At long last, Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford are on the verge of a summit meeting at 147 pounds.

Spence, who holds three welterweight titles, and Crawford, owner of one 147-pound belt, are closing in on a deal for an October fight in Las Vegas for the undisputed welterweight championship, sources tell ESPN.

The boxers are still in negotiations and there is no agreement yet for the fight that would be presented by PBC on pay-per-view, sources said.

"I'm free to do whatever I want," Crawford, 34, told ESPN in late April. "There's nothing standing in the way from us fighting. There's no promotion company that's blocking it, there's no wrong side of the street, there's no nothing. Let's see who the best welterweight in the world is."

Crawford, ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, parted ways with his longtime promoter, Top Rank, following a 10th-round TKO of Shawn Porter in November. PBC, whom Spence is aligned with, rarely does business with other promoters. Now that Crawford is a free agent, the path is clear to make the super fight.

The sport's inability to deliver the fight has been a source of frustration among fans for years. But Crawford believes the matchup is "definitely ... bigger now."

Spence, ESPN's No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer, returned from surgery to repair a detached retina to score a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas in April. The 32-year-old from Desoto, Texas, was set to fight the legendary Manny Pacquiao in August but withdrew from the bout when it was discovered he required immediate surgery.

It was the second major setback of Spence's career after an October 2019 car crash hospitalized him.'

"Now everybody's saying that Errol's back and he's 100% ready. So now is the perfect time for me and him to fight," said Crawford, a native of Omaha, Nebraska. "He called me out, so it ain't no backing up."

Said Spence in April: "I want Terence Crawford; that's the fight that I want. That's the fight everybody else wants. ... Terence, I'm coming for that belt!"

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After an offseason of will he or won't he, San Francisco 49ers center Alex Mack has made a decision about his football future.

He won't. After 13 NFL seasons, Mack announced his retirement via Twitter and in conjunction with the 49ers on Friday morning, bringing an end to a career that included seven Pro Bowl selections, three second-team All-Pro nods and a spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade team for the 2010s.

"After 13 seasons and 204 games for 3 teams, I have decided to hang up my cleats," Mack wrote on Twitter. "I am so grateful to the game of football and everything it has given me. From the very start it helped shape who I am and taught me life lessons. I started to play football because it was fun and that never changed...

"I always tried to hold up my end of the bargain and never let anyone doubt my effort."

Mack, 36, earned his final Pro Bowl appearance last season, his only year spent in San Francisco. He signed with the 49ers as a free agent in March of 2021 in a move that not only reunited him for the third time with coach Kyle Shanahan -- the pair also worked together in Atlanta and Cleveland -- but was something of a full-circle moment for Mack, who played at the University of California in nearby Berkeley.

At the time, Mack signed a three-year deal but made it clear that he was playing on a year-to-year basis and would evaluate whether to continue at the end of each offseason. Mack remained committed to that this offseason, leaving many wondering what he was going to do all offseason.

At the NFL owners meetings in late March, Niners general manager John Lynch expressed optimism that Mack was going to return, saying that "all signs are him coming back and being a part of us."

Lynch's tone changed dramatically just before the draft about a month later when he said that he would let Mack make his own announcement when he was ready.

On Thursday, Mack and the Niners agreed to a reworked contract that dropped his base salary for 2022 from $5 million to $1.12 million and from $3.35 million to $1.165 million in 2023. The move saved the 49ers more than $4 million in cap space this season, money they quickly used to sign their nine-player draft class.

On Friday, Mack made his retirement official and the 49ers released a statement thanking Mack for his contributions.

"The center position in the NFL is the heartbeat of an offense and Alex's intellect, consistency, love for the game and professional approach made a lasting impression over the course of his 13 NFL seasons," Lynch and Shanahan said in a statement. "Congratulations to Alex on a highly decorated NFL career and we wish him nothing but success in his post-playing career."

Mack was originally the 21st overall pick by Cleveland in the 2009 NFL draft. He earned three Pro Bowl nods and was a second-team All-Pro once in seven seasons with the Browns before landing three Pro Bowl berths and two second-team All-Pro spots in five years with the Falcons.

