Lando Norris hopes there will be a U-turn on plans for Formula One drivers to be prohibited from making personal, religious and political statements without consent from the FIA.
The FIA has been widely criticised following the governing body's decision to introduce new legislation underpinning the ban, which it says will be clarified through the issuing of new guidelines.
F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali had an adverse reaction to the proposals, saying the sport will not "gag" drivers who wish to speak out on issues they believe in.
McLaren's Norris has become the latest in a string of drivers to hit out at the FIA's ban, saying: "We should be able to say what we want and what we believe in.
"I feel there has been quite a bit of pressure and enough said to make a little bit of a U-turn.
"The penalty [for speaking out] is not clear, but we are not in a school. We should not have to ask about everything and say, 'Can we do this, can we do that?'
"We are grown up enough to try and make smart decisions. Maybe sometimes people make silly decisions, but that happens in life. I hope and believe that enough drivers have said things now to push back a little bit."
Norris said he supports F1's existing approach, adding: "F1 has made things clear, what they think is acceptable and what we should be able to do as drivers, and that is what I stand by.
"We need it. We are only trying to help people in the world and give advice and there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to do that."
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently announced he would take a step back from the day-to-day running of F1 after being involved in several controversies and conflicts.
McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown welcomed that decision, saying: "It has been a bit exciting over the winter, but things seem to have course-corrected."
The Boston Celtics will hit the road on Tuesday to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview.
In a tantalising battle between the top two teams in the East, it will also be a clash between two of the NBA's top-four defenses this season.
The Celtics will head into the contest boasting the rare statistical profile of the fourth-best defense (conceding 110.5 points per 100 possessions) and the third-best offense (116.8 points per 100 possessions).
Meanwhile, the Bucks have relied primarily on their second-ranked defense (109.7), grinding out wins despite their offense ranking only 21st (112.6).
While their offensive production has differed, the way these two sides approach the game is very similar. They are two of the most perimeter-centric offenses in the league, both top-five in average three-point attempts, while both also sit bottom-five in average points in the paint.
It makes sense that, because both of these teams so heavily value the three-point shot, they also make just as much of an effort to disrupt that area for their opponents. They are both top-six in limiting opponent three-point makes, presenting an interesting conundrum.
Two teams who want to bomb away from deep, who also know exactly how to run their opposition off the three-point line, forcing them to take a step inside and attempt less valuable two-point jump shots, or daring them to finish at the basket against elite rim protectors.
They are also the best two teams in the league at limiting opposition free throw attempts, meaning that even when they force opponents inside into traffic, they are challenging without fouling.
But the wrench in that equation is Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who lives in the paint, contributes nearly half (19.0) of his side's 45.4 points in the paint per game, and leads the league in free throw attempts (13.8 per game).
It puts the opposition in a quandary – do you follow the scouting report and try to limit the Bucks' three-point shooting, potentially giving Antetokounmpo the free rein to dominate inside, or do you go all-in on stopping the former back-to-back MVP and force somebody else to hit shots?
That is not to say the Celtics' stars are incapable of getting into the paint – with both Jaylen Brown (11.7 paint points per game) and Jayson Tatum (11.5) in the top-20 in the league – but Brown is the primary slasher of the pair, and will miss this game with a broken bone in his face.
Brown will be joined on the sideline by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, meaning Tatum will not just be the Celtics' most important offensive player, he will also be their top perimeter defender.
The Celtics are struggling in the health department right now, while the Bucks are trending in the right direction. Both Milwaukee All-Stars – Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday – will play, and All-NBA wing Khris Middleton has games of 22 points and 24 points in his past three after recovering from his own serious injury.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Boston Celtics – Robert Williams III
Smart will be missed, but there is arguably not a more valuable defender to the Celtics than Robert Williams III – especially against an interior force like Antetokounmpo.
The 25-year-old came from out of nowhere to force his way onto the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last season, finishing fourth in the league for blocks per game (2.2). That block figure has come back down to earth this season – still a team-leading 1.2 per game – but, simply put, the Celtics are a force defensively with him on the court.
