MADRID (AP):Spanish clubs have dominated the Champions League lately and the odds are stacked in their favour again when the group stage begins this week.There will be five of them fighting for this year’s title, the most ever for a country in the tournament’s group phase. That’s because Europa League winners Sevilla join the four teams, which qualified through their league positions.Among those, of course, are defending champion Barcelona and 2014 winner Real Madrid, which are both having terrific starts to their seasons.Barcelona lead the Spanish league after three straight wins, including at rivals AtlÈtico Madrid on Saturday. Real Madrid are coming off two remarkable victories – 5-0 over Real Betis and 6-0 at Espanyol – with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring five goals in the latest one.Barcelona will debut at Roma tomorrow, while Real Madrid host Shakhtar Donetsk today.PRESSURE TO SUCCEEDEnglish teams have much to prove in Europe. And it’s not just about last season’s failure to be represented in the last eight of either continental competition for the first time in 22 years.Manchester United are back after their rare season-long absence from Europe, but captain Wayne Rooney is set to miss today’s game at PSV Eindhoven through injury, leaving manager Louis van Gaal with a shortage of options.United have won the European Cup three times, but neighbours Manchester City have never advanced beyond the round of 16. After spending another US$250 million on new talent, City are running out of excuses – especially with today’s opponents, Juventus, struggling domestically.While City lead the early Premier League table, Chelsea have opened their title defence with three losses in five games. Failure to beat Macabbi Tel Aviv tomorrow would heighten the sense that Chelsea’s slump is more than a blip.For once, the pressure in London is on Jose Mourinho rather than Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose team opens against Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow. read more
Fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell has listed patience as the main ingredient for his Player-of-the-Match performance, which led Jamaica Scorpions to a two-wicket win over Barbados Pride in the WICB/NAGICO Insurance Super50 Tournament at Queen’s Park Oval on Monday. The top fast bowler in the Jamaica bowling line-up, Cottrell claimed an impressive three for 18 off 7.5 overs as Barbados Pride, electing to bat, were bowled out for 138 inside 45.5 overs. Jamaica, who led with 49 from the in-form AndrÈ McCarthy and 33 from Antiguan Devon Thomas, stole victory at 139 for eight off 38 overs. “The approach was to stay patient and not fight the wicket with the new ball as the wicket was on the slower side,” Cottrell explained. “Therefore, in my first six overs, I tried to focus on putting the ball in the right areas instead of going for pace. And then coming back with the old ball, I simply tried to bowl full and straight.” Less renowned for his batting exploits, Cottrell, who ended unbeaten on 16, also expressed satisfaction with his performance, saying that it was an area of his game that he had been working on. Entering the run chase with Jamaica in dire straits at 118 for eight, Cottrell slammed back-to-back sixes to ease the pressure before guiding home the team along with spinner Nikita Miller. “I’m getting stronger with each game, not only with the ball, but also with the bat,” stated Cottrell. “It (Player-of-the-Match award) was a well-needed one for me personally because I’m striving to be at my best right now as the team’s aim is to be the leading fast bowler, if not the best all-rounder in the tournament.” Jamaica, second in Group A on 10 points, will today turn their attention to leaders Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (12 points) at Shaw Park, and according to Cottrell, he is again looking to perform. The top two teams from the group after double round-robin play will contest the semi-finals. “Trinidad is always a tough team to beat, plus they have the home advantage,” he said. “But I have done well against them more times than not. “We also know in order to win this tournament we have to beat the so-called big teams,” he added. read more
POOR TRACK CONDITIONS At the end of day, two of the INSPORTS Junior High school track and field championship, defending champions Windward Road and former winners and main challenger John Mills are deadlocked on 200.50 points after 26 finals, of which 21 were contested yesterday. However, the day was not without controversy, as the reinstatement of Windward Road’s 200m participant, Maliek Bromfield, in the boys’ class one final, after the athlete fell in the preliminary round as a result of poor track condition, presented a bone of contention between meets organisers and coaches. Strong protests from Constant Spring’s Nardia Hanson and John Mills’ Ransford Spalding to meet director Anthony Gibbs forced a meeting between the affected parties. After a brief discussion, Windward Road’s coach Oral Whilby decided to pull his athlete in the best interest of the event. According to Spalding and Hanson, many athletes have been affected by the poor running track, so reinstating one and