The Most Clutch Performances Since 2000
When the pressure's really on, many of the world's elite athletes have a knack for coming through with their best and most clutch performances.
While most ordinary athletes shy away from the brightest spotlights on the biggest stages, true superstars use these settings as inspiration to reach their competitive peaks.
And over the last 15 years, sports fans have been fortunate enough to witness some of the all-time greatest athletes during their most legendarily clutch moments.
In 2008, for example, Tiger Woods sank multiple do-or-die putts to take home a third U.S. Open title, all while golfing on just a single leg.
On the baseball diamond, in a strikingly similar fashion, Curt Schilling memorably pitched through pain and a bloody sock in 2004 to lead his Boston Red Sox past the New York Yankees and, eventually, to a World Series championship, their first in 86 years.
And finally, on the gridiron, no one will ever forget Vince Young's one-of-a-kind performance in the 2006 Rose Bowl, where he won Texas a national title by single-handedly dismantling one of the most prolific teams in college football history.
With these remarkable outings in mind, we've compiled a lengthier list of similarly dramatic moments, doing our very best to highlight the 15 most clutch performances since 2000.
In so doing, we took a few factors into consideration, including the size of the stage, the quality of the performance in total—one shot can be clutch...hello, Robert Horry...but not clutch enough to make our list—as well as the extent to which the performance was necessary in producing a favorable outcome; we valued a prolific performance in a competitive contest far more than one in a lopsided affair.
That said, we also made a few minor exceptions along the way—you'll have to continue reading to find out for whom—sidestepping a rule here and there so that, in the end, we were confidently left with what were unquestionably the 15 most clutch performances of the last 15 years.
Of course, if we somehow managed to leave someone out, feel free to kindly let us know.
Close, but No Cigar
1 of 16
Though we've confined our prestigious list to just 15 clutch performances, there are plenty of others worth recognizing. This, then, is our clutch list of honorable mentions:
- Josh Beckett—Game 6, 2003 World Series
- Eli Manning—2012 Super Bowl
- Chicago Blackhawks—2013 Stanley Cup
- Jameis Winston—2014 BCS National Championship Game
- Tim Howard—2014 World Cup vs. Belgium
- Russell Martin—2014 Wild Card Game
- Joe Flacco—2013 Super Bowl
- Ray Allen—Game 6, 2013 NBA Finals
- Shane Battier—Game 7, 2013 NBA Finals
- Paul Hamm—2004 Summer Olympics
- Derek Fisher—Game 5, 2004 Western Conference Semifinals
- Robert Horry—Game 4, 2002 Western Conference Finals
- Kevin Harvick—2014 win at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Johnny Manziel—2012 victory over Alabama
- Roy Halladay—Game 1, 2010 NLDS
- Albert Pujols—Game 3, 2011 World Series
- Tre Mason—2013 SEC title game
- Mateen Cleaves—2000 NCAA title game
- Carmelo Anthony—2003 NCAA Final Four
- Cardale Jones—2015 Final Four, 2015 College Football Playoff
- Ezekiel Elliot—2015 Final Four, 2015 College Football Playoff
Freese on Fire
2 of 16
David Freese picked the absolute best time—Game 6 of the 2011 World Series—to play his best and most clutch baseball.
With his Cardinals trailing the Rangers in both the series—three games to two—and the game—down 7-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth—Freese came alive.
At the time, everything was on the line, with Freese trailing in the count, just one strike away from elimination.
Then, in an instant, with just a single clutch swing of the bat, the baseball world was turned on its head.
A Freese two-out triple drove in two runs to tie the game, 7-7, and force extra innings, where Freese would again play the part of hero.
This time—in the bottom of the 11th inning with the score tied, 9-9—Freese ended things for good, leading off the inning with a 428-foot bomb to center to win the game and force a Game 7.
And, as we all know by now, the Cardinals went on to win that Game 7, while Freese was deservedly named World Series MVP.
Newton Sinks Tide
3 of 16
In 2010, Cam Newton led Auburn to a national championship and perfect 14-0 record.
But, if not for an incredibly clutch performance by Newton in Week 12, neither of the aforementioned accomplishments would have ever been realized.
Sporting an 11-0 record, Newton and the boys traveled to Tuscaloosa in late November to take on the then-No. 9-ranked Crimson Tide.
Early on, though, nothing went Auburn's way; a porous Tiger defense spotted Alabama what seemed like an insurmountable 24-0 first-half lead.
In fact, at the time, no team had ever overcome a deficit so large when facing the mighty Tide.
That, of course, was about to change.
In a second half that was as memorable as it was historic, Newton was unleashed, avoiding turnovers while tossing two touchdowns—including the game-winner—and running for another.
In leading his Tigers to a clutch, come-from-behind 28-27 victory, Newton helped them accomplish something no other team had done before, and did so on the road, in the most hostile and pressure-packed of environments no less.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
McGrady Heats Up
4 of 16
As previously established, in most cases, the clutch performances we're highlighting occurred on the biggest of stages, in the most important moments or games.
For Tracy McGrady, however, we've made an exception.
Simply put, T-Mac's clutch feat was just too insanely prolific to ignore, regular-season game or not.
It was December 9, 2004, and McGrady's Rockets found themselves in an inescapable hole, trailing the Spurs, 76-68, with less than 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
In truth, though, those who counted out the Rockets were really just underestimating the magic of McGrady.
In the game's final 35 seconds, the dynamic scorer caught fire like never before, scoring an astonishing 13 points, including four three-pointers.
Ortiz Saves the Day
5 of 16
Regardless of sport, nothing in 2004 was as exciting and memorable as Boston's ALCS come-from-behind series win over the Yankees.
The Red Sox, however, never would have managed to overcome a 3-0 deficit—Boston became the first team in baseball history to do so—if not for the extraordinary, momentum-turning play of David Ortiz.
And, for the purpose of this article—and in the name of general thoroughness—we've combined Big Papi's clutch play from both Games 4 and 5.
In the first, with his team on the brink of elimination, Ortiz singlehandedly extended the series to a fifth game, blasting a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to give his Sox the 6-4 win.
Then, the very next night, the two teams once again found themselves knotted up and in extra innings, and once again, Ortiz delivered in the clutch.
This time, he came to the plate with the score tied, 4-4, in the bottom of the 14th inning, and rather than a home run, he used a walk-off single to center to save the day and give Boston the 5-4 victory.
Thanks to a clutch Big Papi, the Red Sox battled back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 6, and in the process, they gained enough confidence to go on and win the series in truly historic fashion.
Of course, Boston eventually won a much-needed World Series title that year as well.
Papi's performance was about much more than two monumental hits; it was about the historic comeback they inspired as well as the championship opportunity they subsequently provided.
The Wonders of Wade
6 of 16
In recent history, Dwyane Wade has put forth a number of memorably clutch performances, and for that reason, we won't limit ourselves here to just one.
The first went down in the 2003 NCAA Elite Eight, when Wade was still in college and suiting up for Marquette.
Leading his Golden Eagles into a tough matchup against a heavily favored No. 1 seed Kentucky, Wade took the opportunity to introduce himself to America like never before.
On the day, he'd turn in a one-of-a-kind performance, which included 29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and four blocks, in addition to jaw-dropping plays like this one.
Of course, thanks to Wade's timely stardom, Marquette pulled the major upset, 83-69.
As a result, when a bigger, more mature Wade led the Miami Heat all the way to the NBA Finals just three short years later, few were surprised.
But early in the series, the Heat dug themselves into a champion-sized hole, from which only Wade could rescue them.
Trailing Dallas two games to none and down by 13 points with just six minutes to play in Game 3, Miami found itself in a now-or-never predicament.
Yet, just like he had for Marquette three years prior, a clutch Wade came to the rescue, lifting his Heat from elimination's grave.
To be exact, the reliable superstar scored 15 of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter alone and—despite sharing the floor with a mammoth Shaquille O'Neal—led the Heat with 13 rebounds as well.
To top it all off, when Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki had the chance to either tie or give his team the lead on the game's final possession, Wade came up huge once again, picking the German star's pocket to ensure the Miami victory, 98-96.
More importantly, Wade's stellar play in the necessary comeback win—which, for Dallas, was completely heartbreaking—totally transformed the complexion of the series, which Miami went on to win in six games.
The Legend of Lezak
7 of 16
When most people think about swimming in the year 2008, the name Michael Phelps usually comes immediately to mind.
And really, that isn't too surprising; after all, the guy won a record eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics. Of course, for that reason, he too could have very easily made our list.
Instead, though, we've chosen to focus on the legendarily clutch performance turned in by the far more unassuming Jason Lezak, without whom Phelps would have never won the eighth.
The 2008 Olympic performance we're referencing took place in the 4x100-meter relay, for which Lezak served as the U.S. team's trusted anchor.
But when he finally entered the pool to finish off the race, American hope for gold seemed all bust lost; with only 100 meters left to swim, Lezak trailed Alain Bernard—who, at the time, was the world record holder in the 100—by nearly a full body length.
In absolutely miraculous fashion, Lezak dug into the deepest depths of his soul to turn in a truly historic performance—his split of 46.06 was the fastest in 100-meter freestyle history—and ultimately conquer the Frenchman by the closest margin in the history of the event.
From a statistical standpoint, Lezak's swim was about shocking and clutch as a swim can get.
More importantly, from a purely emotional standpoint, it's one that continues to inspire chills to this very day.
Leaning on Luongo
8 of 16
It might have taken Vancouver all of seven games to escape the Dallas Stars in the 2007 Western Conference quarterfinal, but none was more important or thrilling than its win to start the series.
More specifically, Game 1 was an absolutely riveting four-overtime classic, which the Canucks stole in the end, 5-4.
We use the word "stole" because Vancouver was more than fortunate to get the win and, in truth, would have lost going away if not for goalie Roberto Luongo, who turned in one of the most clutch performances in the history of hockey.
Though he has since been harshly criticized for his lackluster postseason play, the Canadian goalie performed at a legendary level in what was his professional playoff debut.
Sure, he gave up four goals on the night, but that number pales in comparison to the 72 shots Luongo somehow managed to save from the back of the net. By the time the final horn sounded, the battle-tested goalie had faced more shots than any in modern hockey history and was just one save away from tying Kelly Hrudey's 73-save playoff record set in 1987.
In the end, on one of hockey's biggest stages, a clutch Luongo actually saved a whole lot more than 72 shots; he saved his team, too.
Tiger's Last Triumph
9 of 16
As an athlete mostly known for his historically clutch play, it's only fitting that Tiger Woods' last major win—the 2008 U.S. Open—was arguably his most clutch too.
He entered the tournament at Torrey Pines short on practice and hobbled by an ailing left knee but, as Tiger so often did, managed to hang around the top of the leaderboard through four grueling rounds of golf.
When he finally approached Sunday's 18th and final green, Woods found himself trailing Rocco Mediate by just one stroke, and with a 12-inch putt to tie. To no one's surprise, with absolutely everything on the line, Woods came through with one of the biggest shots in his prolific career, draining the putt in all-time dramatic fashion to force an 18-hole playoff.
There, Tiger struggled to distance himself from a pesky Mediate, and in fact once again trailed the journeyman by a stroke heading to the 18th green. Of course, like a scene pulled straight out of the film Groundhog Day, Woods again sank the pressure-packed putt, this time forcing sudden death.
This time, in the all-or-nothing, do-or-die setting, Woods quickly disposed of Mediate, taking the first hole by a stroke to capture his third career U.S. Open title.
But while his back-to-back must-make birdies were clutch enough to warrant Tiger a spot on our list, his outing became all the more legendary when just two days later, Woods revealed that he had been playing the entire time with a stress fracture in his left tibia, which would force him to miss the remainder of the 2008 season.