The 49ers now find themselves searching for a replacement at a position Shanahan values greatly in his offense.

Internal veteran options include Jake Brendel, who has been working with the starters during the offseason program, and Daniel Brunskill, who started at right guard last season but played some center in 2020.

San Francisco also has a trio of rookies -- Nick Zakelj, Dohnovan West and Jason Poe -- who could factor into the mix, though Shanahan has traditionally been reluctant to play someone inexperienced at center.

Outside of the building, veteran JC Tretter is the best center on the free-agent market, though he comes with questions about a knee issue that prevented him from practicing much of last season.

PARIS -- Rafael Nadal has become the second-oldest men's finalist in French Open history after his semifinal opponent, Alexander Zverev, stopped playing Friday because of an injured right leg. Now Nadal will try to become the oldest champion at a tournament he has already won a record 13 times.

Playing on his 36th birthday at an event he first won at 19, Nadal emerged to claim a tight-as-can-be, draining first set that lasted 1½ hours by a 7-6 (8) score. The second set also was headed to a tiebreaker after another 1½ hours when Zverev tumbled behind the baseline while chasing a ball to his right.

Zverev's black outfit was covered in rust-colored clay, as were his legs and arms, and he immediately grabbed his right ankle, screaming in pain.

A trainer came out to attend to him, and Nadal walked around the net to check on Zverev, too.

Zverev then was taken off the court in a wheelchair. Several minutes later, he came back out using crutches and said he needed to retire from the match. He shook the chair umpire's hand and then hugged Nadal.

"Well, it was very tough and very sad for him," Nadal said. "He was playing unbelievable tournament. He's a very good colleague on the tour. I know how much he's fighting to win a Grand Slam, and for the moment he was unlucky. He will win more than one Grand Slam, and I wish him all the best.

"It's one of the biggest challenges to play Zverev when he's playing like this. It's a super high level. It's difficult to say things in this situation. For me to be in the final of Roland Garros is a dream, but at the same time to finish that way and to see him crying is a tough moment, so all the best to him."

Nadal has been dealing with chronic pain in his left foot and was coming off a pair of victories that each lasted more than 4 hours -- including against defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday -- but showed no signs of age, injury or fatigue against 25-year-old Zverev.

The match was played indoors at Court Philippe Chatrier, with the retractable roof installed in 2020 shut because of afternoon showers.

In addition to bidding for a 14th trophy from the French Open, Nadal can claim his 22nd Grand Slam title to extend the men's record he already holds after his triumph at the Australian Open in January.

Djokovic and Roger Federer are tied at 20.

There's also this on the line for Nadal in Sunday's final against No. 8 Casper Ruud of Norway or No. 20 Marin Cilic of Croatia: It would be the first time the Spaniard has won the first two legs of the calendar-year Grand Slam.

Cilic won the 2014 US Open; Ruud has never been to a major final.

Zverev used his pure power throughout the match to stake himself to a 3-1 lead after 19 minutes in large part because he accumulated seven winners before Nadal delivered a single one.

Before the match came to a halt, Zverev had compiled nearly twice as many winners as Nadal, 40-21.

When Zverev did try a drop shot in the match's eighth game, it was merely so-so, and Nadal not only reached it but ripped a down-the-line backhand passing winner. A few points later, Zverev set up a break point for Nadal by double-faulting.

Things would get worse from there for Zverev in that game. His racket flew out of his hand and landed behind him after one wild swing mistakenly sent a ball zipping past the chair umpire until it landed 10 feet wide of the court. Later, an errant backhand let Nadal break for the first time, making it 4-all and sending red-and-yellow Spanish flags flapping in the stands.

In the opening tiebreaker, Zverev began brilliantly, taking a 6-2 lead to earn four set points.

But then Nadal did what he does so often to so many opponents -- just by hanging in there.

Nadal saved Zverev's fourth set point with the help of a drop shot. When it was Nadal's turn to press for the set, he finally sealed it with a down-the-line forehand passing winner, then held his follow-through pose for a moment while staring into the stands.

The only older men's finalist in Paris was Bill Tilden, the runner-up at 37 in 1930. The oldest champion so far was Andres Gimeno, who was 34 in 1972.

