10 Most Surprising Playoff Wins Since 2000
Welcome to Upset City: a place where teams come in and shock the world on a recurring basis. As sports fans, upsets fuel our passion. Seeing underdogs walk away with a victory always makes for compelling, riveting television.
Using the year 2000—shout out to Conan O'Brien—as a starting point, we picked out 10 of the most surprising playoff wins.
Touching elements of football, basketball—college and professional—and baseball, we've laid the foundation for some perennial upsets. Start the slideshow to find out what teams made the list.
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
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The New York Giants destroyed fate when they came into Super Bowl XLII and upset the previously unbeaten New England Patriots.
As a point of reference, New England scored 589 points during the regular season. That's an average of 36.8 per game. The Giants on the other hand scored 373 points and finished behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East that season.
Pegged as wild-card underdogs, Big Blue thrived on an intergalactic level of greatness. They battled on the road the entire time, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in consecutive fashion.
All of that led to a 17-14 defeat of a team that averaged 36.8 points per game just a few months earlier. A defeat that will go down as one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
2006: George Mason vs. UConn
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College basketball is one sport that always produces monumental upsets. In 2006, George Mason continued that storied tradition by dethroning the Connecticut Huskies.
UConn was listed as the No. 1 seed. It was a well-rounded club that could handle the rock and score without problems—thanks to Rudy Gay. On the opposite spectrum, George Mason was a gritty team trying to make its way through the NCAA tournament.
When the two teams met, George Mason withstood all the Huskies had to offer. It trekked on thanks to a big heart and timely shooting.
The 86-84 victory was surprising to say the least. It elevated the program in the eyes of every college basketball fan around.
2003 World Series: Florida Marlins vs. New York Yankees
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Pitching wins championships. The 2003 Florida Marlins can attest to that.
Thanks to the arms of Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and Carl Pavano, the Marlins were able to push the New York Yankees to six games during the World Series. The massive, engulfing payroll of the Yankees wasn't enough to keep the young Marlins down.
Beckett and his crew rolled through the Bronx Bombers, taking the series 4-2. Their celebratory ways set the standard for small-market teams in the coming years. They proved that the art of great pitching and defense could culminate with a World Series ring or two.
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2007: Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks
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A No. 8 seed never beats a No. 1 seed, right? Tell that to the pre-Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors.
Before Curry shot his way to an MVP trophy and changed the way we look at this franchise, the Warriors were a rowdy bunch of scorers. Tied together at the hip by Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, Golden State worked its way into the 2007 NBA playoffs.
It would go on to face the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks who had just finished with an NBA-best 67 wins. Few expected the Warriors to put up a fight, but their head coach—and former Mavericks czar—Don Nelson had other plans.
The Warriors exploded out of the gate, taking Game 1, 97-85. Dallas would battle back to even the series, but it couldn't contain the energy that spilled out of that organization. Winning the series 4-2, Golden State will always be able to say it achieved the impossible.
2011: Virginia Commonwealth vs. Kansas
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VCU's magical run during the 2011 NCAA tournament will go down in the history books. Shaka Smart's Rams came in as an eighth seed and proceeded reach the Final Four.
Their biggest win had to be over the Kansas Jayhawks. Battling a program that is universally recognized as one of the top performers in the nation, VCU brought it all.
The key to the shocking upset was VCU's ability to outwork the Jayhawks at every turn. When the buzzer finally sounded, brackets were busted and the Rams were moving onto the next round behind a 71-61 final score.
Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots vs. St Louis Rams
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The New England Patriots aren't always the receiving end of stunning losses. In fact, during Super Bowl XXXVI they pulled off a huge upset.
Going up against the St. Louis Rams in the early 2000s wasn't fun. Kurt Warner was carving up defenses like a fresh rotisserie chicken, and Marshall Faulk was sprinting all over the place.
Leading up to Super Bowl XXXVI, the Rams offense was clicking. The 14-2 record they posted during the regular season was tops in the NFL.
The Patriots, on the other hand, finished 11-5 and were operating under the control of second-year pro Tom Brady. That unlikely scenario somehow turned into a colossal upset.
Behind a strenuous defensive effort and Adam Vinatieri's leg, the Pats walked away with a 20-17 victory, shocking the NFL and Rams fans along the way.
2007: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat
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The Chicago Bulls beating the Miami Heat in 2007 was surprising for one main reason: They somehow swept a team fueled by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.
A young group of talent composed of Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon meshed together quickly and stunned the more experienced Heat in four games.
Then-Heat head coach Pat Riley was left picking up the pieces after he watched his first Miami dream team crumble just one season after it won the 2006 NBA Finals.
2012: Norfolk State vs. Missouri
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As improbable as it sounds, a No. 15 actually came into March Madness and took down a No. 2 seed.
This 15th seed was none other than the Norfolk State Spartans. Thanks to the efforts of star player Kyle O'Quinn, the Spartans flipped the tables on Missouri. His 26 points and 14 rebounds proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome.
Norfolk State joined an exclusive club that season, being one of only seven No. 15 seeds to upset a No. 2 seed in tournament history. It doesn't get much bigger than that.
2004: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
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The Boston Red Sox's curse-shattering 2004 season was almost wiped away by the New York Yankees. During the American League Championship, the Yankees abruptly stormed out to a 3-0 series lead.
Logically, when a club like the Yankees wins the first three games of a series, odds are the opposing club is in a whole bunch of trouble.
But by the baseball god's will, the Red Sox were able to fight their way back and take the next four contests. That startling comeback was so anti-Red Sox at the time. All of the woes that plagued them for years suddenly were gone.
Winning that particular series felt like they had removed the "Curse of the Bambino." After that, all it took was four games to seal the deal against the St. Louis Cardinals.
2013: Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown
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The Showtime Lakers of the '80s were reborn in 2012. Except these Lakers weren't located in Los Angeles. They blossomed out of a small school in Florida.
Florida Gulf Coast University was responsible for one of the most entertaining runs in the lengthy tenure of the NCAA tournament. The high-flying aerial assault began when the Eagles laced the Georgetown Hoyas in front the world.
FGCU went out and alley-ooped its way to freedom all game long. Those antics combined with a rattling defense led to a 78-68 upset.
Like Norfolk State a year earlier, FGCU was a No. 15 seed and Georgetown had the pleasure of being slotted as a No. 2 seed. It sure was lovely to see history repeat itself no more than a year later.
All statistics and game information via Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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