During his minutes, the Celtics concede only 104.8 points per 100 possessions – the fourth-best figure for any player averaging at least 20 minutes per game – which is over five points better than the league's best defense this season (Cleveland Cavaliers, 108.9).
Stephen Curry is unwilling to set a target date for his return from a leg injury, but he will not be back for the Golden State Warriors' first game after this weekend's NBA All-Star break.
Curry was forced off in the third quarter of a 119-113 win against the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month after his knee collided with that of opposing point guard McKinley Wright IV.
Scans subsequently revealed Curry had suffered tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane, as well as a contusion to his lower left leg.
While the two-time NBA MVP hopes to return to the court for practice after Sunday's All-Star game, he has ruled himself out of the Warriors' trip to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 23.
"Ligaments can heal in all different types of timelines," Curry said. "So there's a window for each checkpoint.
"After the All-Star break, I will hopefully get back on the court, and then depending on how things go from there, we can key in on a specific date to get back."
Asked if it was fair to assume he would miss a "chunk" of games after the break, Curry added: "I don't know how you define chunk, but yes, I won't be playing against the Lakers the first game back.
"It's a slow process early, letting everything settle, let the healing process start.
"The goal right now is just trying to let it heal while you maintain as much of your strength and conditioning. Keeping everything as active as possible around the injury."
The Warriors snapped a two-game losing run with a 135-126 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday, and Curry – who saw Golden State win five of the 11 games he missed after suffering a shoulder injury in December – is hoping they can stay afloat until his return.
"It's just about trying to figure out how to win the next game," Curry said. "It sounds boring, but all we can really focus on is guys battling every single night trying to build momentum, find a little separation in the standings, find more of an identity of who we are as a team.
"[I'm] very optimistic that we can finish these last two games strong and get to the All-Star break. Get refreshed mentally and physically."
All-Star DeMar DeRozan exited the Chicago Bulls' 100-91 defeat to the Orlando Magic with a right hip injury that he revealed has been bothering him for over a month.
DeRozan exited with 1:02 remaining in the fourth quarter, having scored 19 points on eight-of-20 shooting across 36 minutes in the loss that leaves the Bulls with a 26-31 record.
The loss was Chicago's fourth in a row and marked the fourth straight game that DeRozan has not reached 20 points.
The Bulls small forward missed last Monday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with the same hip issue and is due to undergo further testing on the problem on Tuesday.
"It was bothering me the whole game," DeRozan told reporters. "I just felt it. I didn't want to risk nothing. Hurting it anymore, what it was or anything.
"Just the accumulation of what it's been, attempting to play on it."
DeRozan, who was selected for the upcoming All-Star Game, is averaging 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season.
"It's too early to say. I always take everything day by day," DeRozan said, when asked if he will rule himself out of the All-Star Game.
"Get some rest, wake up, see how I feel tomorrow, get it checked out, get a better idea of what exactly it is, have a better idea of how to treat it and how to deal with it.
"It's something that I've been playing on for the last month and a half, just never said anything. Just want to get it right, especially going to the break."
Kyrie Irving scored 26 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter but it was not enough as the fast-finishing Dallas Mavericks lost 124-121 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Irving and Luka Doncic (33 points) combined for 69 points for the Mavs, who trailed 100-82 at three-quarter time and rallied from a 26-point deficit.
The Mavs point guard, however, lost the ball to Taurean Prince with an errant pass on the final possession, denying Dallas getting a shot away to tie the game after a disrupted play where he exchanged passes with Doncic.
Irving's 26-point fourth quarter was the highest scoring quarter of his career, finishing the game on 15-of-23 shooting with four-of-nine from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds and six assists.
Doncic had 12 rebounds and six assists with his 33 points, while Christian Wood added 24 points off the bench.
For the triumphant Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 32 points with five rebounds, while Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 14 rebounds.
The defeat means the Mavs have lost both games Doncic and Irving have played together since the latter's trade from the Brooklyn Nets last week.
Lillard leads long-range Blazers blitz over Lakers
Damien Lillard scored 40 points as the Portland Trail Blazers hit 23 three-pointers in a 127-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were missing LeBron James for the third straight game with a sore left ankle.