Nadal has said in recent days that he can't be sure whether each match might be his last at the French Open. His left foot is the primary reason for that pessimism.

"All the sacrifices, and all the things that I need to go through to try to keep playing," Nadal said, "really make sense when you enjoy moments like I'm enjoying in this tournament."

Information from ESPN's Tom Hamilton and The Associated Press was used in this report.

The Los Angeles Lakers on Friday announced the hiring of Darvin Ham as their new head coach, with general manager Rob Pelinka praising the Milwaukee Bucks assistant's "no-nonsense and hard-working approach."

The Lakers said Ham had signed a multiyear deal to be their 28th head coach in franchise history but did not disclose further contract details. Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski last week that Ham had agreed to a four-year contract.

Ham, 48, has served as an NBA assistant coach for the past 11 seasons, including two years with the Lakers (2011-13). He also spent nine seasons working under Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee, including winning the 2021 NBA championship together.

That Lakers experience played a role in Ham's hiring, Wojnarowski reported last week. The team was also sold on Ham's stature and toughness, his history of coaching star players and his championship pedigree as an assistant and player, sources said, aspects Pelinka hit on in the team's announcement.

"Our players and fans will immediately identify with Darvin's no-nonsense and hard-working approach, which we feel will bring toughness and a competitive edge to all we do," Pelinka said in a statement. "When you add that to Darvin's sophisticated grasp of in-game strategy and deep knowledge of the game of basketball, we have the ideal coach for this next chapter in Lakers history. We could not be more honored and proud to name Darvin Ham as our new head coach."

An introductory news conference has been scheduled for Monday.

Ham will be tasked with turning around a Lakers team that went 33-49 this season and missed the playoffs, leading to Frank Vogel's firing. Sources told Wojnarowski that Ham will need to find a way to incorporate Russell Westbrook into the franchise's framework with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That was a significant subject of every Lakers coaching interview, sources said.

The Lakers also interviewed Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and former Warriors coach and current ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson, sources told ESPN.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Not long after the Golden State Warriors' fourth-quarter meltdown to drop a rare Game 1 in the coach Steve Kerr era, a relaxed Draymond Green began setting the tone for the team entering Game 2.

"It's fine," Green said after the Boston Celtics stunned the Warriors 120-108. "You get a chance to do something else, do it in a different way, embrace the challenge. We've always embraced challenges. It's no different. We'll embrace this one. So no, it's not a hit to the confidence at all not one bit.

"... It's just nothing to panic about."

For only the third time in the Kerr era, the Warriors lost a series opener. They were 21-2 in Game 1s entering Thursday night. And the Warriors were on track to win another Game 1 when they went up 87-72 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter.

But then they were blindsided by a 48-18 run by the Celtics, who drilled nine 3-pointers and scored 40 points in the fourth quarter.

"Obviously everybody is down," Kerr said. "You want to go out and win the first one. We had every opportunity, 12-point lead going into the fourth. Guys are bummed, as you would expect. But it's a seven-game series for a reason. I think you give Boston credit. They came in and earned the win. Played a great fourth quarter. We'll come in, watch the film and see where we can get better, and you know, it's one game."

This is the first time this postseason these Warriors have fallen behind 1-0 in a series. In fact, it was their first home loss this postseason, dropping them to 9-1 at Chase Center during this run.

The Warriors have been in this position twice before. They lost Game 1 during the 2016 Western Conference finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And they lost Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors. In both cases, the Warriors won Game 2. They came back from down 3-1 to beat the Thunder but lost in six games to the Raptors in their previous Finals appearance.

And they also know they've won at least one road playoff game in an NBA-record 26 straight playoff series. Game 2 is at Chase Center on Sunday.

"I remember just putting [those Game 1 losses] past us," said Klay Thompson, who shot 6-for-14 and scored 15 points. "There's no reason to hold on to a loss when you have another game so soon. I remember watching film and realizing, there's many things we can do better, and applying those strategies.

"So it's pretty simple. And I just know we'll be better Game 2. I'll be better."

The last time the Warriors rebounded from a shocking loss was when they eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 after losing Game 5 by 39 points.

