The 25 Most Badass Sports Moments of 2011 (Video)

Image via Complex Original

Date: 12/14/11
Event: Chicago Blackhawks @ Minnesota Wild
Straight nasty! Patrick Kane put things in slow motion and made Wild Goalie, Niklas Backstrom, look like ridiculous. That's the type of shit that should clear the benches.

Date: 11/27/11
Event: Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
In one of the most disrespectful sports celebrations of all time, Stevie Johnson took taunting to the next level when he mock shot himself after scoring a TD against Plaxico Burress' Jets in their own stadium. Reminding someone of an incident which caused them to serve two years in prison and miss out on millions of dollars is a sure-fire way to get on their bad side. Or just a way to motivate them into scoring a TD two minutes later and help the opposing team get the W. Bad + ass = badass. See, two negatives can make a positive.

Date: 3/19/11
Event: Pitt vs. Butler, NCAA Tournament Round of 32
Nothing says March Madness quite like the ridiculousness that went down in the final seconds of the Pitt vs. Butler game. With 2.2 seconds remaining and the No. 8 Butler Bulldogs leading by one, Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Pitt's Gilbert Brown sending him to the free throw line with a chance to win. Brown only made one of two before Pitt's Nasir Robinson tops Mack's brain fart by fouling Matt Howard on the rebound with less than a second remaining. Howard went to the free throw line and won the game by making the first and purposely missing the second in the 71-70 Butler victory over No. 1 Pitt. And to think they say college athletes aren't well educated...

Date: 2/15/11
Event: Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers
Stop it. Just fucking stop it. Yes, they were the most-hated sports team of the year. Yes, they choked away the postseason. But in between they had plays like this. You hate this, you hate life.

Date: 12/11/11
Event: Chicago Bears @ Denver Broncos
Tim Tebow is a procrastinator's favorite athlete. He bullshits through the first three quarters and before you know it, the Broncos are down by a couple scores with five minutes left. Tebow then proceeds to carve the Bears up, going 15-20 in the 4th quarter to put his team in a position to win. We got to give credit to the Broncos D and Matt Prater's bionic leg that kicked 51- and 59-yard FGs. John Fox needs to listen to Skip Bayless and "Unleash him!"

Date: 10/15/11
Event: Alabama Crimson Tide @ Mississippi Rebels
Eh, so his team maybe shouldn't be in the national championship. And this run didn't turn out to be his "Heisman moment." Whatever. Any time you make an opponent look like a live action GIF, that's badass, and you make lists like this one.

Date: 10/7/11
Event: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwuakee Brewers, NLDS Game 5
Everyone knows that Nyjer Morgan has multiple personalities. From Tony Plush to Antonio Picante, dude is pretty entertaining. But what people fail to remember is that despite his antics, homie can also play some ball. Apparently the Diamondbacks didn't get the memo. In Game 5 in the bottom of the 10 inning they pitched to Nyjer Morgan and he made 'em pay by "tickling" the ball up the middle to bring in the series-winning run. To top that off, T-Plush came through with the epic post-game interview afterward. #KING

When: 12/8/11
Where: NBA Offseason
Whoa. After 149 days, the 2011 NBA Lockout ended and David Stern wasted no time flexing his muscle (not that he's ever hesitated to do so). When word got out that one of the league's top players in Chris Paul would be shipped to the Lakers small market owners like Dan Gilbert and Mark Cuban went into conniption fits. Those owners thought that CP3 playing alongside the Black Mamba and the Lakers who have made three NBA Finals appearances in the last four seasons didn't really go with the CBA's idea of making the league more competitive. Funny thing is, the three-trade deal which involved the Rockets actually would've landed the league-owned Hornets Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and a first-round pick from Houston. Only a few hours later after the deal seemed official, David Stern rejected the trade. At first Stern's reasoning for the veto was "basketball reasons," then just days later he said the move was made in the best interest of the Hornets. In other words, he's a boss and does what he wants to do. Soundtrack, please!

Date: 9/28/11
Event: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays
All year folks were complaining about the lack of games with playoff implications and the MLB playoff format, calling for more Wild Card teams (they got their wish). But it doesn't mean they were right. The last night of baseball was nothing short of epic. The Yanks sold their souls and let Tampa Bay comeback from a 7-run deficit in order to oust the Red Sox out of the playoffs. Longoria did what he does best and hit a laser over the left field wall.

Date: 4/2/11
Event: Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls
Life isn't fair for Bulls haters. First MJ, now this guy. This kid is chock-full of championship desire. He clearly gets fouled on the prior play, but he doesn't pout and argue with the ref. Rose gets on his horse and sends that shit back from whence it came. Up and coming ballers take note.

Date: 12/10/11
Event: Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers
Tom Crean's face says it all. The Hoosiers go full court and Christian Watford hit a last second three to topple the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. That shit was so crazy, Dickie V was speechless. It's games like this that may warrant a basketball version of this piece.

Date: 5/19/2011
Event: Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Indians
Home runs in baseball are badass, but when you get to play a little infield pinball, that's really, really badass. Cabrera breaks up the middle but *Chris Berman voice* "Whoop!" the ball pings off his pitcher. No prob, I'll just scoop and flip—double play. Just like we drew it up on the chalkboard. 

When: 9/11/11
Where: Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals
Andrew Luck stayed in school because of this guy. Cam immediately shut down all the rumblings about him not being a "conventional" QB. He passed for 422-yards (a rookie record) and two TDs. The Panthers lost, but who cares? He locked down the Rookie of the Year award performances like this.

