The Philippine Online Chronicles

It was upset day in the NBA playoffs as the two-time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers lost their season opener against the New Orleans Hornets.

The top-seeded San Antonio Spurs were also stunned by the Memphis Grizzlies in game one of their playoff opener. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder beat their lower-seeded opponents to retain their homecourt advantage.

In tennis, Rafael Nadal of Spain won his seventh straight Monte Carlo Masters title by beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the tournament’s final showdown. Nadal played a perfect game to beat the overmatched Ferrer 6-4, 7-5.

NBA Playoffs

New Orleans 109, LA Lakers 100

The New Orleans Hornets finally recovered from their traumatic regular season and it really showed when they shocked everyone in Los Angeles by beating the two-time defending champions, 109-100.

Point guard Chris Paul showed that he is one of the league's best point guards by finishing with 33 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds to propel the Hornets into victory against the Lakers.

With starting forward David West already out for the season, Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. Aside from the stellar performance from Paul, the Hornets turned the ball over only three times, tying a previous NBA playoff record.

Kobe Bryant scored 34 points for the Lakers, but they were not enough to trump Paul's pick-and-rolls.

Ron Artest had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. However, big man Pau Gasol was completely absent as he was limited to only eight points and just six rebounds the entire game. Andrew Bynum, who just came back from a hyperextended knee, managed to score 13 points and grab 9 rebounds.

Game two will be played at the Staples Center.

Memphis 101, San Antonio 98

It took them sixteen years, but the gritty and determined Memphis Grizzlies team stunned everyone in San Antonio after escaping with a 101-98 win against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs.

Zach Randolph scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while Marc Gasol added 24 markers and nine rebounds.

The Spurs, who were missing leading scorer Manu Ginobili because of a hyperextended elbow, had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Richard Jefferson missed an open three-ball. Jefferson could only put his head down and bite his jersey after missing the wide-open shot.

For the Spurs, Tony Parker led the squad with 20 points and Ginobili’s replacement, George Hill finished with 15, but was just two-for-seven from the field. 35-year-old power forward Tim Duncan, who looked spry and active all game long, scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds.

Boston 87, New York 85

Seventeen years after his first season in the NBA, Ray Allen remains one of the deadliest shooters the game has ever seen. He made a go-ahead three-ball to help the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks, 87-85.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony had a chance to tie it, but his three-point attempt hit the back of the iron.

Allen led the Celtics with 24 points while Paul Pierce added 18 while putting solid work on the defensive end against Anthony. Kevin Garnett on the other hand, finished with a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

For the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire was the monster performer with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony contributed 15. Their contributions were overshadowed by disaster, however, as Knicks starting point guard Chauncey Billups left the game with a strained left knee late in the fourth quarter. It will be doubtful if he can play in Game 2, in Boston.

The Celtics are trying to win their 18^th title this season while the Knicks are trying to win their first playoff series after not making the playoffs for the past seven years.

Oklahoma 107, Denver 103

It was a lot tougher than expected, but the Oklahoma City Thunder prevailed in a late-game rally with the Denver Nuggets, drawing first blood in their playoff opener.

Kevin Durant had 41 points while Russell Westbrook added 31 and two crucial baskets to put the game away for the Thunder. Raymond Felton had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining, but his shot hit the front rim and the Thunder grabbed the rebound to close it out.

Brazilian center Nene led the Nuggets with 22 points and eight rebounds while Danilo Gallinari chipped in 18. Aside from Nene and Gallinari, Felton, Kenyon Martin, and Ty Lawson chipped in 10 points each for the Nuggets.

Up by one with less than two minutes to go, Westbrook drove hard to the left wing before stopping for a pull-up jumper that went it. With the Thunder already up by three, the Nuggets failed to make any baskets that the Thunder eventually exploited to take the victory.

Tennis: Nadal beats Ferrer to claim Monte Carlo cup

It was apparent who the better player was from the get-go. Rafael Nadal won his seventh straight title at the Monte Carlo Masters by beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, 6-4, 7-5.

The victory is Nadal's 37^th straight win at the Monte Carlo. The last time he lost in the tournament was when he was only 17 years old. This is also the first title won by Nadal since October after losing three straight title matches.

Ferrer didn’t make any excuses for his loss, admitting that Nadal is "perhaps the greatest player to ever play in clay."

Ferrer made a lot of careless errors in the match and Nadal quickly took advantage of them.

It was a sweet victory for Nadal who lost against Novak Djokovic twice and Roger Federer last November in the season-ending ATP World Tour.

“Chris Paul and Mike James” by Keith Allison c/o Flickr. Some rights reserved.