Roy Campanella Jr. (in wheelchair) may have felt “It’s Good to Be Alive” when he wrote his 1959 autobiography, but the mood on the ’51 Dodgers wasn’t so upbeat after he and his Brooklyn teammates blew a 13-game lead in August, allowing the hated New York Giants to force a three-game playoff. Bobby Thompson’s ninth-inning home run off Ralph Branca won the pennant for the Giants and was immortalized as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

Shaquille O’Neal‘s celebration following a dunk off an alley-oop from Kobe Bryant capped the Lakers’ rally from 15 down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Facing an L.A. team with the best record in the league, Portland had won two straight to force Game 7. But the collapse paved the way for the Lakers to win the first of three straight championships — and hastened the demise of another dysfunctional Blazers team.

The Yankees remain the only MLB team to lose a seven-game series after taking a 3-0 lead, and their historic collapse paved the way for the Red Sox to end their 86-year World Series title drought. New York led Game 4 of the ALCS by one run in the ninth inning, but a rare blown save by closer Mariano Rivera tied the game, and a home run by Boston’s David Ortiz (pictured) won it in extra innings. Series MVP Ortiz also won Game 5 with a single in the 14th inning.

In 1978, the Red Sox curse was alive and well and led the BoSox straight into a Boston Massacre at the hands of the Yankees. After battling all season long, Boston was forced into a one-game playoff with New York for the division. The Yankees won 5-4 on a home run by Bucky Dent and went on to win the World Series in six games over the Dodgers.
 

There are rookie errors, and then there’s this. In his first Indianapolis 500, JR Hildebrand was one turn from victory on May 29, 2011. He failed to make that turn. After moving outside to lap a slower car, he skidded into the wall, which allowed Dan Wheldon to pass him for the win. “It’s a helpless feeling,” Hildebrand said after coasting to second place.
 

Boston was up threes games to none and looked well on its way to the conference finals. The Flyers had other ideas, overcoming that deficit to force Game 7. In the final game, the Bruins jumped on the Flyers, taking a 3-0 lead. However the Flyers rallied to eliminate Boston in one of the Bruins' worst losses ever.

After the first half of their second 2010 matchup vs. the Eagles, it looked like the Giants were on their way to a rout, up 24-3. But Michael Vick and the Eagles had other plans, mounting an epic second-half rally that was highlighted by a 28-point flurry by Philly in the final 7:28. The dagger for the Giants came on the final play of a game. Tied at 31, the Giants punted the ball to the Eagles with 14 seconds remaining. Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson bobbled the punt, but collected the ball and darted up the field past the Giants for the game-winning TD.

Derrick Rose (far left) was the youngest MVP in NBA history. Kevin Durant is the youngest scoring champion in history. Both were All-NBA this season. And they both led their teams to all-world postseason meltdowns in the 2011 playoffs. The Thunder blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the West finals, all but ending their series vs. the Mavs, while the Bulls blew a 12-point lead in the last three minutes of Game 5 of the East finals vs. the Heat — and were eliminated.

Cheer up, Kyle Williams. You may have had your problems in a big game, but some of the biggest chokers in sports have done worse. Don't believe us? Here's a list to make you feel better.