Top Five Bay Area Sports Finishes Of All Time
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – In the wake of Villanova forward Kris Jenkins last-second shot to win the NCAA men's basketball title Monday night, here's a list of the most memorable finishes to games involving Bay Area teams.
When it comes to great sports finishes, the dramatic end to the 1982 showdown between the University of California and Stanford ranks near the top of any list. Bay Area or not.
Stanford took a 20-19 lead with just four seconds left in the game. With the Cardinal fans delirious with joy in the stands, Cal took the kickoff and used five laterals to score the winning touchdown as the Stanford band streamed onto the field.
It was instantly labeled simply – "The Play."
2. Joe Montana to John Taylor to win Super Bowl XXIII.
Trailing 16-13 in Super Bowl XXIII, San Francisco got the ball back on its own 8-yard-line with just 3:10 left in the game.
Montana – at the height of his greatness – calmly knelt in the huddle. Instead of uttering some inspirational words, he instead pointed to the stands and asked his teammates – "Is that John Candy?"
He completed 7 straight passes to move the ball to the Cincinnati 10 with less than 45 seconds left.
With the entire stadium and millions watching the game expecting him to target Jerry Rice with a desperation pass, Montana coolly fired a strike to Taylor who crossed the goal line with just seconds remaining.
3.) Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series Game One home run.
While the first two games featured a victorious Bay Area team, No. 3 on our list has only heartbreak.
Talented Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson was expected to watch the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics from the sidelines with injuries to both his legs suffer in the National League Championship Series.
With the Oakland Athletics leading 4-3 in the ninth inning of Game One, relief ace and future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley took the mound to seal the victory.
With two outs, Eckersley walked pinch hitter Mike Davis. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda countered by sending the hobbling Gibson to the plate to pinch hit.
Gibson quickly fell behind by a 0-2 count and then worked it to 3-2. Eckersley then went with his most trusted pitch – his slider.
The injured Gibson ripped the pitch over the right field fence and the Dodgers went on to win the Series by a 4-1 margin.
4.) Travis Ishikawa homers in Game 5 of the 2014 NLCS.
Ishikawa was near the end of his up-and-down Major League career when he rejoined the San Francisco Giants in 2014 after being released from the New York Mets.
In the 2014 NLCS, the veteran caught fire. He hit .385 and drove in 7 RBIs including a game-winning RBI in the Game One of the NLCS.
That was only a table setter for his heroics four games later.
In the ninth inning of Game 5, Ishikawa strolled up to the plate with two men on, the game tied at 3-3 and reliever Michael Wacha on the mound.
With a hush falling over the capacity crowd at AT&T Park, Ishikawa ripped a Wacha pitch over the right field wall to send the Giants to the World Series.
It was the first walk-off homer to send a National League team to the World Series since Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard 'Round the World' in 1951.
5.) Steph Curry's game-winning heroics
When it comes to memorable game-winning shots, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry has a bushel basket full.
But none was more dramatic than his three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat the Oklahoma Thunder on Feb. 27th .
Curry's 3-pointer from beyond 30 feet with 0.6 seconds left in overtime lifted the Warriors to a 121-118 win.
It was his 12th 3-pointer of the game, tying the NBA single-game record. He also broke his own NBA record for 3s in a season – a record he has continued to add on to.