But even then, they led 3-2 in the series. Now, they find themselves down 1-0 in a must-win situation at home on Sunday to avoid a 2-0 hole heading to Boston.

"It's not ideal," said Stephen Curry, who scored 21 points in the first quarter before finishing with 34 points. "But I believe in who we are and how we deal with adversity, how we responded all year, how we've responded in the playoffs after a loss. So learn a lot from that fourth quarter."

The Warriors have two days to make their adjustments.

"We know they are a good team," Curry said. "So are we. We have to respond on Sunday."

SAN FRANCISCO -- After yet another ugly third quarter in a playoffs full of them for the Boston Celtics, it looked to all the world like the Golden State Warriors were on their way to claiming Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center on Thursday night.

But then the fourth quarter started. And, after an avalanche of Celtics 3-pointers, this game -- and series -- was completely turned on its head.

Boston hit its first seven 3-pointers to open the fourth and outscored Golden State 40-16 to stun the Warriors 120-108. In doing so, Boston became the first team in NBA Finals history to win by double-digits after entering the fourth quarter trailing by double-digits, per ESPN Stats & Information research.

"Being resilient has been the word for this year," Payton Pritchard said. "I think it showed tonight."

It certainly did in the second half. Boston has struggled the entire playoffs in the third quarter, and did again in Game 1, as it went up against a Warriors team that has historically dominated coming out of the halftime break.

The Celtics were outscored 38-24 in the third. They committed five turnovers. They let Golden State get going from 3-point range. And Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot 2-for-10 from the field.

At that point, Chase Center -- hosting its first ever NBA Finals game -- was rocking. The celebration was seemingly on. But, inside Boston's huddle, the feeling was different.

"The message at the start of the fourth was, 'We've been here before,'" Tatum said. "We know what it takes to overcome a deficit like that.

"Obviously that's a great team. It's not going to be easy. But just knowing we've been in that situation before and we've gotten our self out of it. We had a lot of time left, right? It wasn't time to hang your head or be done, it was time to figure it out."

The Celtics proceeded to do just that. It helps, of course, when a team comes out and buries its first seven 3-pointers, as Boston did. But it went beyond that. The Celtics finished the fourth quarter 9-for-12 from 3-point range.

Golden State, on the other hand, shot only 7-for-17 from the field. The Celtics stopped turning the ball over, putting up an absurd 12-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the fourth. Boston's plus-24 scoring margin in the fourth quarter was the best in an NBA Finals game.

And the Celtics got contributions from up and down the roster, including Celtics coach Ime Udoka leaving the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart on the bench for most of the fourth quarter, opting instead to ride Pritchard for the biggest moments of Boston's season thus far.

"We pride ourselves on everybody being able to contribute on both ends," Udoka said. "That's rewarding, especially on a night when your best guy has an off night, others step up."

Derrick White continued his brilliant play since the birth of his child early in the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 21 points off the bench and hitting five 3-pointers.

Al Horford, playing in his first NBA Finals game after previously being the record holder for playoff games played without a Finals appearance, had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists, including hitting all four shots he took in the fourth quarter -- and set his career high with six 3-pointers.

Even with Tatum struggling, going 3-for-17 from the field, he still finished with 13 assists to just two turnovers, and was plus-27 in the fourth quarter without scoring a single point. He finished with four assists and no turnovers while missing all three shots he took in the quarter.

"Ecstatic," Tatum said with a smile, when asked how he felt about the game. "Forty points in the fourth quarter ... guys made big shots, timely shots as well. And we won.

"I had a bad shooting night. I just tried to impact the game in other ways. We're in the championship. We're in the Finals. All I was worried about was trying to get a win, and we did. That's all that matters at this point.

"So I don't expect to shoot that bad again. But if it means we keep winning, I'll take it."

That was the message across the board from the Celtics: That they managed to steal Game 1 while still not playing their best. Yes, they hit shots, going 21-for-41 from 3-point range. But they had that sloppy third quarter and also got off to a slow start to begin the game, when a roster that didn't feature a single player with NBA Finals experience looked like it at times in the first quarter.

"Just continue to play. That was our message throughout the whole game," Horford said. "They're such a good team. And for us, it was just, you know, continue to play no matter what.

