LUKA MAGIC | TMK #4 - October 28th

Today, on Polysport:

A Slovenian sky-hooks from the 3, Texans swing bats, and two mountains are up for a fight.

News Roundup:

• LUKA MAGIC

• Rangers Win WS Game 1

• Scores and Highlights

Today’s Action:

• Boxing - Fury vs Ngannou

• Rugby World Cup Final

• El Clasico

• Formula One Mexico Qualifying

🏀 LUKA MAGIC

Luka Doncic just pulled off one of the craziest game-winners you've ever seen. With the score tied at 120 and 26 seconds on the clock, he launched a high-arcing hook shot that banked in off the glass and went in to ice the game for the Mavs.

This was a “no no no no YESSSS” type of moment for Mavs fans. Luka had to give the ball away twice and get it back to get to his chosen spot on the court, only to launch a no-look Hail Mary type throw which anyone but Luka would’ve been benched for a week for daring to take. Former teammate Finney-Smith, now playing for the Nets, said Luka regularly practices those shots. It shows. Unbelievable.

Mind you, this shot was the exclamation point of a 49-point performance for Luka, with 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and not a single turnover.

Luka Doncic winning an MVP is a matter of when - not if. He is singlehandedly turning every Mavs game into must-watch basketball.

⚾ Rangers Win WS Game 1

In an exceptional Game 1 of the 119th World Series, the Rangers took Game 1 from the clutches of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Coming into the ninth and final inning down a run, the Rangers’ Corey Seager tied the game with a clutch home run, and then Adolis Garcia, who's been on fire recently, sealed the deal with a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. This wasn't a repeat of the unforgettable Game 6 in 2011, but it was a tense, well-played game that showcased the underdog spirit of both teams.

Garcia, with his walk-off homer, broke the record for most RBIs in a single postseason. Seager, who was the 2020 World Series MVP, once again came through in a clutch moment. He homered off Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald, turning the game around when the Rangers were trailing 5-3.

Both Seager and Garcia are becoming legends in their own right, and the Rangers are starting to believe they can make history.

This World Series will continue tonight with Game 2.

🏅Scores and Highlights

Premier League

Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Tottenham

A well-controlled game by Tottenham keeps it at the top of the Premier League for another week.

La Liga

Girona 1 - 0 Celta Vigo

Nothing like a 91’ minute goal to provisionally make it to the top of La Liga. A Barcelona victory today will see Girona at the top of the standings for at least one week.

Rugby World Cup, Third Place Game

Argentina 23 - 26 England

England took the lead early and held on despite a furious rally from the South Americans in the second half. The “honor” of European Rugby has been saved.

NBA

San Antonio Spurs 126 - 122 Houston Rockets

Wemby is ramping up in playtime and points. The tall Frenchman scored 21 in 31 minutes, with 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.

Sacramento Kings 114 - 122 Golden State Warriors

When Steph Curry does his thing, the Warriors are hard to beat. He finished with 41 points on 7/10 shooting from the three-point line.

Boston Celtics 119 - 111 Miami Heat

Boston’s bench contributed a total of 8 points, but Boston’s starting five looks as capable as any other in the league. White scored 28, Brown 27, and Tatum 22.

Memphis Grizzlies 104 - 108 Denver Nuggets

The NBA Champions continue their winning ways. Jokic and Murray both contributed 22 points.

🥊 Boxing

Tyson Fury - Francis Ngannou

Ever since the Mayweather - McGregor fight six years ago, we have witnessed everyone - from YouTubers and chess players to former NBA players - step into the boxing ring to put on a show, but mostly to secure a paycheck.

Something about watching two people, random as they may be, punch each other, seems to draw wallets out of viewers' pockets and sell Pay-Per-Views. But Fury and Ngannou are anything but random people.

Fury is the undisputed king of the boxing heavyweights. His record stands at 33 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw. Fury doesn’t just win - he dominates. He is big, standing at 6”9 (2.05). He is heavy, fighting at 273 pounds (123kg). He is technically gifted. His reflexes are lightning-quick. He has the stamina to go 12 rounds at full power. He’s truly a unique specimen who can knock opponents out or simply outbox and outpoint them. Fury isn’t overly aggressive, he lets the fight come to him. He knows that his opponents can’t take 12 rounds of him and that sooner or later, he’ll have his chance to put them to sleep. And when he gets the chance, he does just that.

Fury’s last four fights ended in a TKO/KO victory, including two beatdowns of Deontay Wilder as payback for blemishing his previously perfect record with a draw.

Speaking of Wilder, there are many similarities between him and Ngannou. They come from the same school of fighting. “Punch as hard as you can”. Both often have a psychological advantage over opponents who fear their raw punching power, and for good reason.

Ngannou is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and arguably one of the scarier ones of the modern era. Between 2018 and 2020, Ngannou fought 4 times in the UFC and won each fight by first-round KO. Two of those four fights ended in less than 30 seconds. Three in less than a minute. When he starts swinging, fighters start dropping.

However, this is Ngannou’s first time in the boxing ring. He’s going against one of the greatest of all time. We all know it is a cash grab. Fury said Ngannou is set to make 10 million pounds for the fight. Ngannou quit the UFC as heavyweight champion to secure a bag, and he’s about to do just that. But does he stand a chance?

Ngannou, like Wilder before him, and anyone who enters the ring, has a puncher’s chance. His only way to a W is to turn this boxing fight into a brawl and catch Fury with a hammer. He surely won’t outbox Fury, won’t outpoint him, and won’t last 10 three-minute rounds. Fury, being the taller fighter, should be able to keep Ngannou at a safe distance. But will he give in to the temptation to brawl? We’re about to find out. Either way, this should be entertaining.

