PowerPlay Magazine

The last few weeks have been very exciting with the addition of basketball to the PowerPlay Manager lineup.   Playing multiple games in one day and still learning / trying to understand the best approach for setting up tactics for each approaching game.  In the short time that we have been playing, I've seen several nail biting games occur and that has led me to recall some of the most memorable basketball game endings ever. 

For this article, I wanted to provide you with a glimpse into a few of the most memorable basketball game endings.  They are listed in reverse chronological order and all were wildly significant in one way or the other.  So here goes, my five most memorable endings in basketball history.

5) New Rochelle stuns Mt. Vernon (March 3, 2013)

The New York state Section I Class AA boys 2012-13 championship game was played in the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY.  Most of us did not see this game.   But, the last seconds were as memorable as it gets.  New Rochelle trailed the juggernaut, Mt. Vernon Knights 58-60 with just 2.9 seconds remaining.  The New Rochelle Huguenots were a dark horse to even play in this game, finishing regular season with a record of 12 wins and 9 losses.  While Mt. Vernon was playing for their eighth straight state championship and had only lost 1 game this season.  New Rochelle had trailed most of the game and needed a serious comeback in the last minutes to rally to this 2 point deficit with just 2.9 seconds on the clock.  The Huguenots multi-sport star quarterback made the half court pass that was intercepted, immediately hurled back towards him, another interception and a hail Mary heaved towards the basket as time expired finished this game. Click here to see the game ending.

4) Kentucky heading to the national championship game? (March 28, 1992)

Christian Laettner's buzzer beater as time expires breaks the heart of Kentucky Wildcat fans.  This game featured two storied coaches, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski & Kentucky's Rick Pitino.  Both teams featured star big men:  Kentucky was led by Jamal Mashburn and Duke by Christian Laettner.  The game featured a furious comeback by Kentucky who tied the game with around 30 seconds remaining in regulation.  Duke took the final possession of regulation and played for the last second win, but, Bobby Hurley missed the shot and the game went to overtime.  In overtime, both teams performed incredibly well as the game went back and forth in the overtime period.  Kentucky took the lead 103-102 with just 2.1 seconds remaining.  Those 2.1 seconds became a part of Duke basketball history.  Click here to see the game ending.

3) NC State shocks Houston in 1983 National Title Game (April 3, 1983)

In what some say is the greatest upset in NCAA tournament history, NC State's Lorenzo Charles took an errant shot and turned it into a slam dunk that provided the margin of victory and several images that have become mainstays in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament.  Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma was led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and was the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship.  Surprisingly, NC State controlled the game's tempo during the first half and led at halftime, 33-25.  The second half was dominated by Houston and NC State saw their lead disappear and quickly turn into a 7 point deficit.  But the Wolfpack fought back and with 1:08 seconds to go, the score was tied.  Houston's Alvin Franklin was fouled and missed the front end of a 1 and 1 from the charity stripe and the Wolfpack got the ball back.  After running the clock down, history was made.  Click here to see the game ending. 

2) Game 5.  Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns (June 4, 1976)

The game that many call the greatest game ever was a game that Boston Celtics fans will never forget and Phoenix Suns fans wish that they could.  This was a game that ended 128-126 and lasted three overtimes.  But, the ending that I remember is actually not the end of the game.  It was actually the end of the second overtime.  The game looked to be over as the clock wound down in that second overtime, but, a funny thing happened and click here to see the end of the second overtime.

1) The last 3 seconds (September 9, 1972)

The gold medal game in the 1972 Olympics placed a young USA team against a strong USSR team.  The United States had dominated Olympic play in this sport, but, for this game the Americans faced a strong challenge from the Soviet Union team.  This game is memorable not so much for the quality of the play at games end, but, more for the chaos and mismanagement of the game at this critical point in the game.  The game ended three times before the game was actually determined to be over.  The USA team had won the first two endings, however, after the final replay of those last seconds the USSR team had scored what would be the winning basket.  Click here to see a young Bob Costas discuss the issues and events of the ending of this epic game. 

Five endings have been presented, each leaving one team ecstatic and one team in disbelief.  Enjoy the video clips and feel free to add other most memorable moments to the list.  Here's hoping for a new memorable ending as this PPM season progresses.