Date: 9/17/11
Event: Mayweather v. Ortiz
For all those who dropped $70 to watch this fight on pay-per-view, we feel sorry for you. In the bizarre sport of boxing, nothing ever ceases to amaze fans. First there was the "sucker puch" that Floyd used to knockout Victor Oritiz in the fourth round. If that wasn't odd enough then came an 80-year-old boxing analyst challenging the arguable pound-for-pound king to a fight...if he was able to travel back in time 50 years, of course. As crazy as it seemed, seeing Larry Merchant call out Money May was supremely badass. Truly one of the most entertaining post-fight interviews of all time.

Date: 5/7/11
Event: Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics, Game 3 EC Semifinals
You've heard of Willis Reed coming in on one leg to inspire his team to victory in Game 7 of the Finals, but what about dropping 11 dimes with only one good arm? Rajon Rondo dislocated his elbow in the third quarter but had it popped back into place and returned to lead his team to victory. Yup, Rondo in the fourth quarter with one arm >>> LeBron with two.

Date: 9/27/11
Event: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
Does it get much better than baseball with playoff implications? Ryan Reynolds capped off a remarkable late-season run by the D'Backs with a walk-off grand slam to put them into the playoffs. We've never seen something quite like this. They carried their great play into the playoffs where they had an entertaining NLDS vs. the Brewers. With lockouts of the two other major pro sports and a crazy regular season finale, baseball was back in full effect this year.

Date: 6/9/11
Event: Dallas Mavericks @ Miami Heat, Game 5 NBA Finals
LeBron James has had a few fails over the years. And like everyone else, we've pointed 'em out. But the biggest thing people have put him at fault for is his lack of rings. In this year's Finals, Bron Bron was only two wins away from that elusive ring till he started going Houdini in fourth quarters and started getting sonned by Jason Terry. LeBron's fall from grace and the Jet's takeoff culminated in this three-point dagger which sealed game 5 putting the Mavs up 3-2 in the series.

Date: 5/15/11
Event: Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls, Game 1 ECF
Flash should know better after all the fools he's dunked on. This dunk was so bad, Wade's son re-enacted it on him on a nerf rim. Just get out of the way, or give 'em a good ol' Oakley forearm to the throat.

Date: 12/10/11
Event: North Dakota State vs. Sam Houston State (FCS Playoffs)
Only the most rabid Giants fan would claim that David Tyree's epic catch from Super Bowl XLII is better than this. Tyree's catch was a jump-ball; North Dakota State's Elvis Akpla scoops his on a full run. Tyree was able to directly pin the ball on his own helmet; Akpla had to first bring his over the head of the defender. Finally, Akpla finishes with the deft one-handed flourish, while Tyree was left scrambling on the turf with Rodney Harrison. Another reason college football is better than the NFL? Hey, it was in a playoff game, too!

When: 8/1/11
Where: Rucker Park, NYC
Oh Baby, Oh Baby! Durantula goes for 66 points at the legendary Rucker Park in NYC. The game had to be stopped after he lost his mind and hit four straight threes in the 4th quarter. KD had a lot of these moments this past summer, but this one will be passed down from generation to generation. Kevin Durant a.k.a "I Am the Best."

Date: 12/8/11
Event: Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Just when it seemed like Ndamukong "Stomp You Out" Suh was becoming the biggest villain in the NFL, James Harrison laid this hit on Colt McCoy to reclaim his spot. The helmet-to-helmet shot resulted in a concussion for McCoy and a one-game suspension for Harrison. That one game cost Harrison a game check of nearly $230,000. Damn that's a lot of money just for a blow to the dome. Ayo!

Date: 3/10/11
Event: Connecticut Huskies vs. Pittsburgh Panthers, Big East Championship
Everyone watching knew what was coming once Pitt made the defensive switch.  Big man had no business guarding him. Kemba put the Huskies on his back all year, leading them to a National Championship. Crossover, stepback, over.

Date: 8/18/11
Event: Tampa Bay Bucs @ New England Patriots
For those wondering if the NFL was back at it after the lockout, all doubts were erased after this vicious hit by the Bucs' Devin Holland on Danny Woodhead of the Pats. Yikes. And for those wondering whether or not Roger Goodell & Co. would be handing out ridiculous fines for hits like this, those questions were answered too as Holland lost 10 grand for the helmet-to-helmet hit. #sameshitdifferentseason

Date: 10/23/11
Event: St. Louis Cardinals @ Texas Rangers, World Series Game 3
In one of the greatest clutch postseason performances of all time, The Machine tied a World Series record with three homers (Reggie Jackson) in Game 2. He didn't put one on the roof like Reggie, but all three were no doubters. And did you peep, he hit them off of three different pitchers? The Cardinals should've paid that man and given him shares in the franchise.

Date: 1/8/11
Event: New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks, NFC First Round
BishMoe. This type of run can only be executed when in Beast Mode. Give Marshawn a bag of Skittles and watch him go. Dude broke eight tackles and gave Tracy Porter a stiff arm that'll make your mama cry. #getoffme

Date: 4/30/11
Event: UFC 129
(Start at 8:00) Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone. Word to Prodigy, we're convinced that somebody is going to die in a UFC octagon some day; this is how it might happen. Lyoto Machida catches Randy Couture completely unaware with a flying crane kick on some Ralph Macchio-Steven Seagal shit. Couture retired after the fight: you gotta know when to fold 'em, and having another man's foot mush your brain is as good a sign as any that it's time to walk away.