Image via Complex Original
26.
In a year with the World Cup, the FIBA championships, one of the most exciting MLB playoffs in recent memory, and the introduction of the college football playoff, there was certainly no shortage of excitement. The 2014 sports world, unlike the hip-hop scene, was fertile with scrumptious nuggets of impressive plays, amazing displays of athleticism, and moments of luck you'd only believe if you watched a Vine recording of a TV 18 times in a row. Although it was remarkably difficult to pick only a select few, we whittled down hundreds of clips into one list for your viewing enjoyment. These are The 25 Best Plays of 2014.
25.No Look, No Problem
Date: 2/18/2014
Team: East Union High School
Go ahead, call this luck, you no-fun-having, soul-sucking, way-too-serious sports fan. Go ahead. This kid just put his high school on national television probably for the first and only time ever.
24.Kevin Durant's Four-Point Play
Date: 4/21/2014
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
This is pretty much all the reasons the Oklahoma City Thunder need Kevin Durant in a single moment. Down five with the clock running down in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarters, Durant takes a wild pass from Russell Westbrook while he's already half falling over. As he was going doing, Durant heaves up a shot that splashes through to give a chance for a four-point play. The Thunder pushed the game into overtime, but eventually lost. However, OKC won the series, probably fueled in part by this huge play.
23.Misjudged
Date: 7/6/2014
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
The best part of this play is that it never would have happened had Yasiel Puig not massively misjudged the hit in the first place. Because Puig starts running forward first, the runner doesn't think he's going to be able to get to the ball. He has to back-track, tag up, then try to run. Puig's impressive laser arm wasn't having any of that.
22.Stick Stickly
Date: 3/21/2014
Team: Carolina Hurricanes
If his hand-eye coordination is on point, a hockey stick can be a goalie's best friend. Cam Ward displayed his Bruce Lee reflexes with this beautiful stick save against the Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little.
21.The Block Heard Around the Vine
Date: 11/15/2014
Team: Kansas State
SIT DOWN, SIRE. Despite being out of position, Kansas State’s Brandon Bolden quickly turned Southern Utah's John Marshall's dreams into hellish nightmares. It was all right in front Marshall: the dunk, the cheering, the top play. Then Bolden took all that, lit it on fire, dug a grave for it, buried it, then spit on the messy soil.
20.Tolchinsky With the Shot Boy
Date: 3/7/2014
Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Unless he literally practices this exact move for breakaway moments like this, Sergey Tolchinsky turning around was pretty unnecessary. But when are the most amazing plays ever necessary?
19.The One-Man Show
Date: 2/21/2014
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
At this point, James Johnson apparently hadn't learned that the Memphis Grizzlies are all about team work. Who needs Marc Gasol, one of the best passing big men in the league, when you have yourself?
18.No Look, Ma
Date: 8/30/2014
Team: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Everybody who knows Nebraska knows how talented John Westerkamp is. What they didn't know is that he has superhuman powers and can seemingly see everything going on behind him. This catch might not display the most impressive physical athleticism, but the presence of mind to at least try to find the ball and actually come up with it is insane.
17.Jumpin' Out the Gym
Date: 4/12/2014
Team: Georgia Fire
There's a good chance you haven't spent a single second this year thinking about arena football, but this clip is certainly worth your time. Georgia Fire wide receiver Johnny Lester shows his dedication by leaping up over a barrier, which in turn literally flips him upside down. And just when you think he might be injured, he pops right up with the football for the score.
16.Heelys
Date: 5/4/2014
Team: Real Madrid
It's plays like this that have led people to erect an extremely generously sculpted statue of Sir Cristiano Ronaldo.
15.Transitions
Date: 2/23/2014
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
How many times do you hear it? Transition play is the most important part of the game. Thomas Robinson started this phenomenal run with a massive block on Corey Brewer. Wes Matthews proceeded to lead the break and lob it to Will Barton for an arena-shaking oop. It's hard to get any better than that.
14.Hole-in-One?
Date: 10/10/2014
Team: N/A
Golf is probably the only sport in which you can do something absolutely incredible and have no idea for about 10 seconds. At the Frys.com Open, Billy Hurley III sniped a 181-yard shot straight into the cup, leaving him to question where his ball had even gone. Unfortunately, the eagle on the par 3 wasn't enough to push him above the cut.
