Read and react: What are sports' greatest what-ifs?
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Go back and watch the last play of Sunday night’s miracle-ending Sixers-Raptors Game 7 again. Kawhi Leonard has to straighten himself in midair to arc a shot at just the right angle. The ball bounces four times on the rim before it drops. So much had to go exactly right for Toronto to win at that moment.
But what if it hadn’t? What if that ball had ticked a quarter-inch off its arc? What if Philly had survived that shot and stormed through overtime? What if? What if? What if? It’s the kind of thing that keeps you up at night, staring at the ceiling or at the ruins of your television, particularly if you’re on the wrong end of the what-if.
You already know the great what-ifs in sports history, moments like:
What if Scott Norwood hadn’t missed that critical kick in the Buffalo Bills’ first Super Bowl?
What if Chris Webber hadn’t called a timeout he didn’t have?
What if rain hadn’t delayed Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, giving the Chicago Cubs time to get their heads together and eventually win?
What if Alabama’s kicker had made that field goal against Auburn instead of getting it run back 100+ yards?
What if Pete Carroll gave the ball to Marshawn Lynch?
Me, I’m an Atlanta Braves fan from way back, so I’ve got plenty of what-ifs in my memory, starting with: What if Lonnie Smith hadn’t gotten tentative on the base paths in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series? But I also recognize that it runs the other way, too: What if Barry Bonds had been playing where he should have in 1992 and halted the Braves’ miracle NLCS comeback before it began?
And that’s really the key. For all the what-ifs that don’t break our way, there are so many that do. Philadelphias might be crying over a couple of bad bounces today, but they sure weren’t when Bears kicker Cody Parkey had his double doink a few months ago.
With enough time and enough distance we can accept all of the strange twists of sports fate … well, except for why no one drafted Tom Brady before the Patriots did. We’ll never figure that one out.
What’s your greatest sports what-if? Let us know at readandreactnewsletter@yahoo.com and maybe we’ll print a few of the best . Send this to a friend, too. Sports arguments are always fun with more people involved.
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