not the others showed favouritism. After the coaches refused the time final, the organisers wanted to push the race back to today, but Hanson and company would have none of it. As a result, the race was run as the last event of the day. One official explained that some coaches did not know the rules and didn’t protest when their athlete fell, but she noted that Windward Road appealed and got a reprieve. Windward Road’s Coach Whilby said that in the best interest of the meet, he chose to withdraw his athlete. “It is a simple situation that was blown out of proportion, so I withdrew my athlete. But that cannot prevent us from taking the championship,” he insisted. John Mills’ Nemy Cockett was the day’s top performer, winning the shot put open with a record throw of 13.54m and the class one long jump in 1.70m. Windward Road lead the female section with 104 points and John Mills, the male category, with 124.50 points. read more
LOOKING GOOD Jason McKay, CEO of McKay Security, says the electricity bill at Caymanas Park has been lowered by more than $4 million over the last few years, helped largely by a continued effort to control illegal connections from neighbouring communities to the plant’s power source. McKay Security, the racetrack’s security firm, has worked closely with the police in conducting regular raids on the illegal connections since 2011. He says the horse racing facility has seen great improvement in its energy costs since then. In 2014, CTL’s bill was reported to be over $8 million, and that was improved to $6.7 million by February 2015. The expense was further reduced to $4.2 million by March of that same year, but since the officials started morning checks for illegal connections and persecuting the offenders, the trend has droped drastically. “It’s (electricity bill) running at approximately 25 per cent of what it was at it’s highest level, so things are looking good. We are sure as of this morning that there are no illegal connections. We do a morning inspection because it’s usually nights that they do it, so early morning, we do a sweep and look for it,” said McKay. “Now, we arrest them when they do it. We take them into custody and charge them, so they have to get bail and all of that, Once that was brought to the table, it toned down,” McKay noted The security chief informed that there was a flare-up of illegal connection activity during the recent staging of the Diamond Mile, but shared that the quick reaction from the security mechanism corrected the problem, while noting that things have returned to normal since. “There was not really a spike, but we got information that they (illegal lines) were back up and we went for them. Because of the excitement of the Diamond Mile, they thought they could do it and we wouldn’t see, but we managed to keep that in check,” he said. McKay said they have seen the result from the first time they raided in 2011 and they have maintained a strong presence since. “The decrease started about two years ago when we started arresting them. Recently, it has been stable and it (bill) has not passed three million in most cases,” McKay said before noting that they have been receiving greater co-operation from members of the neighbouring communities, which have for years, been at the centre of the issue. The divestment of Caymanas Park was recently made official by the signing of documents between the Government of Jamaica and new owners Supreme Ventures Limited after lengthy discussions. The actual handing over of the track will take place on March 7, 2017. read more
Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ MOST READ Standhardinger ‘very excited’ to play with Fajardo at SMB Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. LATEST STORIES Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny Kiefer Ravena with his new team NLEX after being selected second overall pick in the 2017 PBA Draft. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netRight from the moment his name was called in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft, Kiefer Ravena already knew what NLEX is going to expect from him.“Hopefully, even though I’m a rookie, I could bring the leadership,” Ravena, who was selected as the second overall pick, said.ADVERTISEMENT “I’m very ecstatic. It’s a very fulfilling feeling. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time, so hopefully, I could contribute to NLEX,” he said.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson View comments With a lot of experience under his belt, Ravena is no doubt going to bring immediate impact for the Road Warriors.“You always see NLEX in neck-and-neck situations with the other teams, but come the endgame, they always falter. Hopefully, I could help in those aspects,” he said.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogThe 24-year-old Ravena has always been the star on every team he’s played in but he knows that he still has a lot to learn and he’s willing to listen to his teammates and coaches.“I’m blessed to have the chance to play under a winning coach in Yeng Guiao, and I’m open to learning the ropes in the PBA from the veterans,” said Ravena, who joins a loaded NLEX guard rotation with Kevin Alas, Cyrus Baguio, Jonas Villanueva, Carlo Lastimosa, Alex Mallari, and Juami Tiongson. Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ read more