13.The Real MVP
Date: 11/16/2014
Team: Houston Texans
The most tragic and depressing sports story of 2014 might be the fact that J.J. Watt will mostly likely not win the MVP award. As a defensive end, Watt has has five total touchdowns this year (three receiving), 72 combined tackles, 17.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and one interception. Yet Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, and DeMarco Murray are all more likely to take the crown. So let's take a moment to appreciate exactly how supremely athletic Watt is with this clip of one of his falling-away touchdown receptions.
12.Corn-Fed
Date: 9/6/2014
Team: Nebraska Cornhuskers
At the beginning of the clip, the announcer says, “you need to look at Jordan Westerkamp in this situation.” Or you can just give it to your running back Ameer Abdullah, who's going to truck through half of McNeese's team, then out-sprint the other half and win the game for you. Whatever you want to do.
11.Back at it
Date: 10/4/2014
Team: University of Central Arkansas
Even if this play isn't more spectacular than Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch, it's certainly much more odd. University of Central Arkansas' Dezmin Lewis keeps his eyes on the pass long enough to pin the football against his opponent's back and maintain possession for the touchdown. Somebody shake this man's hand.
10.Super Mario
Date: 7/13/2014
Team: Germany
In 2014, a new Super Mario was crowned. In the 113th minute of play in the World Cup Final against Argentina, Germany's Mario Gotze caught a cross in his chest, played it to his left foot and struck gold with the game-winning goal. It was an absolutely beautiful shot and a perfect way to end a fantastic World Cup.
9.The 75-Footer
Date: 3/2/2014
Team: N/A
It might not be nearly as polar as a last-second game-winner, but Paula Creamer's massive 75-foot putt on the second playoff hole of the HSBC Women's Championship was stunning. She took the title from Azahara Munoz with the shot and proceeded to appropriately collapse in joy on the green.
8.The Hockey Assist
Date: 2/9/2014
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Blake Griffin found the only way to make one of the Clippers' signature Chris Paul-to-Griff alley-oops even more spectacular: Hit Paul with the hockey assist. Griffin briefly turned into Rajon Rondo before flipping the dime into a prime time slam.
7.The Golden Boot
Date: 6/28/2014
Team: Colombia
At 23 years old, Colombian magic man James Rodriguez won the World Cup's prestigious Golden Boot award after scoring six goals in five contests. His efforts helped Colombia reach the final eight for the first time ever. Of those six strikes, this chest-to-foot-to-net was the most impressive.
6.Tackling Drills
Date: 9/27/2014
Team: North Carolina State
Jacoby Brissett thought it was pretty cute that Florida State didn't want him scoring a touchdown. And Florida State thought it was pretty cute Brissett and North Carolina State actually thought they could beat the Seminoles.
5.The Flying Van Persie
Date: 6/13/2014
Team: Netherlands
Perfectly timed, perfectly placed, perfectly touched. Robin Van Persie's header was easily one of the most exciting moments of the World Cup and of the entire 2014 sports year.
4.Smooth Criminal
Date: 5/2/2014
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard makes this shot look so routine that it almost feels weird to get excited about it. Except it's such an immaculate play that it's impossible not to want to run a marathon after watching it. There was only 0.9 of a second left in Game 6 of the Blazers conference quarterfinal against the Houston Rockets. That was all Lillard needed to send Houston packing, as he curled, caught, and popped the perfect shot. Unfortunately for Portland, the brick wall named San Antonio was up next.
3.Into the Blue
Date: 10/11/2014
Team: Kentucky
This catch could actually be considered to be even more difficult and more impressive than Odell's. Not only did Javess Blue catch it one-handed, but he's running away from the ball, he's basically being tackled during the catch, and he's bobbling it while he's coming down. Absolutely phenomenal concentration.
2.Rookie of the Year
Date: 11/23/2014
Team: New York Giants
If this were a list of the most-talked-about moments of 2014, Odell Beckham Jr. might take the top spot. In a phenomenal rookie campaign, during which he's racked up 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 11 games, ODJ made a near-impossible catch in a losing effort against the Dallas Cowboys. Many were quick to say it was the greatest catch in NFL history. We weren't so sure, but it definitely deserves another moment of recognition.
1.No ACL, No Problem
Date: 9/26/2014
Team: York Revolution
Normally during this type of highlight, the camera follows the ball up and over the fence, then zooms out to see the home run hitter trotting around the diamond on his high horse. Not this time. As he was rounding first base after a game-tying homer that would help put his team up 2-1 in a playoff series, Sean Smith blew out his ACL. He initially collapsed but was strong-willed enough to wave everybody off and hop on one foot around the bases. He was greeted at the plate by his entire team but had to tell everybody to chill for fear of hurting himself more. There was no more impressive play this year.