If you could change any championship outcome, Which would it be?

[jrodsep]

Straight up stolen from this Deadspin "article"

 

http://deadspin.com/if-you-could-change-any-championship-outcome-which-wou-1780187894

 

I thought it would be a nice topic for these boards. 

 

To to me it would have to be 1986 Mets vs Red Sox and Super Bowl XLII Patriots 18 - 1. 

 

I have a couple more but I wanna hear what you guys have in mind. 

[C-Squared]

Wide Right, right down the middle.

 

Objectively, one of the most heart-breaking plays in sports history for one of the most heartbroken sports cities on earth.

[cmm]

If any non-Yankee fan says the 2001 World Series then the terrorists have won.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Three come to mind:

- Syracuse in 1987

- Seahawks in 2014

- Cavs last year

 

1. Syracuse is a premiere basketball school, but not at the level of Indiana. Also, Bob Knight is an ass, but celebrated for multiple title wins. Boeheim got railroaded on the Bernie Fine punishment (or whatever the deals was supposed to be). Giving him and the school another title feels like a better legacy builder for the Orange.

 

2. I live in Seattle so I'm biased, and I hate the Pats so I'm double biased. Belichick being 3-3 in the Super Bowl has a much different career connotation than being 4-2. It means he couldn't replicate earlier success, he's not suffocating the rest of the league, and Tom Brady is punished for his crimes against football (real or imagined). Also, it gives Russell Wilson his due as one of the three best QBs in the game (which is still under debate for reasons I don't understand).

 

3. I think a healthy Cavs team beats those Warriors. I don't think a healthy Cavs team beats the Warriors this season. LeBron has ascended to top five all-time status (in my mind, at least), but won't have the championships the others have to back that up. That's a shame, because he's a freak of nature and has had a period of dominance over the league only matched by guys like Russell, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, or Jordan. Even Shaq wasn't as great for as long. Similar to the Belichick legacy, there's no way 2-5 doesn't look bad.

 

[infrared41]

1. 1986 AFC Championship Game also known as "The Drive." The Broncos were down 7 on their own 2 to start that drive with about 5:00 left in the game. If I had my way, it would have played out as follows: On 1st down Elway would have handed off to Sammy Winder. Winder would have picked up 5. On 2nd down, Elway would have thrown an incomplete pass. On 3rd and 5, Elway hits Vance Johnson for 12 and a first down. New set of downs. On 1st and 10, Elway hits Mark Jackson for 30 and puts Denver near midfield. Browns fans are now besides themselves. On 1st and 10 from the Denver 49, Elway drops back to pass, he is pressured out of the pocket, rolls right, and boom, he is leveled by Felix Wright for a loss of 6. On 2nd and 16 and Elway hits Steve Sewell out of the backfield for a gain of 10. Now it's 3rd and 6 and the Browns fans are in "OH MY GOD" mode. Elway drops back to pass again, is pressured out of the pocket, rolls right, fires a pass intended for Vance Johnson but Hanford Dixon intercepts the pass, has nothing but green in front of him, and heads down the sideline with a 47 yard game clinching INT return for a TD. (Yeah, I've played out various alternate endings to that game a few times. )

 

1987 AFC Championship Game also known as "The Fumble." If I had my way, Byner doesn't fumble and scores the TD that would have tied the game. (People tend to forget the Browns would not have taken the lead on that play.) The Browns defense then forces a 3 and out and Kosar drives the Browns down the field and hits Ozzie Newsome for the go ahead TD with 1:20 left. Denver gets the ball back, Chip Banks sacks Elway on 4th and 11, and that's that. 

 

1989 AFC Championship Game also known as "The Browns were in the '89 AFC Championship game?" If I had my way, the Browns would have shown up to play. 

[FGM13]

2006 Stanley Cup Final. Ty f***ing Conklin...

[Kramerica Industries]

Gonna hide this so I don't directly come off as being rude.