🏉 Rugby World Cup Final

South Africa - New Zealand

Nearly two months after the initial kick-off of the World Cup in Paris - in which the All-Blacks were defeated by the French side - it is the All-Blacks who will play reigning World Champions South Africa for the title.

The All-Blacks have proven to be a formidable opponent, even when they’re not supposed to be. Before this tournament, the team was in crisis mode, and many expected them to bow out of the tournament by the quarter-final. The All-Blacks didn’t look like their usual imposing selves, as evident by their defeat at the hands of South Africa, 35 to 7, two weeks before the World Cup’s opening kickoff.

Instead, the All-Blacks showed heart and resilience and knocked out Ireland, who entered this tournament as the number-one ranked nation in the world and with a golden generation of players. For the Irish, this World Cup felt like the opportunity of a lifetime to etch their nation in rugby history. The All-Blacks had other plans. The semifinal against Argentina was never in doubt, as the All-Blacks almost rediscovered their experience and aggressiveness. This version of the All-Blacks is the best we’ve seen in a few years.

South Africa did not have an easier path to the final. Having lost to Ireland in the group stage, the Springboks found themselves pitted against the host nation, France, in the quarter-finals. In a gritty and terribly refereed game, they prevailed by a point - 29 to 28 - and effectively shut down the World Cup party in France.

In the semis, the Springboks managed to dig deep and find more ways to keep themselves alive in the tournament, as they beat the English side 16 to 15, again by a point, to secure their place in the final and an opportunity to defend their title as World Champions.

So who wins this?

First, whichever nation wins today will break the tie and claim rugby supremacy with 4 World Cups won. South Africa is 3-0 in the World Cup final. New Zealand is 3-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of…South Africa, in 1995.

South Africa is the stronger team on paper. They are as experienced as the All-Blacks, and as reigning Champions, shouldn’t be intimated or come into this match at a psychological disadvantage. They’ve beaten this exact team by 28 points two months ago. They should be able to control the play - but I don’t expect the All-Blacks to make it easy for them.

⚽ El Clasico

Barcelona - Real Madrid

It’s time for another installment of the world’s most iconic football match: Real Madrid vs Barcelona. This game will be played in Barcelona - though not at Camp Nou, which is currently undergoing renovations.

This time around, both teams are coming into the game in fine form, having started the season strong both on the home and European fronts. Real Madrid started this matchday in first position with 25 points and will stay there with a win. Barcelona is not far behind with 24 points and is looking to leapfrog Madrid in the standings.

Barcelona’s coach Xavi will be deprived of a few significant players out with injuries, including regular starters Lewandowski, Pedri, Kounde, and De Jong. Instead, the players known as “Xavi’s kids” will have the opportunity to make their mark on this historic rivalry. Balde, Gavi, and Yamal are all expected to line up in the starting 11 for Barcelona, as are Ferran Torres and Joao Felix.

Barca’s youngsters have shown promise filling in for Barcelona’s starters, but can they show up for their biggest game so far?

On the opposite side of the pitch, Real Madrid are expected to have their strongest lineup available, save for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who is out with an injury. Jude Bellingham is playing at the highest level and has scored in every Champions League game this season. He has become Madrid's main man and contender for next year’s Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in football. With his latest run of form, he has -at the very least - earned his place in the conversation.

Clasicos are a tense affair, especially in years when both Real Madrid and Barcelona look like the top teams in La Liga, which they do. With Real Madrid looking strong and the promise of Xavi’s Kids, this is the most anticipated Clasico since the glorious Messi and Ronaldo days.

🏎️ Formula One

Mexican GP Qualifying

A week after the USGP, Formula One is coming to us from Mexico for Sergio Perez’s home race. The Mexican crowd is known to be wild and somewhat unruly, which promises a tense atmosphere and Max Verstappen boos. Guaranteed. So much so that Verstappen has reportedly brought on bodyguards for this Grand Prix, as a preemptive measure.

This is also thought to be either the place where Red Bull will confirm Checo Perez for the second seat in 2024, or give him the boot shortly thereafter. Red Bull of course is not interested in alienating its entire fan base before the Grand Prix weekend, so it would make sense for them to keep the bad news under wrap until it is over.

But let’s talk about qualifying, the most electrifying hour of Formula One.

The Mexico City track is known for being at a high altitude, which reduces downforce and makes it harder for cars to carry speed through corners. It has a long straight, but cars aren’t able to run a low downforce configuration as they need all the downforce they can get for the high-speed corners in the second sector.

Is Red Bull likely to be strong? Yes. Are they guaranteed pole position? Absolutely not. The gap between the one-lap pace of cars in the field has shrunk significantly since the beginning of the season. Max Verstappen has only claimed 3 of the last 8 poles, with Ferrari claiming 4 poles split evenly between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have come alive during the second half of the season and will be in the hunt despite Norris claiming that the Mexican track does not suit their car. It’s a classic case of lowering expectations to overdeliver, and they will be in the fight for the front row.

Mercedes looked as strong as they’ve been last week in Austin Texas, and will be looking to continue their strong run of form. Lewis Hamilton finished in clear P2 on track, even though he was later DQ’d for failing post-race technical checks on his car’s floor.

Aston Martin is the great mystery of this qualifying session, after making Q3 in Qatar and being knocked out in Q1 in Austin. Alonso lined up 4th in Qatar only to tumble all the way to 17th, in a week where Aston Martin supposedly brought upgrades. Granted, the sprint format last week gave teams little chance to experiment and analyze their car, but the Aston’s performance was shocking.

Wrap Up

I hope it’s raining wherever you are because we have a BRILLIANT day of sports to look forward to today, and it’d be a shame to have to leave the house.

Enjoy it. See you tomorrow.TMK