In sports, the thrill of competition is often heightened by the tales of underdogs who defy the odds to stand on the brink of glory. We all know of the teams that go on to achieve greatness, with the likes of Leicester City's Premier League-winning heroics of 2016 and the New York Giants stunning upset of the perfect New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLII immediately springing to mind. But what of the nearly-men?
As you might imagine, many more underdogs have reached the finish line, only to get pipped to the grand prize at the last second. Here are two rank outsiders who nearly etched their names into the history books, only to fall by the wayside and be forgotten... Until now.
Miami Heat - 2023 NBA Finals
The journey of the Miami Heat to the 2023 NBA Finals was miraculous. The Floridians had a lackluster campaign that season, winning just 44 games. They had to play two play-in games to even reach the playoffs, losing the first to the Atlanta Hawks but winning the second against the Chicago Bulls to claim the Eastern Conference eighth and final seed.
That said, it's unsurprising that no one fancied Miami, especially with a testing first-round clash against the number one seed Milwaukee Bucks led by the incomparable Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. But nobody told Jimmy Butler that. He proved he was the ultimate clutch player throughout that opening stanza, averaging a mighty 37.6 points per game as his upstart side knocked off the championship favorites in a seven-game thriller, completing one of the greatest upsets ever.
But neither Butler nor the Heat were finished there. Unsatisfied with eliminating the Bucks, their momentum continued as they bested the New York Knicks in the semifinals, showcasing resilience and strategic prowess to emerge as 4-2 series victors. That victory secured their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals against a heavyweight Boston Celtics side led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And it looked like the Heat were unstoppable when they raced into a 3-0 series lead.
With a spot in the finals beckoning, the Celtics rallied. They tied things up at 3-3 and became huge favorites to secure a series win in game seven. Once again, Butler had other ideas. He scored 28 points to silence the TD Garden, helping his side emerge as 103-84 series winners. But unfortunately, that was as good as it would get.
The Heat stood on the brink of history and had the opportunity to become the first-ever eighth seed to claim the championship. But they ran into a Nikola Jokic that was simply unstoppable. The Serbian behemoth top scored in three of the five games contested in the NBA Finals, helping his side to a 4-1 series victory and a maiden Larry O'Brien championship trophy. One year after their heroics, websites offering NBA betting online make the Heat an outsider again, pricing them at +5000, somewhat more than the +200 favorite Celtics.
Plenty of stories are developing in the NBA ahead of the new campaign. Bronny James will debut alongside his father in LeBron in Los Angeles while the Celtics look to evolve into a dynasty. But will Butler and Co. manage to emerge once more and defy the odds again?
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Liverpool - 2013/14 Premier League
In 2024, Liverpool is a footballing giant. Throughout the nine-year stint of maverick German manager Jurgen Klopp, the Reds reached three UEFA Champions League Finals—winning one of them—and won the Premier League for the first time in 30 years. However, back in 2013, things were very different.
Andrew Powell The Merseysiders headed into the 2013/14 season as an afterthought. They hadn't finished above sixth place in four years, and Rafa Benitez's successors of Roy Hodgson and Keny Dalgleish had hardly set the world alight. However, a third manager in as many years as Brendan Rodgers had finally brought an identity to the Reds, and with the brilliance of striker Luis Suarez leading the line, Liverpool was about to become contenders again.
Under the Northern Irishman's leadership, the Anfield club suddenly emerged as a surprise title contender, playing a brand of exhilarating attacking football that thrilled spectators and pundits alike. Driven by the goalscoring exploits of the SAS strike force—namely the aforementioned Suarez and England striker Daniel Sturridge—the Reds embarked on a scintillating run, leading them to the brink of a first title in over 20 years with only a few games to go.
A last-gasp 3-2 victory against title rivals Manchester City at Anfield led captain and talisman Steven Gerrard to proclaim to his teammates not to let their lead slip. Unfortunately, that is precisely what would happen. The defining moment came in a dramatic match at home to Chelsea, where a slip by the Gerrard mentioned above allowed Senegalese striker Demba Ba to pounce and give the visitors the lead. The Blues would then park the bus before adding a second on the counter late and snapping Liverpool’s winning streak at 11.
Days later, Liverpool threw away a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace to draw 3-3, ending their title hopes. City would ultimately claim the title, and the wait for a Premier League crown extended up until 2020, when Klopp finally brought the crown back to Anfield.
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