Lakers Edge Bulls in Grueling 2OT Victory

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers’ matchup vs. the Chicago Bulls where the Lakers pull off a wild 2 overtime victory in Pau Gasol’s return to the Staples Center, defeating Gasol’s Bulls 118-123.

First off about not posting a formal reaction in the first quarter, I apologize for that. I was running a little late, running a family errand at that time, but man, it’s a no problem now considering this game went to two overtimes. So if anything like that happens again, I’ll have a disclaimer posted that I’ll be late. Consider that similar to Game 2 of the 2014 NBA Finals, where I completely messed up the schedule and just covered the 2nd half. Now onto the game, this may not be a significant win. At this point in the season, with Kobe shut down after having surgery in his torn rotator cuff and the Lakers tanking for a top pick, this wasn’t a flashy game of the season, but this was a test. The Lakers’ life after Kobe Bryant is like the equivalent of a zombie apocalypse, how is the team going to survive? Blowing the lead in the closing seconds of the 4th quarter, heading to OT, likely the Bulls were going to win because the momentum was swinging in their favor. This was a test physically and mentally of closing a game out in crunch time without one of the best closers in the game and this Laker squad passed the test.

The Positives

Jordan Hill, 26 points, 12 rebounds, 11-22 shooting. Jordan Hill, you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him. Hill has shown potential that he can be a dual threat player this game. He can beat you inside with his post up and jump hook, he can take a big man out and shoot an open jump shot. He didn’t do these kinds of things the last time the Lakers played the Bulls. Gasol and Noah straight up gave him a hard time, but this game, he was a lot more aggressive in the paint both offensively and defensively and doing his thing living up to the Mr. All-Out Hustle nickname I coined for him on this blog. J. Hill was a machine (no Sasha Vujacic not you) this game and he played exceptionally well.

Wayne Ellington, 23 points, 9-19 shooting. Ellington may have started slow, but he finished strong when he was needed the most in the game. The last few games, even though it was just two games in, he has filled in admirably with Kobe Bryant out for the season. Tuesday night, he scored a career high, 28 points; this game, he fell short of that mark by five points, but it wasn’t about that. Ellington played hard when it mattered the most. I loved the way he fought, especially when he forced a jump ball from Jimmy Butler after hitting a shot on the other end. He’s gotta keep it up.

Jordan Clarkson, 18 points, 6-15 shooting. I wasn’t too happy that he was given the assignment of facilitating in crunch time in the 4th quarter, especially when the Bulls defense was turned up and they were setting hard traps. Byron Scott should’ve known better not to put a rookie of Clarkson’s caliber in those kinds of situations, but I guess it’s for learning experience and we fans will have to endure that. Other than that, Clarkson matched his point total of his career high Tuesday night despite shooting at a lower percentage, but he made up for hitting big time free throws down the stretch. He’s still a project in the works and this game should serve as a learning experience that he’ll play against teams that play hard on defense and are decent in transition when creating a turnover.

The Negatives

Foul trouble. The Lakers committed a total of 27 fouls. It wasn’t a concern in the first half. The Lakers can live fouling Gasol or Noah so long as they don’t foul Rose or any good free throw shooters. The 2nd half though, the fouls started piling up and that was one of the factors that got the Bulls back into the game. As the Lakers were missing shots and getting back on defense, they just couldn’t stop fouling. Only Robert Sacre fouled out, but honestly, Sacre has no business being in that starting lineup, despite playing a solid game. The fouls were a little close at the end of the game for both teams, but the Lakers were committing most of them when the game was still in regulation.

Coaching adjustments. Again, referring back to putting Jordan Clarkson on those situations where the Bulls trapped him and scored quick points off transition. When that happens two or three times in the winding minutes of the game, you just gotta call timeout, take the rookie and put in an established ball handler like Lin in those situations. Okay, putting Lin and “established ball handler” doesn’t mesh well in the same sentence, but Lin is a 4 year veteran while Clarkson is in his rookie season. Obviously if those turnovers cost the Lakers the game, it’s demoralizing for a rookie. Bad coaching move by Byron Scott to keep Clarkson in there while the Bulls just trap away and hope for a turnover.