The Blazers' 23 triples were a season-best, while they broke their first-half franchise record with 17 three-pointers. Lillard led the way from range, making eight-of-14 three-point attempts.
Malik Beasley came off the bench to top score for the Lakers with 22 points, including six three-pointers, while Anthony Davis scored 19 points with 20 rebounds and three blocks.
Mitchell stars as Spurs lose 13th straight
Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points with five three-pointers as the Cleveland Cavaliers condemned the San Antonio Spurs to a joint franchise record 13th straight defeat.
The Cavs won 117-109 led by Mitchell with Jarrett Allen adding 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, securing their seventh successive victory to improve their record to 38-22.
The loss leaves San Antonio with a 14-44 record, with their run of defeats marking their worst since the 1988-89 season.
Yoshihito Nishioka made it eight wins from his first 10 matches this year after defeating Oscar Otte 6-3 0-6 6-4 in Monday's opening round at the Delray Beach Open.
Nishioka was the highest seed in action on the first day of the tournament, and he had his back up against the wall after failing to win a game in a troubling second set, but produced three breaks of serve in the back-and-forth decider.
Meanwhile, Ecuador's Emilio Gomez earned a shot at top seed and world number seven Taylor Fritz after advancing 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 against Taiwan's Tung-lin Wu.
Portugal's Nuno Borges continued his winning run after earning his spot through the qualifiers, eliminating America's Steve Johnson 6-4 3-6 6-4, but the crowd got something to cheer for when the USA's Denis Kudla got the better of Australia's Jordan Thompson 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).
Further south at Argentina's Buenos Aires Open, Serbia's Laslo Djere booked a blockbuster showdown against world number two Carlos Alcaraz after repelling the challenge of Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-4.
Argentinian Pedro Cachin put on a show for his hometown fans with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory over Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, but Cachin's compatriot Guido Pella had less success with a 6-4 7-5 defeat at the hand of Spain's Jaume Munar.
Dallas Mavericks acquisition Kyrie Irving does not want to be constantly asked about committing long term to his new franchise, which he says is "very emotionally draining".
Irving was unveiled by the Mavericks to Dallas media alongside Markieff Morris following their trades from the Brooklyn Nets prior to their home debuts against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
The Mavericks have made it clear their move for Irving was geared towards chasing an elusive NBA title and the 30-year-old point guard proactively requested that reporters not ask him about his future beyond this season.
"It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team," Irving told reporters. "I've dealt with it before, and it's very emotionally draining to ask questions like, 'What's the long term? What's the long term?'
"I will say that from the start, from when I came here, there's been nothing but a warm embrace, nothing but genuine love and nothing but a familiarity of relationships that I can really look to in times of questioning or confusion.
"There's just a positive note there. I'm just taking it one day at a time. That's all I can do in this life.
"What the future holds is really only going to be dictated on what I do right now and how I prepare for those next steps, and that's being the best teammate that I can be in that locker room and a great leader out here and within the Dallas community and within the NBA. I'll just continue to be myself.
"I'm just putting that to bed and just focusing on what we have ahead of us as a team."
Irving has started life with the Mavs well, averaging 25.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists across three games where they have won two.
The eight-time All-Star's acquisition does come with question marks given the off-court issues he has caused over the past few years, but Mavs general manager Nico Harrison downplayed any risk.
"I don't see any risk involved," said Harrison, whose relationship with Irving dates back to high school. "I've known Kyrie for a long time. I know his core. I know what kind of person that he is.
"I think anybody that's ever watched him play basketball knows the type of basketball player he is. I don't see the risk involved. I actually see the risk in not doing the deal."
Eight players who have won a Major League Baseball MVP award during their careers will take part in this year's World Baseball Classic as rosters for the 20 participating teams were revealed.
Five of those players will be competing for the defending champion United States squad, that will be captained by Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout. The three-time American League MVP will be part of a potentially fearsome lineup that also includes 2022 National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt and Los Angeles Dodgers standouts Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Another Dodger and former NL MVP, Clayton Kershaw, will help anchor a pitching staff as the U.S. attempts to duplicate its victory in the most recent WBC held in 2017.
