Biggest choke in history?

[Golden_Rhino]

A few years ago the New Orleans kicker (Carney??) missed a PAT after the Saints scored a miracle touchdown that had like 12 laterals on the last play of the game. They needed to win to make the playoffs. I remember thinking how it must suck to be a Saints fan today. To go from total elation like that to total despair. (I went through something similar when the Packers gave up the 4th and 26).

[TheNoodleMan]

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nobody cited the 2000 Blazers-Lakers meltdown.

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Very good one. I think the Blazers got off easy because the Lakers turned into a dynasty.

[CardSharpCook]

oh, god yes. That was horrible.

[EricW]

What about Nick Anderson in the finals when his Magic played against the Rockets?

[tailspin4540]

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What about Nick Anderson in the finals when his Magic played against the Rockets?

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Yeah, that was 1995. The worst part about that was after he missed the first two free throws, he got his own rebound! He gave himself a chance to make up for it, and then he promptly missed the next two. He was never the same after that.

Speaking of the Rockets, how about John Starks's 2 for 17 performance for the Knicks in Game 7 of the '94 Finals? (Made even worse because he absolutely shot the lights out in Game 6.)

[tuq]

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What about Nick Anderson in the finals when his Magic played against the Rockets?

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Yeah, that was 1995. The worst part about that was after he missed the first two free throws, he got his own rebound! He gave himself a chance to make up for it, and then he promptly missed the next two. He was never the same after that.

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It wasn't the fact that he missed that resonates with me, it's how badly he missed them. Going from memory - I don't think I've seen the shots since - he had the form of someone with a hot potato in his hands. No rhythm, shot quickly, and missed BADLY. I don't think any of those even scared the cylinder, and up to that point in his career he was a good FT shooter.

Of course, history may have forgotten this had Kenny Smith not then buried a three to tie it and the Rockets gone on to win that game in OT.

[BTirish]

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Are you guys all under the age of 21 or something?

The OBV answer is the Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Oilers playoff game.

(And the Bills did it with a backup QB)

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I was 9 when this happened. My grandma and I decided to go to Luby's at half-time, feeling pretty good about the Oilers, leaving my father alone to watch during half-time and the start of the 3rd quarter. When we got back mid 4th quarter, I was dumbfounded. I was convinced for years that it was somehow my fault that they lost.

[legend42]

Jana Novotna in the 93 Wimbledon final should at least be mentioned. Up 4-1, 40-30 serving in the third set vs. Graf, and she completely fell apart. Doesn't seem like that huge a meltdown on the surface, but if you watched the match, it was a textbook choke job. Three double faults in her next service game (she couldn't even toss the ball right), missing easy volleys, an overhead smash that hit the back wall, etc. Just painful to watch.

A couple years later she blew a 5-0 third set lead to Chanda Rubin in the French Open.

[DrewDevil]

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[ QUOTE ]
What about Nick Anderson in the finals when his Magic played against the Rockets?

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Yeah, that was 1995. The worst part about that was after he missed the first two free throws, he got his own rebound! He gave himself a chance to make up for it, and then he promptly missed the next two. He was never the same after that.

[/ QUOTE ]
It wasn't the fact that he missed that resonates with me, it's how badly he missed them. Going from memory - I don't think I've seen the shots since - he had the form of someone with a hot potato in his hands. No rhythm, shot quickly, and missed BADLY. I don't think any of those even scared the cylinder, and up to that point in his career he was a good FT shooter.

Of course, history may have forgotten this had Kenny Smith not then buried a three to tie it and the Rockets gone on to win that game in OT.

[/ QUOTE ]

Kenny Smith's shot was dubbed "The Breath of Life" by a Houston sportswriter and is one of my favorite sports moments ever. After Anderson missed the 4th consecutive FT, Houston called time out, then inbounded to Smith, who made a leaning, double-clutch three with two men in his face at the buzzer, sending the game into OT.

[SL__72]

Does anyone remember the commercial Van de Velde was in a couple months later where he played the hole again using only his putter and got a 6?