March 2021 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Netflix + Sports

Trivia: Did you know that the average Netflix subscriber — yes, that includes you, dear reader — spends as much as 3.2 hours everyday watching its movies and shows?

What started in 1997 as a DVD rental service has ballooned into the world’s largest streaming movie outfit. Netflix boasts of over 205 million subscribers; multiply that by four per household and you’ve got a billion people watching Netflix every 8:49 P.M.

During this pandemic — as we commemorate the lockdown’s one year anniversary in Cebu — Netflix has soared. Their subscriber base (worldwide) increased by 21.9%. Their 2020 gross revenue is huge: $25 billion. But look at how much they spent last year on new content: $17.3 billion. In pesos, that’s P848 billion! Talk about a boom in the film industry.

In sports, Netflix has a deluge of sports documentaries.

“The Last Dance” is my favorite. Featuring Michael Jordan, it’s an 8-part docuseries that includes never-before-shown footages of MJ’s final season with the Chicago Bulls. The interviews on Scottie Pippen and revelations about Dennis Rodman are riveting.

“Icarus” is a must-see. The 121-minute-long film made in 2017 won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Yes, it’s that good. I immensely enjoyed this Bryan Fogel-directed story because it talks about cycling — and the prevalence of doping in this punishing sport.

“The Dawn Wall” is another visually stunning thriller that I watched last month. It tells the story of daredevils Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson and their 2015 attempt to free-climb Yosemite’s most dangerous rock face. How captivating is this El Capitan documentary? In Rotten Tomatoes, which solicits reviews, it scored 100%.

“The Playbook” is good. The show asks coaches to share with us their lessons in life and sports. My favorites include the interviews with Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou; the NBA’s Doc Rivers; and football’s Jose Mourinho.

“Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” just last week, released Season 3. The 20 episodes in the first two seasons were captivating. Warning: If you watch this inside look at the planet’s speediest machines, you will get hooked. Perfect to watch this series because the F1 season is unfolding today in Bahrain.

Football fanatic or not, you’ve got to watch “Pele.” The 108-minute-long narrative chronicles the life of Brazil’s favorite son and the soccer world’s numero uno. The solo interview of the now-80-year-old Pele is fascinating; so was the recounting of his life: playing for Santos at 15 and the national team at 16, and winning three World Cups — a feat never equalled. That’s because Pele has no equal.

I have yet to watch “Losers” but I read good reviews about the 8-episode docuseries. While most flicks showcase the Jordans and Peles, here’s a twist: the film depicts the lives of athletes who’ve experienced defeats — and how they’ve transformed these failures into positive outcomes.

Others that I have yet watch but are on my list: Senna, Last Chance U, The Carter Effect, and The Speed Cubers.

FeDjoDal

A week ago, I wrote about how lucky we are to be witnesses to the continuing greatness of the Three Kings: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Since their 18-year dominance started in 2003, we saw them winning 58 of the 70 Grand Slam singles trophies. Their triumvirate ranks as the best not only in tennis folklore but of any sports trio in history.

But who’s better? The Spaniard, the Serb or the Swiss?

My easy answer: The real-life tennis movie is not finished yet. Their careers are not over and I foresee Roger lifting that Wimbledon crown once more and Rafa collecting 27 more French Open trophies, and the Aussies changing their “Australian Open” to “Novak Djokovic Open.”

Roger and Rafa have amassed 20 majors apiece and Novak owns 18. My prediction: At their career’s end, I see the Serbian stockpiling the most major trophies. Djokovic is at his peak today and he’s a year younger than the often-injured Nadal and six years Federer’s junior.

If Djokovic overtakes R & R, can he sit atop the throne of tennis’ Mt. Everest? Maybe. He holds win-loss records of 29-27 vs. Nadal and 27-23 vs. Federer. But we know that the unofficial “The Greatest” title is not purely about numbers. If we speak of being revered and admired, sadly, Novak ranks way, way below the universally-loved Roger and Rafa.

So, the GOAT debate lingers. But here’s an award that I’m ready to bestow to these recipients. Since tennis has three main surfaces, it’s obvious that each owns a different type of real estate.

Grass, best ever: Federer.

Hard-court, best: Djokovic.

Clay, greatest: Nadal.

The above conclusions are unquestionable.

On top of this, allow me to construct the perfect tennis player. Instead of three gentlemen, allow me to combine forces so that they form one creature. An individual whom, if we had an interplanetary contest, I’d ask to represent Planet Earth. He would possess…

Nadal’s left-handed forehand, especially that inside-out strike and hooking topspin that curls to an opponent’s weak backhand. I’d also include Nadal’s indefatigable fighting spirit. His overhead smash is another that I’d embrace in his arsenal.