Venezuela is the only other nation with multiple former MLB MVPs and will be captained by longtime Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, who is expected to retire at the end of the 2023 season. The Venezuelan roster also includes 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros as well as Atlanta Braves sensation Ronald Acuna Jr.
Japan, the only nation with more than one WBC title, will be headlined by Trout’s Angels teammate and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The 2021 AL MVP is joined by the reigning Nippon Baseball MVP Munetaki Murakami for the 2006 and 2009 champions.
Team USA and Japan would have to each advance to at least the semifinals for an unprecedented matchup between Ohtani and Trout to take place.
"I don’t even know what to tell 'em," Trout told MLB Network during the roster reveal show when asked if he would offer Team USA a scouting report on Ohtani. "I'm watching him from center field pitching – he's got the best stuff in the league, I think. I don't think I've talked to anybody in the league who wants to face that dude.
"At the plate, he’s got very little weaknesses. Nothing even comes to the top of my head."
Team USA will play their first-round games in Phoenix as part of the Group C bracket that also includes Mexico, Colombia, Canada and first-time participant Great Britain. Japan will be the host nation for Group B play, which will take place in Tokyo with South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic also in the pool.
Venezuela will head to Miami to be part of a loaded Group D field that contains tournament betting favourite Dominican Republic as well as 2013 and 2017 runner-up Puerto Rico.
The Dominican team, which captured the title in 2013, features 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara atop its pitching staff and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez among a star-studded crop of position players that also includes sluggers Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Rafael Devers and Wander Franco.
First-round play is scheduled to run from March 8-15 with the top two teams from the four groups advancing to the quarterfinals, which will be held in Tokyo from March 15-16 and Miami from March 17-18.
Miami’s LoanDepot Park will also host the semifinals from March 19-20 as well as the championship game on March 21.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes his side should have been rewarded with more than one All-Star selection after building such a commanding lead in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets came into Monday's play at 39-18, owners of a 4.5-game lead atop the West, but their only All-Star is reigning back-to-back league MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic, the favourite to win again this year and earn the first three-peat since Larry Bird from 1984-86, was an obvious selection, but the Nuggets had been campaigning for Aaron Gordon's first selection early in the season, before Jamal Murray also found his footing in the past couple months after an injury-impacted start to the campaign.
Gordon has started 49 of his side's 57 games – the same number as Jokic – while functioning as the team's top defender and averaging 17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists on career-best efficiency. In fact, his field goal percentage of 58.7 per cent is the fifth highest in the league among players attempting at least 10 shots per game.
Meanwhile, after a slow start, Murray is averaging 25.9 points, 7.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals on shooting splits of 49/41/91 across his past 15 games.
Speaking to the media ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Heat, Malone said he would have liked to see the best team get rewarded in the All-Star Game for their dominance.
"It definitely bothers you, when you are in first place in the West by four games and you have the second-best record in the NBA," he said.
"Yes, Nikola is a great player and he's on his way to potentially winning three MVPs in a row, but we have other great players as well.
"A guy like Aaron Gordon, like Jamal Murray, you would hope they would be given some respect, if you will.
"But we're not going to focus on that because I know for Aaron, for Jamal, for everybody in that locker room, our goals are much bigger than the All-Star game."
There have already been two replacement All-Stars named in the West after it became clear Zion Williamson and Stephen Curry were not going to be able to participate, but those reserve selections went to Minnesota Timberwolves rising star Anthony Edwards and Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is targeting a top-four finish in the 2023 Formula One season with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri taking up their two seats.
Piastri has replaced fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, who launched their new MCL60 car at the team's factory in Woking on Monday.
McLaren finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship last year, with Norris gaining 122 of their 159 points. Rivals Alpine ranked fourth with 173 points.
The MCL60, named to mark 60 years since Bruce McLaren founded the team, is an evolution on last year's MCL36.
"I think it's fair to say that over the course of the season we would like to establish ourselves as part of the top four," said Stella, who has replaced Andreas Seidl.
