Names made the games in 2013

Sports aren?t just about games … they?re about names, too. Games don?t happen in a vacuum. They?re populated by people. It?s men and women (and often animals, too) who give them their personality and make them what they are.What follows is a purely subjective list of 15 names who made 2013 a memorable year in sports.Ray LewisLike him or hate him, Ray Lewis was a lightning rod for strong emotion in 2013. As the 2012 season wound down, Lewis, beset with injuries, announced he was retiring. Long having atoned (in his mind, at least) for whatever part he played in a 2000 double murder in Atlanta, Lewis, by 2013, was an inspirational figure on the Baltimore Ravens, and helped lead them to a Super Bowl title in 2001.And while he didn?t dominate in 2013 the way he did then, he inspired his teammates to postpone his final NFL game as long as possible, and the Ravens beat the Patriots in Foxborough to win the AFC title and then defeated the San Francisco 49ers two weeks later to win an improbable NFL championship.Lindsey VonnThe four-time World Cup Champion in downhill skiing suffered a horrific accident in February. In the first race of the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, she crashed in the super G and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.She tore her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, and suffered a broken leg as well.She hopes to be ready for the 2014 competition.Adam ScottThe 32-year-old Australian golfer won the Master?s Tournament in April, defeating Angel Cabrera in sudden death.Both Scott and Cabrera birdied the 72nd hole in the tournament to force the overtime. On the second hole of sudden death, Cabrera missed a birdie putt by inches, with Scott making his 12-footer to win him the title.Bryan Bickell and Dave BollandThe Boston Bruins were just about to wrap up Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston and send the series back to Chicago for a Game 7 showdown with the Blackhawks.With 1:16 to go, with the Blackhawks having pulled their goalie for an extra skater, Bickell took a wrap-around pass from behind the net by Jonathan Toews and put it past Tuukka Rask for the tying goal.And while the Bruins fans were stirring restlessly in their seats, Bolland shot one that caromed off the post and into the net, stunning the Bruins and their fans, and giving the Blackhawks their second Stanley Cup in four seasons.Ray AllenHe was certainly not the No. 1 option on the Miami Heat. He might not have even been the No. 4 option. But in the closing minutes of Game 6, with the San Antonio Spurs poised to beat the Heat and win the NBA championship, it was Allen?s three-pointer from the corner that tied the game with five seconds left and sent it into overtime.He then made a steal, drew a foul and sank two free throws in OT. In Game 7, the former Celtic, whose decision to sign with the Heat as a free agent drew all kinds of acrimony, didn?t score a point.But, as they say, that?s why the Heat signed him … for that one time that they needed a clutch three-pointer.Diana NyadIt took her five tries, but finally, at the age of 64, Nyad became the first person (confirmed) to swim from Cuba to Florida without using a shark cage.She swam 110 miles from Havana to Key West. A multi-sport athlete in her prime, Nyad was once ranked 13th among US women?s squash players.Serena WilliamsThe AP?s female athlete of the year, Williams won the French and US Opens, running her WTA total to 17 titles. She had a 34-match winning streak at one point, and also earned $12 million in prize money.At 32, she is the oldest player in WTA history to be ranked at No. 1.Rick PitinoThe former Boston Celtics coach has now won NCAA Division 1 Men?s Basketball championships with two schools: Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013.Pitino got his head coaching start at Boston University, and after a few successful seasons there — where he matched wits often with then-Northeastern coach Jim Calhoun — Pitino moved on to Providence Colle