These 16 plays highlight 2020 in Florida sports, from Tampa Bay Lightning to Gators and Heat

2020 was a momentous year for Florida college and pro sports. For starters:

• The Dolphins kicked off a new era with the drafting of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and coach Brian Flores shaping a world-class defense.
• Tom Brady left the Patriots dynasty to reinvigorate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• The FSU men's basketball team won the ACC regular-season title before the COVID pandemic halted their chance to run through in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Gators football team made the SEC Championship Game and saw Kyle Trask put together an impressive Heisman Trophy resume.
• Both of Florida's MLB teams made the postseason, and the Tampa Bay Rays made their second-ever World Series.
• The Heat stunned the bubble behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo all the way to the NBA Finals.
• And the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed their second Stanley Cup in the Canada bubble.

Year of the Winner:In South Florida we found one reason to be thankful for 2020

Let's take a look back at the year that was with 16 of the best plays of 2020. 

Editor's note: This list originally was 15 plays, but then FitzMagic struck in Las Vegas, necessitating a late addition.

Brayden Point scores in fifth overtime

Who: Lightning vs. Blue Jackets, Game 1 of Eastern Conference quarterfinal

When: Aug. 11

We'll start with the champs. This one felt especially sweet since Columbus surprised the world when they swept the record-setting Lightning out of the playoffs last season. This time, it seemed strange things were afoot again as the series opener just wouldn't end. Victory finally came after over 6 hours of hockey when Brayden Point finally powered one past Joonas Korpisalo midway through the fifth overtime, the fourth longest game in NHL history.

Brett Phillips sets off wild final play in World Series

Who: Rays vs. Dodgers, Game 4 of World Series

When: Oct. 24

Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Down a run with two runners on base. And at the plate: Seminole High alumnus Brett Phillips, a career .202 hitter with only five hitless postseason games under his belt. What came next went down as possibly the craziest finish baseball has ever seen, with Chris Taylor bobbling the ball in the oufield, Tampa phenom Randy Arozarena falling on his way home and catcher Will Smith losing the ball on the throw to the plate. It was a moment you had to see to believe.

Bam Adebayo blocks Jayson Tatum all the way out of the bubble

Who: Heat vs. Celtics, Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals

When: Sept. 15

The Heat's run to the NBA Finals was filled with stellar individual performances, from Tyler Herro living up to his name or Jimmy Butler single-handedly winning Game 3 against LeBron James and the Lakers. But no individual moment stands out more than Bam Adebayo denying the Celtics' young star at the rim late in Miami's overtime win to open their series.

Tom Brady shows he's still got a deep ball

Who: Buccaneers at Vikings

When: Dec. 13

Doubts have risen throughout the past few years over the future Hall of Famer's arm strength. At 43 years old, Brady has been going shorter over the past several seasons. But that doesn't mean he can't uncork one every now and then, as he showed against Minnesota with a perfect 48-yard bomb to Scotty Miller.

Emmanuel Ogbah strip-sacks Jared Goff, Andrew Van Ginkel houses it

Who: Dolphins vs. Rams

When: Nov. 1

This game will be remembered as the first start for Tua Tagovailoa, but the defense stole the show. After defensive lineman Christian Wilkins intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff earlier in the game, the Rams were in the red zone looking to take the lead. Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah had other ideas, coming unblocked to force Goff to fumble. Andrew Van Ginkel scooped the ball and took it nearly 80 yards the other way to put Miami ahead for good. 

Xavien Howard makes spectacular interception off Patrick Mahomes

Who: Dolphins vs. Chiefs

When: Dec. 13

Xavien Howard forms one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL with Byron Jones. His nine picks through Week 14 lead the league, and none were prettier than No. 9. The fact that he did it against Patrick Mahomes — a league MVP and the reigning Super Bowl MVP — was impressive enough. But considering he did it right on the goal line — and while covering speed demon Tyreek Hill, no less — this could be his finest work.