 

EDIT: g-ddamn does the formatting suck in this post. Couldn't fix a simple mistake without jumping through holes. Oh well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't like this theme in this form, because it just means that any of the choices, really, are going to boil down to "[individual person's favorite team] against [team they lost to] in [year]". 

 

At least, in cities where this is applicable, which is most by now, I'd like it better if it was "if you had to switch championships, which ones would you?", and it could be across all pro teams in the city. Now, in Tampa, I wouldn't trade SB XXXVII for the 2015 Cup, no, so I guess it's not really applicable here, but I'm guessing there might be some Yankee fans who would gladly sacrifice one of the 5-7 Yankee World Series' titles they've seen in their lives for maybe another Giants Super Bowl, for example.

 

 

 

Not that I mean to hijack this thread. Just seems like such a theme works better if it's either what I described there, or if the only rule was that you couldn't change an outcome involving a favorite team of yours. 

 

--

 

So, just to play along and using that rule against myself, here's what I'd change, I guess; maybe I'll fill in the explanations later:

 

MLB: 2002 World Series 

 

NHL: 2006 Stanley Cup Final

 

NBA: ...2004 NBA Finals?

 

NFL: Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, or XLI...I don't care which one, just pick one.

 

 

 

[infrared41]

1 minute ago, Kramerica Industries said:

Gonna hide this so I don't directly come off as being rude.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

I don't like this theme in this form, because it just means that any of the choices, really, are going to boil down to "[individual person's favorite team] against [team they lost to] in [year]". 

 

At least, in cities where this is applicable, which is most by now, I'd like it better if it was "if you had to switch championships, which ones would you?", and it could be across all pro teams in the city. Now, in Tampa, I wouldn't trade SB XXXVII for the 2015 Cup, no, so I guess it's not really applicable here, but I'm guessing there might be some Yankee fans who would gladly sacrifice one of the 5-7 Yankee World Series' titles they've seen in their lives for maybe another Giants Super Bowl, for example.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Not that I mean to hijack this thread. Just seems like such a theme works better if it's either what I described there, or if the only rule was that you couldn't change an outcome involving a favorite team of yours. 

 

--

 

So, just to play along and using that rule against myself, here's what I'd change, I guess; maybe I'll fill in the explanations later:

 

MLB: 2002 World Series 

 

NHL: 2006 Stanley Cup Final

 

NBA: ...2004 NBA Finals?

 

NFL: Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, or XLI...I don't care which one, just pick one.

 

 

Yeah, you are coming across as a bit of a buzzkill. We're just having fun. Anyway, using your format, I'd change the following. 

 

1987 NCAA Basketball Championship - D_G pretty much summed up why.

 

1984 NLCS: A Cubs - Tigers World Series would have been a much better match up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kramerica Industries]

4 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

Yeah, you are coming across as a bit of a buzzkill. We're just having fun. Anyway, using your format, I'd change the following. 

 

1987 NCAA Basketball Championship - D_G pretty much summed up why.

 

1984 NLCS: A Cubs - Tigers World Series would have been a much better match up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean, I know I am, which is why I hid it (quite terribly, I must add). No one needs to be met with negativity without a proper warning first!

[Burmy]

Super Bowl XXXII - Brett's finest hour, the Pack goes back-to-back (Maybe Holmgren and Reggie wouldn't have left soon afterwards had they done it)
 

1982 World Series - Vukovich wouldn't see the sixth inning, Harvey's Wallbangers are World Champs.

[infrared41]

Just now, Kramerica Industries said:

 

I mean, I know I am, which is why I hid it (quite terribly, I must add). No one needs to be met with negativity without a proper warning first!

 

I gotta admit that your formats are more interesting. Off the top of my head, I could only come up with two that I'd change.

[ninersdd]

Super Bowls XLIII and XLVII come to mind to me, and of course the 2002 NBA West finals. 2002 World Series sucked, but at least the Giants have won 3 times since 2010. 