After the fact, the remarkable performance—which was realized while playing on just one leg—inspired Woods himself to call the win his "greatest ever championship."
Curry Crushes Hoyas
10 of 16
By now, we've come to expect nothing but greatness from NBA superstar Stephen Curry.
Curry, however, wasn't always a household name.
Suiting up for an often overlooked team from Davidson, he received little notice in the beginning of his college career.
That, of course, all changed when the flashy guard grew and blossomed as a college sophomore.
Averaging a gaudy 25.5 points per game, Curry was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year, though his true coming-out party didn't occur until later in the season, when his team went to battle with the Hoyas in the second round of the 2008 NCAA tournament.
With his 10th-seeded Wildcats facing a significantly more talented No. 2 seed from Georgetown, Curry and Davidson got off to a predictably slow start, trailing by 11 at halftime—with Curry scoring just five points in the first 20 minutes—and by as many as 17 in the second half.
But, as only the most clutch players can, Curry turned his switch to beast mode when his team needed him the most, exploding for a ridiculous, "he's on fire" 25 second-half points.
In the end, the always reliable Curry refused to be stopped, connecting on six of his last nine shots to lead Davidson to a monumental come-from-behind win over a stunned Georgetown, 74-70.
Rose Bowl Magic
11 of 16
Heading into the 2006 Rose Bowl, the USC Trojans were considered to be among the top teams in college football history, riding an impressive 34-game win streak.
Led by two Heisman Trophy winners—Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush—in addition to a Pete Carroll-coached defense, the Trojans entered the game as heavy favorites over an accomplished, but less talented team from Texas.
In a major way, though, analysts and fans had grossly underestimated the rare talent possessed by a Longhorn named Vince Young.
But with one of the greatest and most clutch performances anyone had ever seen, Young would teach everyone outside of Austin a valuable lesson.
On the unforgettable night, the dynamic quarterback would prove unstoppable—both on the ground and in the air—throwing for 267 yards while running all over the Trojans as well, to the tune of 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Most importantly, with Texas trailing by five—38-33—and his offense facing a fourth down with just 19 seconds remaining in the game, Young "clutchly" delivered once again, scampering a glorious eight yards for the game-winning score.
Last-Minute Landon
12 of 16
For the great Landon Donovan, we make yet another minor exception. Though his clutch "performance" really boiled down to just one single play, the play itself was simply too extraordinary to leave off of our list.
Fittingly, it needs very little explanation.
With the U.S. men's national team clinging to its 2010 World Cup life—it needed a win over Algeria to advance to the knockout round—the revered captain came through with arguably the most iconic play in the history of American soccer.
In a tied game with only seconds remaining in stoppage time, Donovan refused to be denied, bullying his way to a goal that was as important as it was unthinkable.
If you just simply watch the one-of-a-kind moment, there's really nothing left for us to say.
Schilling Bleeds and Leads
13 of 16
Earlier in our Tour of Clutch, we highlighted the significant role one David Ortiz played during Boston's unlikely comeback victory over the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
We'd be remiss, however, if we didn't also spotlight the great Curt Schilling and, more specifically, his epic performance in Game 6.
After trailing New York three games to none, Boston won Games 4 and 5 in dramatic extra innings, setting up an enticing matchup between Schilling and Jon Lieber in an all-important Game 6.
As most know by now, Schilling answered the bell in a major way; he not only pitched, but also did so brilliantly, allowing just four hits and one run in seven complete innings.
Of course, the game-winning performance was made all the more remarkably clutch when you consider that Schilling performed splendidly despite playing with a torn tendon, and in a blood-soaked sock.
Thanks to Schilling's iconic determination and the 4-2 victory, Boston went on to win Game 7 and, after that, its first World Series in 86 years.
Tribute to the King
14 of 16
Just like with Dwyane Wade, there's no way we can limit our LeBron James discussion to just one clutch performance.
Instead, we will explore The King's two most dynamic showings, beginning with Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.
With Cleveland and Detroit—which had made two of the last three NBA Finals—tied 2-2 in a physical and equally competitive series, the Cavs needed a monster game from their leader to break the tie.
