Most Dramatic Sports Moments of the Week

This past week was a momentous one in the sports world, with the culmination of two seasons coming on back-to-back days.

The NHL and NBA both concluded their seasons this past week with respective Game 6 victories by the Chicago Blackhawks and Golden State Warriors. But there was also some supplementary action from other sports to provide this week's drama.

Here are the most dramatic moments in sports from the past week.

USA Wins Group

Team USA was very solid, albeit not as spectacular as expected, during the group stage of the Women's World Cup.

After a 0-0 tie against Sweden, the Americans needed a victory to guarantee that they would win Group D and receive a favorable spot in the round of 16.

Who else but Abby Wambach found the back of the net on a beautiful volley right before half time after a few great chances were missed earlier in the match.

Nigeria pushed in the second half, and the game got very physical as it went on, but the USWNT held down the fort and won 1-0.

Mets' 2-Out Rally in Extras

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Toronto Blue Jays had been on fire, winning 10 games in a row, before they ran into the pesky New York Mets on Monday night.

It seemed like the Mets were going to escape with a win in the ninth inning, but the Jays kept their streak alive with a run in the top of the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.

Toronto followed that up with another run in the top of the 11th, and it looked like they were on their way to an 11th straight victory with two outs in the bottom of the 11th.

Lucas Duda and Wilmer Flores hit back-to-back singles, knocking in the tying and winning runs, respectively, which gave New York the 4-3 walk-off win.

Curry Takes over Game 5

The MVP had been disappointing heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but Stephen Curry came up big when his team needed him most.

With the series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers tied up at 2-2, Curry dropped 37 points, including seven three-pointers, to put his team back on top.

There were an incredible 20 lead changes in the game, with plenty of physicality punctuating the desperation of both sides as they fought all night.

The Warriors eventually pulled ahead late, winning 104-91, but the final score is misleading. This was a heck of a dramatic game.

Golden State Wins It All

In the end, the Golden State Warriors were just too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers to handle in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James did everything he could to slow down Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson, but there was simply too much firepower from Steve Kerr's squad.

Golden State jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and stayed mostly in control for the rest of the game, thwarting multiple comeback attempts in the second half from the Cavs.

Curry and Iguodala both dropped 25 points to lead the Warriors, while Draymond Green had his best game of the series to propel his team to a 105-97 victory. It was Golden State's first title in 40 years.

Castro Hits Another Walk-off

Starlin Castro was the hero in Chicago for the second straight night after he led the Cubs to an 11th-inning win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Anthony DeSclafani and Jon Lester were both spectacular on the hill, and the game went into extras tied at 1-1 with only a few hits for each team on the scoreboard.

Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan ripped a double in the bottom of the 11th, and Castro followed that up with a single that won Chicago the game 2-1.

Chicago Wins Late in Game 5

The first four games of the Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning had been incredibly close, and neither team seemed to get a real edge. 

Game 5 was more of the same, with the score being tied going into the third period after a first-period goal from Chicago's Patrick Sharp and a second-period tally from Lightning forward Valtteri Filppula.

Both Ben Bishop, who was nursing a mystery injury, and Corey Crawford were spectacular in net all night.

But two minutes into the final period, Blackhawks center Antoine Vermette put home a rebound to give Chicago a 2-1 lead that they fought desperately—and successfully—to hold for the rest of the game.

Blackhawks Win Another Stanley Cup

The Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning had fought neck-and-neck for the first five games of the series, but in Game 6, the Blackhawks' talent and experience really surfaced.

They controlled the game from start to finish, getting goals from Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane while shutting out Tampa Bay 2-0.

There were some great storylines here as well, including that of 40-year-old Kimmo Timonen—a possible Hall of Famer acquired by Chicago at the deadline who won his first-ever Stanley Cup in his final season—and the seven players who have been a part of each of Chicago's three Stanley Cups in the past six seasons.

Dodgers Win on Walk-off Balk

Thursday night's contest between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers may not have been the most action-packed game, but it sure was a dramatic and weird one.

Dodgers hurler Zack Greinke and Rangers righty Anthony Ranaudo pitched well, neither team could get the bats going and the game went into the ninth inning tied at 0-0.

Rangers rookie reliever Keone Kela walked the first two hitters, and then a double-play ball got Kike Hernandez from second to third base.

Hernandez then pretended to take off from third and got Kela to panic and balk, which let Kela jog home for the winning run and gave LA the 1-0 victory.