Tag: best bets

Banged-up Bates doesn’t mind putting body on Fajardo

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Meralco rookie Brandon Bates kept it simple when asked about the tall task of defending San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo in the PBA Philippine Cup championship series.

“Starstruck … and sore!” he said with a hearty laugh while chatting with the Inquirer. “I remember waking up the other morning and every single part of my body was sore.”

Turning serious, the Filipino-Australian big man pointed out that he wasn’t expecting anything less from the man who has helped deliver San Miguel’s last 10 crowns while winning seven MVP trophies.

“He’s the best player in this league, and possibly—arguably—the best in Philippine (basketball’s) history,” Bates went on. “So yeah, starstruck and sore.”

Bates hasn’t been too shabby in this best-of-seven duel where he has helped his crew take a 2-1 lead. The former La Salle center has been integral in putting the clamps on the Beermen cornerstone.

Alongside Raymond Almazan, Norbert Torres and Kyle Pascual, Bates has made things difficult for Fajardo, especially in Game 3, as the San Miguel star was held to only five field goal attempts and forced to a team-worst seven turnovers.

There’s no denying that among the questions on Wednesday’s Game 4 set at 7:30 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum will be about sustaining that effort. And Bates is optimistic, as energy, after all, has been synonymous with Meralco’s play.

“The coaching staff has prepared us really well. Our training sessions weren’t easy. They haven’t been easy coming into this [series]. I think we’re very well-prepared especially if this goes into seven games,” he said.

“It’s what we want because we’re truly prepared for this sort of stuff.”

Poster boy

Cliff Hodge, easily Meralco’s poster boy for vigor, is hardly fazed with the possibility of the Bolts’ energy sputtering as the series plods along.

“Ever since the ‘PBA On Tour,’ when the coaching staff came back and asked us what our goals are, we said we want to win a championship. They said, ‘all right, well if you guys want to win a championship, then you all got to be conditioned to win a championship,’” Hodge said as the Bolts look to build a huge 3-1 cushion.

“So we’ve been putting in the work since then. And I’m not tired—I can do this any day of the week. All the guys on the team are in condition and we’re in shape. So we want to keep this pace up. If everything works out and we win a championship, then that’s great. If not, we’ll keep working until we win one,” he added.

Such a projection remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to see if it even holds as they try to fend off the Beermen from equalizing.

Fajardo is shaping up to be at the front and center of that San Miguel counterattack in what is looming as his coronation as the Best Player of the Conference (BPC). Barring any big changes, the Cebuano hotshot will be taking home his 10th BPC, the most by anyone in league history.

Celtics traded for Jrue Holiday, now two wins away from NBA title

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Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday takes a shot over Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON — This moment is exactly why the Boston Celtics went out and got Jrue Holiday.

When president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and the rest of the front office sat down after last season to piece together their next steps following Boston’s NBA Eastern Conference finals loss to Miami, a question hovered over them.

How much were they willing to shake up the core of a team that had lost in the NBA Finals in 2022 and then came up a game short of returning the following season?

In the end they opted to swing big, trading longtime point guard Marcus Smart as part of the deal that netted 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis. Then, after Milwaukee traded Holiday to Portland to get Damian Lillard, the Celtics pounced, dealing former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and big man Robert Williams III to get Holiday.

The bold moves have proven to be exactly what the Celtics needed, helping produce a 64-win regular season, a romp through the first three rounds of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics call Pritchard triple ‘play of the game’ in Game 2

For the defensive-minded Holiday, whose defense limited Kyrie Irving, combined with a 26-point,11-rebound effort helped Boston salvage its 105-98 Game 2 victory, it’s the latest example that Holiday is where he is meant to be.

“I think that this is what was supposed to happen. And I’m glad that I’m here and I’m glad that I’m in this moment,” Holiday said prior to the start of the Finals.

