Fansided

Columbus-Tampa NHL playoff series joins list of 20 greatest sports upsets

By Brad Berreman

Lake Placid, NY - 1980: United States team vs Russian team, competing in the Men's ice hockey tournament, the 'Miracle on Ice', at the 1980 Winter Olympics / XIII Olympic Winter Games, Olympic Fieldhouse. (Photo by ABC via Getty Images)
Lake Placid, NY - 1980: United States team vs Russian team, competing in the Men's ice hockey tournament, the 'Miracle on Ice', at the 1980 Winter Olympics / XIII Olympic Winter Games, Olympic Fieldhouse. (Photo by ABC via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Mandatory Credit: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images /

8. Columbus Blue Jackets over Tampa Bay Lightning-2019

Tampa entered the playoffs as the definitive favorite to win the Stanley Cup after tying the NHL record for victories in a season with 62. This is a team loaded with potential Hall of Fame players and all-stars. Yet the Lightning not only didn’t win a game in their opening series against Columbus, they were basically hammered in every game.

Columbus, a No. 8 seed with no history of playoff success, outscored Tampa 19-8 during the series. Tampa had some excuse when it lost two defensemen to injuries early in the series, but this still never should have been a contest. Well, in some ways, it wasn’t.

7. Golden State Warriors over Baltimore Bullets-1975

The Baltimore Bullets (60-22) were led by Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes, and the clear favorite in the NBA Finals over the upstart Golden State Warriors (48-34), led by Rick Barry. The best-of-seven series was a 1-2-2-1-1 format, due to the issues the Warriors had with being able to use their home floor.

Barry earned Finals MVP, as he averaged 35 points per game in the first three games of the series. A 96-95 win in Game 4, after coming back from an early 14-point deficit on the road, gave the upstart Warriors a shocking sweep of the Bullets. Golden State’s next championship would not come until 40 years later.

6. North Carolina State over Houston-1983

Chronicled well in the ESPN “30 for 30” Survive and Advance, N.C State’s run to the 1983 national title could have gone off the rails at multiple points. The Wolfpack seemed to be a “team of destiny”, with a few future NBA players (Thurl Bailey, Sidney Lowe) and coach Jim Valvano pulling all the right strings.

At “The Pit” in Albuquerque for the national title game, N.C. State would take on the “Phi Slama Jama” Houston Cougars, with their own future NBA star power (Akeeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler). But Valvano preached taking care of the ball, as foul trouble derailed Drexler and Olajuwon tired quickly at the altitude.

In the final seconds, Dereck Whittenburg heaved a shot that came up short. As everyone else froze, Lorenzo Charles caught the ball ad dunked it uncontested for a 54-52 N.C. State victory.

5. New England Patriots over St. Louis Rams-Super Bowl XXXVI

The Rams, led by Kurt Warner, were still “The Greatest Show on Turf” heading into Super Bowl XXCVI. The Patriots were the obvious underdog, led by some second-year quarterback named Tom Brady, with a formula to win (play good defenseforce turnovers, take care of/control the ball and take their chances).

New England led 14-3 at halftime, and 17-3 at the end of the third quarter. They were out-gained in the game 427-267, but three forced turnovers (two interceptions of Warner) and no turnovers of their own leveled the playing field.

The legend of Brady started with a game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXXVI, culminating in an Adam Vinatieri field goal. And the NFL’s modern dynasty, which is still going, was launched.

Home/NHL