The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Charles Barkley swears Kevin Durant-less Warriors can't beat Rockets originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com With four minutes left in the third quarter of Wednesday night's Game 5 between the Warriors and Houston Rockets, the air was sucked out of Oracle Arena. Kevin Durant was limping back to the Warriors' locker room after suffering a lower-leg injury that many Twitter doctors feared was a torn Achilles. To make matters worse, the Dubs had blown a 20-point lead and Steph Curry still was looking for his shot. Things looked dire, but these are the Warriors, lest we forget. The greatest collection of individual talent in NBA history would not be undone by the loss of one of its three stars, would they? The answer, at least in Game 5, was a resounding no. Curry found his stroke, pouring in 16 of his 25 points after Durant's exit to lead the Dubs to a 104-99 win and a three-games-to-two series lead. While the Warriors survived Game 5 without their 7-foot offensive robot, Charles Barkley doesn't think they can do it again. Against the Rockets, or any other team remaining in the playoffs. Following Golden State's Game 5 win, Barkley gave the Dubs no shot of advancing if Durant is unable to play. "They don't got no chance to win it without Kevin Durant," Barkley said. "This series or any other series. Kevin Durant made them unbeatable. They are not going to beat the Rockets without KD, and they are not going to beat Portland or Denver without KD. That's how important he is. He made them a dynasty. Don't sleep on that. "People say, 'They won one,' Well they did, and they was terrific. And they won 72. They lost that series. But that was like five years ago. People act like that was two years ago. They did not become a juggernaut until KD got there. Everybody who knows basketball, he's the guy who made them a dynasty. They are not going to beat the Rockets." Story continues "The Warriors have no chance of winning without Kevin Durant. This series or any other series." 👀 -Charles on Golden State pic.twitter.com/0KN2KDhb01 — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 9, 2019 The Warriors announced Thursday that Durant has a mild right calf strain and will be re-evaluated in a week. He will not be available for the remainder of the series against the Rockets. The Warriors' "Core Four" turned back the clock a bit Wednesday, as Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green powered them to a crucial win. But they'll need to be even better to finally eliminate the Rockets. Golden State certainly has the firepower to win one more game against their rivals and then regroup for a Western Conference finals battle with either the Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers. [RELATED: Steph's dislocated finger reportedly is a 'more significant problem'] But without Durant, the Warriors' margin for error shrinks considerably. Their bench has been borderline unplayable at times against the Rockets, and now they might have to find a way to survive without their security blanket. It will be up to Curry to lead the Warriors past James Harden and Co. and into the Western Conference finals. It won't be easy, but the Warriors have the talent and championship pedigree to weather the storm. The Warriors have been sticking to a seven-man rotation for the most part against the Rockets, with Alfonzo McKinnie playing sparingly. But now, the two-time defending NBA champions must adjust their lineup and gameplan if they plan to continue their march to a third straight NBA title.<doc-sep>
While most consider the Golden State Warriors a shoo-in to win their fourth NBA title in the last five seasons, Charles Barkley thinks another team will emerge victorious. On Monday night, Barkley proclaimed that the Milwaukee Bucks will win it all. "The @Bucks are going to win the world championship." Sir Charles has spoken. 🏆👀 pic.twitter.com/R8hXQN9nYJ — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 7, 2019 Barkley’s bold prediction came after the Bucks dispatched of the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead in the process. The Celtics upset the Bucks in Milwaukee in the first game of the series. Since then, the Bucks have been dominant, winning three straight games with MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way. In Monday night’s victory in Boston, Antetokounmpo had yet another ridiculous performance, posting 39 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 15-of-22 from the field. No other Bucks player scored more than 15 points, but it did not matter — especially with the shooting struggles of Kyrie Irving on the other side of the court. The Bucks, the East’s No. 1 seed, now have the chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday night. A win would move the Bucks into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001, when they lost to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. The Bucks have just one championship in franchise history, and it came in 1971. This year, the Bucks could meet Philadelphia again. In the other semifinal in the East, the 76ers are tied 2-2 with the Toronto Raptors entering Tuesday night’s Game 5 in Toronto. Charles Barkley made a bold NBA Finals prediction on Monday night. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Meanwhile in the West, both Western Conference semifinal series are tied at 2-2. With a 112-108 win Monday night, the Houston Rockets pulled even with the Warriors. The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers are also tied up. Story continues Barkley has the Blazers emerging from the West to face Milwaukee in the NBA Finals. More from Yahoo Sports: