The Worst Chokes in Sports History
Was Northern Iowa's collapse the most epic choke ever?
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Was Northern Iowa's Collapse the Most Epic Choke Ever? - Watching Northern Iowa lose a 14-point lead in 44 seconds to Texas A&M in second-round action of the NCAA Tournament was enough for media and fans, alike, to call it the worst choke in sports history. But it got us at BET.com thinking about all the other prolific chokes that we've seen all over the years. The following moments pretty much solidify the "it ain't over till it's over" adage.(Photos from left: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Northern Iowa Coughs Up 14-Point Lead in 44 Seconds - A 14-point lead with 44 seconds left in the game basically is garbage time. But that wasn't the case Sunday night when 11th-seeded Northern Iowa severely buckled under the pressure, allowing No. 3 Texas A&M to force overtime and seal the victory. To further make your mind go numb, consider this: Northern Iowa's chance of winning that game up 14 with 44 seconds left was 99.99 percent... and they still choked. When people call this the worst choke in sports history, they're only keeping it a buck with you. (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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Reggie Makes Fourth Quarter Against Knicks 'Miller Time' - Sometimes chokes in sports are accompanied by individual greatness. Still, no matter how spectacular one athlete is, it doesn't take away from the other whole team choking. Such was the case during Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden, where the hometown New York Knicks took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. Comfortable enough, right? Wrong. That's when Indiana Pacers' sharpshooter Reggie Miller made the final period "Miller Time," going off for 25 points and notoriously taunting die-hard Knicks fan Spike Lee with a choking gesture en-route to the Pacers' win. Heroics from Miller... choking from the Knicks. . (Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Miller Burns the Knicks Again - Reggie Miller did it to the New York Knicks again the next year, more than happy to seal the deal on another orange-and-blue choke job. This time, with the Knicks leading by six points with 18.7 seconds left in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, Miller scored eight points over the final ticks to lift his Indiana Pacers to another unbelievable win over their rivals. More heroic fireworks for Reggie, another epic choke by the Knicks.(Photo: JOHN RUTHROFF/AFP/Getty Images)
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Spurs Feel the Heat and Choke - Just 28 seconds away from clinching the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs were so close, they could taste the champagne. But Ray Allen made sure the bubbly was put on ice, draining a clutch three, which helped force overtime in Game 6, which the Spurs would go on to lose. Horrible moment for the Spurs. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Tony Romo Fumbles Field Goal Snap - All Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had to do was catch the snap and place the ball on the ground, so Martin Gramatica could kick in the field goal, allowing the team to advance. Easy enough... or you would think. Romo mishandled the ball, fumbling it and allowing the Seattle Seahawks to escape with the 2007 NFC Wild Card victory. Yeah... Romo choked.(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)
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Chris Webber Calls Notorious Timeout - Some could call it a mental lapse, but keep it 100... Chris Webber's notorious timeout call, when his Fab Five Michigan squad didn't have none, was indeed a choke. It also helped pave the way for Michigan to lose the 1993 national title game.(Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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Bill Buckner Got Death Threats Over This Choke - Boston Red Sox Bill Buckner letting a ground ball roll between his legs remains the most painful error the Boston Red Sox have ever experienced. It led to the Red Sox losing that Game 6 of the 1986 World Series in the 10th inning, paving the way for the New York Mets to win the World Series that year. Crazy thing is Buckner probably fielded tons of those same kind of ground balls before. (Photo: Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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New York Yankees Choke Up 3-0 - Sometimes epic chokes in sports don't take place in a single game, but affecting entire series, instead. There isn't a better example of that than the New York Yankees losing a commanding 3-0 best-of-seven series lead in the 2004 ALCS to lose four straight games to the Boston Red Sox. All the Bronx Bombers needed to do was win one more game. (Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)