Take solace in that brutal Game 6 loss to Boston, Miami Heat fans: It wasn’t the worst gut punch in South Florida sports history.
It just feels that way today.
It didn’t end the season the way other such late plays did. And the pain? As the list below shows, time indeed put layers of scars over the issues. Here’s the Top Five list of last-second losses South Florida has weathered:
1.The University of Miami’s loss to Ohio State in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State threw an incompletion to seal Miami’s second straight national title in the first overtime but — wait for it — a penalty flag came in after the celebrating began. Ohio State was given a new set of downs, tied the game and won it in the second overtime. The fact this game was over and this was for a national title puts it highest on the most-painful index.
2.Oakland’s “Sea of Hands” completion to beat the 1974 Dolphins in the playoffs. The pain here wasn’t just from the odd play: Ken Stabler, falling to the ground in the clutches of Dolphins defensive end Vern Den Herder, shoving a pass that navigates through the outstretched hands of Dolphins defenders to Clarence Davis for the game-winning touchdown with 26 seconds left. The pain was all about the larger moment, too. This ended more than the Dolphins chances for a third straight Super Bowl win (and fourth straight Super Bowl appearance). It meant the end of that dynastic run as Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield and Jim Kiick had signed contracts to leave after the season for the World Football League. Camelot was over.
3. Allan Houston’s floater beats the Heat in the 1999 playoffs. This was Game 5 in a best-of-five series, ending the Heat season in what was the biggest and most bitter rivalry sports at the time. Heat vs. Knicks. Pat Riley vs. his former team. The previous two playoff series were tilted in good part by fights. P.J. Brown flipped Knicks guard Charlie Ward on a free-throw box-out, leading to several Knicks coming off the bench and being suspended over the last two games of the 1997 series won by the Heat. Alonzo Mourning was suspended in the 1998 series for swinging at Larry Johnson. The Knicks won that series, the 1999 series on Houston’s shot and the 2000 series when the Heat’s Clarence Weatherspoon took a last-second shot in Game 7 and missed. You could put Weatherspoon’s miss on this list considering it ended a season, too.
4. Penn State beats Miami in 1987 Fiesta Bowl. Another national championship game. Miami dominated the game: 445 total yards to Penn State’s 162; 22 first downs to 8; 4.8 yards per play to 2.7. All except one stat. Miami had five interceptions. The fifth came as Miami was driving for the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.
5. Derrick White puts in the Game 6 game-winner against the Heat. If this was Game 7 and ended the Heat season, the pain factor would be higher. The Heat had the game and series won when White’s score with one-tenth of a second left kept everything going to Monday night in Boston. As it is, the Heat still has a chance to make White’s shot just temporary pain. If the Heat win the series, this immediately drops lower. So, yes, there’s some recency bias in listing it this high.
6. San Diego’s overtime field goal beats Dolphins in 1981 season playoffs in, “The Miracle That Died.” Down 24 points, the Dolphins rallied behind back-up Don Strock. Just before half, a hook-and-lateral play led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Tony Nathan. Joe Rose scored two touchdowns. The game was full of missed chances as San Diego’s Rolf Benirschke missed a 27-yarder in overtime and the Dolphins’ Uwe van Schamann had two kicks blocked. But Benirschke made a 43-yarder on the last play of regulation to tie it, then a 29-yarder in overtime to win it. Yes, it ended the season, but this was immediately accepted as a classic game and voted the NFL’s Game of the ’80s by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There was solace in that.