“(Celtics coach) Joe Mazzulla has talked about that a lot, especially this season is being in the moment, and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Part of what’s made Holiday so effective for the Celtics is the 33-year-old’s willingness to adapt his game to fill whatever his team has needed this season.

A No. 3 scoring option in Milwaukee behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton during the Bucks’ 2020-21 championship season, Holiday has accepted being the fourth or fifth option in Boston. His 12.5 points per game average this regular season was the lowest since his rookie season.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics hold off Mavericks for 2-0 lead

But there have been times, such as in Game 2, when Dallas doubled up on All-Star Jayson Tatum, put more pressure on Jaylen Brown or Porzingis struggled, when Holiday had to increase his output.

He’s done it, while maintaining intensity on the defensive end this season. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive second team. It was the sixth time he was picked for the first or second team in his career.

Holiday believes it’s a byproduct of the collective unity the team has been building throughout the season.

“I think when you sacrifice together and you do something together, it brings you closer,” he said. “I think being able to go through wins and losses and to build something, it means a lot. … From (roster spots) 1 to 15, somebody’s sacrificed something.”

Part of what’s helped ease Holiday’s transition to Boston has been the familiarity he already had with Tatum, with whom he played alongside on the 2020 U.S. Olympic basketball team that captured the gold medal during the Olympics in Tokyo.

READ: NBA: Jrue Holiday signs 4-year extension with Celtics

Tatum said that relationship made periodic check-ins he had at times this season with Holiday easier.

“I would just check in or always remind him to be yourself and, we’re going to need you in big moments, obviously like (Game 2),” Tatum said.

It’s allowed Holiday to play to his strengths, most notably his ability to bring a measure of calm to the court in Mazzulla’s controlled chaos.

Holiday’s also been able to provide stability in crunch time for a team that in recent playoff runs sometimes wilted in those moments, often trying to lean on one-on-one play or committing turnovers.

And while a player such as Smart was a dominant alpha on the court, Holiday knows what it’s like to play alongside a star such as Antetokounmpo, and coax the best out of them.

Asked to imagine what position the Celtics might be in without Holiday on the roster, Tatum didn’t want to entertain the thought.

“Good thing we don’t have to find out,” he said.

No matter what happens over the remainder of the Finals, this won’t be a one season-and-done stop for Holiday, who signed a four-year extension in April.

“From here on it’s like — I’m supposed to be here,” Holiday said. “And I’m supposed to be with my teammates. And we’re supposed to do this together.”

But there’s only one way he’ll feel as if his arrival in Boston can be deemed a success.

“It’s been great and the journey’s been awesome, but at the end of the day, the job is not done,” he said.

Nikola Jokic on Serbia’s preliminary roster for Paris Olympics

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BELGRADE, Serbia — Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was included on Serbia’s 16-man preliminary roster for the upcoming Paris Olympics on Monday, ending doubts he would skip the basketball tournament. The three-time NBA MVP has missed some important international tournaments in the past, citing long NBA seasons. But Jokic ended the current NBA season earlier

Carlos Alcaraz plays down chasing ‘impossible’ Nadal, Djokovic records

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy after winning against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fifteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 9, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

Carlos Alcaraz said emulating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s successes seems “impossible” after winning his maiden French Open title on Sunday with a victory over Alexander Zverev.

The 21-year-old came from behind to win 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 and claim his third Grand Slam triumph.

Alcaraz’s victory made him the youngest man to win Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz overcomes Zverev to win first French Open title

With Roger Federer retired, Nadal expected to hang up his racquet this year and Djokovic having a poor season by his high standards, Alcaraz could be primed to dominate the sport for years to come.

Although he is already making history, he has some way to go to match Nadal’s record of 14 French Open titles or Djokovic’s men’s best total of 24 Grand Slams.

“Both things are out of the ordinary,” he admitted.

“You have to be an alien to get it. What Rafa did with 14 is practically impossible.

“The 24 Grand Slams I hope I can but it is almost impossible. Both things are out of the ordinary…

“Before facing this final, he (coach Juan Carlos Ferrero) told me, you’re going to fight for your third Grand Slam title, with everything you have been through, and you know the difficult part of winning a Grand Slam, and Djokovic has 24.

“So it is unbelievable. Right now I can’t think about it.”

READ: Carlos Alcaraz embraces ‘suffering’ to reach French Open final

Alcaraz will next turn his attentions to the grass-court season and the defense of his Wimbledon title.

But he already has one eye on returning to Roland Garros next month for the Paris Olympics, where he is expected to play alongside the 38-year-old Nadal in the doubles.

“When I come back here to the Olympics I will have flashbacks. It can be very nice, my first Games 40 days after winning my first Roland Garros,” he added.

“I really want to. Fight to give my country a medal, be able to play doubles with my idol Rafa Nadal. Let’s fight. Coming back here is going to be a special feeling.”

‘Dream’ come true

He is the eighth Spanish man to win the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

“In Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable,” Alcaraz told reporters.

“Something that I dreamt about, being in this position, since I was started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it’s a great, great feeling.”

Third-ranked Alcaraz has already won three major titles, five Masters 1000 tournaments and become the youngest ever world number one, but said Sunday’s triumph was his proudest moment so far.

He had struggled with a right arm injury in the build-up to the tournament, missing both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Rome Open, either side of a quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev in Madrid.

“Right now lifting the Roland Garros trophy, knowing everything that I have been through the last month with the injuries and all that stuff, I don’t know. Probably this one,” he said.

“Probably this one is the moment that I’m really proud about myself, because everything that I have done the last month just to be ready for this tournament…

“So I’m going to say this one is the most that I am proud about myself.”

‘I’ll teach him more about boxing,’ Pacquiao vows in bout vs MMA champ

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Manny Pacquiao (right) is all set to face MMA champion Chihiro Suzuki. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

About a year and a half removed from his last match, Manny Pacquiao has been spending his time completing side quests.

The boxing icon has been caught on social media dabbling in endurance motorcycling, tennis, pool, and even trying out his luck in chess against an equally legendary sporting figure in Efren Reyes.

Pacquiao, now 45, is scheduled to complete another quest postretirement when he returns to an old stomping ground next month.

“I came here to fight this coming July 28 … I remember my first and last fight here in Japan—that was in ’98—and it [finished in the] first round. It’s my mission to come back and do it again,” he said in a live-streamed presser on Monday noon, promoting his specialized fight against Japanese-Peruvian mixed martial artist Chihiro Suzuki.

“Though [this] fight is only three rounds, I’ll do [my] best to make it faster than that,” the former senator added, referring to his first-round knockout of Shin Terao in Tokyo that lasted just under three minutes.

Pacquiao will be battling Suzuki, a two-sport champion, in a 150-pound boxing contest at Saitama Arena penciled to go for three, three-minute rounds.

The fight, which will be staged under the banner of Rizin Fighting Federation, will also be the first time in over a decade that Pacquiao figures outside his usual fighting weight.

And that shouldn’t be a problem, according to the former—and only—eight-division boxing champion.

“Sixty-eight kilograms is 149 pounds, so a little bit heavier than my weight, 147,” Pacquiao said shortly after doing math with his smartphone. “But it’s OK. I’ve been in 154 before with (Antonio) Margarito. I’m used to fighting at a bigger weight, so nothing to worry about.”

Kickboxing champ, too

Pacquiao scored a unanimous decision over Margarito for the World Boxing Council super welterweight championship in November 2010.

Suzuki is a champion in both mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing disciplines and is eager to tap his expertise in those sports to conquer the legendary boxer.

“I know that a boxer’s punches won’t land on Pacquiao. But I’m an MMA fighter and I do believe that MMA strikes will land,” he said with the aid of a translator.

“In this fight, he may teach me what boxing is, but I’ll teach him what MMA is about,” he added.