Federer? I’ll inject his first and second serves. That 120-mph slice serve or second serve twist with pinpoint accuracies. This is why RF has eight Wimbledons. And, when he glides towards the net, I’d also incorporate RF’s volleys and half-volleys. They are compact, deadly, exact. That slice backhand (“ha-it,” we Bisaya players call it) is a Federer signature.

For the backhand, nothing compares to that two-fisted cannon of Djokovic. He can smack it cross-court or score a down-the-line bomb. Return of serve? Agassi’s was good but Djokovic’s is at a different cosmos. Finally, on defensive skills, when one is pushed to the limit on either side, with outstretched arms and legs splitting, no one plays defense better than Novak.

FeDjoDal. In today’s virtual world, a three-in-one cyborg that’s molded from three tennis beings.

Roger, Rafa and Novak

Question: How many Grand Slam singles trophies have Federer, Nadal and Djokovic won from 2003 to 2021?

Answer: 58 of 70! Yes, no misprint there. Only three individuals out of the tens of millions of tennis players have collared 82.85 percent of all the major titles in the past 18 years. No trio in any sport at any time in our universe has this dominance transpired.

Question # 2: Who is the greatest tennis player ever?

Answer: All of the above.

Yes, in deference to Don Budge, Rod Laver and Pete Sampras, the current Big 3 are history’s greatest ever to wield that Wilson, Babolat or Head stick.

Question # 3: Who among the triumvirate is the best; and thus, to be crowned the GOAT?

Answer: It’s complicated.

Is it the Swiss maestro whose 20 majors include eight Wimbledon titles? Federer has also amassed six ATP Tour Finals wins (Djokovic has five and, inexplicably, Nadal has none). The Swiss won an Olympic gold medal in doubles and the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year crown a record five times.

Trophies aside, he has picked up the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award a whopping 13 times. This award is voted upon by the ATP players in recognition for one’s professionalism, integrity and utmost spirit of fairness. Nadal has won this four times and Djokovic has, ouch, none. Is the 6-foot-1, Rolex endorser the best-ever?

Vamos! How about Spain’s Raging Bull? Five years Federer’s junior, he has the same number of Grand Slam singles trophies (20). What’s remarkable with Nadal is his achievement in Roland Garros. He is 13 of 13 in finals in Paris and his win-loss record there is an incomprehensible 100-2.

Rafa is the King of Clay. At one point, he won 81 straight victories on that dusty surface. Another feat that only he has (among the Big 3): the career Golden Slam — a singles gold medal (in Beijing, which my wife Jasmin and I were lucky to have witnessed) plus the four major trophies.

This 2021, the next Grand Slam event is — tadang — the French Open. It’s a sure bet that Nadal win will his 21st major title there. Anticipating his lead in the Big 3, is the Spaniard the greatest?

Not so fast, says Novak. With his win in Melbourne three weeks ago — his ninth Australian Open crown — Djokovic has 18 majors. Only two major titles shy of matching R & R, he has a record that will be difficult for any man to beat: 312 weeks at the No. 1 spot. This is the all-time record as he just overtook Federer last week.

He has finished as the year-ending No. 1 a record six times (sharing Sampras’ record) and has won the Masters 1000 events a record 36 times.

At 33 years of age, Djokovic is the youngest among the trio (Nadal is a year older and Federer turns 40 this August). This means that he has more chances to win more majors.

What’s impressive with Djokovic is his head-to-head record against Federer and Nadal. He has a 29-27 win-loss record against Nadal and a 27-23 score against Federer. Because he has defeated the other two more times, does this mean he’s better and to be crowned the best?

All are Stars in this game

In the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago, a total of 17,808 spectators filled the United Center to witness Team LeBron defeat Team Giannis in a thrilling 157-155 encounter.

This weekend, the All-Star Game continues. What’s the difference? Plenty. First, the people on the rafters will not exceed 1,500. Considering that the State Farm Arena has a capacity of 16,600, that’s less than 10 percent attendance.

Last year, the All-Star Weekend was held early — Feb. 16, 2020 — before the lockdown was enacted. Thus, a full capacity crowd was invited.

We’re even lucky the All-Star Game is pushing through this 2021. Originally, it was to be held in Indianapolis. Then, the league officials said that it would be cancelled. It reversed course and said that it would continue in Atlanta, Georgia. From the usual whole-weekend spectacle, it has also been reduced to one day.

The Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will be held before the game. Then, during halftime, instead of the sexy dancers entertaining the audience, it will be the Slam Dunk Contest.