It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson “I understand this comes as a big shock to people,” Froome said in an interview with the BBC published late on Wednesday.“I certainly haven’t broken any rules here.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkCycling’s governing body UCI said an anti-doping test on September 7 showed more than the allowable level of Salbutamol which can be taken without needing a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).The 32-year-old Froome told the BBC he simply upped his dosage on the advice of the team doctor after his asthma symptoms got worse. LATEST STORIES Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set The test is bound to raise new questions about British cycling following the scandal surrounding Bradley Wiggins, who received TUEs to take a corticosteroid in 2011, 2012 and 2013, including before his 2012 Tour de France win.Wiggins and Sky have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying the drug was prescribed to treat a longstanding pollen allergy.In 2008 Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi was given a 12-month ban and stripped of five stage wins in the 2007 Giro d’Italia despite having a TUE for Salbutamol, having also exceeded the limit.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ Britain’s Chris Froome arrives back at his hotel after training in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Wednesday Dec. 13, 2017. Froome failed a doping test during the Spanish Vuelta in September and is facing a suspension from cycling ahead of his attempt to win a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title next year. (AP Photo/Joan Llado)Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome says he has not broken any rules after returning an “adverse” drugs test result during his victory at this year’s Vuelta a Espana. Froome had twice the permissible amount of asthma medication Salbutamol in his system during the Grand Tour race which he won in September, the UCI and his team revealed on Wednesday.ADVERTISEMENT OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson MOST READ Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny “I have been a professional cyclist now, treating my symptoms and racing with asthma, for 10 years,” said Froome.“I know what those rules are, I know what those limits are and I have never been over those limits.”The UCI has asked Froome to provide more information but in line with World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines has not suspended him.“I have got a very clear routine when I use my inhaler and how many times. I have given all that information to the UCI to help get to the bottom of it.” He added the UCI was “absolutely right” to scrutinise the test results.Team Sky said in a statement: “During the final week of the Vuelta, Chris experienced acute asthma symptoms. On the advice of the Team Sky doctor, he used an increased dosage of Salbutamol (still within the permissible doses) in the run-up to the 7 September urine test.” ADVERTISEMENT Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Phivolcs records 2 ‘discrete weak ash explosions’ at Taal Volcano Sky said Froome had declared his use of the medication, adding: “The notification of the test finding does not mean that any rule has been broken.”The British rider, who also won Olympic time-trial bronze medals in 2012 and 2016, was notified of the test on September 20, the day he finished third in the world time-trial championship in Bergen, Norway.He has not competed since, but recently announced his intention to try to win two of cycling’s three biggest races, the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, in 2018.‘Not a great day for cycling’Unipublic, the company that runs the Vuelta, refused Wednesday to take a negative stance on Froome saying they were waiting for the UCI to finish their probe before deciding whether to take any action against their champion.“Our position is one of extreme prudence, and it is our hope that the matter will be resolved swiftly,” Unipublic said on Wednesday.Froome won the Vuelta September 10, 2017 finishing 2min 15sec clear of Vicenzo Nibali, who was saddened by the news.“It’s not a great day for cycling and it’s not a great day for him,” said the Italian climber Nibali, who has won all three major cycling tours.“If this positive test is confirmed it will not feel as if I climbed onto the highest step of the podium to be declared champion in Madrid,” said the 2014 Tour de France winner.Froome, widely considered the greatest Tour rider of his generation, is scheduled to race the Giro d’Italia in May 2018 ahead of defending his Tour de France title in July 2018.Sky’s aim for next year was to have Froome enter a clique of riders who held all three Grand Tour titles at the same time, and for him to clinch a record equalling fifth Tour de France after his victories in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. View comments Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles01:56Boris Johnson ‘humbled’ after majority win, says Parliament ‘must change’00:50Trending Articles02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award PBA Season 43 Preview: Globalport parades hungry veterans, feisty rookies Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours read more
