The Best Games/Series of the 2000's

As the decade draws to a close, The Wizard of Sports compiled a list of the best games or series of the past decade in sports. It would be difficult to definitively rank the top 30 on this list against each other, thus the top 30 games/series that follow are listed in no particular order:

1. NBA – Lakers defeat Kings, 4 games to 3, 2002 Western Conference Finals




2. College Football – USC 34, Notre Dame 31, October 15, 2005





3. MLB – Yankees defeat Red Sox, 4 games to 3, 2003 ALCS

4. Tennis – Andre Agassi defeats Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5, 2006 US Open 2nd Round: While there wasn’t a championship on the line, this match had as much drama as any match during the 2000’s. This was Agassi’s final tournament and the crowd did all that they could do to will Agassi to victory in what would be the final win of his distinguished career. With the electric atmosphere of a night match at the US Open and a formidable opponent in Baghdatis, this match became an instant classic. At 4 -4in the 5th set, the players contested a wild game with 8 deuces.



5. College Basketball – Illinois 90, Arizona 89 (OT), 2005 NCAA Tournament Regional Final



6. College Basketball – Arizona 96, Gonzaga 95 (2OT), 2003 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

7. MLB –Rockies 9, Padres 8 (13 innings), 2007 NL Wild Card Tiebreaker

8. NFL – Patriots 32, Panthers 29, Super Bowl XXXVIII, February 1, 2004

9. Tennis – Rafael Nadal defeats Fernando Verdasco, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 2009 Australian Open Semifinals

10. NHL –Maple Leafs defeat Islanders, 4 games to 3, 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals : While this first round NHL playoff series may not be remembered by a lot of people, I can tell you that this series was an easy choice to make this list. The Islanders were playing in their first playoff series in 8 years and their fans packed Nassau Coliseum to create one of the loudest and intense environments I had ever witnessed. The Maple Leafs had one of the dirtiest teams ever assembled with Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi, and Shayne Corson issuing cheap shots and picking fights throughout the series and that helped make this a classic series. These 2 clips give you a great idea of what this series was all about:





11. College Basketball – West Virginia 111, Wake Forest 105 (2OT), 2005 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

12. MLB – Diamondbacks defeat Yankees, 4 games to 3, 2001 World Series

13. Tennis – Todd Martin defeats Carlos Moya, 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6, 6-2, 2000 US Open 4th Round

14. College Football – Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (OT), 2007 Fiesta Bowl

15. Golf – 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, Champion: Tiger Woods, Runner-Up: Rocco Mediate

16. Soccer – United States 3, Portugal 2, 2002 World Cup 1st Round

17. College Basketball – Syracuse 127, Connecticut 117 (6OT), 2009 Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

18. Tennis – Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7, 2008 Wimbledon Championship

19. College Football – Arkansas 50, LSU 48 (3OT), November 23, 2007

20. NBA – Lakers defeat Pacers, 4 games to 2, 2000 NBA Finals

21. College Football – Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT), 2003 Fiesta Bowl

22. Soccer – Italy 1, France 1, (Italy wins shootout 5-3), 2006 World Cup Final

23. Golf – 2004 Masters: Fan-favorite Phil Mickelson finally wins his first major championship after years of near-misses, draining an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge out Ernie Els by one stroke. The back nine of the final round was filled with high drama and high quality golf.

24. NFL – Patriots 16, Raiders 13 (OT), AFC Divisional Playoffs, January 19, 2002: This game would not have been nearly as memorable as it turned out to be if it hadn't been played in a blizzard. The snow, the drama, and the Tuck Rule controversy all combined to make this one of the iconic games in NFL history.

25. MLB – Red Sox defeat Yankees, 4 games to 3, 2004 ALCS

26. MLB – Rays defeat Red Sox, 4 games to 3, 2008 ALCS

27. NBA – Warriors defeat Mavericks, 4 games to 2, 2007 Western Conference 1st Round

28. NHL – Penguins defeat Capitals, 4 games to 3, 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals

29. NFL – Steelers 21, Colts 18, AFC Divisional Playoffs, January 15, 2006

30. College Basketball - Gonzaga 109, Michigan State 106 (3OT), 2005 Maui Invitational : The average sports fan might scoff at a regular season college basketball game being on this list, but this game was so fantastic and well played that it definitely merits a place on this list. Adam Morrison was the star of the show with 43 points in a game that had countless lead changes and a dramatic buzzer-beating 3 pointer from Michigan State at the end of regulation to force overtime.