Conclusion

Like I said before, this was a test that the Lakers needed to pass in order to prove that there are players willing to answer the call in crunch time without Kobe Bryant. Despite all the blown big leads, the fouls, the turnovers, and getting the offense disrupted by a scrappy and swarming defense, the Lakers kept their head in the game. They’re not thinking about tanking like the last nine games. The tone was set that the Lakers can survive a post-apocalyptic Kobe Bryant period. Even though it was just one game, it was a good team victory against a great team. Anyway, the Lakers start off their Grammy road trip again, it’s that time of the month and they start it off against the New York Knicks. To nationally televise that game on Super Bowl Sunday, who does that? To be honest, I actually don’t know if I will cover that game considering I got invited to a family luncheon on that day and it’s at an 11:00 AM start. Stay tuned for announcements on that, but I will do the Super Bowl XLIX coverage considering it’s at a late start time, that’s priority #1. Pretty hectic, so stand by if there are changes to made from now the Sunday afternoon. I’ll see you guys later.

01/28: Pau Gasol's Return to LA: LAKERS vs. Chicago Bulls Q-by-Q Reaction

OT2:

Score: CHI 118 LAL 123

Despite the blown lead, the Lakers perservered big time, especially against a really good Bulls team. Jordan Hill and Wayne Ellington headlined this quarter and basically the whole game. Kobe Bryant gone, Nick Young still out, the Lakers needed to learn to close out regardless of experience in the clutch and aside from a couple of meltdowns, they found a way to win and end a long streak of losing + tanking. Stay tuned for the full recap.

OT:

Score: CHI 106 LAL 106

Oh man, I was holding my breath when Derrick Rose shot that step back. That's the same move that killed the Warriors on Tuesday night. Big bucket from Jordan Hill to tie up the game. He hasn't shot outside the paint until now and it couldn't have come at a better time. 2nd OT, gonna be up here all night if we want to.

Q4:

Score: CHI 98 LAL 98

It was 89-98 late in the 4th. Unbelievable for Byron Scott to put Clarkson in that position to advance the ball half court when the Bulls are known to trap. The defense trapped Clarkson hard and resulted in quick point off of his turnovers. Oh well, overtime in the Staples Center. The Lakers have come this far and blowing this game in extra time would put a lot of effort to waste.

Q3:

Score: CHI 76 LAL 80

And here come the Bulls. This is slowly reminiscing of that Wizards game on Tuesday. The Lakers have a big margin of a lead, then it gets evaporated in the 2nd half. The same thing is happening again. They were leading 15 points at one point this quarter and after all that, it was all Bulls. On the last play, Clarkson should've given it up to Lin for the final shot of the quarter, rookie mistake.

Q2:

Score: CHI 48 LAL 59

D. Rose had that shot, but luckily enough that missed. 1 quarter missed, but that's okay. From what I'm hearing, the Lakers are putting up a tremendous effort against the Bulls. The bench is much better than last Tuesday's and they're one of the reasons why the Lakers have an 11 point advantage. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: CHI 19 LAL 28

*Disclaimer: posting from my mobile. I may be running a little late. I'll still cover the game, but pretty good chance I might miss a good chunk of the first quarter. I'll be back soon hopefully.*

LAKERS vs. Bulls Halftime Post

Score: CHI 48 LAL 59

Alright, welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup with the Chicago Bulls where the Lakers lead against Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose and the Bulls 48-59 at the half.

The Positives

Bench mob. No Nick Young? No problem. Tuesday's game against the Wizards was atrocious for the Lakers' bench with the exception of Ed Davis, but here tonight I'm seeing great balance in terms of contribution from the bench. Carlos Boozer has 14 points, Jeremy Lin, Ed Davis, both with 8 points. Everything is going right, Lin being aggressive and pushing the tempo, Boozer, being aggressive inside, Ed Davis being aggressive in the paint as usual, bench mob is doing much better without Nick Young's scoring.

Jordan Hill, 11 points, 5-10 shooting. From what I'm hearing on the sidelines, Hill is adjusting his game in the inside rather than the outside. If you recall the Christmas, Hill was just settling for jump shots and not taking it to Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah on the inside. Now, Hill adjusted and he is holding off his own against the Bulls' inside presence. That dunk and 1 in that late 2nd quarter was awesome and speaks for how Hill is performing this game so far.

The Negatives

Foul trouble. Lakers have 11 fouls compared to the Bulls with 3 fouls. You can't try to contain Gasol and Noah any better when they're posting or if D. Rose is driving to hoop. The foul trouble is a minor negative for now and the only one I can pinpoint considering I'm just posting on one quarter.

Bottom Line

The Lakers haven't trailed at all this game, but they can't let their guard down. Last game they had a pretty comfy lead against the Wizards before they rallied back to beat the Lakers in the 2nd half. Lakers have to remind themselves this is a 48 minute game. They have to continue this kind of effort and most important of all CLOSE OUT, especially against this Bulls team that is just coming off a grueling OT win against the Warriors in this back-to-back set.

