Sports

Serbian pulls even by retaining his Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday, and now the Serbian is dangerously close to also surpassing Federer on the all-time “Big Titles” leaderboard.

Djokovic saved two match points to beat the eight-time champion in an epic final, 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3), the first fifth-set tie-break in Wimbledon singles history.

The 32-year-old won his 16th Grand Slam crown and 54th Big Title, a combination of Grand Slam, Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 titles.

Federer, the all-time Grand Slam championships leader with 20, still has four more major victories than Djokovic, and the Swiss has celebrated one more Nitto ATP Finals title (six) than the Serbian (five). But Djokovic has won five more Masters 1000 titles (33-28), creating the tie atop the Big Titles leaderboard.

Most impressively, the World No. 1 has the best Big Title conversion rate of anyone. Djokovic wins a Big Title about one out of every three opportunities (3.3), better than Rafael Nadal (3.5) and Federer (4.2).

Djokovic has especially been on a tear the past 12 months. Since July 2018, he has won seven Big Titles – four Grand Slams and three Masters 1000 titles. In that same time period, Federer has captured one Big Title (2019 Miami), Nadal three (2018 Toronto, 2019 Rome, 2019 Roland Garros).

The trio compete against each other for the biggest titles in the game, but they also motivate each other with their accomplishments.

After the final, Federer, who turns 38 in a few weeks, said he hopes his lengthy career inspires others. “I hope I give some other people a chance to believe at 37 it's not over yet,” he said before laughing. “I gave it all I had and I still feel alright, I still stand. It's good, and I wish the same for the other 37-year-olds.”

Djokovic, who turned 32 in May, said he's one of those people. “Roger really inspires me with his effort at his age,” he said.

“We're making each other grow and evolve and still be in this game. Those two guys [are] probably one of the biggest reasons I still compete at this level. The fact that they made history of this sport motivates me as well, inspires me to try to do what they have done, what they've achieved, and even more,” Djokovic said.

“Whether I'm going to be able to do it or not, I don't know. I'm not really looking at age as a restriction of any kind for me.

“It just depends how long I'm going to play, whether I'm going to have a chance to make historic No. 1 or Slams. It depends not only on myself, it depends on circumstances in life.

“I'm not just a tennis player, I'm a father and a husband. You have to balance things out. Obviously you need to have the right circumstances, the right support for things to play out in the right way.”

Current and Former Champions' Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)

* Becker's four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg's three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.

The NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors have been heated from the beginning, but most of that hostility has occurred off the court.

After Raptors fans appeared to celebrate when KD fell to the ground with an Achilles injury in Game 5 in Toronto, there has been ample reaction on both sides.

But there are signs of change, as a Raptors fan started a new GoFundMe to support Kevin Durant's charity.

"We're sorry that some fans of Raptor Nation at the Scotiabank arena, Jurassic Park, and in some bars/restaurants showing the game, displayed an ugly side of fandom when they cheered on the injury of Kevin Durant," the GoFundMe writes.

The fundraiser, created by Hamzah Moin, also notes the way they reacted "isn't cool" and it's especially "not what I expect from fellow Canadians."

He also acknowledges the amount of hard work, blood, sweat and tears the ten-time All-Star puts into basketball and wants to give back to something KD is passionate about.

"Helping to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs through the Kevin Durant Foundation."

So far, its raised almost $9,000 with a goal of $25K.

Recently, an anonymous fan sent the Warriors and KD some flowers along with a banner and cards apologizing "on behalf of Canada" after the injury occurred.

[RELATED: Warriors should be proud no matter outcome]

It's nice to see these kind gestures towards Durant, who obviously is struggling with having to deal with a catastrophic injury.

There are good people in the world after all.

The Houston Rockets are going to be competing for a championship next year, but adding one more quality player might put them over the top.

The Houston Rockets have had an amazing offseason by bringing back core players such as Austin Rivers and Daniel House back to deepen an already great team. The only downside is that there hadn’t been any new blood injected into this team and the Western Conference has drastically changed with the likes of the Clippers, Lakers, Jazz, Blazers all making moves this offseason to claim the top spot that the Warriors have relinquished.

The Rockets made their first big splash this offseason with the swap of Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook and first round picks. This allowed the Rockets to finally put a second legitimate scorer next to Harden and allow Harden to not dominate the basketball. The only problem that may still exist is that the Rockets are now in a Western Conference that now favors forwards that can score at an elite level like the Clippers and the Lakers who now have Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Anthony Davis. How do the Rockets combat this problem?

They have to get a wing player that is a defensive prowess and can guard multiple positions. And the one player that comes to mind that even has champion experience has to be Andre Iguodala. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Iggy is available and can be had from the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Rockets have sorely lacked the wing position for the past few years because they have been trying to defeat the Hampton 5’s of the world and employed shooters to negate the 5 best players the Golden State Warriors could employ.

The NBA changed when Kevin Durant left the Warriors and Clippers pulled the lottery ticket of the century to get Kawhi and Paul George. To combat this, Iguodala can guard wings at an elite level as well as give the Rockets two forwards that can guard those guys at an elite level with Iguodala and PJ Tucker.