Things That Annoy Me

I wanted to get up a quick post regarding a few things that have really annoyed me in sports this fall:

• 4th Down Interceptions : Anyone who has even a basic knowledge of the game of football, knows that it often behooves the defensive team to knock down a pass on 4th down rather than intercept it. Unless there is a chance at a decent return of the interception, the defense will get better field position with an incomplete pass rather than an interception. This is not complex strategy yet I have seen numerous occasions during this football season, particularly in college football, where defensive backs intercept these 4th down passes down the field with very little chance at returning them past the line of scrimmage. I am not sure whether the reason for these 4th down interceptions is stupidity or selfishness, but it is very annoying to watch nonetheless. Equally irritating is the defensive back who gets his hands on a 4th down pass, does not come up with the interception, and then proceeds to react like he is so disappointed in himself for not securing the interception.


• Basketball fans who count down the final seconds of the shot clock/game clock too fast: I don’t understand why it is so difficult for fans to count down from 5 seconds to the buzzer at the correct pace, but I would guess that close to 90% of the time the crowd counts too quickly. I would estimate that the countdowns are usually anywhere from 0.5 to 1.0 seconds too fast, meaning that there is still at least a half second left when the fans reach the end of the countdown. Fans are often highly critical of players, yet they themselves can not even execute the simplest of tasks correctly.


• Basketball players who shoot desperation shots at the end of periods with time still left: Basketball players should have a mental clock in their head to know exactly how much time is left at the end of periods and exactly how far up the court they can go to get the best shot before time expires. Yet I so often see players bringing the ball up the court and chucking up a shot from halfcourt or beyond with plenty of time left to continue their dribble and get close to the 3-point line. Like the fans I described previously who count down too quickly, many players underestimate the length of a second. Coaches should be working on these end of game/period situations in practice, but it is obvious that some coaches do not spend time on this. Even great players are guilty of this offense; during last night’s Blazers-Knicks game Brandon Roy launched a shot from beyond 50 feet with around 3 seconds left on the clock at the end of the 3rd period when he easily could have reached the 3-point line to attempt a normal shot. Roy shot it so early that by the time his brick hit the backboard there was still time left on the clock. This is just a terrible basketball play.

• Teams wasting a foul to give at the end of a period: This is an NBA phenomenon that occurs when the defensive team hears they have a foul to give at the end of a period. Too many times in this situation the team just plainly gives up the foul without it serving any purpose. The foul is usually taken with at least around 3 to 5 seconds remaining with the offensive team in a non-threatening position. The offensive team still has plenty of time to get off a quality shot, but now the defensive team is susceptible to giving up a couple of free throws if they commit a non-shooting foul. The proper ways to use the foul to give are: play an aggressive defense and go for steals; or treat the foul as an insurance policy and only use it if your man has a step on you or beats you off the dribble or if the defense is in a compromising situation. Just because you have the foul to give does not mean you have to use it.
  

• The losing team running out the final seconds of the game by holding the ball: This may seem like a meaningless thing to get upset about, but it bothers me when at the end of a basketball game where the outcome has already been decided, the losing team holds or dribbles the ball for the final 10 seconds or so. The losing team should always shoot the ball in these situations and let the winning team dribble out the clock. The crowd usually salutes the winning team with cheers as the final seconds tick down and dribbling the clock out is like bowing after a good performance. It seems stupid if the losing team is the one doing the "bowing". Along the same lines, although this is probably exclusive to college basketball, I hate it when the guys at the end of the bench get into a blowout in the final minute and proceed to hold the ball or dribble the clock out. If you're playing in garbage time you should always continue playing right down to the buzzer, no matter if you are up by 40 or down by 40. These guys rarely get into the game so they should take full advantage of their precious few minutes. The losing team can not take offense if the last guys on the bench are still shooting with a 40 point lead; that is just the art of garbage time basketball.

• College basketball referees telling the guys on the bench to sit down: I never can understand why referees are so preoccupied about 5 or 6 excited players on the bench standing up during a pivotal moment at the end of a game. It's the biggest moment of the game and the referee is worried about bench guys standing up? Just officiate the game and let the kids be kids.