And a monster game they got.
Single-handedly carrying his team like no player had before, James became an insanely clutch one-man wrecking crew, scoring his team's final 25 points, and 29 of Cleveland's last 30.
The King finished his heroic outing with 48 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and he eventually led Cleveland past Detroit and to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Five years later—in 2012—James once again found himself back in the Eastern Conference Finals, this time playing for the Miami Heat and facing the Boston Celtics.
With his team on the brink of elimination in a Game 6 on Boston's intimidating home floor, James knew it was his job to carry the Heat, and he once again delivered a historically clutch performance.
With King James in its corner, Miami had little to worry about in the end; he once again swallowed the stage whole, erupting for 45 points—on 19-of-26 from the floor—in addition to 15 rebounds and five assists while leading Miami to a 98-79 victory.
In hindsight, the seminal performance had a far-reaching, over-the-hump impact for James, as he not only eluded Boston in a subsequent Game 7, but also captured his first-ever NBA title less than one month later.
Bumgarner Buries Royals
15 of 16
In 2014, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner took the sports world by storm.
During the year, Bumgarner made 40 appearances and threw 270 innings, posting a 2.98 ERA and an 18-10 record.
However, it was in the World Series—in three mind-numbing performances—that Bumgarner truly shone. In total, with his team’s playoff fate and championship aspirations on the line, the lefty threw 21 innings, struck out 17 batters, registered two wins and saved a Game 7, all while posting an absurd 0.4 ERA.
First, Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year dominated the Royals in Game 1, ensuring his Giants had an early series lead after giving up just one run in seven impressive innings.
Of course, he was only warming up.
Next, in Game 5, Bumgarner was virtually unhittable yet again, throwing nine more brilliant innings of four-hit shutout baseball to hand his Giants yet another easy victory.
Finally, in truly miraculous fashion—on just two days of rest—the 6’5”, 235-pound beast defied all odds, came out of the bullpen in an all-important Game 7 and proceeded to throw five more innings of two-hit shutout baseball, registering the longest save in World Series history while delivering his Giants another world championship.
When all was said and done, on baseball's biggest of stages—and in just a single seven-game series—Bumgarner contributed not one, not two, but three all-time clutch performances.
Tebow the Terrific
16 of 16
Just like a few of the other exceptional athletes on our list, Tim Tebow's clutch play cannot be confined to just a single performance.
His college career was filled with clutch—most notably in a win over Alabama in the 2008 SEC title game—while his epic and equally clutch 12-game run with Denver in 2011 shocked and captivated the sports world like never before.
In truth, more than maybe any athlete ever, Tebow personifies clutch. Athletes like Michael Jordan and Joe Montana were great in big moments, but they were equally great during the little ones, too.
No one, though, has ever elevated his game under pressure quite like Timmy. From unwatchable to unstoppable in what seemed like an instant, Tebow transformed and transcended in the moments that mattered most.
In Week 7, for example, Miami held Tebow and the Broncos scoreless for a full three quarters. That, of course, was before Tebow awoke late in the fourth, when he threw two out-of-nowhere touchdown passes in the final 2:44 of the game to lead Denver to an 18-15 victory.
Two weeks later—this time against Oakland—No. 15 again bounced back from mostly average play to throw for two more touchdowns while leading yet another late Denver rally, which included two Tebow-led fourth-quarter scoring drives and a win over the Raiders, 38-24.
From there, Timmy T reeled off another five consecutive wins—four in come-from-behind fashion, including two in overtime—with a Week 11 miracle run against the Jets highlighting it all.
Of course, with so much clutch play packed into roughly half a season, Denver managed to recover from a Kyle Orton-inspired 1-4 start to make the playoffs, where Tebow stunned the big bad Steelers in the first round with yet another insanely clutch moment.
In the end—before falling to New England the following week—Tebow took us all on an unforgettable, never-before-seen ride.
And while he may be out of the league today, when he was in it, no one was as clutch.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
