Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Superstar Jason Tatum holds championship trophy as the Boston Celtics win their 18th title.

     Boston stands alone atop the NBA with 18 championship banners, its latest capping a dominant season by blowing past Dallas in five games.

Jayson Tatum celebrates during the Boston Celtics’ Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals at TD Garden on Monday. The Celtics clinched their NBA record 18th championship. (Elsa/Getty Images)

     BOSTON — The Boston Celtics saw 16 years of accumulated playoff pressure lifted in one glorious instant.

     For the first four games of the NBA Finals, the Celtics couldn’t dial in their three-point offense. Open shots rimmed off; contested shots completely missed the rim. But shortly before halftime of Monday’s Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks, backup guard Payton Pritchard pulled up from behind midcourt and swished in a buzzer-beating heave.

     Pritchard had made little impact in the series, save for a similar heave in Game 2. When he stepped into his latest prayer, the TD Garden crowd rose in anticipation and then roared its approval. The Celtics, certain now that the night and season belonged to them, ran away from the Mavericks with a 106-88 victory to secure their record-setting 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Lakers, their chief rival.

      The title is Boston’s first since 2008 following Finals losses in 2010 and 2022. Jaylen Brown was named Finals MVP, receiving seven of the 11 media votes to beat out Jayson Tatum.

“I can’t even put into words the emotions,” Brown said. “I’m blessed and I’m grateful. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. [Finals MVP] could have gone to anybody. It could have gone to Jayson. I can’t talk enough about his selflessness and attitude. We did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing.”

Davis knocks out Martin in 8th round.

It was a knockout finish to an exciting night of fights from Las Vegas.

Gervonta Davis defended his WBA lightweight title against Frank Martin in the main event with a highlight reel knockout in the eighth round. Davis improves to 30-0, with 28 wins by knockout. Martin falls to 18-1, suffering the first defeat of his career.

Davis hadn’t fought since April of last year and had a typically slow start, as Martin won the majority of the rounds in the first half of the fight, countering well off of Davis’ pressure.

Davis began to heat up in the middle rounds and in round eight he caught Martin against the ropes with a big uppercut, dazing his opponent. Martin dropped his guard and Davis followed the uppercut with a huge left hook that sent Martin down for the count.

 Davis set for hefty payday with estimated earnings up to $25 million, while Martin expected to take home $3.25 million.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has explained that the 2024 US Open ‘may or may not’ have been his final appearance in the prestigious tournament.

The golf legend, who has won the major championship three times, faced a tough battle at Pinehurst No. 2 earlier this week, describing it as a ‘war of attrition’.

Despite starting strong with a birdie on the first hole, Woods ended up with a disappointing four-over 74 by Thursday’s close.

Last Friday didn’t bring better fortunes for Woods, as critical putts refused to fall, including a particularly cruel one on the 15th that lipped out. Finishing with a 73, he stood seven-over for the event, missing the cut and dashing any hopes of a comeback, reports. Tiger made $10,000 after missing the cut.

Woods, whose last US Open victory was at Torrey Pines in 2008, left his future in the tournament uncertain. He expressed his frustration to the media. “It’s one of those things where in order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut,” Woods said.

“I can’t win the tournament from where I’m at, so it certainly is frustrating. I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn’t work out.”

He added: “As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be.”

Jordan Whitehead

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back a familiar face in free agency this offseason, signing veteran safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year deal.

Whitehead spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Bucs, then played for the New York Jets for the past two seasons.

He won’t be the only member of last year’s Jets defensive backfield coming to Tampa Bay this year, though, as cornerback Bryce Hall also signed with the Bucs this offseason on a one-year deal.

Hall recently spoke with the media during offseason workouts about his bond with Whitehead that developed in New York.

Chet Walker

Chet Walker, a Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls great enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, has died, his former teams confirmed Saturday. He was 84 years old.

Walker, nicknamed “Chet the Jet” for his speed on the court, earned NBA All-Star honors in seven of his 13 seasons as a professional, winning a championship in 1967 with the Sixers. He didn’t miss the playoffs once in his career, which ended after he settled a lawsuit against the Bulls and the NBA.

Chet Walker waited a long time for Hall of Fame enshrinement. He believed he was blackballed.

Larry Allen

Former Dallas Cowboys player and Hall of Fame player Larry Allen looks down at a bust of himself as Allen is honored at halftime of an NFL football game against Washington on Oct. 13, 2013, in Arlington, Texas.

Legendary NFL offensive lineman Larry Allen died Sunday at the age of 52, triggering mourning .

Allen was vacationing in Mexico at the time of his death, according to the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent the first 12 years of his 14-year professional career.

A cause of death has not been revealed.

“Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL,” the Cowboys said. “His versatility and dependability were also signature parts of his career. Through that, he continued to serve as inspiration for many other players defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner.”

Allen was a Super Bowl champion and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. During his 12 years in Dallas, he was named to the Pro Bowl 10 times.