Because of all of the communal joy I've been seeing from the Knicks and the World Cup, I recently decided "I'm gonna get into sports". I started off by just binging a bunch of NBA Playoff Highlights on a plane ride and am now becoming a bit more meticulous.

 

Recommend me your favorite games / matches of any sport and I'll add them! I wish that this had a more extensive back-catalog of classic games as someone getting into sports for the first time, but I'll use this article as a living document as a way to log all of them with my thoughts.

 

Note: Before watching each of these games, I look up the general context and history so I can have some knowledge going into it.

 

Currently watching: 2005 BCS National Championship Rose Bowl #2 Texas vs #1 USC

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Basketball To-Watch

• USA v Spain - Full Men's Basketball Final | Beijing 2008
• 1997 Finals | Bulls vs Jazz Game 5

Baseball To-Watch

• 2025 World Series Game 7 - Dodgers vs. Blue Jays
• 5/17/98: David Wells' Perfect Game

Hockey To-Watch

• Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Match | Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
• 2001 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 7: New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche

Soccer To-Watch

• LAFC vs Philadelphia Union | MLS Cup 2022 | Final | Partido
• USMNT v Spain 2009 | Confederations Cup Semifinal (Part 1) (Part 2)
• Belgium v USA | 2014 FIFA World Cup
• Netherlands v USA | 2022 FIFA World Cup (Part 1) (Part 2)
• Argentina v France | 2022 FIFA World Cup Final

Football To-Watch

• 2013 Iron Bowl - #1 Alabama vs. #4 Auburn
• Chiefs vs Rams - 11/19/18
• New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers FULL GAME | NFL 2011 Season NFC Divisional Game
• Super Bowl XLII
• Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs | NFL 2021 Season AFC Divisional

Documentaries / Videos

• Celtics vs. Lakers: Best of Enemies (Part 1) (Part 2)
• Legacy - The True Story of The LA Lakers
• F1: Drive to Survive
• Ken Burns Baseball
• Four Nights in October (Video needs to be sped up)
• Jamie Vardy
• Untold: Crime and Penalties

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Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors | 2016 NBA Finals Game 7

Thoughts: Wow, I did not realize a game of basketball could be so intense and desperate. It seems like each player was playing to their hardest and I was surprised at how physically aggressive it seemed to be, especially those defensive blocks. In a game with Steph Curry and Lebron James (it's cool actually seeing how good he is), Draymond Green was a standout for me. Really loved how intense this was.

 

Currently watching: USA v China PR | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final

Thoughts: Watching the 1999 Women's World Cup Final felt like watching two perfectly matched teams just smash into each other (both metaphorically and physically) for a grueling 2 hours. That final shootout had me on the edge of my seat and I audibly gasped at that Scurry save. A brutal endurance test that has an incredible climax.