Newsome sets focus on helping Bolts open new PBA season on right track Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Almazan vows to comeback stronger after finals heartbreak Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson In this April 10, 2017, photo, an LG Electronics’s cleaning robot moves to clean the floor at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea. APPYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Give these robots a gold medal.While the athletes are wowing fans with their world-class abilities in skiing, skating and snowboarding, the big stars at the media centers around the Olympics are the fancy gadgets buzzing and whirring through the hallways.ADVERTISEMENT Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ’a duplicitous move’ – Lacson LATEST STORIES Local companies teamed with South Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning to put the country’s best and most innovative technology on display during the Winter Games.There’s a robot cleaner that looks a lot like R2-D2 of the “Star Wars” movie franchise, but this husky gizmo vacuums the carpeted floors and keeps them spic and span _ and without any sarcastic beeps and blips.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkJust outside the main dining hall in the Gangneung media village, a friendly and helpful little gadget plays music and approaches projects the weather forecast for the area, along with the daily event schedules for the games.A short snack robot zips around the hallways in the media centers that acts as a mobile vending machine, offering items such as bottled water. Nonito Donaire vs Naoya Inoue is BWAA 2019 Fight of the Year Also on display in media center 2 in the Alpensia Resort is a fish tank filled with, you guessed it, robot fish. They swim around and act just like real sea critters – except that they don’t need to be fed and there’s no messy cleanup.Several of the robots had already been tested over the last year at Incheon International Airport, which also has a few multilingual robot guides _ particularly helpful as tourists, fans and journalists from hundreds of countries descend upon the area for the Pyeongchang Games.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next MOST READ Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Whoops! Wardrobe malfunction mars Olympic debut for ice dancers Michael Porter Jr. stays patient as playing time increases View comments read more
The center back won the corner that he scored City’s second from in the 58th minute.Kevin De Bruyne passed to Ilkay Gundogan on the edge of the penalty area and Kompany was primed in front of goal to turn the German’s shot into the net.“You have to be prepared to put in those six months of hard work,” Kompany reflected on his injury problems, amid the celebrations. “But it’s worth the hard work to be standing out there. Every chance you have, you have to take.”Just as City did against an Arsenal side that capitulated.It was game over in the 65th when Silva was released by Danilo and he turned Calum Chambers before striking past Ospina.Arsenal fans chanted sarcastically, “There’s only one Arsene Wenger,”They had seen enough of the game, streaming out of the north London stadium with 25 minutes to go. And many have seen enough of Wenger after almost 22 years at the helm, with the team in a downward spiral.“You cannot say you are not disappointed when you concede goals the way we conceded goals,” Wenger said. GALLERY: Barangay Ginebra back as PBA Governors’ Cup kings Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Now he is starting to deliver, albeit in the least significant competition for the club.“I cannot forget how they took care of me last (season),” Guardiola reflected on the Abu Dhabi ownership. “I will always remember how … Sheik Mansour was the first one and told all the people to support me.”For Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, this is the latest chapter of gloom in a season that saw the FA Cup defense end at the first hurdle and the team slump to sixth in the league. And the Gunners have to face City again in the league on Thursday.“I feel that a little bit everything went against us today,” Wenger said, “and we self-inflicted our punishment.”Only fleetingly at Wembley did Arsenal threaten against a City side that is so imposing as Guardiola’s vision starts to come together in England. Kyle Walker made the decisive sliding challenge that thwarted Arsenal record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.Perhaps Wenger should have emulated Guardiola by spending heavily to reinforce his defense. It was as fragile as ever when it was unpicked after 18 minutes. It didn’t require any of the slick passing moves that are Guardiola’s hallmark. Instead it was a long punt forward by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo that set up Aguero.Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi was beaten to the ball far too easily by Aguero, who broke forward and lifted the ball over goalkeeper David Ospina.Both teams stuck with their second-choice goalkeepers, who have been deployed throughout the competition — reflecting the status of the cup.There was a further blow for Arsenal when Nacho Monreal was forced off injured and Sead Kolasinac was brought on. Kolasinac did come to the rescue just before halftime with a goal-line clearance after Aguero chipped Ospina.But City was just too strong for Arsenal with Kompany leading by example at age 31 after being blighted by a string of injuries in recent years. Nueva Ecija warehouse making fake cigarettes raided, 29 Chinese workers nabbed Phivolcs records 2 ‘discrete weak ash explosions’ at Taal Volcano MOST READ View comments Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next UK plans Brexit celebrations but warns businesses may suffer Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English League Cup final soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)LONDON — After finishing his first season in England empty-handed, Pep Guardiola finally collected his first trophy with Manchester City on Sunday.Thanks to some familiar faces.ADVERTISEMENT Despite recruiting more than $600 million in talent in around 18 months, Guardiola relied on City’s old guard to produce the 3-0 victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final.Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva, who formed the backbone of City’s Premier League title wins in 2012 and 2014, scored the goals at Wembley Stadium that lifted a burden off Guardiola.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folk“It’s special they scored,” the manager said. “They help us to understand what it means in the club to win titles. Because they won titles, they put pressure on us to continue to win titles.”The victory, aided by Arsenal’s brittle defending, allowed City to quickly restore order after Monday’s surprise exit from the FA Cup at Wigan. The pursuit of a quadruple was extinguished by the third-tier side, but City is now one step closer to a treble. Phivolcs records 2 ‘discrete weak ash explosions’ at Taal Volcano LATEST STORIES Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours Sea turtle trapped in net freed in Legazpi City It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson The Premier League seems a formality for City, with a 13-point lead and a game in hand over Manchester United, which beat Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday. A place in the Champions League quarterfinals also looks certain with Basel beaten 4-0 in the last-16 first leg.For all the investment in players during the decade under Abu Dhabi ownership, the return in silverware seems relatively sparse. Still, the six trophies won since 2011 represents a greater haul than in the previous 50 years for a team finally emerging from the shadows of its more illustrious neighbor, United.Kompany is the ever-present, with the 31-year-old captain collecting his sixth winners medal with City on Sunday.“An incredible moment for us,” said the Belgian defender, whose playing time has been limited by injuries in recent years. “You don’t want it to stop. Every little bit of hardship you go through, it is worth it.”Guardiola had never gone a season in management without a trophy in his previous jobs at Barcelona and Bayern Munich until last year.ADVERTISEMENT Rockets beat Nuggets for 12th straight win Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles02:43Philippines make clean sweep in Men’s and Women’s 3×3 Basketball02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award read more
View comments Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Klisura, who owns the league all-time best output at 41, delivered 26 markers for the Asset Managers who also got 13 from another import Taylor Milton. Two more locals delivered for them with Royse Tubino and Joanne Bunag making 11 and 10, respectively.The win catapulted Cocolife to second spot behind leader Petron and bolstered their morale going into the quarterfinal phase of the conference.“Sara is an excellent player,” said Cocolife coach Moro Branislav. “She’s a good scorer who commits very little mistakes. That’s why in the fourth set, after Generika won the third set, we decided to give [the ball] to Sara. It’s good that she delivered and helped us get this victory.” —MARC ANTHONY REYESADVERTISEMENT Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Phivolcs records 2 ‘discrete weak ash explosions’ at Taal Volcano Nueva Ecija warehouse making fake cigarettes raided, 29 Chinese workers nabbed UK plans Brexit celebrations but warns businesses may suffer Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours FILE- Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netPetron needed five sets to brush off Foton and keep its record spotless Saturday night.The Blaze Spikers, dragged to the distance by a determined Tornadoes side, hacked out a 16-25, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 victory for their sixth straight win in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at Sta. Rosa Sports Complex.ADVERTISEMENT It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina MOST READ GALLERY: Barangay Ginebra back as PBA Governors’ Cup kings Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Sea turtle trapped in net freed in Legazpi City Oranza pulls away after dominant time trial stint LATEST STORIES Hillary Hurley scored 21 points for Petron but admitted they struggled through the marathon match.