Established 1961 13 Sports Monday, February 5, 2018 Patriots, Brady eye records vs underdog Eagles in Brady will become the oldest non-kicker to play in the showpiece MINNEAPOLIS: and the New Jackson in the “Nipplegate” furore. England Patriots will have a slew of records A crowd of around 66,500 will huddle in their sights yesterday as they aim to under the covered roof of the US Bank defend their Super Bowl crown against a Stadium, while Minneapolis shivers in the team chasing a first forecasted sub-zero temperatures. ever win. Brady, 40, will become the oldest Temperatures at kick-off, at 5.30pm local quarterback in history to win the Lombardi time (2330 GMT), are expected to be three Trophy if he successfully leads the Patriots degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) - the cold- to a record-equalling sixth title. est Super Bowl in history. A sixth title for Brady would also give him more Super Bowl rings than any other BRADY LOOKS TO FUTURE player in history. Win or lose, Brady will The finale comes one year after Brady become the oldest non-kicker to play in the inspired New England to the greatest showpiece, 16 years after guiding the comeback in Super Bowl history, when the Patriots to his first Super Bowl crown in Patriots overturned a 28-3 third-quarter 2002. deficit to beat the 34-28 in More than overtime. Since 100 million then the veteran households in the quarterback has United States are shown no signs expected to tune I don’t think of being on the in for Brady’s lat- wane. On est tilt with much about Saturday, he Father Time, end- became the old- ing a tumultuous legacy, est recipient of NFL season the NFL’s Player rocked by player I never have of the Year protests and a award, the third feud with time he has won President Donald the honour. It MINNEAPOLIS: Fans make their way through Nicollet Mall during the Super Bowl Live event on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl Trump. Trump triggered a furious backlash follows a season in which Brady threw for LII will be played at US Bank Stadium between the and the Philadelphia Eagles. — AFP across the NFL last September after dis- 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight paraging mostly African-American players interceptions. Brady, who will be playing in UNDERDOGS TO BITE? winning his third Super Bowl , against high school team in Louisiana when who refused to stand for the national his eighth Super Bowl, has shown no inter- Lying in wait for Brady and head coach the Eagles in 2005. If there is a gulf in Belichick won his fifth Super Bowl in 2005. anthem in a protest against social injus- est in savouring the accolades or reflecting are an Eagles team who pow- experience between Brady and Foles, a Pederson, however, says the Eagles are tices.Advertisers are expected to steer on his place at the very top of the NFL’s ered into the Super Bowl with a 38-7 rout chasm separates Belichick and Eagles embracing the role of underdogs. Some of clear of politically-charged TV ads, in con- pantheon. of the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles counterpart . Belichick 65, his players have even taken to wearing trast to last year, when issues such as immi- “I don’t think much about legacy, I never sealed their place thanks to a dazzling dis- has won seven Super Bowl rings, two as an latex dog masks during their postseason. gration and women’s rights were tackled. have,” he told reporters. “My motivation play from quarterback , the assistant with the and five “I’ve been an underdog my whole career, Pop star Justin Timberlake, who head- comes from just trying to be the best I can back-up who was thrust into the starting as head coach with the Patriots, in a career my whole life,” Pederson said. “I think that’s lines the halftime show, will also aim to be for this team. What’s happened in the position after an injury ended Carson spanning five decades. the mentality of our football team. I think avoid controversy, 14 years after the TV- past is great, but it’s not going to win us Wentz’s season in December. Pederson, 50 and only two years into his that’s the mentality of our city, and I’m OK watching nation were scandalized by Janet anything this weekend.” Foles, 29, was only 16 when Brady was first head coaching job, was coaching a with that.” — AFP

game for the rest of the season,” said Rockets rout James. “We haven’t played good at all and we get our butts kicked every time Brady wins MVP award we play on national television, so I’m at a Cavs, Nuggets loss for words.” In Denver, Nikola Jokic on eve of Super Bowl scored 19 points and added nine rally past rebounds as the Nuggets came from behind to beat the Golden State MINNEAPOLIS: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady Warriors Warriors 115-108. Denver rallied from a became the oldest winner of the ’s Player 12-point deficit in the second half to of the Year award on Saturday, winning the honour for the third time hand the Warriors their second loss in on the eve of his eighth Super Bowl appearance. LOS ANGELES: Chris Paul finished with three games. The 40-year-old superstar, who will attempt to win his sixth 22 points and 11 assists as the Houston “For us to come and get the defend- Lombardi Trophy against the Philadelphia Eagles, enjoyed another Rockets became the latest team to pum- ing world champs was huge,” said dazzling season as the Patriots talisman. Brady threw for 4,577 mel LeBron James’ struggling Cleveland Denver’s Gary Harris, who tallied 16 yards this season for 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Cavaliers with a 120-88 win on