Greatest Game 7s in Sports Since 2000

Few things in sports can rival a Game 7. The obvious implications—win or go home—are enormous, while the intense emotion and fear of defeat can be suffocating.

With so much on the line, these all-or-nothing settings can define careers and give birth to some of the most iconic performances in sports history.

In some cases, stars become legends, while others are left to shrivel up and choke on the pressure-packed moments.

Between it all, our hearts yearn for the drama and often skip a beat, or two, when it’s delivered.

In Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed a historically dynamic duo and laid the foundation for yet another Los Angeles dynasty. Meanwhile, the Blazers still haven’t fully recovered.

In the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Boston Bruins used Game 7 to conclude one of the all-time craziest sports roller coasters, overcoming a three-goal deficit to advance but only after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

And, more recently, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner proved to be one of baseball’s greatest postseason pitchers, using Game 7 as his exclamation point.

So, with these classics and more in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 greatest Game 7s in sports since the year 2000.

Some of the games had more riding on them than others, but they all taught us the very same lesson: In sports, when it’s all on the line, anything can happen.

Close, but No Cigar

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Adam Wainwright has had plenty of big wins, none bigger than 2006's Game 7.

Though we've singled out a top 10, there are numerous other Game 7s worthy of mention. With these in mind, then, here is our list of honorable mentions: 

• 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinal, Canucks-Blackhawks
• 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinal, Flames-Canucks
• 2004 ALCS, Red Sox-Yankees
• 2006 NLCS, Mets-Cardinals
• 2008 ALCS, Red Sox-Rays

2000 Western Conference Finals, Lakers-Blazers

Depending on who you are, this game was either one of the most thrilling or excruciating experiences of your sports life.

Was it a monumental collapse, comeback or both?

Behind a sensational 30-point performance from Rasheed Wallace, Portland held what should have been an insurmountable 15-point fourth-quarter lead.

From there, though, the wheels fell off the visiting Blazers, who watched their lead evaporate thanks to 13 consecutive missed shots.

Once the Lakers got rolling, they morphed into a runaway train, both down the stretch and beyond—Los Angeles went on to win the next three NBA championships.

And, on that night, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal gave us just a glimpse of what was to come and did so in truly iconic fashion.

2001 World Series, Yankees-Diamondbacks

Quite simply, this game had it all.

With 9/11 casting an emotional shadow, two of the game’s elite pitchers—Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens—took to the mound in search of a world championship.

It’s worth noting that the Yankees had won four of the previous five titles but were largely outplayed through the first six games, surviving off Tino Martinez/Derek Jeter heroics late in Game 4 and off Scott Brosius magic in Game 5.

But, in unbelievable fashion, Game 7 overshadowed both.

The Yanks once again used the long ball to battle back—this time, an Alfonso Soriano homer off Schilling gave New York a 2-1 lead—before the improbable happened.

In the bottom of the ninth, the great Mariano Rivera made a monumental mistake, misplaying a bunt that would set up Luis Gonzalez’s incredible walk-off single.

The Diamondbacks didn’t just shock the Yankees to win a world championship; they put the nail in New York’s dynastic coffin.

2002 Western Conference Finals, Lakers-Kings

Ask any Kings fan—and some neutral spectators—and they’ll tell you that, if not for historically poor officiating in Game 6, there’d have never been a Game 7.

Whether that’s true is a topic for another day.

Either way, the two-time defending champion Lakers found themselves pushed to the brink, traveling to Sacramento with a third-consecutive finals appearance on the line.

The final chapter had it all.

On the Sacramento side of things, there was the heroic and the horrid.

Mike Bibby carried Sacramento all night, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds and four assists. But Chris Webber and the rest of the Kings struggled in regulation before choking in overtime, failing to score in the game’s final two minutes.

On the other side of things, the Los Angeles stars shined as bright as ever. All five starters scored at least 13 points, while Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for a whopping 65, making up for a bench that managed just five points all game.

Sacramento’s overtime struggles stole drama away from the game’s final few seconds but weren't enough to obscure all that previously transpired.

The Kings fell just short in what was clearly the franchise’s best chance to win a title, while one of the NBA’s all-time great duos—Kobe and Shaq—delivered legendary performances en route to a historic third-consecutive championship.

2003 AL Championship, Red Sox-Yankees

This game represents perhaps the best of a whole truckload of classic Red Sox-Yankee moments.

With rivalry, pride and a trip to the World Series on the line, New York found yet another way to come out on top, thanks to the unlikeliest of heroes.

In the bottom of the 11^th, with the game tied 5-5, Yankee whipping boy Aaron Boone got the best of veteran Tim Wakefield, driving his unpredictable knuckleball well beyond the left field wall.

The moment was made-for-movie dramatic, and so was what transpired in the moments to follow: Look closely at the replay, and you’ll notice Mariano Rivera piously bent over on the mound, as if wholly indebted to the baseball gods.

2006 Western Conference Semifinals, Mavericks-Spurs

For the Mavs, a once-promising year—which included a 60-win regular season—looked all but over. They had blown a 3-1 series lead, and then, in the all-important Game 7, allowed the Spurs to battle back from a 20-point deficit.

