#3 Vince Carter wins the 2000 dunk contest
It'll be a long time yet before I forget how hurt I felt when Vince Carter messily divorced the Raptors in 2004, but I'll always have my memories of happier days. You can taint them in hindsight, but you can't take away the magic they once held.
Carter's dominance of the dunk contest at the top of the millennium was a spectacle that's still spoken of today. Some call Vince the best dunker of his time, and finally, the Toronto Raptors could claim that one of their own was the very best. There hasn't been a great deal of success for the young franchise, and other than a playoff series win in 2001 (also courtesy of Vince), this would probably be the #1 moment for most Raps' fans.
My favourite part is 7:57, where Michael Keaton looks on in amazement. That's right, even Beetlejuice is awe-struck!!
Come on, you had to know it was coming, right? Buffalo fans, clutch tightly to your memories of January '93, because moment #4 is that controversial old favourite.
In the dying seconds of the wildcard match against the Bills, the Titans held a 16-15 disadvantage as they fielded Steve Christie's kickoff from the 25-yard line. The rest is automatic in the minds of Titans fans: Lorenzo Neal hands the ball to Frank Wycheck. Wycheck heads to his right, pivots, and piffs the ball across the field to Kevin Dyson, who takes it the rest of the way, untouched. To the naked eye, the trajectory of the pass is nearly impossible to determine. Is it a legal lateral? Or did it go forward, rendering the play dead? Bills fans will always attest it to be the latter, but the officials upheld the play. Titans win, and go all the way to the Superbowl. Unfortunately, in that Superbowl, the magical moment would happen to the wrong team...
#5 2006 Rose Bowl
As a change of pace, this one wasn't achieved by a team I follow, though it did hold serious connotations for the Tennessee Titans. For me, this game was basically all about Vince Young. If the Longhorns won, Vince would declare himself eligible for the NFL draft, where the Titans, with pick #3, were in position to take him. Should the USC Trojans win, Vince had indicated he would go back to Texas for his senior year. The Titans couldn't be certain to hold that lofty a position in the draft, and likely would have taken Matt Leinart instead. Titans wanted Vince, they wanted this.
And it just may have been the most exciting game I have ever watched, college, pros, or otherwise. The Trojans were likely the better team overall, but Vince Young was a man among boys. Sure, he had some help along the way, but without him, it wouldn't have even been close. Then, on 4th and 5, Vince dashes with the ball into the endzone, securing a national championship for the Longhorns.
Texas wins, Vince is drafted by the Titans, and is cut five seasons later. But hey, two out of three ain't bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment