It's only the first round, but three NHL playoff series went the distance Tuesday in Game 7: the Avalanche-Wild, the Flyers-Leafs and the Canucks-Blues. Here's a look at some of the best Game 7s in history.
10 -- Lakers vs. Blazers (2000 Western Conference finals)
Down double-digits at home in the fourth quarter, the Lakers rallied and the Blazers sputtered. And when Shaquille O'Neal dunked a lob from Kobe Bryant, the momentum had fully shifted. The Lakers eventually won the game and their first NBA championship in over a decade.
9 -- Isles-Caps (1987 Patrick Division semifinals)
In the NHL's longest Game 7, Pat LaFontaine ended the marathon in the fourth overtime to give the Islanders the series.
8 -- Lakers-Celtics (1969 NBA Finals)
Despite blowing a 17-point lead, the Celtics beat the Lakers 108-106. It was Bill Russell's final game, and not surprisingly, he outplayed Wilt Chamberlain to win his 11th NBA title as a player and his second as a coach.
7 -- Devils-Rangers (1994 Eastern Conference finals)
After Mark Messier guaranteed then forced the decisive game with a hat trick in Game 6, unlikely hero Stephane Matteau scored in overtime to give the Rangers a 3-2 victory.
6 -- Red Wings-Blues (1996 Conference semifinals)
Detroit's Chris Osgood and St. Louis' Jon Casey put on a classic goaltenders' duel and a likely hero decided this one. With no score in the second overtime, Steve Yzerman scored from the right wing to give the Wings a 1-0 victory.
5 -- Indians-Marlins (1997 World Series)
After Craig Counsell's sacrifice fly tied the score at 2 in the ninth, the Indians and Marlins went into "overtime." In the bottom of the 11th inning, Edgar Renteria singled home the winning run with the bases loaded to give Florida the championship.
4 -- Yankees-Diamondbacks (2001 World Series)
Down one run in the bottom of the ninth inning and facing Mariano Rivera nonetheless, Arizona wasn't fazed. Mark Grace hit a single to lead off the inning, a Rivera error put the tying run in scoring position and Tony Womack doubled to tie the score at 2. It set the stage for Luis Gonzalez, whose RBI single clinched the D-Backs' first title.
3 -- Yankees-Pirates (1960 World Series)
With the score tied at 9 in the ninth inning, one of baseball's most memorable moments happened. Bill Mazeroski hit major league baseball's only Game 7 walkoff home run to give the Pirates the title over the Yankees.
2 -- Braves-Twins (1991 World Series)
By the time Game 7 came around, the 1991 World Series was already a classic. But this decisive game featured pitching performances as clutch as any in postseason history as John Smoltz and Jack Morris traded zeros for nine innings. The game went to the 10th inning scoreless when another unlikely hero, Gene Larkin, hit the game-winning single for the 1-0 Twins victory.
1 -- Lakers-Knicks (1970 NBA Finals)
The Knicks won their first NBA Championship with a 113-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Walt Frazier turned in a virtuoso performance with 36 points and 19 assists. But this game will be most remembered for the dramatic last-minute entrance of Willis Reed, who returned from an injury to his right leg to be named MVP.