“There we so many ups and downs and there were times I was the hero but there were times I was down and my teammates had to pick me up,” said Hurley. “So it was great to have the full support of your team.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkThe Tornadoes suffered their third loss in five matches despite their gutsy stand.Serbian scoring machine Sara Klisura unloaded heavily in the fourth set to power Cocolife to its fourth straight victory, beating winless Generika-Ayala, 25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17. read more
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, right, looks to make a move against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference Finals, Sunday, May 13, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON — LeBron James has made Boston’s TD Garden his personal playground during the playoffs in recent years.The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the Eastern Conference finals with a 9-3 record against the Celtics in games played at the Garden over the last four years, including six straight wins.ADVERTISEMENT Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Winfrey details her decision to withdraw from Simmons film Dave Chappelle donates P1 million to Taal relief operations LATEST STORIES Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Lights inside SMX hall flicker as Duterte rants vs Ayala, Pangilinan anew Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ China population now over 1.4 billion as birthrate falls Jury of 7 men, 5 women selected for Weinstein rape trial Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours The Celtics showed James several different looks throughout the game, switching as many as five different players on him.Morris, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and Aron Baynes all took turns guarding James at times. Boston frequently sent a double team when he got the ball in the post. It forced him to settle for jump shots early and limited his ability to get to the rim.That in turn kept James from creating shots for his teammates. For the game Cleveland was outscored by 18 points with James on the floor.“We are just going to try to make it as tough for him as we can,” Rozier said. “The other guys, obviously, (Kevin) Love and J.R. Smith, we don’t want to give them open looks. … That has been a big emphasis the last couple of days. We did a good job of that and we just have to keep it up.”When the Cavs did finally show a little momentum, cutting Boston’s lead to 14 at the end of the third quarter, the Celtics responded with a 7-0 run at the start of the fourth.James was asked afterward what happened during that flurry and he responded with a verbatim recitation of each play , down to Tatum’s coast-to-coast layup off a Eurostep move in the lane.When he was finished James leaned back in his chair, spread his arms and wryly said, “There you go.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding “I didn’t go to college, so it’s not March Madness,” he said. “You see ways you can get better throughout the series. But I’ve been down 0-1, I’ve been down 0-2. I’ve been down before in the postseason.“But for me, there’s no level of concern no matter how bad I played tonight with seven turnovers, how inefficient I was shooting the ball. … We have another opportunity to be better as a ballclub come Tuesday night and we’ll see what happens.”James said the Celtics deserved credit for the defensive strategy they employed against him, which started with Marcus Morris challenging him from outset, limiting him to 2-of-6 shooting in the first quarter as Cleveland fell into a 36-18 hole.“I think they had a great game plan in Game 1, and he was the start of it,” James said. “He was my matchup and I think they did a great job of communicating throughout the whole game, knowing where I was and all of my teammates was. (Celtics coach) Brad (Stevens) did a great job.”“We have an opportunity to look at some film tomorrow and see ways they was making us uncomfortable.”ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ Celtics take Game 1 of East finals, beating Cavaliers 108-83 James’ 979 postseason points against Boston were the most by any player against any opponent in the last 50 years. And his 21 playoff wins against the Celtics were also the most against them during that span.But none of that mattered Sunday in Boston’s dominating 108-83 win over Cleveland in Game 1 , in which James committed seven turnovers while being held to just 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSAfter winning title, time for LA Tenorio to give back to Batangas folkSPORTSTim Cone, Ginebra set their sights on elusive All-Filipino crownIt would be solid night for most NBA players, but was pedestrian by the super-human standard that LeBron has set for himself this postseason, at times single-handedly carrying the Cavs to victories.But he was clear that his concern level down being 1-0 was “zero.” View comments read more