Pacquiao responded in a way only Pacquiao could.

“Boxing is not easy to learn. Chihiro wants to experience [that]. I’m sure, on July 28, he’ll learn more about boxing,” he said with a smirk.

“I’ll teach him more about boxing.”

Pacquiao’s last fight was in an exhibition against YouTuber DK Yoo in South Korea. The former defeated the hometown bet with a 6-round unanimous decision. INQ

Petecio surprised by sparring requests

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Nesthy Petecio (left) settled for the silver in the Tokyo Olympics after losing to hometown bet Sena Irie (right) in the final. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Staying busy in a training facility in Bangkok last month, Nesthy Petecio was amazed at the volume of boxers looking to trade blows with her atop the ring.

“I was surprised with the number of boxers who wanted to spar with me at the training camp,’’ said Petecio, who is back in Manila after a monthlong workout at the Thai capital.

Getting a crack at Petecio is quite understandable since most, if not all of them, craved exchanging mitts with an Olympic medalist.

Petecio pocketed the silver medal in the women’s 57-kilogram class during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and with Japan’s Sena Irie, the champion in the featherweight division, now gone, the Filipino former world champion is considered at the top of the pecking order.

“They just loved to face me in the ring and I really don’t know why. As soon as I arrived in the camp, several boxers immediately took interest in slugging it out with me,’’ said Petecio.

She will leave for the Metz training camp in France with Olympic qualifiers Aira Villegas, Hergie Bacyadan and Carlo Paalam in less than two weeks.

They are scheduled to travel together to Germany in another arranged camp from July 1 to July 14 together with Eumir Marcial and fellow Olympians from 22 countries, serving as the ultimate phase of their preparation for the Paris Olympics.

“I’m in the process of building up my strength and stamina. But I think what I really have to develop from now until the Olympics is the proper mindset once I enter the ring,’’ said Petecio.

The 2019 world champion in her division encounters not a few distractions in her buildup, but perfectly knows how to deflect them.

“There are distractions every day, but I always choose peace of mind,’’ said Petecio.

The two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist lost to Irie via unanimous decision in their gold-medal match in Tokyo, but the defeat only boosted her resolve.

“I feel that my confidence isn’t there yet, but I’m on my way to getting there,’’ said Petecio. INQ

Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks

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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) heads to the locker room after a 105-98 loss to the Boston Celtics following Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

BOSTON — Luka Doncic is piling up injuries and points in these NBA Finals.

But for the second straight game, he didn’t get enough support from his Mavericks teammates. This time on a night when the Boston Celtics did everything possible to give Dallas a chance to steal a game on the road.

Doncic connected on 12 of 21 shots and finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, marking his 10th career playoff triple double and the first Finals triple-double in Mavericks’ history.

But his teammates went a combined 26 of 59 from the field on a night in which Boston went just 10 of 30 from the 3-point line, and All-Star Jayson Tatum shot 6 of 22 from the field as Boston won Game 2 105-98.

It all added up to a two-game deficit for the Mavericks as the best-of-seven series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics hold off Mavericks for 2-0 lead

“Every game we lose is a missed opportunity for us,” Doncic said when asked if felt the Mavs missed a chance to take advantage of an off night by the Celtics. “At the end the day, we have to make shots to win the game.”

It was the first Game 2 loss of these playoffs for Dallas, which had won three straight — all on the road. The Mavs now face the daunting task of having to beat a Boston team that has lost just twice this postseason in four out of five games. The Celtics are 6-0 on the road this postseason.

Dallas struggled from both the 3-point line (6 of 26) and the free throw line (16 of 24). Doncic was 4 of 8 from the foul line and had eight of his team’s 15 turnovers.

“The small things, you know, we have to do the small things, and that’s part of the game,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Those are points that we left on the board, and we didn’t shoot free throws well tonight, and we have to be better.”