"We know realistically with the top-three teams, this may mean potentially being the fourth best car over the course of the season.
"We are realistic in the very short term, there's good developments already in the pipeline that should land trackside very soon in the season and should allow us to take a decent step forward.
"We are not naive, we know that pretty much every team will be saying the same, 'we have good developments' and so on. Like I said, we also have more high level developments going on in the team."
Stella added that some of the car's potential may not be unlocked until the later in the season due to some areas of development not being realized until late in the process.
The Washington Wizards' second all-time leading scorer Bradley Beal was issued a $25,000 fine on Monday after he was found guilty of making contact with an official during Saturday's win against the Indiana Pacers.
The incident occurred when Beal tried to intercept a long-range pass near the sideline, accidentally bumping his face into referee John Butler's shoulder, before appearing to push Butler away in an immediate response.
Butler fell into some empty seats courtside, and the game proceeded without any technical foul as a result of the contact.
The three-time All-Star – who needs only 577 more points to overtake Elvin Hayes as the Wizards' all-time leading scorer – may have thought he had gotten away with it, but the fine was picked out during the review process.
He will not miss any time for the 26-29 Wizards, who entered Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Serena Williams feels "more at peace" with her decision to step away from tennis but remains "torn" as a comeback crosses her mind.
The 23-time grand slam winner appeared to call quits on her career at last year's US Open after defeat at the third round stage to Ajla Tomljanovic, repeatedly referencing "evolving" away from tennis.
In October, Williams declared she had not retired and labelled the chances of a return as "very high".
With the 41-year-old still confident she can compete at the highest level, Williams struggles with the repeated questions in her head of choosing between her sporting career and enjoyment of motherhood.
"I for sure feel more at peace now," Williams told E! "It's interesting. I think I feel torn because I'm still able to play at a very, very, very high level.
"With that being said, I always wanted to leave the game playing at a very high level. I also wanted to walk away when I'm healthy and have a quality of life.
"But I'm inch by inch leaning away, inch by inch embracing it. I was playing earlier when I first retired because it was hard to do it cold turkey.
"But lately, I haven't played so much. And I miss it. I'm like, 'Oh my goodness. I have got to get out there'. But it's hard for me to get out there.
"I did play the other day, and it's just like, 'There's no way I shouldn't be playing professional tennis'. Like, there's literally no excuse.
"But I mean, I guess there is an excuse, right? It's hard because when I'm playing I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm pretty good at this. I can continue to do this,' which not a lot of people can say."
Balance in life remains the key aspect Williams is trying to achieve, whether she returns to her beloved sport for one last dance or not.
"I've been playing tennis for literally my entire life," she said. "My entire being and knowing is just what I've done.
"So now, I'm inch by inch finding my way. Obviously, I love other businesses that I've done. But just inch by inch leaning into that and leaning into my family and leaning into just having fun.
"I think it's so important to do all those and still create that balance."
Pablo Carreno Busta was a surprise first-round casualty at the Rotterdam Open after falling to Richard Gasquet on Monday.
World number 16 Carreno Busta, the seventh seed at the ATP 500 event in the Netherlands, took the first set with ease but fell to a 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 defeat against Frenchman Gasquet.
Veteran Gasquet, ranked 45th in the world, will next meet Stan Wawrinka after the Swiss overcame Alexander Bublik in dominant fashion with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph.
Grigor Dimitrov recorded a 6-1 6-3 victory over Aslan Karatsev in just 59 minutes to set up a potential second-round tie with fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who must first get past Roberto Bautista Agut.
Qualifier Gregoire Barrere was another straight-sets winner, defeating David Goffin 6-0 7-6 (7-3).
The Frenchman, who is ranked 71st in the world, could meet third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round if the Canadian overcomes Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James yet again when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
James, 38, will make it three missed games in a row since breaking the all-time scoring record against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, officially listed out with an ankle injury.
It may be a case of the Lakers trying to give their star an extended rest leading into the All-Star break in the hope he will come out the other side refreshed and ready to attack the home stretch, having averaged over 30 points per game in the 30 games he has played since the beginning of December.
But unfortunately for Los Angeles, they are running out of wiggle room.
With a 26-31 record, the Lakers are 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference, and although they sit only four games behind the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, there are a host of competitive teams in the play-in race with the same goal.
The Lakers are 5-8 in the 13 games James has missed this season, including just two wins from their past eight attempts.
Making matters even more precarious is the fact that fellow star Anthony Davis is also listed as day-to-day, and there has been no confirmation that he will suit up either, although it is likely the Lakers would have ruled him out at the same time as James if they were going to do so.
It will be another chance for the Lakers' new additions to prove their worth, with D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt immediately impressing after arriving in the Russell Westbrook trade, while Malik Beasley could also prove himself to be a valuable shooter off the bench in a team lacking much of a threat from outside.
The Trail Blazers will also be undermanned as their top wing, Jerami Grant, has been ruled out with a concussion.
Victoria Azarenka breezed into the second round of the Qatar Open with an emphatic straight-sets defeat of Ipek Oz on Monday.
Playing her first match since losing to Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Azarenka dispatched outsider Oz 6-1 6-1.
Azarenka, a two-time champion in Doha, only needed an hour and seven minutes to book a meeting with Belinda Bencic or Viktoriya Tomova.
The Belarusian broke twice in the first set and four times in the second, failing to hold just the once in a commanding display.
Eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova battled her way past Barbora Krejcikova, winning 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5).
Karolina Muchov secured an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over Martina Trevisan in the opening first-round match of the day.
Patrick Mahomes has no concern about being ready for the start of the Kansas City Chiefs' preparations for the 2023 season after injuring his ankle in their Super Bowl LVII success.
Mahomes came up limping heavily after a second-quarter scramble in the Chiefs' remarkable 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
The Chiefs were trailing 24-14 at that point, but Mahomes emerged from half-time with his ankle re-taped and led Kansas City on a vintage comeback.
Mahomes and his team-mates will have time to bask in an incredible triumph, but there is, as the saying goes, no offseason in the NFL, and the Chiefs will be turning the page to 2023 next month when the new league year starts, with free agency and the draft soon to be on the horizon.
OTAs will follow in May, but Mahomes is more worried about how the ankle injury will impact his play on the golf course than his readiness for offseason workouts.
"I'll for sure be ready for OTAs," Mahomes said at his Super Bowl MVP press conference in Phoenix on Monday.
"The one thing that might take a hit is my golf game."
The Chiefs were slight underdogs against the Eagles, having gone into the season with some predicting their potential dethronement in the AFC West.
Instead, the Chiefs won the division at a canter, and are unlikely to have many doubting them ahead of next season after this latest show of Mahomes magic.
Asked if the Chiefs "keep receipts" from doomsayers, Mahomes replied: "It's hard not to hear that stuff. You hear how not good we're going to be. I'm just going to go out there and prove it on the football field."
Paying tribute to his head coach, Mahomes added: "As long as Andy Reid's coaching us, we're always going to have a chance."
Nick Sirianni has seen Jalen Hurts deliver some remarkable performances in victory, but the Philadelphia Eagles coach believes there has been no more impressive display than the one the quarterback produced in their heartbreaking Super Bowl LVII loss.
Hurts and the Eagles fell victim to a vintage comeback from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium, seeing a 24-14 lead slip away.
The Chiefs fought back to prevail 38-35 in an Arizona thriller, despite an MVP-calibre performance from Hurts.
Hurts broke the Super Bowl record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (70) and also tied records for the most points scored by a single player (20) and the most touchdowns from scrimmage (three).
He did, by contrast, also lose a second-quarter fumble that was recovered by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and returned for a touchdown.
But to lay the blame at the feet of Hurts would be grossly unfair, with Sirianni perhaps more worthy of criticism for settling for a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter at the end of a 17-play drive.
That drive saw Hurts connect with Dallas Goedert on two outstanding throws, and Sirianni highlighted such high-difficulty completions as he lauded his signal-caller's efforts.
"To me, Jalen played the best game I've seen him play in the two years that we've been together," Siranni said.
