With the pain of last night's loss still fresh, I thought it would be a good idea to rank the championship losses in terms of heartbreak. A trip down bad memory lane. If you can't stomach rehashing the losses, I have tried to characterize why the other team won each game up in a word.
But first, for anyone who could stomach watching the cup presentation, I was disappointed to hear Wings fans booing during the Conn Smythe and Cup presentations. I was upset when the Pens fans soiled our victory ceremony last year and I hated that our fans were returning the favor. Until I paid closer attention to the fact that we weren't booing when the players were raising the trophies. In fact, if anything, there was predominant cheering. I am convinced the fans were just booing Gary Bettman, which I fully support.
1. North Carolina defeats Michigan State, 2009 NCAA National Championship
The hype for this game began years before, but was initiated by the losing coach rather than the media or the league. Izzo had been promoting the possibility of this game to his recruits since Ford Field was named the host site. When we entered the Final Four pool, the media took over and wrote every "downtrodden area in need of some osmotic hope from winning a sports championship" story imaginable. It was tough to watch 3 minutes of a game and KNOW it was all over. In the end, while we had the benefits of the storybook-ending-abilities, the Tarheels had the swagger of a Champion. The hope for next year takes some of the sting out of loss.
It was over when: UNC defeated Villanova? We lost to them in December? No, I think it was when they all agreed to return the previous spring. You need to have at least 2-3 NBA starters or 6th men to win the NCAA Championship - they did and we didn't.
2. Penguins defeat Redwings, 2009 Stanley Cup Final
I may rank it so high because I am still upset over the loss. The funny thing is, thanks to the wonder of TiVo, I was still in "we have 6 minutes to score another one and we're turning the momentum around" dreamland while the concept of "Sidney Crosby Stanley Cup Winner" was well known to everyone else. We truly were the better team in this series, but they played with more desperation. Yes, they are a young team, but I feel they have the pressure from the NHL to be the face of an enigmatic league. They have two #1 Draft Picks and a #2 who have been hyped as much as NHL players not named Ovechkin can be right now.
When you knew it was going south: With the exception of our Game 5 blowout, each game mimicked the previous. Games 1-2 were decently close, but the lucky bounces all went Detroit's way in 3-1 victories. In games 3-4, the Pens offense seemed unstoppable during their 4-2 wins. Games 6-7 were close in the beginning, but the Pens took sizable 2-0 leads. The Wings scored a goal to put the game within reach, but very late surges and very close chances weren't enough. Although, I have a feeling that the shot with less than 3 seconds left would've gone in during games 1 or 2.
3. St. Louis Cardinals defeat Detroit Tigers, 2006 World Series
The excitement over the Tigers' success stemmed from the legendary ineptitude just three years earlier. I think this team was more surprised by their success than any of the others. My favorite memory of their run was watching them take a victory lap and celebrating on the dugouts by dousing the fans in champagne. I don't remember any other baseball team celebrating so publicly with their fans before. I think the great, unexpected run somewhat makes up for the World Series disappointment. I couldn't decide on just one word to sum up the Cardinals' win, but I think one part was their experience from the previous two years. The Tigers were being lead by very young players (Zumaya, Verlander, Granderson) and by veterans with little playoff experience (Ordonez and Polanco). And the Cardinals proved that defense wins championships by holding the Tigers to an average of just over 2 runs a game. (And do I need to remind you of how many pitching errors we had? Didn't think so.)
The series ended: in Game 4 when the Tigers gave up a 3-0 lead and were outscored 3-1 in the crunch time of the 7th and 8th innings. Losing the first game of a 2-3-2 series creates a significant hole to climb out of. But losing the pivotal game 4 helped lock things up for the Cardinals in St. Louis.
4. San Antonio Spurs defeat Detroit Pistons, 2005 NBA Championship
Detroit won the previous year on the "team that plays the right way" versus the "free-agent-compiled smorgasborg of all star talent that acts like a corporation" concept. The problem they faced the next year was that they played an even better "team that plays the right way" that had the added benefit of Robert Horry. The series was so close, so it is difficult to blame the P's for losing Game 7 on the road. I think the composure that Popovich and the Spurs portrayed was the difference. They had their game plan and executed it with surgical precision - which is why everyone out side of San Antonio and Detroit hated watching this series. We all knew that these Pistons were playing under the dark shadow of a ticking clock. Some players would eventually go for the money and the ones that stayed wouldn't be able to keep up with their younger opponents through 7 games as a unit. Plus, Joe Dumars' true GM skill level would surface eventually. (Side note: The 2003 NBA Draft class has become legendary and he picked the ONLY person in the top 5 hasn't become an NBA All Star.) Of all of my favorite teams, my passion for the Pistons is the weakest. However, the disappointment in this team came from the fact that we knew at the time (and were correct) that the Pistons were probably at the top of the curve and were likely to be nearing demolition.
We lost when: Gregg Popovich outcoached Larry Brown in 4th quarter of Game 7. I think these two teams were more even than any oher matchup we have seen lately. Remember, we were within 4 with 1:20 left. (Funny quote from game recap: "Pistons coach Larry Brown, who may have coached his last game and came up just short of going out on top." )