Ryan Fitzpatrick finds Mack Hollins while blinded by facemask penalty

Who: Dolphins vs. Raiders

When: Dec. 26

This special late addition had to be included in any self-respecting Plays of the Year list. With the Dolphins fighting to hold onto their playoff spot, the Dolphins were down by two with 18 seconds left. Miami needed a miracle to get into field goal range for a last-second win. Fortunately, they had FitzMagic, who had entered the game in the fourth quarter to replace the struggling Tua Tagovailoa. With Arden Key yanking on the veteran's facemask, the Harvard grad somehow hit Mack Hollins on the sideline. The 34-yard completion plus the 15-yard penalty set up a most improbable victory.

More:Mack Hollins asks: How'd Ryan Fitzpatrick get that pass off, anyway?

'Holy Dolphins?':Twitter learns all about FitzMagic in crazy win over Raiders

Scottie Barnes hits game-winner in just his second game

Who: Florida State vs. Indiana

When: Dec. 10

It's a shame the Seminoles didn't have a chance to dance in the NCAA Tournament last season. But this team seems to still be in good shape with the arrival of players like Scottie Barnes. The freshman from West Palm Beach hit a runner with less than 2 seconds left in overtime to beat the Hoosiers in, again, just his second collegiate game.

Josh Kaindoh scores a big man pick-six in upset win over UNC

Who: Florida State vs. No. 6 North Carolina

When: Oct. 17

FSU's biggest win of the season came when the Seminoles shocked the then-unbeaten Tar Heels at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles stormed out to a 24-0 lead, capped by a highly unlikely touchdown: a 25-yard interception return off a screen attempt by Sam Howell by defensive end Josh Kaindoh. Big man touchdowns remain the best.

Lawrance Toafili sprints for 73-yard score

Who: Florida State vs. Duke

When: Dec. 12

The Seminoles had a few exhilarating long scores this season. This one was the sixth rushing touchdown of the day in what turned out to be the Seminoles' final game of the season. On that day, FSU rushed for a measly 324 yards. These were the most impressive 73.

Hurricanes block field goal, get TD before half vs. Clemson

Who: No. 7 Miami at No. 1 Clemson

When: Oct. 11

This was about the only that went right for the 'Canes this day. Dabo Swinney called for a 61-yard field goal try at the end of the first half. Jared Harrison-Hunte rejected the kick, and DJ Ivey grabbed the loose ball and took it back for a touchdown to make it 21-10 and give Miami hope heading into the break. The Hurricanes blocked three kicks that night — and scored only once more after halftime.

D'Eriq King sends Mike Harley off and running to the lead

Who: No. 11 Miami at NC State

When: Nov. 7

This was D'Eriq King's day. The Houston transfer accounted for 535 yards and led a fourth-quarter rally to hold off the Wolfpack. The comeback was capped by this beauty of a catch-and-run to Mike Harley. This became a theme for the season. In fact ...

D'Eriq King hits Mike Harley for 89-yard TD

Who: No. 9 Miami at Duke

When: Dec. 5

The 'Canes were playing for the first time in three weeks because of COVID. It sure didn't seem to matter, as Miami ran away with a 48-0 win and Harley ran nearly the length of the field for this touchdown. It's worth the time to watch all of King's highlights from the season.

Kyle Pitts opens season with four touchdown catches

Who: No. 6 Florida at Ole Miss

When: Sept. 26

It's impossible to pick just one of these incredible catches from the season opener. Shoutout to Kyle Trask for putting a nice touch on the final two scores. It doesn't take much to put the other Kyle into overdrive.

Kadarius Toney hits turbo on 57-yard touchdown

Who: No. 3 Florida vs. South Carolina

When: Oct. 3

This was Kyle Trask's fourth touchdown pass of the game. But the star of this play is the speedy Toney. Once the senior from Mobile, Alabama, got a head of steam, there was no stopping him, not even when he was surrounded by five Gamecocks. He's just too fast. But that might not even be Toney's most impressive play of the year; he had a nice one in the SEC Championship Game, too. Plus ...

Kadarius Toney and Xzavier Henderson combine for punt return TD

Who: No. 5 Florida vs. Kentucky

When: Nov. 28

This one is a dual effort. With the Gators finding themselves down just before halftime to Kentucky, they decided to get a little tricky on a punt return. Watch Xzavier Henderson down on the bottom of the screen pretend to field the punt. The fake-out got enough Wildcats leaning left for Toney to actually field the kick and take it to the house. It was all Gators from there.