"He was outstanding. I really thought he was in complete control. He did things with his legs in the run game. He did things with his arm in the pass game, made some unbelievable throws, unbelievable reads.
"I thought he played outstanding. And you know you really look at the game and that was good for the NFL in the sense that the two best quarterbacks in the NFL played against each other on the biggest stage in the biggest lights. And Jalen played great."
Asked what he said to Hurts after the game, Sirianni added: "I know he's hurt and he's hurting. I just said, 'We'll work our butts off every day.'
"I know he's going to get better from this, and he played really good. That's why I keep saying I don't think we know what Jalen's ceiling is because he is just going to continue to get better.
"But I said I was happy for him that he played his butt off. He left it all out there, played good in the run game, played good in the pass game, was in complete control of our offense. He led us to 35 points.
"I just told him I was happy for him. It just wasn't this year. I told him I thought it was his best game that he's played. It wasn't just this game. It was this entire season that he's shown to be a special leader, a special player. I'm sure glad he's our quarterback."
Kansas City Chiefs tackle Chris Jones said Patrick Mahomes simply has to be appreciated as he hailed the "once in a generation" talent setting the standards for another Super Bowl triumph.
Mahomes once again got the better of his ankle issue to propel the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl championship in the space of four seasons in Arizona on Sunday.
The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, as Mahomes – who took a blow late in the second quarter, having already had to deal with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Divisional round – went on to become the first NFL MVP since Kurt Warner in 1999 to win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Mahomes threw three passing touchdowns and was not intercepted or sacked, leaving Jones in awe of his team-mate's excellence.
"He is a dog, next year y'all, we will be like 'is this his flu game?'," Jones said in a post-game press conference.
"I appreciate it, Pat is a once and generational lifetime type of player and sometimes he does things so special that it becomes normality for him.
"We've got to just appreciate Pat."
Asked what he thought when Mahomes was hobbling, Jones cited the standards set by coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs' QB as the reasoning behind the organisation's sustained success.
He said: "I knew there was blood in the water, because Pat is the type of competitor where if he's hurt or he's sick, he wants to come back and show everybody that he's even better now.
"That trickles down from coach Reid, he's the type of coach you'll never see hurt, never see sick. Even if he is sick, you wouldn't even know it.
"I think one time he had to get taken to the hospital after the game and no one knew. And he was at work the next day, he was handing schedules out the next day. It just trickles down the type of coach Reid is, the type of player Pat is, the type of organisation we have here."
Jones, who said he would be celebrating with a bottle of Yamazaki Japanese whiskey, added: "Coach Reid is legendary.
"I'm just very fortunate honestly, heck of guy, better person. He makes us all look good."
When it was put to Jones that he was now part of a dynasty, the 28-year-old said: "Do you think so? Well then there it goes, I don't have to speak about it.
"I told y'all this after our first Super Bowl, we going back-to-back, everybody laughed, everybody just thought I was talking out the side of my neck. We've been very fortunate, the core here, Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Bud [Harrison Butker], Tommy [Townsend], Frank Clark.
"Clark came here his first year and won a Super Bowl, the core here is special. It's a special group of guys, that I was fortunate enough to play with this year in the D-line room. Got my fingers crossed that we can bring everybody back but I still want them to get paid and be successful.
"This is the bittersweet part about it, because you have a special room and you guys win it and you know the room is always changing, always evolving, players always coming in and out. I just want to say here on record that I am super, super grateful for the D-line this year.
"This is probably the most unselfish group that I've been a part of. Starting with Frank Clark, number three in all-time in sacks in the playoffs.
"I'm so grateful just to be in the Chiefs organisation, to be in this position, Just a kid from Houston, Mississippi coming out of Mississippi State. I didn't think I had a chance of going to Kansas City [inaudible] coming to visit me.
"Seven years later, two Super Bowl rings, four to five AFC championships and we're still going. This team has a lot of fight in them, I definitely feel we can be in position to compete again for another one. This is a special team, we keep this core together, keep Frank Clark, keep killing it, keep me and him together, I think we can be very, very special."