"And our guys, that's what we did. It wasn't our best game, but we continued to fight and find different ways to get this win."

In many ways, this game was a microcosm of Boston's roller-coaster season. The Celtics were under .500 in late January, before tearing through the NBA over the final 35 games of the regular season, posting the best offensive and defensive ratings in the league over that stretch.

Boston then endured two difficult seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat to get here, including winning elimination games on the road against both teams. They now have become the first team to beat the Warriors at Chase Center in a playoff game.

Now, after entering the NBA Finals having played 12 games in 23 days across the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals, Boston will now get another three days rest and prepare to play here again in Game 2 Sunday night, when the Celtics will have an opportunity to put a stranglehold on this series with another victory.

"It just says what we've been doing all year," Smart said. "We've been counted out all year. Rightfully so. We've had moments. But we continue to fight. That's who we are.

"I think over the last couple months, that's our identity. I think it stuck with us for a reason."

And, as a result, the Celtics are three wins away from an NBA title.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Like two heavyweights feeling each other out in the opening round of a championship bout, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics opened the 2022 NBA Finals, with the Celtics striking the first blow with a 120-108 comeback victory.

The Celtics won Game 1 with a scintillating 17-0 run in the fourth quarter, the second-largest spurt in the closing frame of a Finals game over the past 50 seasons.

Like many NBA Finals Game 1s, Thursday night's contest began as less of a display of surprise tactics than two elite teams throwing their best stuff at their opponent and observing what it can and can't handle. The Warriors showed off their elegant offense, full of constant motion and clever off-ball action, to test the Celtics' defensive precision. The Celtics worked their stretchy drive-and-kick game, patiently working for favorable matchups or open looks against the Warriors' rotations. Both teams deployed their defensive switch-heavy schemes, with the Warriors dabbling in occasional zone coverage.

With a rousing fourth-quarter comeback, the Celtics overcame a 15-point second-half deficit. In a flash, Boston unleashed a devastating barrage from beyond the arc. In less than seven minutes, the Celtics nailed six 3-pointers, many of them heavily contested. By midway through the fourth, Boston had completely erased a deficit that stood at 12 points to start the quarter. All the while, the Warriors turned ice cold from the field. In the final tally, the Celtics outscored the Warriors 40-16 in the final frame, shooting 9-for-12 on field goals from deep, the most recorded by any team in the fourth quarter in Finals history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Though the Warriors centered their defensive strategy on first-team All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, it was teammates Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Derrick White who provided the firepower during the Celtics' blistering late run. Each topped 20 points on the night -- Marcus Smart added 18 of his own, including four 3-pointers -- more than compensating for Tatum's 3-for-17 struggle. To illustrate the improbable nature of the performance, Horford's six 3-pointers represented the most in any game of his career, regular season or playoffs. White, a catalyzing midseason acquisition, has enabled the Celtics to play small and with great spacing. And Brown, so opportunistic in the flow of the offense, never relented with his aggressive play.

The Celtics don't boast the kind of elegant offense that defines the Warriors, but they have established themselves as a deadly offense from long distance. Coming into the Finals, Boston had attempted 45.5% of its field goals from 3-point range -- only the Dallas Mavericks attempted a higher percentage this postseason.

Those stout defenses -- the NBA's two strongest -- couldn't do much to contain the offensive explosion set off at Chase Center in the first half. As strong as the Celtics have been defensively during the regular season and postseason, they neglected the single most important imperative: Find Stephen Curry early and stay attached.

In the first quarter alone, Curry, in search of his first Finals MVP, drained an NBA-record six 3-pointers, four of them uncontested. His 21 points in the opening frame were his most in any quarter in a Finals game, the most by any player in a Finals first quarter, and the fourth most overall in any Finals quarter -- only Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have scored more. Ultimately, the Warriors squandered Curry's 34-point output.

The Celtics, who reached their first Finals since 2010 on the strength of their defense, demonstrated that they have an offensive bag that can punish the Warriors' defensive rotation on the right night. If Boston can pair a fraction of its offensive exhibition in Game 1 with its signature defense on three additional occasions, the Celtics will have an opportunity to consummate a steady nine-year rebuild following their legendary Big Three era.