The best part of a new year is it’s a fresh start from everything that happened the previous year. Not to say that 2007 wasn't great, but it had its highs and lows, especially when it came to the world of sports. We saw records being broken, dynasties established and underdog stories that touched your heart. But we also had scandals that rocked the sports world in a way that I have never seen before. So MTO Productions came up with our top ten, take it as you want but we are proud to present: our top ten BEST moments from 2007. Enjoy:
1) The New England Patriots complete a perfect 16-0 season.
-I never thought something like this would ever happen. A NFL season is just too long and unpredictable and after watching the Broncos in 1998 and the Colts a few years ago, the idea of an undefeated season just seemed preposterous. But if anyone could motivate his team to do it, it’s Bill Belichick. Armed now with Randy Moss and MVP Tom Brady, the Patriots were tested, but always found ways to win. And that's what good teams do. The question now becomes can they win in the playoffs and complete a 19-0 run that would be the greatest in NFL History? Until then, all we can do is wait and see.
2) Appalachian State's historic win over Michigan in Ann Arbor
-At the beginning of the year, this looked like one of those cupcake match ups where Michigan would just annihilate their opponent. But the Mountaineers dominated most of the game and blocked a game winning field goal to upset the Wolverines in "The Big House." It's been called one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
3) The Colorado Rockies win 21 of 22 including 7 straight to make it to the World Series
-Leave it to the Rockies to throw off the NL playoffs. Colorado came all the way back with two weeks to go in the season and tied San Diego on the last day of the season prompting a one game playoff. Going into the bottom of the 13th down 2 runs, the team rallied against Trevor Hoffman and Matt Holiday scored the winning run on a controversial "tag" of home plate. They then went on to sweep both Philadelphia and Arizona on their way to their first World Series.
4) Boise State's "Statue of Liberty" play to win the Fiesta Bowl and upset Oklahoma
-Many people said Boise State didn't deserve to be in a BCS bowl game. After all, they do play in the WAC and going undefeated in the conference doesn't really seem that hard to most sports fans. But the Broncos faced a huge test going against Bob Stoops and Oklahoma. Coach Chris Petersen went into his bag of tricks ending the game on a two-point conversion Statue of Liberty play to win 43-42 in overtime.
5) Roger Federer wins three majors for the third time in four years
-With 12 majors now, the question is no longer WILL Roger Federer break Pete Sampras's all-time grand slam singles record, but more like WHEN will it happen? I'm predicting in Wimbledon later on this year.
6) Indianapolis Colts win the Super Bowl
-For a long time Peyton Manning was compared to Dan Marino; great quarterback, just chokes in the playoffs and can't win the big one. In Manning's case, his demons were the New England Patriots who constantly prevented the Colts from ever winning the AFC. Going into this game the Patriots had won 5 conference championship games in a row that they played in and were going for number 6. That is, until 2007. Manning and the boys finally won a thrilling 38-34 come from behind victory and sent the Colts on their way to their 1st super bowl championship since moving to Indianapolis where they would go on to defeat Chicago 29-17. The monkey was finally off his back and Peyton Manning was now a Super Bowl Champion and MVP.
7) Florida Gators go back-to-back in basketball and win NCAA football title too.
-I was lucky enough to get to see Florida’s 2006 National Championship against UCLA simply because the game was at the RCA Dome and I bought tickets from a friend. A team that I thought was the underdog coming in simply overmatched UCLA in every aspect of the game and won 73-57. Even with all 5 starters coming back, I still didn’t have the Gators repeating because it’s a long season and the idea of returning to the championship game seemed preposterous to me. But Florida in a lineup that included Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green, not only repeated, they dominated once again and Billy Donovan and Florida had their 2nd straight national title, the first team to do so since 1991-1992 when Duke did it. If that wasn’t good enough, the football team led by Coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Chris Leak THUMPED Ohio State 41-14. Now Florida held both the Men’s basketball and football championships in the same year. It is something that has never been done, congratulations to them.
8) The incredible transformation of Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics
-It’s funny how a public’s perception of a coach changes as soon as the team starts winning. For Doc Rivers, last season could not have gone any worse. The Celtics “tanked” games at the end of the season and finished 24-58, which included an 18 game losing streak. The hope was they would get a top 2 lottery pick and hopefully draft either Kevin Durant or Greg Oden. Instead, the Celtics got the #5 pick. Given the vote of confidence from Danny Ainge the team went out and traded for All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Suddenly, everyone’s opinion changed. Now standing at 27-3 and the best record in the NBA, the suddenly “hopeless” Boston Celtics and their coach Doc Rivers look like championship contenders. Only time will tell.
9) San Antonio Spurs win another title and establish themselves as a dynasty
-The definition of a dynasty according to the dictionary is “a family or group that maintains power for a long period of time.” The San Antonio Spurs may just be the next NBA Dynasty. Like the Bulls who won 6 championships in the 1990s, the last one being in 1998 with Jordan’s heroics in Game 6, the Spurs are the new version. With 4 championships since 1999 and a group of players who play like a team more than a bunch of individuals, one can only wonder how great this team can really be. With a squad that includes All-Stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, as long as everyone stays healthy, it would be a mistake to bet against them.
10) Golden State Warriors defeat Dallas Mavericks to become first #8 seed to beat a #1 in a best of seven series
-Admit it. Unless you're from Dallas and a lifetime Mavericks fan, you had to be impressed by what Golden State did. Considered a bunch of thugs because of the type of players that make up the team, most people thought that Avery Johnson and Dallas would win this one easily. Leave it up to Baron Davis and company to change all that. The Warriors eliminated the Mavericks in five games and became the first #8 seed to beat a #1 in a seven game series. Golden State would go on to lose in the second round against the Jazz but established themselves as a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.
That's all for today. Look forward to tomorrow and the Top Ten Worst Moments of 2007.
Picture courtesy of: http://www.sportstraveler.net/media/patriots.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment