Top New York sports stories of 2020

It was a year in New York sports like no other, and there was one moment that best illustrated it:

On March 12, St. John’s and Creighton began a Big East Tournament men’s basketball quarterfinal at Madison Square Garden . . . and never finished.

With the Red Storm leading, 38-35 at halftime, officials called off the game and the entire event amid a cascade of sports cancellations that began the night before when the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

In its first tournament game, St. John’s had beaten Georgetown, 75-62, before 17,534. Against Creighton, attendance was capped at 400. Then everyone went home after 20 game minutes.

It was the start of the biggest story in New York sports this year — not to mention the entire planet. Here are our top 10:

1: COVID-19 infects sports calendar

Nothing went as planned as the pandemic at first stopped sports in its tracks, then forced a gradual return with bubbles in the NBA and NHL, severe restrictions in baseball and football, and uncertainty everywhere, including in high school sports. The Belmont Stakes and U.S. Open carried on without fans; the New York City Marathon was canceled.

2: Steve Cohen buys Mets

After his initial bid to buy the Mets fell through in February, Great Neck native and multi-billionaire Steve Cohen revived a deal that gave him 95% of the team, with the Wilpons retaining 5%. The purchase valued the Mets at $2.475 billion. Cohen was a big hit with hopeful fellow Mets fans, notably through an engaging Twitter presence.

3: Islanders reach Eastern Conference finals

A 17-game point streak late in 2019 excited Islanders fans, but the team was stumbling to the regular-season finish line when the pandemic halted things in mid-March. When play resumed in the Toronto and Edmonton playoff bubbles, the team rediscovered itself and got within six victories of a Stanley Cup for the first time since 1984.

4: Tom Seaver dies at 75

It was a year of profound loss in sports. The Yankees family alone said final farewells to Whitey Ford, Don Larsen, Horace Clarke, Bob Watson and Hank Steinbrenner. But for a generation of Mets fans, nothing hit home like the death of Tom Seaver from complications related to Lewy body dementia and COVID-19. He was "The Franchise," and he was terrific.

5: Yankees miss World Series — Again

The Yankees were a mediocre 33-27 in the shortened season, then swept the Indians in a best-of-three wild-card series before losing the ALDS to the Rays when Mike Brosseau homered off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 5 for a 2-1 win. DJ LeMahieu’s .364 batting average led the major leagues. So did Luke Voit’s 22 home runs.

6: Knicks shake things up — again

It has been a tough century for the Knicks, but they sought their latest fix by firing team president Steve Mills and hiring agent Leon Rose, who signed famed power broker William "World Wide Wes" Wesley as executive vice president and Tom Thibodeau as coach. Not quite the splash the Nets made by adding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but it’s a start.

7: Lundqvist leaves Rangers, Lafreniere arrives

Henrik Lundqvist, a future Hall of Fame goaltender who spent 15 seasons with the Rangers, had the final year of his contract bought out, then signed with the Capitals (he must skip the upcoming season because of a heart condition). It was the end of a memorable era for the Blueshirts, who took another step toward a new one by winning the NHL Draft lottery, then selecting wing Alexis Lafreniere No. 1.

8: Jets lose 13, then lose hold on No. 1

The Jets lost their first 13 games, putting them in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, which is expected to be Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Then all heck broke loose when they upset the Rams, leaving their future beyond Week 17 in limbo. Coach Adam Gase surely will be gone, but who will be their quarterback in 2021?

9: Carton returns, Francesa leaves WFAN

WFAN’s afternoon drive time drama continued in 2020, which began with Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno replacing Mike Francesa, and ended with Carton replacing Benigno after the former had spent a year in prison and the latter retired. Francesa spent half the year with a limited role in early evenings, then left for good (presumably) in July.

10: Giants battle for NFC East title

The Giants started 0-5 and 1-7 under first-year coach Joe Judge, but thanks to the NFC East’s weakness and a four-game winning streak, they found themselves in first place well into December. Judge earned high marks for his approach and quarterback Daniel Jones showed continued promise. Star back Saquon Barkley tore an ACL in Week 2.

11: Durant makes Nets debut

The wait was long, and it ended a mere nine days before the end of 2020, but Kevin Durant made his debut with the Nets alongside Kyrie Irving and they fueled a season-opening blowout of Golden State. There is no telling yet where this is headed, but the Nets at last are relevant nationally. The trick now is to draw attention — and perhaps fans — away from the Knicks locally.

By Neil Best

Special to Newsday@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.