At the time, this was put onto my personal list:
Tayshaun Prince’s out-of-nowhere block of an apparently easy lay-up in the 2004 NBA playoffs.
Both the hustle and speed to get there on a play that normal people would have given up on, and the amazing body control to reach around and actually get a clean block.
Of course, I’m one of those weird basketball fans that likes to see defense, so YMMV.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1917782/pistons_playoff_moment_tayshaun_prince_blocks_reggie_miller/
Defense is usually boring but a great block is a joy to watch.
Although it was just a regular season game, I love this baseball swing goal by Gretzky.
In the 1970s there was a mostly mediocre QB-punter named Bob Lee. In a 1974 Monday Night game against his former team, the Vikings who were 9-0, he dodged several tacklers to throw a TD late to win 20-14.
In the 1970 NBA Finals against the Knicks, Laker Jerry West hit a shot that was about 65’ away (the announcer said it was 80) to tie the game as time ran out. He didn’t just heave it, it was clearly a shot. Knick Dave DeBusschere looked like he almost fainted. In those days the NBA didn’t have the 3 point shot (rival ABA did). In the OT, the Knicks won and West went 0 for 5.
A few years ago The Islanders picked up a reserve defenceman Ron Davison at the trade deadline. He only scored one goal for them. After a six game road trip, the Islanders played at home and while shorthanded, deep in his end, Davison got the puck and cleared it. It took about 6 bounces and went past the goalie who wasn’t prepared for it.
Charles Smith of the Knicks failing to dunk in four tries in Game 5 against Chicago in 1993.
Great shot but i can’t get over the fact that the guy who inbounded him the ball was still in bounds.
1998 World Cup [soccer] playoffs. Dennis Bergkamp’s goalin the closing minutes put the Netherlands past Argentina and literally made me jump off my couch to shout at the TV, even though I was alone in my apartment. With just three touches he fielded a long-bomb pass, beat the defender, and scored the most phenomenal goal I’ve ever seen.
There are four of them in succession by the 49ers defense here in Super Bowl XVI:
Bret Favre sacked by Corey Wootton.
Yes I am a Bears fan, so my oppinion’s just a little skewed. Though I appreciated seeing his play, I hated to see Favre beat the Bears and he’s done it an awful lot during his career. It was very nice to see a Bear cap his career like that.
I disagree. It looked to me that guy who inbounded the ball (Wilt Chamberlain, btw) passed the ball while simultaneously stepping out of bounds. It was close to a violation, but no NBA ref was going to call Wilt for a violation under those circumstances.
As a Jazz fan back in the day, watching Jordan single-handedly win that game in the final minute was utterly devastating. But I will give credit where credit is due – when I saw that play and the clear push-off that Jordan made to get that open look, I immediately thought that only Jordan could make that play so smoothly and subtlely as to get away with it without taking an offensive foul. No way on earth does a Steve Kerr (or a Byron Russell) make that play. Only Jordan. Goddamn Jordan. 
Mad props have to go to The Catch: Willie Mays’ most famous play was in a part of the park that would be somewhere well into the stands of any modern ballpark, on a ball that no human had any business tracking down. And then having the presence of mind to get the ball back to the infield, well, it was simply the finest defensive play in the history of baseball.
I don’t know whether to put this here or in the most embarrassing thread. There are a lot of great dunk videos out there, but I’ve always thought this one by Tom Chambers was one of the best. He jumps over Mark Jackson, then kneels on his face to gain extra altitude and dunks the ball with his elbows way above the rim.
One other one, which my wife reminded me of. We were at the 2009 NLL championship between the New York Titans and the Calgary Roughnecks. With 2 seconds left to play in the first half and Calgary clinging to a 5-4 lead, Calgary took a timeout – when they came back onto the floor (2:18 of the video), the ref gave Calgary all-star Kaleb Toth the ball at half court. He took a couple steps toward the New York net and wired an unbelievably hard shot (even for him – he’s won the hardest shot competition in the league more than once) into the top left corner. I have never seen a shot so awesome before or since in all the lacrosse I’ve ever watched (or hockey or soccer, for that matter). Calgary held on to win their 2nd championship in franchise history.
My husband and his best friend went to every game that season. Earlier that year, his best friend’s father was killed by a drunk driver. Before that play, he pulled out his cell phone, dialed his dad’s number, and held it toward the sky. Afterwards, they were both crying like little girls.
That was an amazing season, full of great moments, but this was probably the most important single play in all of it.
Surely there never has been and will never be a major horse race with a come-from-behind finish to match the 2009 Kentucky Derby.
At about the halfway point, Mine That Bird is so far back that he is temporarily omitted from the standard call of all horses. In the stretch run he blows by all the others so fast that he’s in the lead by 4 lengths before the announcer first says his name. In around 35 seconds he went from last place, something like 15 lengths off the lead, to a 10-length win.