Saturday. points. Will Barton had 25 points and Brady could become the oldest quarterback in history to win the The Rockets did it without a big night Harris 16 for the Nuggets, who split the Super Bowl if he is able to steer the Patriots past the Eagles at US Tom Brady from James Harden who finished with 16 four games with Golden State this sea- Bank Stadium. In other awards Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams points, while on the other side James had son. Kevin Durant scored 31 points and earned recognition for their stellar turnaround year, picking up following a season which saw him rack up 2,093 running and receiv- just 11 points and didn’t play at all in the Stephen Curry had 24 for Golden State. three top honours. Rams head coach Sean McVay-the youngest ing yards with 19 total touchdowns. Rams team-mate Aaron Donald fourth quarter with the game out of “They hit some shots tonight,” Durant head coach in NFL history at 31 was named coach of the year for was named defensive player of the year. New Orleans Saints running reach. Harden has been averaging 31 said. “We made plays but down the transforming the California outfit into the league’s most potent back Alvin Kamara was named rookie of the year following a daz- points a game this season for the stretch we couldn’t get it done.” offense after a 4-12 season in 2016. zling debut season. Kamara finished the year with 14 touchdowns Rockets, who won their fourth consecu- The Rams won the NFC West championship for the first time and 1,554 yards from scrimmage. He was only the second rookie in tive game and their 11th in their last 13. PISTONS COME UP CLUTCH since 2003 before being eliminated in the playoffs. Rams running history to post five rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns Ryan Anderson stepped in with 21 In Detroit, Andre Drummond had 23 back Todd Gurley picked up the offensive player of the year award and a kick-off return touchdown in the same season. — AFP points. points and 20 rebounds and Ish Smith Since losing at Golden State on tallied a season-high 25, including a Christmas Day, Cleveland have been clutch triple in the final minute, as the humiliated in several matchups against Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat top level NBA clubs. They lost by 28 at 111-107. Lakers, Tahreer win openers in wheelchair Minnesota, 34 in Toronto, 24 at home to Blake Griffin helped offset a poor Oklahoma City and now by 32 to the shooting night by making a key three basketball tourney Rockets. pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the The Cavaliers looked nothing like the fourth. The 28-year-old Griffin, who team that has made it to the last three spent all eight NBA seasons with the Los NBA finals. “I’m lost for words,” James Angeles Clippers before being traded to said. The defending Eastern Conference the Pistons on Monday, missed his first champs played their second game with- five shots from beyond the arc before out injured all-star forward Kevin Love, making one in the final minute. He fin- who suffered a broken left hand earlier ished six-of-19 from the field with 16 this week and could be out for two total points. The Pistons won their third months. straight game since the trade and are 2- Isaiah Thomas scored 12 for 0 with Griffin in uniform as they pulled Cleveland, who have lost 12 of 18 and within a game of .500 with a 25-26 don’t seem to have any answers on the record on the season. Goran Dragic floor for what ails them. “They should scored 33 points for the Heat, who have take us off every nationally televised lost three in a row. — AFP NBA results/standings

LA Clippers 113, Chicago 103; Detroit 111, Miami 107; Indiana 100, Philadelphia 92; Washington 115, Orlando 98; Houston 120, Cleveland 88; Minnesota 118, New Orleans 107; Utah 120, San Antonio 111. Eastern Conference Western Conference By Abdellatif Sharaa Atlantic Division Northwest Division WLPCT GB Minnesota 34 22 .607 - KUWAIT: The Lakers and Tahreer teams were the winners of the Boston 38 15 .717 - Oklahoma City30 23 .566 2.5 opening matches of the first local wheelchair basketball tournament Toronto 35 16 .686 2 Portland 29 23 .558 3 organized by Kuwait Handicapped Club. Philadelphia 25 25 .500 11.5 Denver 28 25 .528 4.5 Lakers defeated Aboudka 62/42, as the Lakers had control from New York 23 30 .434 15 Utah 24 28 .462 8 Brooklyn 19 34 .358 19 the onset and kept a large margin due to the outstanding performance Pacific Division Central Division Golden State 41 12 .774 - of the national team star Yousuf Khalaf, despite of the captain of the Cleveland 30 21 .588 - national team Essa Al-Fadhly being on the other side. LA Clippers 26 25 .510 14 Indiana 30 24 .556 1.5 LA Lakers 20 31 .392 20 The second match saw Tahreer defeating the Olympian due to Milwaukee 28 23 .549 2 Phoenix 18 35 .340 23 43/39, as the match was competitive and was only decided in the Detroit 25 26 .490 5 Sacramento 16 35 .314 24 fourth quarter. Chicago 18 34 .346 12.5 Southwest Division Southeast Division KHC treasurer, President of the Asian Handicapped Basketball Houston 38 13 .745 - Association Saad Al-Azmaa lauded the high technical level in the tour- Washington 30 22 .577 - Miami 29 24 .547 1.5 San Antonio 34 21 .618 6 nament as well as the performance of the national team players. He New Orleans 28 24 .538 10.5 said the tournament is important as the national team is preparing for Charlotte 22 29 .431 7.5 Orlando 15 36 .294 14.5 Memphis 18 33 .353 20 the West Asia tournament to be held in Jordan and the 2018 Asiad to Atlanta 15 37 .288 15 Dallas 16 36 .308 22.5 be held in Jakarta.