Ellington, Clarkson Post Career Highs, Still Not Enough to Beat Wizards

Honestly, I can't keep track of how many games the Lakers have lost already. They were this close to pull a victory, but the Wizards came back, as expected of one of the top teams in the East. Wayne Ellington had the game of his career as he was the Lakers' top performer with a career high 28 points on 12-20 shooting, but it wasn't enough as the Lakers let one slip away, losing to the Wizards 98-92. Jordan Clarkson also had the game of his rookie season scoring 18 points on 8-18 shooting, living up to the "late round steal" category. Ed Davis was the Lakers' leading scorer off a inefficient and injury-ridden bench with 14 points on 6-7 shooting.

Final Score: vs. Washington 98-92 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150127/WASLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Chicago (01/28) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts

C-Wood Re-Signs with the Raiders

Full story: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12232425/charles-woodson-agrees-return-oakland-raiders

Well, the Raiders wasted no time waiting for the free agency period as they have announced today that they re-signed Charles Woodson to another 1-year deal. C-Wood can play until he's 40 years old if he wants to, he still has something left in the tank. Now there was one key to bring Woodson back to the Raiders and that was retaining Defensive Backs Coach, Marcus Robertson. He credited Robertson for helping him adjust to the Free Safety position and the Raiders bringing back Robertson for next season was an automatic "sure thing" for Woodson to make one more go around with the Silver and Black. I would like to see the Raiders go after a young safety (through draft or free agency) so Woodson can take him under his wing and take his spot to retire a Raider. He deserves to retire a Raider, there's no doubt about that. A true Raider until the end, welcome back C-Wood (x3)!

Lakers Blasted by Rockets

James Harden single-handedly beat the Lakers, that's all there is to it. Tank mode continues for the Lakers and by the looks of it, it's going to continue. Carlos Boozer was the Lakers' leading performer off the bench with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds on 9-13 shooting, but the Lakers had no answer of containing James Harden as the Rockets beat the Lakers 99-87 behind Harden's 37 point performance. Jeremy Lin returned to the lineup after questionably being DNP'd by Byron Scott on Friday's game vs. the Spurs, coming off the bench with 14 points. For the starters, Wayne Ellington racked up 13 points as he's going to fill in for Kobe Bryant for the rest of the season and Jordan Hill added 10 points.

Final Score: vs. Houston 99-87 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150125/HOULAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Washington (01/27)

Super Bowl XLIX Preview: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks

Alright everybody, another Sunday before the Super Bowl since nobody cares about the Pro Bowl anyway, another preview. Welcome in to the True Raider Laker’s Super Bowl XLIX preview between AFC champion, New England Patriots and the NFC champion and the reigning defending Super Bowl champs, Seattle Seahawks. Like last year, I will evaluate both teams’ roster, their season, and my final prediction on who will the champion at the end of the day when it’s all said and done.

For the 2nd straight time, the top two teams will match up against each other in the Super Bowl and for the 1st time in 10 years, the defending Super Bowl champion advances to back to the big game the year after. The Seahawks will look to end all this talk that “it’s hard to repeat in the Super Bowl” and they will look to do so against the team that was the last team to win back-to-back titles in the New England Patriots.

New England Patriots

For the Patriots, the team has revolved on two people for over a decade: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick (Shady Brady and Bill Belicheat). As long as Brady is on that field, commanding the offense and Belichick is on the sidelines, the Patriots have compiled consistent winning season after season. They’ve barely relinquished the mountain top of the AFC East (2008 as the exception of course since Brady got hurt) and they have consistently added pieces to the puzzle whether its big names or under the radar names to keep contending. Of course on the defensive side, they’ve revamped their secondary with the additions of Darrelle Revis and former Seahawk, Brandon Browner add that up to Chandler Jones and a healthy Vince Wilfork to wreck the pocket and that spells a pretty good defense. On the offense, for the first time in a long time, Rob Gronkowski is 100% healthy and that Brady-Gronk duo has had defensive coordinators shaking their heads. With Gronk on the field, it opens up the passing game for the Patriots and if defenders double-team him, then that leaves either Edelman or LaFell open. This season, the Patriots have played a game of “running back roulette,” constantly switching with LeGarrette Blount, Shane Vereen, and Jonas Gray and all are capable of doing damage to defenses in the trenches.

During the season, the Patriots started real slow and I mean real slow. If you can recall Week 3 when the Raiders played them, we were expecting Brady to throw darts, but they barely scored multiple TDs and still wound up winning 6-16. The real concern was the following week in the Monday Night game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs took it to the Pats and hammered them out of Arrowhead. After that game, there was just a little turmoil in the team that the fact Tom Brady’s age is catching up and questions were surrounding Belichick whether it’s necessary to start rookie QB, Jimmy Garoppolo for evaluation. Belichick muttered the words in the press conference: “we’re on to Cincinnati” and that’s all that’s written. After that Chiefs game, New England got hot and crushing multiple beatable teams beginning with the Cincinnati Bengals in a Sunday Night game. It was like the prime example of waking up a sleeping giant and the Patriots cruised on to a 12-4 record, home field, and another AFC East division title. For a team that has been to the AFC championship game 4 times and constantly recording double digits in the win column, it’s an astounding feat. Of course we all know their situation with “Deflate-Gate” where they used underinflated balls in their AFC championship beat down to the Colts and that can especially take off some momentum riding into next Sunday if the investigation is still ongoing.

Seattle Seahawks

Wait, I already wrote about them last year. Then I realized; they’re in the Super Bowl again. The Seahawks have carried their core from last year to this year and will look to use the same winning formula in hopes for a “RePete.” The Legion of Boom is still intact. Richard Sherman is still “the best corner in the game,” Byron Maxwell has done an exceptional job taking over the departed Brandon Browner’s spot permanently and of course you have Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor flying all over the field and delivering hard hits. The Seahawks defense overall outside of the LOB is still exceptional. They may have lost a couple of key pieces during the offseason, but Pete Carroll has done a great job getting the defense to stay bulwark against opposing offenses. Speaking of offense, Seattle is still reliable on their dynamic 1-2 combo of Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson, running the ball with Lynch and getting Wilson to extend plays to find open receivers like Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Luke Willson, etc. Not a lot of change except for the glaring fact that they traded Percy Harvin midseason to the Jets, especially with the way how Harvin contributed during the Seahawks’ 43-8 domination over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

A lot has happened for the defending Super Bowl champs this season. It’s safe to assume that the Seahawks had some inconsistency and some divide in the team. After their convincing opening night win vs. the Green Bay Packers, they fell flat on their back the next week in a stunning loss to the San Diego Chargers. The first week they’re like the team to beat again and then the next, it’s like they could be the third consecutive Super Bowl champion to get knocked out of the playoffs. It was a bumpy road early on for Seattle considering Arizona had firm control of the NFC West and they were looking up to the 49ers at one point for the Wild Card spot. They’ve had tough and embarrassing losses: against the Cowboys at home, against the Rams in St. Louis when the Rams sealed it on a fake punt run, the Chiefs in Kansas City. Just like the Patriots, after the Kansas City game, the Seahawks started to flip the switch and they have held opponents to a single digit score. They climbed their way back up for another NFC West division title and the number 1 seed. In the conference championship (I know everybody saw that crazy game), it looked like Seattle was dead in the water and their chances of another Super Bowl trip diminished when the Packers were leading 16-0 throughout the game. Then, through crazy special teams play and their defense keeping them alive, the Seahawks came back and won it in OT despite committing 4-5 turnovers. This team just finds ways to win when they’re down, never doubt the heart of a champion. You can’t write a better script with the Seahawks looking to win back-to-back titles and against the team that did it a decade ago and nobody has done it since.

Matchups and Prediction

Obviously Russell Wilson vs. Tom Brady is the top-tier matchup to look forward to. Wilson is undefeated against Super Bowl-winning QBs and Brady is like that final boss to beat in a video game. We’re looking at Wilson’s ability to extend plays and find open receivers vs. Brady’s ability to quickly find receivers on his quick release. Also here, it’s a battle between the best shutdown corners: Revis vs. Sherman. Those two have been trash talking to each for quite some time and there’s no better way to settle the great debate in the big game. It’s expected Revis will have his way against Seattle’s receivers, while Sherman has to look for Julian Edelman. I’m referring back to the Week 2 Chargers game where the Chargers used a small, elusive receiver like Eddie Royal to catch Sherman off guard and the Patriots are looking to that blueprint. Matchup three, Marshawn Lynch vs. ????? in terms of the running game. You can just never guess who New England’s gonna put in there as the feature back as they keep rotating. Obviously, the Patriots’ run defense is going to account for Lynch while the Seahawks’ run defense has to decrypt whoever’s starting at running back whether it’s Blount, Gray, or Vereen. And the most pivotal key matchup, Rob Gronkowski vs. the LOB or Seattle’s linebacker corps. Seattle has had a tough time covering Tight Ends all season long. Seattle’s the champion until dethroned, so there’s understandability to pick them, but I just don’t see how they can cover Gronkowski down, better yet even take him down or how the Seahawks’ receivers are going to get separation from Revis Island. As much as I really hate the Patriots, I’m gonna be honest, they have a real legit chance to knock off the Seahawks and ending their reign. In conclusion, I’m predicting the Patriots to win the Super Bowl and I’m predicting them to win big time against the defending champions.

