Azkals' Etheridge frustrated over AFC ban

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals' first choice goalkeeper Neil Etheridge will miss the team's upcoming friendly against Malaysia this June 1 in Kuala Lumpur due to a ban handed down by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Etheridge was given a one-match ban and a $3,000 fine by the AFC following the Azkals' match against Palestine last March in the AFC Challenge Cup. Etheridge was not playing in that match, as he was serving a one-match suspension after getting booked for a red card in their semi-final game against Tajikistan.

Nadal beats Djokovic to regain Rome title

ROME - (UPDATED) Rafa Nadal enjoyed the perfect fillip ahead of his French Open defence by downing world number one Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 in the delayed Rome Masters final on Monday, saving his most impressive display of the tournament to last. Beaten surprisingly early on Madrid's blue clay earlier this month, the 25-year-old Spaniard has been back to his destructive best on the red dirt at the Foro Italico and blew away his one-time bogeyman. Both players refused to budge an inch in a brutal 76-minute opener but Serb Djokovic, who memorably beat Nadal in straight sets in last year's final, faded and the match ended in anti-climax when he double-faulted to gift Nadal a record sixth Rome title.

LeBron, Wade dominate Pacers as Heat tie series at 2-2

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – LeBron James finished with 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists and Dwyane Wade had 30 points as the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 101-93 Sunday to level their series at 2-2. Wade also had nine rebounds and six assists for the Heat, which rebounded from an embarrassing 94-75 loss in game three in which Wade didn’t hit his first shot until the third quarter. But Wade and James were back on the mark Sunday and they now head home to Miami for game five of the Eastern Conference series on Tuesday, where they will try to take a 3-2 series lead. James and Wade scored 48-of-50 points for the Miami in the time between the end of the second quarter and the early part of the fourth.

Pacquiao doesn't deserve bigger share: Floyd Sr.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao does not deserve a bigger share of pay-per-view revenue if he fights unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., because he is not as big a star as the American fighter. This, according to Mayweather’s father, boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. Speaking with On The Ropes Boxing Radio, Mayweather said his son was “the man to beat” in boxing thanks to his undefeated record, and that this was Floyd Jr.’s greatest bargaining chip in the negotiations with Pacquiao. “Really, Floyd is the one that’s undefeated, he ain’t got no losses on his record.

ROS Clobbers Alaska In Opener

ANTIPOLO CITY – Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao knows it very well that it’s important for his team to start strong in another shortened-conference. That was what the Elasto Painters did last night as they mauled the Alaska Aces, 107-100, at the start of the season-ending PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Center here. Import Jamelle Cornley made a good first impression as he scored 27 points, although it was the sweet-shooting forward Jeff Chan who delivered the big baskets in the fourth quarter where he had 10 of 20 points. Rain or Shine actually took a 23-point lead in the second quarter, but they nearly blew it when Alaska rallied through the combined efforts of import Jason Forte, Sonny Thoss, Mac Baracael and LA Tenorio, whose layup trimmed the deficit to 59-62 with 4:21 left in the third period.

Pacquiao training camp 'going well'

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles is going “relatively well,” according to his strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza. Speaking with Ronnie Nathanielsz of Boxing Scene, Ariza said Pacquiao is still working with Russian boxers Ruslan Provodnikov and Rustam Nugaev as his sparring partners to prepare for his June 9 bout against Timothy Bradley Jr. “Every day is not going to be the best day, but it went relatively well,” Ariza said.

NBA: Lin's return to Knicks no slam dunk: report

NEW YORK - Jeremy Lin, the Asian-American NBA star whose rise to stardom sparked global interest, is not assured of returning to the New York Knicks next season, his agent told the New York Post. The newspaper reported on Monday (Tuesday, PHL time) that Roger Montgomery does not expect talks over a new deal for Lin to be simple even though interim Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Lin, who becomes a free agent July 1 (July 2, PHL time), would "absolutely" return. "We're not anticipating that's going to happen," Montgomery said. "We don't have assurances of anything. I know history shows most restricted free agents go back to their team, but I'm not going to assume anything. "We're waiting to see what happens." Under league rules, the Knicks can match any offer made to Lin, who made only $762,000 last season but saw his replica jersey become the NBA's No. 2 seller after he leaped from bench-warmer obscurity to hero last February.

Floyd Sr. expecting better show from Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., the father of unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather, is expecting to see a better performance from Filipino champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao when he returns to the ring on June 9 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship against undefeated American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. In an interview with On The Ropes Boxing Radio, Mayweather said he believes Pacquiao will have a better performance against Bradley than he did in his most recent fight against Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez.

Goodbye, Chinese Taipei? Lin chosen for Team USA training squad

COLORADO SPRINGS – New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, whose rise from obscurity to NBA stardom captured the world’s attention, was among 13 young players named on Monday to the USA Select team. NBA 2012 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving of Cleveland was also among those selected by USA Basketball for the squad that will serve as training opponents for the US Olympic team of NBA stars that will compete in the London Olympics. The Selects will play training games against the American squad at the Olympic training camp July 6-12 at Las Vegas, Nevada. But in addition to producing top efforts from this year’s collection of NBA Olympians, Lin and his teammates are taking their first steps toward the 2014 US world title defense and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Knights, Baby Falcons enter Fr. Martin quarters

MANILA, Philippines – The Letran Knights, the Adamson Baby Falcons and the Lyceum Philippines University Lady Pirates continued their winning ways on Sunday, clinching quarterfinal slots in the 18th Fr. Martin Summer Cup basketball tournament. Mark Cruz tallied 22 points, spearheading the Knights’ 75-68 beating of the University of Perpetual Help Dalta Altas. It was their sixth consecutive triumph in the tournament held at the St. Placid gymnasium at the San Beda campus. Cruz poured in nine points in the second quarter, allowing the Knights to take a 36-22 halftime advantage.