You can find many things on the field after a Super Bowl. Confetti is dotted around everywhere, along with fans, media and friends and family of the victorious all taking their time to dance around on it.
The other thing that was also extremely noticeable when strolling along the State Farm Stadium turf after a captivating Super Bowl LVII was divots.
Every blade of grass at the home of Arizona Cardinals in Glendale came in for severe scrutiny as players often struggled to keep their feet on the biggest stage. Yet no area of the field was more significant than the 26 yards Patrick Mahomes covered with his incredible fourth-quarter scramble, which set the Chiefs up for a field goal that sealed a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mahomes had already taken an awestruck crowd on a remarkable journey prior to that rush. His Super Bowl looked like it might be done when he injured his ankle on a second-quarter run, coming up limping heavily and striking fear into the hearts of Chiefs fans that they may have to overturn a 24-14 deficit with Chad Henne at quarterback.
That was not to be. Mahomes returned for the second half and returned to execute a tremendous Andy Reid gameplan that confounded the defense of his head coach's former team, Reid masterfully manipulating the Eagles with a combination of outside and inside runs, using the latter to set up passes to wide open receivers in the flat, Reid's use of motion proving devastating as he continually schemed his receivers into open space.
Indeed, both Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were able to stroll in untouched for the scores that gave Kansas City a 35-27 fourth-quarter lead.
But, having seen Jalen Hurts answer in lightning quick fashion in this bewitching battle of the first black quarterbacks to face off in the Super Bowl, Mahomes did not rely on Reid's easy buttons to deliver the defining play of one of the finest Super Bowls of the modern era, he put the team on his back, and an injured ankle.
Mahomes gained speed belying his physical status as he scampered to the Philadelphia 17-yard line on a play that will stand alongside his third-and-15 connection with Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl LIV as the most magical in a career of a player who possesses endless reserves of wizardry.
Three plays later, James Bradberry was called for holding on third down, giving Kansas City a new set of downs and allowing the Chiefs to milk the clock before Harrison Butker sent his decisive kick sailing through the uprights with eight seconds left. Hurts' subsequent Hail Mary fell short, leaving an ecstatic Chiefs sideline to pour onto the field following another miraculous finish from Mahomes.
"Toughest son of gun you ever met man," tight end Travis Kelce said. "That Texas gunslinger ain’t going to let nothing get in the way."
Obstacles have been plenty for Mahomes throughout a postseason that looked as if it might come to an end in the Divisional round when he suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But Mahomes has what Muhammad Ali once defined as the pivotal combination that fosters champions, the skill and the will, and it is that blend that has elevated the Chiefs back to the top of the NFL mountain, with Reid crediting his formative years spent around baseball locker rooms with father Pat Mahomes for his apparently limitless drive.
“He grew up in a locker room. He’s seen the greats and he strives to be the greatest," said Reid. "Without saying anything, that's the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever. That's what he wants to do, and that's the way he goes about his business. He does it humbly. There's no bragging.
"He could stand up here and give you these stats that are incredible that he's had, but he is never go doing to that. That's just not him, and we appreciate that.
"Then when it's time for the guys around him to raise their game, he helps them with that. The great quarterbacks make everybody around him better, including the head coach, so he's done a heck of a job."
The first quarterback to win the Super Bowl and MVP in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999, Mahomes is rapidly ascending up the ranks of the greatest to play the game.
Still only 27, he has a long time in which to continue his climb.
There are those who will argue he is already at the summit after appearing in three Super Bowls and winning two in his first five seasons as the starter.
Some will remain unconvinced whether that is the case, but this is a week in which Mahomes has removed all doubt as to his status as the NFL's current gold standard.
He collected 48 of the 50 ballots for MVP, which he won at Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony. After this incredible show of grit, it is fair to wonder how the vote was not unanimous.
But that will be of no concern to Mahomes. There will be more potentially unanimous MVPs and there will almost certainly be more Super Bowls.
Mahomes has not yet met a piece of adversity he cannot overcome and, still arguably shy of his prime, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve.
"He's special," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "He's very special and the sky's the limit for him.
"Each and every year he takes his game to another level. The kid is special."
No argument here.
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