The best part of this is the Rockets would not be gutting the current roster Iguodala, as they would most likely Sign-and-Trade Iman Shumpert along with possibly another first round pick to get him. While the Rockets may have to mortgage the future for Westbrook and Iguodala, a championship is absolutely worth it. Ask the Raptors if they have any regrets about the Kawhi Leonard trade with the Spurs.

With the marquee free agents off the market, the next stage of free agency is all about teams filling out their respective rosters.

Since salary-cap room is sparse after the spending spree we witnessed last week, teams have to get a bit creative in how they sign the remaining free agents.

Some of the best free agents available are veteran players who might have to settle for less-than-ideal deals in order to link up with contenders.

Other players may be involved in sign-and-trade deals, which has been a popular mechanism for certain teams to maximize assets in return for a player.

Latest NBA Rumors

Lance Stephenson

According to Scott Agness of The Athletic, nothing is brewing for Lance Stephenson on the free-agent market.

Stephenson is coming off a season in which he featured in a bench role for the Los Angeles Lakers and averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The good news for the 28-year-old is he has been healthy the last two seasons with Indiana and the Lakers after playing 44 games in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.

Because of his ability to contribute in a few different ways off the bench and his veteran presence, Stephenson could land with a contender, but he might have to do so on a veteran minimum deal.

The problem from his perspective is there is not a ton of money left to be thrown around on the free-agent market.

The Lakers have 12 players under contract right now, but they might not need Stephenson due to the additions of Troy Daniels and Jared Dudley.

A return to Indiana might be possible since Doug McDermott is the only small forward currently on the roster, but he might not fit money-wise with the Pacers.

Unless a team shows significant interest in the next few days, Stephenson might have to wait to figure out where he will play next season.

Tyson Chandler

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Tyson Chandler is a likely target for the Houston Rockets in their pursuit of a backup center.

Although he only averaged 3.1 points per game with the Lakers last season, Chandler pulled in 5.6 rebounds per game in an average of 16.4 minutes over 48 games.

The rebounding numbers should stand out to the Rockets, who need an inside presence to either create second-chance opportunities on offense off three-pointers or to start transition moves down the court.

As MacMahon noted, Chandler has a good relationship with Chris Paul from their time together in New Orleans, and he is known as a good locker room presence.

If he ends up in Houston, the 37-year-old would back up Clint Capela on a second unit that includes Gerald Green and Austin Rivers.

If he signs with the Rockets, Chandler will be expected to provide them with valuable bench minutes and some much-needed frontcourt depth that will help them deal with teams like the Lakers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.

Justin Holiday

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Bulls have had discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies regarding a sign-and-trade for Justin Holiday.

The Bulls entered the offseason in need of improvements at point guard, and they received one upgrade through the selection of Coby White in the NBA draft.

However, the Bulls are still looking for another floor general in order to help White along in his development and replace Kris Dunn, who Johnson reported is available in a trade for the right price.

Memphis might be more inclined to work out a sign-and-trade with Chicago for Holiday since it agreed to an offer sheet with Tyus Jones Sunday, per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

The Bulls are more than familiar with Holiday, who has spent two stints with the franchise and was traded to Memphis at the start of January.

While the Bulls would make sense as a destination for the 30-year-old, he could have other options to choose from, and The Athletic's Michael Scotto reported the point guard was considering interest from eight teams.

A sign-and-trade that potentially involves Dunn would be an ideal scenario for the Bulls, but there is no guarantee of it happening with so much interest in Holiday.

Nick Young's career in the NBA appears to be over, but the former Warriors shooting guard still knows how to keep his name in the headlines.

Young joined 95.7 The Game on Thursday morning and talked about some off the court topics ... including marijuana.

"Probably [Warriors head coach] Steve Kerr," Young said when asked who rolls the best blunt in the NBA.

Kerr first acknowledged to NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole in December 2016 that he used weed in the past, seeking relief from his chronic back pain. During the summer of 2015, Kerr underwent two surgeries on his back, the latter procedure in part to alleviate the pain from the first. He took a leave of absence that lasted nearly four months at the start of the 2015-16 season and took various painkillers.

While he's an advocate for medicinal marijuana, turning to weed didn't exactly give him the relief he hoped for.

“I’m not a pot person; it doesn’t agree with me,” Kerr said to Poole. “I’ve tried it a few times, and it did not agree with me at all. So I’m not the expert on this stuff. But I do know this: If you’re an NFL player, in particular, and you’ve got a lot of pain, I don’t think there is any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin.

"And yet athletes everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it’s Vitamin C, like it’s no big deal.”

[RELATED: How end of Warriors' dynasty changes NBA betting landscape]

Whatever he is doing, seems to be working. Kerr, now 53, is in much better health and hasn't missed a game due to his back issues in quite some time.

Starting in the 1995 season, the NBA implemented the rookie salary scale that limits the amount first-round picks can make during their initial contract in the league.

Gone are the days where a rookie Chris Webber could sign a 15-year, $74 million deal with opt-outs or Patrick Ewing could receive a $5 million interest-free loan outside of his multi-million dollar rookie contract.

Today, teams typically sign their prospects to 120% of the rookie scale, though they have the ability to go as a low as 80% of it (players rarely get below the maximum 120% allowed).

Some players have yet to sign their deals in 2019 because of various circumstances (waiting on official draft night trades to be completed for the most part). Below is the amount that each first-round rookie will take home during the 2019-20 season and which players have officially signed: