But it was the Pistons who were in pain when the game ended, knowing they lost an opportunity for a rare victory.
They called it a rare victory for organized labor.
But in the final six minutes, with a rare victory in sight, the Nets responded.
This is about a rare knockout victory these days for substance over style.
Still, today's court decision was a rare victory for the baseball club.
Two days before the attack, he said, he managed to score a rare victory over his brother on the golf course.
The battle is a rare Russian victory in what has become a bloody war of attrition - but it came at a cost.
Even after rare victories, he fretted aloud about mistakes during the games.
Perhaps those others feel gladness at this rare victory, and wish us well.
In 1972, he enjoyed a rare victory in the courts.