The Philippine Online Chronicles

In NBA news, the San Antonio Spurs finally won a game after losing six straight. The Spurs beat an undermanned Phoenix Suns team to stay on top of the Western conference with less than five games remaining in the regular season.

Meanwhile, Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic beat world number one Rafael Nadal to claim the championship trophy in the Sony Ericsson Tournament held in Miami. The 23-year-old Djokovic needed three sets to beat Nadal in a match that featured two of the best tennis players in the world today. Djokovic has now won 26 straight games and what’s even more impressive is that he beat Nadal for the second week in a row in a championship game.

Moving on, longtime Utah Jazz mentor Jerry Sloan is still not sure if he’s going back to coaching after leaving his coaching post with the Jazz two months ago. The hall-of-fame basketball coach quit his job after being with the Jazz for almost 23 years. He mentioned that fatigue and burnout are the main reasons for his abrupt resignation.

Lastly, former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen has sought the help of Kyle Busch Motorsports to help him prepare for his impending move to NASCAR after spending his entire career with Formula One, where he won the championship back in 2007. Raikkonen will be driving for NASCAR if his busy Formula schedule allows it.

NBA: San Antonio 114, Phoenix 97

It seemed like it was going to go on forever, but the San Antonio Spurs finally snapped their six-game losing streak to stay on top of the Western Conference.

Shooting guard George Hill led the Spurs with 29 points to continue his streak of excellent games that started two weeks ago. Apart from Hill, power forward Matt Bonner had a double-double performance, scoring 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Richard Jefferson recovered from his shooting funk by adding 12 markers for the Spurs.

Meanwhile, the Suns were eliminated from the playoffs as early as Sunday after going for 5-for-11 in the month of March. Playing without two-time MVP Steve Nash, there was little that the Suns could do against a Spurs team that had not won in two weeks. With Nash’s absence, Aaron Brooks and Channing Frye both had 14 points to lead the Suns while Jared Dudley added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spurs's seven-game lead against the Los Angeles Lakers disappeared because of injuries suffered by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Their game faltered further when they choked in two games against the Portland Trailblazers and the Houston Rockets.

The Suns didn’t put up much of a fight as they trailed by as many as 31 points while letting the Spurs score 70 points before the end of the first half. With the Spurs dominating from the get-go, Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker all logged in less than 10 minutes.

Tennis: Djokovic edges Nadal in Miami Open final

It looks like Rafael Nadal’s claim on the title of the best tennis player in the world is short-lived. After three grueling sets, Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic dethroned Nadal by beating him 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to claim the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open championship in Miami.

Though it’s yet to be determined whether Djokovic will have the staying power of Federer and Nadal, few can question that he’s playing the best tennis in the world today. This year, he still has to lose a match and that includes the two championship matches against no less than Nadal.

Nadal claimed the first set and Djokovic bounced back to take the second. With the match tied after two sets, both of them picked up the intensity and displayed what world-class tennis is all about in the third set.

Both men traded exciting rallies and superb winners that had the crowd up on their feet. Eventually, the hot day in Miami took its toll on Nadal and that’s when Djokovic took the advantage.

Djokovic delivered in the endgame, notching his second championship in just one month.

NBA: Jerry Sloan uncertain about future

This year has been far from being for ordinary for Hall-of-Fame coach Jerry Sloan. After making the most unbelievable decision in his career―to leave the Utah Jazz after a 22-year stint, Sloan is still uncertain what to do next.

Though Sloan hasn’t released an official statement, sources claim that the longest-tenured coach in NBA history is willing to sit down if a team approaches him. Despite the rumors, Sloan clarified that no team has approached him offering a possible coaching position.

Since some teams will most certainly look for new coaches by next year, Sloan is said to be the top prospect.

Sloan was on his way to his 23^rd season with the Jazz when he decided to quit last February after losing against the Chicago Bulls. Although he cited burnout and fatigue as the reasons for his sudden resignation, there was wide speculation that he was tired of getting into clashes with All-Star point guard Deron Williams. Two weeks later, Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris.

Sloan had an outstanding record of 1,221-803 while with the Jazz, ranking third in the all-time victories list. In 22 years, the Jazz went to the playoffs 19 times, the bulk of those playoff appearances featuring the legendary combo of Karl Malone and John Stockton.

Racing: Raikkonen ready for NASCAR debut

Formula One 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen is ready to start a new chapter in his career by joining the NASCAR truck series.

The flamboyant Finnish driver paired up with Kyle Busch to prepare him for the challenge. In a statement that he made, Raikkonen is excited that he’ll be working with Busch so he can start his NASCAR career in the right direction.

Raikkonen believes that Busch’s talent and experience will help him tremendously to be successful. On the other hand, Busch thinks that Raikkonen will bring a different dimension to his team. He also added that adding Raikkonen only improves the team’s reputation as a hotbed for winners and achievers.

On Tuesday, Raikkonen will make his first test drive and on May 20, he’ll be appearing in his NASCAR debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Raikkonen won’t be the first Formula One driver to join NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya and Nelson Piquet Jr. have been regulars in the NASCAR driving circuit for year.

“Kimi Raikkonen” by Aural Asia c/o Flickr. Some rights reserved.