[RyanMcD29]

NFL: Super Bowl XXXVI to stop or at least delay the Patriots' reign of terror

NCAAB: Hi I'm going to be the third person to mention the 1987 national championship game

NHL: 2013 Stanley Cup Final because I think the Bruins post Marathon bombing as a narrative got lost in the shuffle with the Sox's title run later in the year when all was said and done, but I feel like the Bruins were a bigger part of the healing process in the direct aftermath. Both did their part, of course, and yes this is going into the whole sports as a emotional relief debate but whatever.

MLB: 1997 World Series if only to give Cleveland a title

NBA: 1997 NBA Finals to have the Malone, Stockton, and Jazz win it, plus making Jordan's final title that much more epic as a revenge tour type of factor to it. I know this takes away from Jordan having 6 but the narrative would've been oh so tasty for 1998.

NASCAR: 2002 Winston Cup, not that I have anything against Smoke but because Mark Martin was sooo close to finally winning the title and got nailed with a big penalty with what, two races to go?

[Dynasty]

God, there are so many. I'll just name a few to keep the list small.

• Super Bowl XLIII (An incredibly lucky play gives a historically successful franchise another title and robs another franchise of their first title)
• 2011 World Series (Same as above)
• 2011 and 2014 NBA Finals (I wanted to see Miami create a dynasty)
• 2016 Stanley Cup Finals (Pittsburgh winning the cup just elevates that sport city's success and robs another franchise of their first title)

[BlackBolt3]

Take your pick of either football championship game this year. AKA The Crying Jordan Experience!

[NY_CFL_fan]

Definitely Eagles vs. Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX, Buffalo's wide right in Super Bowl XXV, and the Patriots' imperfect ending in 2007-08... If I want to get greedy, Eagles vs. Raiders in Super Bowl XV ... *sigh* Eagles fan, scarred for life...

[mjd77]

Game 7 of the 2001 ECF.  F#!k you Stern!

[jrodsep]

43 minutes ago, Kramerica Industries said:

Gonna hide this so I don't directly come off as being rude.

 

EDIT: g-ddamn does the formatting suck in this post. Couldn't fix a simple mistake without jumping through holes. Oh well.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

I don't like this theme in this form, because it just means that any of the choices, really, are going to boil down to "[individual person's favorite team] against [team they lost to] in [year]". 

 

At least, in cities where this is applicable, which is most by now, I'd like it better if it was "if you had to switch championships, which ones would you?", and it could be across all pro teams in the city. Now, in Tampa, I wouldn't trade SB XXXVII for the 2015 Cup, no, so I guess it's not really applicable here, but I'm guessing there might be some Yankee fans who would gladly sacrifice one of the 5-7 Yankee World Series' titles they've seen in their lives for maybe another Giants Super Bowl, for example.

 

 

 

Not that I mean to hijack this thread. Just seems like such a theme works better if it's either what I described there, or if the only rule was that you couldn't change an outcome involving a favorite team of yours. 

 

--

 

So, just to play along and using that rule against myself, here's what I'd change, I guess; maybe I'll fill in the explanations later:

 

MLB: 2002 World Series 

 

NHL: 2006 Stanley Cup Final

 

NBA: ...2004 NBA Finals?

 

NFL: Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, or XLI...I don't care which one, just pick one.

 

 

 

 

I actually like your idea better. I just took a post made by Deadspin and brought it here. 

 

I would trade some (around 27) of the Yankees championships and divide them as equally as possible between the Nets, Jets, Mets, Rangers , Knicks, Islanders and Metrostars. 

 

And I would trade the Lakers 2002 Championship to the Sacramento Kings. 

[rsaline]

Super Bowls XXIV and XLVIII: I don't care if the Broncos lost, just not by that much. It's embarrassing.

 

07 World Series: To have a team win 21 of 22 to win the NL pennant and then get swept by a MUCH better Boston team was absolutely deflating.

[OnWis97]

2015 NCAA Basketball Title Game. Wisconsin over Duke. 

 

Secondary choices are 1991 North Stars and any Vikings Super Bowl loss...no matter which one; they were all before my time.

 

Non-home team: 1998 Padres (for Gwynn), Last year's Cavs, 1993 Kings, 1988 Bengals