When the Raptors go for the jugular today, their will be determined to move past the literal and figurative near misses they had in Game Five of the Finals. They were up by six points with three minutes and change to go, prompting behind-the-scenes preparations for their coronation as the finest of the finest of the National Basketball Association. Instead of firming up their date with living legend and Larry O’Brien Trophy presenter Bill Russell, however, they found themselves snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They called back-to-back timeouts that stunted their momentum. They missed five of their last six shots, including a wide-open three point attempt, and committed a costly turnover that helped the defending champion Warriors complete a comeback for the ages.

THE NORTHPORT Batang Pier rolled to their fifth win in six games in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday, sending the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok to a second straight defeat, 102-99, in league action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TORONTO -- Canadian basketball fans did not wake up on Tuesday nursing hangovers from a championship celebration but rather with a mild sense of panic after the Toronto Raptors missed a chance to clinch a maiden NBA title.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA -- Knowing all too well what it is like to be struck down by injury Tiger Woods spared a thought for Kevin Durant on Tuesday, after watching the Golden State Warriors forward crumple to the floor during a game against the Toronto Raptors.

AUSTRIA’S DOMINIC THIEM has extended an olive branch to Serena Williams after their media room misunderstanding at the French Open by offering to partner the American in mixed doubles at Wimbledon or the US Open.

THE FIRST leg of Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) Vios Racing Festival was successfully held last weekend at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

RED BULL’s signature streetball tournament – “Reign” -- returns to the country for a third straight year with the last chance qualifier and national finals slated for June 29.

Between the reign of World Champions Anatoly Karpov (born 1951) and Garry Kasparov (born 1963) there was no one in the generation of Karpov who was strong enough to challenge for the world title. Players like Vladimir Tukmakov, Alexander Beliavsky, Rafael Vaganian, Oleg Romanishin, Vitaly Tseshkovsky, Gennady Kuzmin, Yury Balashov and Boris Gulko all had their days in the sun but their star never shone bright enough for them to be considered potential world champions. Strangely enough during this period the Soviets who actually did contend for the title were from the previous generation, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Lev Polugaevsky, Efim Geller and even Vassily Smyslov, who was the world champion from 1957 to 1958 but still was strong enough to participate in the Candidates’ matches in 1983 and 1985, at 62 and 64 years of age!

Hindsight always makes for 20/20 vision, so the wave of second-guessing that occurred in the aftermath of Kevin Durant’s ill-fated return to the court the other day was nothing if not predictable. The conditions behind his cameo appearance in Game Five of the Finals served only to make it more pronounced. He had been out for a month due to a right calf strain, and, with the Warriors down 1-3 and needing him to suit up just to survive, he -- and, just as importantly, those around him tasked with giving him the medical clearance to play -- faced the kind of pressure that leans, if not clouds, judgments in favor of taking on more risk. And, following the unfortunate turn of events, pundits have seen fit to view the decision in a manner that depicts all who gave the green light as reckless gamblers.

ONE of the more solid imports in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup, Terrence Jones tries to lead the TNT KaTropa to their third straight win when they take on the defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings today in an Independence Day double-header at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TORONTO -- Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for three 3-pointers in the final three minutes, and the Golden State Warriors held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 106-105 Monday night in Game 5 to stay alive in the NBA Finals.

TORONTO -- Kevin Durant’s long-awaited return from injury on Monday with the Golden State Warriors season on the line in the NBA Finals was short-lived as he suffered an Achilles injury in his first game in over a month.