Doncic started Game 2 after being listed as probable Sunday morning with a sprained right knee and left ankle before being downgraded to questionable by the afternoon after a bruised chest was added to his list of ailments.

READ: NBA Finals: Mavericks plan to get Celtics to fight among themselves

He was cleared to play after going through his pregame warmup routine. Doncic believes he sustained the chest injury taking a charge in Game 1. During pregame introductions Doncic wore an ice wrap across the side of his chest and knee.

“I always want to play,” Doncic said. “So all day we did a lot of things to get ready for the game.”

It didn’t seem to bother him at the outset, as he scored six of Mavericks’ first 11 points and Dallas sprinted out to a 13-6 lead in the first quarter.

But his mobility did seem to be lacking on occasion. It showed later in the opening period when Jaylen Brown pushed the ball up the court on a fast break and crossed Doncic over before gliding past him for a two-handed dunk.

It didn’t slow Doncic down on the offensive end, where he continued to chalk up points and have a verbal back-and-forth with a Celtics fan seated courtside after making consecutive shots.

What may be most troubling for Dallas’ hopes the rest of the series is the play of Kyrie Irving.

After finishing with just 12 points in Game 1 — the second-fewest of his Finals’ career — Irving improved with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, with six assists and two turnovers. But 10 of his points came in the first half, again leaving Doncic on an island down the stretch.

“My teammates look for me to convert a lot of shots and lessen the burden, not only on Luka but the entire team,” Irving said. “It’s on all of us, man. I’m pretty sure if you hear what everybody has to say, they’ll say they have to do something better.”

More Mavericks players were more involved than in Game 1, with all five Mavericks starters reaching double figures. It was a small consolation to Doncic.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to make some more shots,” he said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So I’ve got to do way better in those two categories.”

‘One of my worst races,’ says Lewis Hamilton after missing podium

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Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on, on the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 09, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said he had driven “one of the worst races” of his long career on Sunday when he finished fourth behind Mercedes teammate George Russell in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton said he believed his car was capable of winning, but that he had made a lot of mistakes in his 341st race, in which Russell passed him in the closing laps to snatch away his first podium finish this year on one of his favorite tracks.

“Over the weekend, it’s a poor performance from myself,” he said. “Some other things came into it yesterday, mostly myself, but then today, it’s one of the worst races I’ve driven. Lots of mistakes.

READ: F1: Verstappen wins crazy rain-hit Canadian Grand Prix

“Of course, if I qualified better, I would have been in a better position…

“But it is becoming a car we can fight with and that’s a real positive, going into the next part of the season. It’s going to be a close battle and if I get my head on right, I’ll get better results.

“I think this weekend the car was capable of winning. That’s such a great feeling so we’ll take the points and keep on trying.”

Hamilton holds the joint record of seven wins and six poles at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where he claimed his maiden victory, with McLaren, in 2007.

Russell, who had started from the second pole position of his career and the team’s first since Hamilton’s pole at Hungary last year, said: “This feels like a missed opportunity. We were really quick at the beginning on the inters and then Lando came through really fast, but then we jumped back onto the slicks and made a couple of mistakes, pushing the limits and paid the price.

READ: F1: Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes has found ‘North Star’

“Nevertheless, it was our first podium of the year, we had a really fast car and to be back in the mix fighting for a victory, that’s what F1 is about.”

Asked about his two late bold passing moves on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Hamilton, Russell added: “It was pretty tight with Oscar and Lewis at the end. It was hard, but fair racing.

“It’s so difficult when there’s only one dry line, so you have got to be committed and trust your rivals.”

Team boss Toto Wolff said despite missing out on a first win since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022, he was satisfied with the team’s recent progress.

“A victory was maybe a long shot, or a short dream, but you must not be too greedy. The car has made a good step forward and the development direction is true.”

He added that he was not sure if Red Bull had “made a step backwards” but that “the most important thing” is that their performance advantage was shrinking.

Mavs blow chance in Game 2, face even tougher road

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Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

Game 2 provided Dallas with a huge chance.