But even with all the momentum squarely in San Antonio’s corner, Dirk Nowitzki would not be denied.

With his team trailing by three and less than a minute to play, Nowitzki tied the game on a clutch and-1 layup and then forced overtime with an equally significant block on Tim Duncan's game-winning attempt.

Once they got to overtime, the Nowitzki-led Mavs completely took over, outscoring the Spurs 15-7 en route to an emotional win.

It’s worth noting that the game was also buoyed by two legendary performances.

Tim Duncan contributed 41 points and 15 rebounds to the San Antonio effort but came up short, thanks in large part to Nowitzki, who went off for 37 points and 15 rebounds of his own.

2009 Eastern Conference Semifinal, Hurricanes-Devils

With a one-goal lead and less than two minutes remaining in the final period, New Jersey had all but punched its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, especially with the great Martin Brodeur in net.

Unfortunately for New Jersey, Carolina had other things in mind.

With just one minute, 20 seconds to play, the Hurricanes used some nifty passing to find the back of the net, tying the game 3-3.

It was a momentum-killing goal for the Devils to be sure, but one they were certain they’d overcome in overtime.

But, as Lee Corso loves to say, "Not so fast!"

Roughly one minute later, with just :31 to play in regulation, Eric Staal stunned Devils everywhere, beating Brodeur with a vicious slap shot and sending Carolina to the conference final via the 4-3 victory.

2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal, Flyers-Bruins

With a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, Boston used home ice to its fullest advantage, taking a commanding 3-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the game.

But in hockey, no lead is safe, which Philadelphia had already proved, battling back from a 3-0 series deficit to force the all-important Game 7.

And by the midway point in the second period, the Flyers had already done it again, knotting the score up at 3-3.

Both teams were threats over the next 20-plus minutes, but it was Simon Gagne who completed Philadelphia’s comeback bid, scoring the game-winning goal with 12:52 to play in the third.

Thanks to 22 saves from Michael Leighton, the seventh-seeded Flyers hung on late to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they faced another unlikely participant in the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.

2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, Bruins-Maple Leafs

This one may not have been for all the marbles, but that doesn’t negate the drama it delivered.

We should first acknowledge that this game never even takes place if Boston doesn’t first blow a 3-1 series lead.

The Bruins did, however, and also trailed 4-1 late in Game 7.

But when it comes to sports, we all know one thing by now: Anything can happen.

With all the momentum in the world firmly in Toronto’s corner and next to nothing going Boston’s way, the tide inexplicably turned.

The Bruins cut the deficit to two roughly halfway through the third period, and then, in legendary fashion, they pulled their goalie and scored twice more in the game’s final two minutes.

With destiny finally on Boston’s side, Patrice Bergeron did it again (he also scored the game-tying goal in regulation), sealing the deal in overtime with a dramatic series-clinching goal.

To better understand it all, check out the emotional Jack Edwards on the final call.

2013 NBA Finals, Heat-Spurs

In this series, Game 6 gets all the glory—and for good reason—but Game 7 was a classic in its own right.

LeBron James went crazy, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to win his second-consecutive NBA title.

It was no easy task, however.

Throughout the battle, neither team led by more than seven points, and the game was tied on 11 occasions.

Fans were biting their nails late, too.

Down by two with less than a minute to play, Tim Duncan—who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds—found daylight and a quality look but missed it, as well as a follow-up attempt right under the hoop.

From there, it was all King James.

On the very next play—with the Spurs begging him to settle from the outside—James nailed a jumper to give his team a four-point lead. He then followed that up with a steal and two made free throws, ensuring victory and yet another NBA title. 

For his incredible yearlong efforts, James became just the third player in league history to win Finals MVP and regular-season MVP in the same season on more than one occasion.

2014 World Series, Giants-Royals

We had to reach deep into the history books to find this one—all the way back to October 2014.

Of course, context is everything here: This game makes the list not just for what transpired in Game 7 but for what took place in Game 5 as well.

In one of baseball’s all-time postseason performances, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner threw nine brilliant innings of four-hit, shutout baseball, handing his Giants the victory and a 3-2 series lead.

So when the Royals won Game 6 and forced a Game 7—which was to be played just three days after Game 5—an important question arose: How many innings can San Francisco get out of its ace on only two days of rest?

Many argued none, some said two and a few went as far as to suggest three.

But no one could have predicted what happened next.

With the Giants clinging to a 3-2 lead, manager Bruce Bochy called Bumgarner’s name sooner than anyone anticipated, turning to his ace at the start of the fifth inning.

While most were sure he jumped the gun, Bochy’s decision was really a stroke of genius.

Bumgarner proceeded to throw five more innings of two-hit, shutout baseball, again delivering his team victory on a silver platter.

The effort concluded a dramatic Game 7 but, more importantly, put an exclamation point on the pitcher’s historic postseason play.

In the end, Bumgarner didn’t just win the Giants a third championship in five years; he cemented his spot among baseball's all-time great playoff performers.