Ohio State obtained possession at the Michigan 13-yard line following the pick, and the Buckeyes turned the turnover into seven points. 

We, of course, cannot discuss this game without mentioning the controversial fourth-down play that occurred in overtime. It seemed Michigan's defense stopped Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett short of the marker on a 4th-and-1 play, but the officials awarded Barrett with the first down. The Buckeyes went on to score a touchdown to win the game, 30-27.

"That was not a first down," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters following the contest, per Jim Naveau of the Daily Advocate. Harbaugh should realize that one play doesn't change the fact his offense gifted Ohio State too many points in what was his team's biggest game of the season. 

Tottenham Hotspur

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

It must be noted Tottenham Hotspur probably weren't winning the 2015-16 Premier League this past May. Tottenham notching a victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on May 2 wouldn't have prevented Leicester City from clinching the title later that same week, and the Foxes defeated Everton 3-1 at home on May 7. 

None of that erases Tottenham's choke versus Chelsea or the club's collapse that occurred at the end of the season. 

As Aimee Lewis of BBC Sport explained, Tottenham jumped out to a 2-0 lead before halftime after both Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min hit the back of the net. Spurs then lost their cool, as both Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele got involved in altercations with opposing players.

Those scuffles seemingly served as motivation for the Chelsea squad, as the hosts scored a pair of goals after the break to level the match and, in the process, help clinch the championship for Leicester. 

This was only the beginning of Tottenham's collapse. Spurs dropped their final two contests of the season to fall to third in the league table behind rivals Arsenal. 

Holly Holm

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Holly Holm should've retained her UFC bantamweight championship versus Miesha Tate this past March. 

Per the MMA Junkie staff, Holm held a 38-37 advantage on each of the judges' scorecards heading into the fifth and final round. At worst, Holm would've retained her title via a draw had she lost the final round 10-9 in the eyes of even two of the judges. While Holm didn't know that, for sure, at the start of the fifth round, those watching the UFC 196 main event at home and in the arena could've guessed she was up by at least a point following the first 20 minutes of action. 

For whatever reasons, though, Holm chose to actively engage Tate and look for a definitive victory either by knockout or submission. This decision backfired, as Tate tackled Holm to the ground after Holm attempted a right hook. Tate eventually locked in a rear-naked choke, and Holm was rendered unconscious after she refused to tap out. 

Tate deserves credit for taking advantage of the moment, but Holm could and should have avoided being in such a precarious situation in the first place. Holm lost to Valentina Shevchenko this past July, and it's currently not known if the 35-year-old will ever again receive an opportunity to fight for UFC gold. 

Cleveland Indians

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

As Andrew Lynch of FoxSports.com pointed out, the Cleveland Indians blowing a 3-1 lead to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series is not exactly like the Golden State Warriors blowing the same lead this past June. 

For starters, the Cubs are now the sixth team in history to cancel a 3-1 deficit to win a World Series. Unlike the Warriors, the Indians weren't the best club in their league at the start of the postseason. In fact, the Cubs entered October with the best overall record in baseball. 

In all actuality, the Cubs should've won the World Series this past November. 

With all of that said, the Indians still suffered a heartbreaking collapse when you consider where the club sat four games into the World Series. Cleveland proved it could win at Wrigley Field, and the Indians held home-field advantage in two of the last three games of the series. The Indians even managed to score three runs in the eighth inning of Game 7 to eliminate a three-run Chicago lead. 

Cleveland came up short nevertheless, and thus their loss must be considered a choke and a collapse. 

Carolina Panthers

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers played in the Super Bowl earlier this year. 

It feels as if that game occurred a lifetime ago, as the 2016 Panthers are a mess. Carolina sits at 4-8 after a 40-7 loss to division rivals the Seattle Seahawks. That occurred in front of a national television audience on the night of December 4, and the club is one loss away from being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, per Matthew Stevens of Panthers Wire. 

Carolina's awful record tells only part of the story of the team's sudden and unexpected collapse. What was a menacing defense a season ago is now one incapable of intimidating even average offensive attacks. Quarterback Cam Newton went from being NFL MVP to an individual benched for a series after he violated the team's dress code, as Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today explained. 

Carolina allowing All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman to sign with the Washington Redskins last offseason was obviously a mistake, but losing one player shouldn't result in the complete downfall of a roster. The Panthers have a lot of soul-searching to do between this holiday season and next summer. 

Jordan Spieth at the Masters

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Passionate golf fans will remember where they were when they watched Jordan Spieth collapse on the 12th hole of the Masters on the final day of this year's competition. 

I remember that afternoon like it occurred yesterday. Spieth held a five-shot lead after the ninth hole, and I believed my wife and I had enough time to make a short walk to a restaurant in time to see the 23-year-old accept the green jacket. Things went terribly wrong for Spieth even before we sat down in our seats, and his dreadful afternoon went from bad to historically awful in less than an hour. 

SB Nation's Mark Sandritter provided an excellent timeline of Spieth's epic collapse, a downfall that hit its full stride at the 12th hole. Spieth shanked his tee shot, he twice hit balls into Rae's Creek and was ultimately forced to settle for quadruple bogey. 

One almost can't help but feel sorry for Danny Willett. Willett, unlike Spieth, made the necessary shots on the final day of the tournament en route to winning the Masters, but his name is somewhat lost to history. We'll remember the 2016 edition of the Masters more so because of Spieth's collapse than for Willett's triumph. 

Willett will always have the title and the green jacket, and nobody can take those away from him. 

Golden State Warriors

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Golden State Warriors became the first team to ever blow a 3-1 lead in an NBA Finals, and that loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers continues to hover over the franchise. You can find jokes about it on social media outlets such as Twitter just about every day.

As FoxSports.com's Pete Blackburn explained, the Cavaliers somewhat trolled the Warriors with their championship rings. Opposing teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, per the CSN Bay Area staff, apparently take joy in reminding the Warriors of the three losses they experienced this past June. 

Golden State set a record when the club won 73 regular-season games in 2015-16, and that accomplishment may be why the team's inability to win one of the last three contests of the NBA Finals evolved into internet memes and jokes offered by sports talk radio personalities.

The Warriors failed to ignore or miss the snark about their famous loss, per Andrew Joseph of USA Today, as Golden State forward Draymond Green took to Twitter to comment "Man 3-1 sucks" after the Cleveland Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series. 

Who could've guessed, back on January 1 of this year, 3-1 would become the most dangerous lead in sports?