The Mavericks could have flown back to Dallas with the home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. They could have tied the title series at a game apiece. They could have put the heavily favored Boston Celtics into what would have been their most precarious spot of the season.

Instead, they’re down 2-0 — and now the odds of pulling this off just got a whole lot longer.

They missed eight free throws, gave up 21 points off turnovers, didn’t take advantage of an uncharacteristic 3-point clankfest from the Celtics – 10 for 39 — plus wasted another big effort from Luka Doncic on a night where he battled through ankle, rib and knee issues and still did whatever he wanted. They were better than they were in Game 1. That said, they still weren’t good enough. Final score: Boston 105, Dallas 98, and the Celtics are now two wins away from what would be their record-setting 18th NBA championship.

“At the end of the day, they are better than all the teams we’ve played,” Dallas’ PJ Washington said. “It’s the finals, and we’ve just got to be better. … Their record says that they have been the best team all year. They have two superstars, they have a lot of great role players and they play team ball. So, we’ve just got to be better.”

READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks

Or else.

The only path for Dallas to capture this title now is to win four of the next five games, against a team that hasn’t come close to losing four games in a five-game stretch at any point this season. The Celtics are 14-2 in these playoffs, 78-20 overall this season and the only way that their fingerprints aren’t on the Larry O’Brien Trophy before long is for them to come completely apart.

Which isn’t likely. Possible, sure. Likely, no.

“The journey to this point has been great, but we still know being up 2-0 means nothing,” said Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, who led Boston with 26 points in Game 2. “Job’s not done. We have to do whatever it takes.”

Doncic had the 50th known triple-double in NBA Finals history — 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. He also had eight turnovers and went just 4 for 8 from the foul line, two reasons why he pointed the finger of blame directly at himself after the game.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to make some more shots,” Doncic said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So, I’ve got to do way better in those two categories. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics hold off Mavericks for 2-0 lead

Dallas tied a season-low with six 3-pointers, but that wasn’t what the Mavericks should lament most when they review how the game went from beyond the arc. They were 11-1 in these playoffs when holding teams below 38% on 3s; make it 11-2 now, since Boston shot 25.6% in Game 2 and won. The Celtics aren’t likely to struggle that much from deep too often.

“Every game we lose, it’s a missed opportunity for us,” Doncic said.

Dallas was right there, which will make the loss hurt even more. It still took a pair of unlikely plays by the Celtics — a 34-foot, beat-the-clock 3-pointer by Payton Pritchard to end the third quarter, and a chasedown block by Derrick White in the final minute of the fourth on a play where it seemed like Washington got fouled on a dunk try — for Boston to wrap Game 2 up.

“That’s what Payton Pritchard does,” White said of the deep heave.

In the biggest moments, Boston found a way. That all said, it’s not over. Comebacks from 2-0 down in the NBA Finals aren’t unprecedented.

The last team to lead the finals 2-0 was Phoenix in 2021; the Suns didn’t win another game in that series against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Milwaukee. Golden State led Cleveland 2-0 in 2016; Cleveland won in seven, something that Kyrie Irving will surely remind his Dallas teammates of now since he hit the 3-pointer that basically sealed that title for LeBron James and the Cavs. And nobody needs to tell Dallas that 2-0 leads guarantee nothing; the Mavericks had that lead against Dwyane Wade and Miami in 2006, the city was planning parade routes, and the Heat won the next four games for their first championship.

“We are not down,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re positive. This is a group that believes. We didn’t get an opportunity to get a split or win two here on the road. Now Boston held serve. Now we’ve got to go home and hold serve.”

To his credit, he made it all sound very simple. But he knows the task is much harder now.

Rare talent Carlos Alcaraz on way to ’30 Grand Slams’

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning against Germany’s Alexander Zverev at the end of their men’s singles final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fifteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 9, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph over Alexander Zverev at the French Open on Sunday marked the latest chapter in a story predicted to end with “30 Grand Slam titles.”

