BOSTON (AP) - After the marathon bombings, the cities of Boston and New York put aside their bitter rivalries and joined in their mutual love of sports and country.
Well, that time may be ending, at least when it comes to sports.
The Knicks beat the Celtics in an NBA first-round playoff series this year, and now the NHL’s Rangers and Bruins will play in the Eastern Conference semifinals _ their first playoff meeting since 1973 _ despite the fact that the two teams are part of the league’s Original Six franchises.
Here’s a look at the very best of the Boston-New York rivalries in football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
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NFL
2008 SUPER BOWL
The Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left. It was set up by a 32-yard completion to David Tyree with 59 seconds to go on which the receiver trapped the ball against his helmet while being guarded tightly by Rodney Harrison. The loss ruined the Patriots’ chances at going 19-0 and denied them their fourth Super Bowl in seven years.
2012 SUPER BOWL
The teams met again for the championship and, again, the Giants won, 21-17, with a late touchdown. Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a 6-yard run with 57 seconds left after Mario Manningham caught a 38-yard pass from Manning along the left sideline with two defensive backs bearing down on him. On the last play of the game, Tom Brady’s desperation pass into the end zone landed just out of the reach of Rob Gronkowski.
PATRIOTS-JETS
1997: Bill Parcells leaves as head coach of the Patriots after losing the Super Bowl to take the same job with the Jets.
2000: Bill Belichick quits after one day as Jets’ coach to take Patriots’ top job.
2006: Eric Mangini angers Belichick by leaving as Patriots defensive coordinator to take over the Jets. Belichick offers a weak handshake to Mangini after beating the Jets in the second game of the season.
2007: NFL penalizes the Patriots for videotaping Jets coaches’ signals during a game on Sept. 9. Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots were fined $250,000 and forced to give up a 2008 first-round draft pick for what became known as “Spygate.”
2009: Rex Ryan says he didn’t become coach of the Jets to “kiss” Belichick’s Super Bowl rings.
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BASEBALL
1978 AL EAST PLAYOFF GAME
This is the game that made Bucky Dent famous. The Yankees and Red Sox were tied for first place, forcing a one-game playoff at Fenway Park. In the seventh inning, Dent’s three-run homer put the Yankees ahead, 3-2. They won 5-4 and went on to win the World Series. Dent, a light-hitting shortstop, hit just five homers in the regular season and only 40 in his 12 regular seasons.
1986 WORLD SERIES
Down to their last strike, the Mets beat the Red Sox in Game 6 when Mookie Wilson’s grounder went through first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs for an error that allowed Ray Knight to score the winning run for a 6-5 win in 10 innings. New York won the championship with an 8-5 win in Game 7 after overcoming a 3-0 deficit.
2004 AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
The Red Sox became the first major league team to win a seven-game series after losing the first three games. They tied Game 4 against closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth when pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second and scored on Bill Mueller’s single. They won it 6-4 in the 12th on David Ortiz’s two-run homer. The Red Sox went on to their first World Series title in 86 years when they swept the St. Louis Cardinals.
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NBA
2013 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
The Knicks won their first playoff series since 2000, beating the Celtics in six games. Boston was trying to become the first NBA team to win a series after losing the first three games and cut the deficit to 3-2. But the Celtics lost the finale 88-80 despite scoring 20 straight points in the fourth quarter and began an offseason of uncertainty with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett possibly having played their last game in Boston uniforms.
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NHL
1972 PLAYOFFS
The Bruins and Rangers met in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1929. Boston won in six games, taking the finale 3-0 behind the goaltending of Gerry Cheevers, two goals by Wayne Cashman and one by Bobby Orr. The MVP award went to Orr, who had four goals and four assists in the series.
1973 PLAYOFFS
The Rangers pulled off an upset, winning the first-round series 4-1 when they outscored the Bruins 22-11. Boston was hurt by the loss of Phil Esposito for the series to a knee injury in the second game. New York lost in the next round to the Chicago Blackhawks in five games.
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QUOTE
“Another New York-Boston series,” Bruins forward Milan Lucic said after Monday night’s 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7. “Red Sox-Yankees. Patriots-Giants. The Celtics just played the Knicks. There’s a lot of hatred between the two cities. We’re looking forward to the series.”
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