These are the changes. What won’t change are the words “all stars.” The planet’s best ballplayers will converge in a high-scoring, plenty-of-dunks, minimal-defense, lots-of-laughing contest that will be played (Phil. time) tomorrow at 9 A.M.

LeBron, Giannis and Steph Curry in the same team? Wow, this hasn’t happened before. Add the Slovenian 22-year-old Luka Doncic and the 26-year-old Serb Nikola Jokic and that’s a mighty Avengers-type squadron. Team LeBron is the favorite against any other team in the universe — well, except this team being assembled in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum lead the starting five of Team Durant. I’m excited with the first All-Star game of Zion Williamson. During the Draft Pick, as soon as Kevin Durant picked the 20-year-old Pelicans star to be part of his line-up, you could hear a sigh from LeBron. He, too, wanted to play alongside the 6-foot-7, 248-lb. monster-dunk specialist.

The NBA All-Star Game dates back to 1951 when the East defeated the West in Boston Garden. For 70 years, it has been one of the sporting world’s highlights. It also produces the most number of points of possibly any basketball game in the world. The record, back in 2017, was the 192-182 win by the West. That’s a whopping 374 points scored in 48 minutes.

Tomorrow, I’m also excited with the 3-point shootout. Steph Curry, the 2015 winner, is the perennial favorite. The interesting fact this 2021: Zach LaVine and Donovan Mitchell are joining. They are former Slam Dunk champs — and no one in history has gone on to win both the dunking and 3-point events. Will tomorrow be the first?

In the Slam Dunk contest, only three are joining: Anfernee Simons, Cassius Stanley and Obi Toppin. I’ll make an admission: as I typed their names, it was the first time I’ve heard of these three. They’re young (21, 21 and 23) and hungry for that prestigious high-flying title.

Free Throws

Steph Curry is the all-time best at that uncontested basketball shot taken 15 feet away. This season, he’s made 176 of 187 foul shots and is shooting an incredible 94.1% clip. Last January, he was en route to breaking Michael Williams’ record of consecutive free throws (97) but, in the game against Portland when Curry scored 62 points, he ONLY made 18 of 19 free throws. His one missed free throw ended his streak of consecutive foul shots at 80. Not bad, Steph!

There is no debate that GSW #30 is the greatest shooter of all time. In the 3-point-shot department, he ranks No. 2 in the all-time list of 3-pointers made. He has 2,657 three-pointers and lacks only 317 to break Ray Allen’s record of 2,973. But here’s the amazing statistic: It took Allen 1,300 games to reach that record. Curry has played only 732 games.

Back to the Free Throw Line.. While Curry is the best, did you know that the worst free throw shooter ever is Wilt Chamberlain? Yes, no misprint there. In his 1958 to 1973 NBA career, the 7-foot-1 former Harlem Globetrotters center went to the free throw line 11,862 times. He converted only 5,805 for an embarrassing 51.1% average.

“Wilt the Stilt” holds multiple NBA records such as most points scored in a game (100), most rebounds in a game (55), and the highest per game average (50.36 PPG in 1961-62) but his record of free throw misses also ranks at the top.

Shaquille O’Neal joins Wilt as one of history’s worst foul shooters. His career average is 52.7%. He was so bad at shooting from the free throw line that teams devised the “Hack a Shaq.” It’s a defensive ploy with a simple tactic: Foul Shaq! This was a successful gambit that was first used by Mavs coach Don Nelson and employed by many teams.

Dennis Rodman was one target. “The Worm” stood only 6-foot-7 but was the league’s best rebounder, leading the NBA in this area in seven seasons. (I got the chance to see Rodman when he played at the Mandaue Sports Complex and he was both fun and funny.) As a free throw shooter? Rodman wasn’t as bad as Wilt or Shaq but he shot only 58.4% in his 14-year career.

This 2021-22 season, the worst-performing is Clint Capella with a 54.6% average. But here’s a question that’s mind-boggling: Why is Russell Westbrook (the 2017 NBA MVP awardee) the fifth-worst free throw shooter this season (60% average)?

Same with the two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He sits as the 7th worst free-throw shooter this season.

LeBron James’ numbers also puzzle me. He carries a dismal 69.8% average this 2021. That’s a dip from his 73.4% career average.

Which brings me to my Trivia Question: Who is the best free throw shooter so far this season, beating Steph Curry’s 94.1% and Chris Paul’s 96.2%?

The answer: His grandmother, Marcelina Tullao, hails from Bacolor, Pampanga. He played for Gilas Pilipinas and, with his stellar 2021 play, is the early favorite for the “Sixth Man of the Year” trophy. With a free throw percentage of 96.4%, his initials spell JC.