The 21-year-old has become familiar with setting landmarks.

When he won his maiden Slam title at the US Open two years ago he became the youngest champion of a men’s major since storied compatriot Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz plays down chasing ‘impossible’ Nadal, Djokovic records

He also became the youngest man to ascend to the world number one ranking. His Roland Garros coronation makes him the youngest to win Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.

“I have a special feeling at this tournament, because I remember when I finish school I’m running to my home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open,” Alcaraz said.

He is the eighth Spanish man in history to win at Roland Garros.

“I wanted to put my name on that list of the Spanish players who won this tournament. Not only Rafa. (Juan Carlos) Ferrero, (Carlos) Moya, (Albert) Costa, a lot of Spanish players, legends from our sport that won this tournament.”

The modest, muscular star from the small Murcian town of El Palmar in Spain’s south-east hit the giant-killing jackpot at Madrid in 2022 when he became the only man to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court event.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz overcomes Zverev to win first French Open title

For good measure, he achieved it on back-to-back days on his way to the title.

“Carlos’s intensity and speed is something you rarely see,” said Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal.

‘Never gives up’

“His game follows the same path as Rafa; he never gives up until the last ball and has that characteristic intensity.”

Nadal was also 19 when he won the first of his 22 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros in 2005.

However, Nadal has always pleaded with fans not to put pressure on Alcaraz by making bold comparisons.

“I forgot what I was like at 19,” said Nadal. “The only thing we can do is enjoy the career of an extraordinary player like Carlos.

“If he manages to win 25 Grand Slams, it will be fantastic for him and for our country. But let him enjoy his career.”

Despite Nadal’s reluctance, making comparisons is unavoidable.

Nadal won the first of his 92 titles at Sopot at the age of 18 in 2004.

Alcaraz, who learned the game at a tennis school run by his father, was also 18 when he captured his maiden ATP trophy at Umag in 2021.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz hopes of dream Olympic doubles with Rafael Nadal

Both men are fiercely protective of their private lives, enjoy passionate crowd support and build their games on steely defense and thrilling, flamboyant attack.

Nadal famously fought out a five-hour and 53-minute Australian Open final in 2012, only to lose to Djokovic.

Four years earlier, he won his first Wimbledon crown in a four-hour 48-minute epic against Roger Federer in a match widely hailed as the greatest Slam final of all time.

‘Competitive kid’

“I know that I am a very competitive kid. I compete whenever I play anything — golf, petanca,” said Alcaraz. “I don’t like to lose.”

At his side is his coach Ferrero, the 2003 French Open winner who also took the number one ranking at the US Open later that year.

“I would love for Carlos to win 30 Grand Slams. There will be a lot of chances,” said Ferrero, who began working with Alcaraz when he was just 15.

Alcaraz was already winning junior European and Spanish titles in lower categories under the guidance of Albert Molina, an agent with IMG.

Molina established the Alcaraz-Ferrero partnership.

Ferrero then brought Alcaraz into his academy in Valencia, 120km from El Palmar.

His raw potential soon attracted sponsors, with marquee brands such as Nike and Rolex rushing to sign up Nadal’s heir apparent.

The tennis team around the prodigy was also expanding and soon included a physical trainer, a physiotherapist and the support of psychologists and doctors.

An indication of his potential was obvious at the Rio clay-court event in 2020 when he was just 16, and ranked 406 in the world, he shocked Albert Ramos-Vinolas to register his first ATP win.

Alcaraz and Ferrero have developed a deep professional and personal bond.

That relationship was sealed when Ferrero, having returned home following the death of his father, quickly crossed the Atlantic again just in time to see Alcaraz win his first Masters title at Miami in March two years ago.

“Let him flow, let him play,” said Ferrero when asked to plot his pupil’s future trajectory.

For Alcaraz, the sky is the limit as he goes in search of a career Grand Slam in Australia next year.