Final Score (Prediction): NE 31 SEA 16

Lakers Routed by Spurs

A lot of speculation around this Laker team with Kobe Bryant possibly done for the year and Byron Scott putting Jeremy Lin on the DNP list in what is a questionable decision. Jordan Clarkson was the Lakers' top performer with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, taking over for the benched Lin, but the Lakers caught a Spurs team at the wrong time against a Spurs team that's starting to get healthy every game as the Spurs beat the Lakers 85-99. Wayne Ellington and Jordan Hill joined Clarkson rounding the starting lineup in double figures with Ellington racking up 11 points and Hill racking 10 points, cooling down after a decent five game stretch. Nick Young lead the bench with 17 points and Carlos Boozer added 10 points to round out the bench.

Final Score: @ San Antonio 85-99 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150123/LALSAS/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Houston (01/25)

Lakers Fall to Pelicans

It's not a pretty January for the Lakers this season as they have won only two out of ten games this month so far in the season. Jordan Hill was the Lakers' top performer with 15 points and 13 rebounds, but the Lakers had no answer for Anthony Davis once again as the Pelicans top the Lakers 96-80. Kobe Bryant returned to the lineup tallying up 14 points on 6-14 shooting and Wayne Ellington lead the bench in scoring (you know that's a sign that the bench was inefficient) with 12 points.

Final Score: @ New Orleans 96-80 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150121/LALNOP/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ San Antonio (01/23)

Suns Sweep Lakers in Regular Season Series + Reaction to Jack Del Rio's Coaching Staff

0-4, the Suns had the Lakers number all season and proved it by scoring 100 or more in all 4 games. Nick Young was the Lakers' top performer off the bench with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on 7-12 shooting, but the Lakers couldn't catch up to the high powered Suns as they fell in Phoenix 100-115 on the NBA's annual set of games on Martin Luther King Day. Both Wesley Johnson and Jordan Hill racked up 12 points with Johnson shooting 5-10 and Hill shooting 5-11 from the field and Jeremy Lin got inserted into the starting lineup with Kobe Bryant and Ronnie Price out with a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists.

Final Score: @ Phoenix 100-115 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150119/LALPHX/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. New Orleans (01/21)

Reaction to Jack Del Rio's Coaching Staff (so far)

Transitioning from this Laker recap to more Raider talk, it looks like Jack Del Rio's coaching staff is coming together since his hiring. So far, I think Del Rio is assembling a good coaching staff with a lot of experience and credibility under their belt, particularly with Mike Tice being the new O-line coach and bringing in Brad Seely to become the new special teams coordinator and now the Raiders are in the process of interviewing Mike Smith for defensive coordinator. The only hiring that I'm skeptical about is the hiring of Bill Musgrave to be offensive coordinator. Obviously, we all wanted Marc Trestman to come back to the Black Hole and mold Derek Carr and I thought Trestman would be the perfect coach to mold him. When I reacted to Musgrave's hiring, I was shocked that Trestman was passed over and now he signed with Ravens to be their new OC today. I've heard that Musgrave's offense was awful, his development of QBs were awful (Matt Ryan as the exception), and he was fired by Del Rio in Jacksonville when his offense ranked at the bottom of the league. I will give a benefit of a doubt that the QBs he worked with were absolute trash (Leftwitch, Ponder, Cassel) and it's just a wait and see if he has learned from his flaws and adopted any plays from the Chip Kelly offense during his tenure with Philly this season. Other than that, I like Del Rio's hirings so far and getting Mike Smith (NO to Eric Mangini) would be icing on the cake.

Lakers Lose to Jazz

Nick Young was a big time negative last night, but finally got out of that slump. Young was the Lakers' top performer off the bench with 23 points on 4-9 shooting (still mediocre) & 13-13 from the free throw line, but the Lakers couldn't get on that winning track on back-to-back sets as they fall to the Jazz 85-94. Jordan Hill was the only player to join Young in double figure categores and the only starter racking up those totals, recording a double-double of 16 points & 11 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Utah 85-94 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150116/LALUTA/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next game: @ Phoenix (01/19) <= NO Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts

LeBron Outduels Kobe as Lakers Fall to Cavs in Crunch time

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers’ matchup with the Cavaliers and of course the subtitle of this game that has been dormant for nearly five years, Kobe vs. LeBron. Here in this game, Kobe Bryant played a decent all-around game, setting a new career high in assists, but was totally overshadowed by LeBron’s 36 point outburst in the 2nd half as the Cavs beat the Lakers 109-102.

From 2006-2010, this has been NBA’s marquee matchup. Whenever the Lakers and Cavs battle, there is a strong aura of star power and it revolved around Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. At the peak of their careers, they duked it out to determine who’s the NBA’s true MVP? Was it LBJ23 or KB24? Now, these two lions are getting up there in age and this matchup provided a lot of nostalgia factors, especially in prime time. Now onto the game, this has followed the exact pattern of Blazers matchups, Lakers keep it competitive, someone scores 30+ points, and the Lakers wound up losing the game. That is the current norm right now and with LeBron James’ 36 point performance this game, that trend is continuing and all that effort of hanging in there goes to waste.

The Positives

Kobe Bryant, 19 points, 17 assists, 7-14 shooting. Well, like I mentioned before, Kobe Bryant has set a new career high in assists, surpassing his past mark of 15. He was also a little more cautious when to score and when not to score, but his facilitating was working throughout this game and basically kept the Lakers afloat. His facilitating benefitted Davis, Boozer, Tarik Black, and it especially benefitted Jordan Hill, whom I’ll mention later. Kobe played a clean game, shooting 50%, committing only 3 turnovers, a complete turnaround after a lackluster game Tuesday night against the Heat.

Jordan Hill, 20 points, 10-14 shooting. Hill has got to work on keeping that sweet stroking jump shot consistent once this season is all said and done. All credit goes to Kobe for getting him involved early on. When Kobe drew double teams for Mozgov to come in and help his hand, he manages to find Jordan Hill open literally almost every single time and Hill manages to make every shot. Like I said, the Cavs’ front court is not too impressive, and Hill capitalized on that and managed to play a good game scoring-wise.

The Bench. All I can ask to the Cavs is how could you possibly win a championship with a bench like that? Final statistics, the Laker bench outscored the Cavs bench 42-16 and they were a huge difference maker early on to help the Lakers remain competitive and give them the lead, but once LeBron got going, he outscored the bench big time by himself. But other than that, the bench contributed huge despite some poor shooting by certain players, which I’ll mention right now.

The Negatives

Nick Young, 14 points, 4-13 shooting. Whenever I’m posting up a quick recap and I see that Nick Young is not the typical leading scorer off the bench, obviously something is telling me that his head isn’t right. Ignore the double-figure scoring and look at that shooting statistic. He’s not been shooting the ball the last few games and this game, I can’t even describe it with the way he was struggling to contribute big buckets down the stretch. He’s got to find a way to bring back that swagger back and re-earn that Swaggy P nickname back.

Ryan Kelly, 2 points, 1-6 shooting. I can’t completely bag on R. Kelly considering he’s returning from injury, but he was a little too passive this game and not taking a shot when needed. There was one play where he could’ve made a hook shot and he just passed it right back, I couldn’t remember who, but at times those are the shots someone has to take to get their confidence back in the game after an injury and Kelly only has half of that confidence since his return.

Conclusion

Overall, it could’ve been a decent all-around game for the Lakers with the way Kobe’s facilitating, Jordan Hill’s scoring, and how the bench’s scoring (minus Nick Young’s bricks), but LeBron turned loose in the 2nd half and he and Kyrie Irving bailed the Cavs out big time for them to go to .500. For the Lakers, they have to go to Utah tomorrow night on back-to-back sets, so it’s a given Kobe’s going to sit this one out. Anyway, next game to cover is on the 29th against the Bulls in LA, I’ll see you guys for that game.

01/15: Party Like It's 2006-2010: LAKERS vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: CLE 109 LAL 102

The struggle is too real for Nick Young. Missing shots in crucial spotd, finally hits that one three, but it's too little too late. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant sets a new career high in assists with 17, but it didn't end with a W. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: CLE 79 LAL 75

Well, looks like the King is out of his cage. That's not a good sign. Kobe deviated away from the facilitating role a bit to see if he can score over LeBron. It didn't work, facilitated again, & tied his career high in assists. LeBron heated up this quarter & now the Cavs lead going into the 4th.


Q2:

Score: CLE 57 LAL 61

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James sharing some smiles and laughs as they're getting older with age, but are still putting up one heck of a show. When LeBron was getting it going this quarter, the Cavs offense was starting to pick up again, then Kobe Bryant comes back on the floor, Laker offense responds back with a strong run to increase the lead back to four. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: CLE 30 LAL 30

This is some turning back the clock matchup right here. The Cavs started hot early. It looked like it was going to be the Heat game all over again with a 14-0 start, but Kobe to Hill was the formula early on to get the Lakers right back. 6 assists already for Bryant; could reach double digit assists by halftime if B. Scott wishes to leave him there. Cavs started hot, Lakers fought back, score's tied at 30.

LAKERS vs. Cavs Halftime Post

Score: CLE 57 LAL 61

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Cavaliers where Kobe Bryant's Lakers have a 57-61 edge over LeBron James' Cavs in a classic battle between two future HOFs.

The Positives

Jordan Hill, 12 points, 6-8 shooting. The last few games, Jordan Hill has been getting that sweet shooting stroke back. That has to be done on a consistent basis for Hill to be a heck of a player. He's thriving with Kobe giving him the ball early on and hopefully he can stay hot in the 2nd half.

Kobe Bryant, 12 points, 10 assists, 5-9 shooting. Kobe Bryant haters be like "Kobe doesn't pass." Tuesday night's game against Miami shooting-wise was something to forget about and this game, he's starting to get that mid-range game back. He's done a great job this game so far balancing the scoring and facilitating and Hill, Davis, and Boozer are thriving when Kobe's facilitating the ball and when offense is needed, he'll score if necessary.

Bench. Laker bench 23, Cavs bench 3. That's a football score, perhaps the main difference as to why the Lakers are leading right now. It's been like that, the Lakers bench is good when Boozer, Lin, and Young are getting it going. David Blatt's decision to put J.R. Smith in the starting lineup is beyond me since he provides a lot of scoring on the bench when he gets going and so far, we can live with that decision.

The Negatives

Nick Young, 6 points, 2-6 shooting. Nick Young is not having that swagger in the Swaggy P nickname as he's been cold the last few games. He made some good plays this game such as his step back behind the 3 point line and his 3 point play, but he's gotta get back to living up to his nickname and catch fire to lead the bench is scoring and this game in prime time should be the right time for him to get off the poor shooting funk.

Bottom Line

The Lakers need to stick to this formula: Kobe facilitating, Hill, Boozer, and Davis getting the ball inside for easy shots. They'll double team him every time out of respect. Outside of Mozgov, the Cavs' frontcourt is not intimidating and they need to continue with that and play good defense. Kobe vs. LeBron 2nd half, we'll see who has the edge.

Jack Del Rio to Become Raiders Head Coach

After a couple of interviews to potential head coaching candidates, the Raiders have decided to go with experience rather than go for new blood as they have hired Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator and former Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach, Jack Del Rio. Del Rio brings the Raiders almost 8 years of Head Coaching experience coaching the Jaguars from 2003 till he was fired early on in the 2011 season. He has taken them to the Playoffs two times. As the Broncos Defensive Coordinator, he transformed them from a 24th rank defense previously under Dennis Allen to a top 5 defense in the last two years.

Full article: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12165283/oakland-raiders-close-hiring-jack-del-rio-head-coach

My Thoughts: I wanted this guy as Hue Jackson’s DC when Chuck Fat@$$ got fired! Oh well, that was the past. I know the reactions of this hiring: “Ugh, another defensive coordinator from Denver” or “ugh, he’s going to set up the team to fail just like Dennis Allen did” or “ugh, he sucked in Jacksonville.” First, let’s lighten it up with the relationship between Del Rio and the Raiders: 1) he’s a Bay Area native, 2) he grew up a Raiders fan, and 3) his family are season ticket holders. The thing that has us concerned about Del Rio is his track record in Jacksonville. 68-71, yeah it’s a losing statistic, but we have to remember his last two seasons in Jacksonville, the team was imploding from within, but other than that, it’s a not too shabby record. Unlike Dennis Allen’s defensive philosophy of “bend but don’t break,” Del Rio brings us a defensive philosophy of not giving offenses an inch in the ground game or in the passing game. His defenses in Denver had our number and we couldn’t run or pass for big chunks of yardage. People will bring up Super Bowl XLVIII or last Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. To be fair and honest, I thought it had to do with Denver’s “godly” offense (just because they have Peyton Manning) getting dominated by the tougher defenses of the Seahawks and the Colts. Anyway, with Del Rio’s hiring, there’s a possibility of having Mike Smith (former Falcons HC) as the DC for the Raiders. That’s a match made in heaven on the defensive side and they will turn Khalil Mack into a huge superstar. However, the offensive side is a question mark. Hopefully, he lets Sparano coach out his contract and continue being the O-line/Asst. HC for a little continuity and next, he needs to hire a really talented OC that runs an offense that fits the personnel around him, has a “run first” mentality, has a game plan ahead of time, and could further Derek Carr’s development. For me, it’s a good hire, not because of the aspect that he’s passionate for the Raiders (well some of that), but for the experience and bringing a more aggressive approach on the defensive end. With that said, Coach Del Rio, welcome home and welcome to the Raider Nation! “Just Win Baby” and “Keep Chopping Wood.”

UPDATE: The contract details for Jack Del Rio to be HC for the Raiders is reportedly a 4-year deal.

Btw... to all those delusional Bronco fans (though there are some I respect) thinking ya'll will win multiple Super Bowls with Peyton Manning, John Fox, and Del Rio. Manning's contemplating retirement, John Fox's fired, we got Del Rio, Broncos' future is totally in doubt, here's to all you guys:

Lakers Fall to Heat in Tuesday Night Slump Fest

Don't know if it has to do with good defense or just terrible offense all-around from both teams. Ed Davis was the Lakers, top performer with 12 points & 8 rebounds on 6-7 shooting in this very low scoring game, but the Lakers couldn't rally as the Heat beat the Lakers 78-75. Only two other starters joined Davis in double figures with the same point total: Jordan Hill on 5-12 shooting and Kobe Bryant on 3-19 shooting, not a great night for the Black Mamba after resting for a couple games.

Final Score: vs. Miami 78-75 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150113/MIALAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Cleveland (01/14) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, & Full Recap Post.

Lakers Fall to Blazers Again

The pattern I'm seeing here is that the Lakers compete against the Portland Trailblazers team for the first three quarters until Damian Lillard turns it on in the 4th to help the Blazers pull away. It happened again last night. Carlos Boozer was the Lakers' top performer overall, coming off the bench with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, basically carried the whole bench considering the whole 2nd unit was inefficient last night, but Lillard burns them again with another 30+ point performance to help the Blazers beat the Lakers 106-94. Wesley Johnson was the top scorer in the starting lineup, chipping in 17 points on 7-14 shooting, Jordan Hill added 14 points, and Wayne Ellington chipped in 10 points to round out the starters. Ronnie Price, despite a lackluster in scoring, had a career high in assists as he dished out 12 dimes.

Final Score: vs. Portland 106-94 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150111/PORLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Miami (01/13)

Lakers Rout Magic

Quite possibly the most complete game the Lakers put together this season so far. Jeremy Lin was the Lakers' top performer off the bench with 18 points, 3 rebounds, & 6 assists to help the Lakers beat the Magic 84-101. Ryan Kelly, still getting out of the funk from injury, tallied 13 points despite shooting 3-10 from the field, Jordan Hill racked up 11 points, and Ed Davis recorded a double-double with 10 points & 10 rebounds to round out the starters. Carlos Boozer was the 2nd leading scorer off the bench with a double-double of 12 points & 14 rebounds, & Tarik Black saw some extended playing time and cashed with a near double-double of 14 points & 9 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Orlando 84-101 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150109/ORLLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Portland (01/11)

Lakers Hammered by Clippers

The last time these two teams met, it was a close competitive game down to the wire. Last night? Not so much. Jordan Hill was the Lakers' top performer this game despite the team's struggles of shooting, scoring 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, but it wasn't too impressive as the Clippers romped all over the Lakers 89-114. Those who joined Hill in double-figure scoring didn't have an all-around impressive night as well as Wayne Ellington scored 13 points on a lackluster 4-10 shooting and Jeremy Lin added 12 points to round out the starters in double figures. Meanwhile off the bench, Jordan Clarkson lead all scorers with 14 points, Carlos Boozer added 10 points, and Nick Young continues his horrible shooting display racking up 11 points on 4-15 shooting. Despite resting during Blazers game, Kobe Bryant returned on a flat note as he contributed a whopping 4 points on 2-12 shooting despite making it up in the rebounds and assists category with 8 boards and 7 dimes.

Final Score: @ LA Clippers 89-114 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150107/LALLAC/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Next Game: vs. Orlando (01/09)

Lakers Fall to Blazers

Kobe resting, back-to-back set of games, no surprise here despite the fact that it was a highly contested battle. Jordan Hill got out of the inefficient funk yesterday as he was the Lakers' top performer with 23 points and 14 rebounds, but the Lakers couldn't preserve a victory as Damian Lillard's 39 points outburst helped the Blazers rally to beat the Lakers 94-98. Wayne Ellington added 13 points in place of Kobe Bryant and Ronnie Price added 11 points to round out the starters. On the bench, Jeremy Lin lead all scorers with 14 points while Nick Young struggled all game long managing just 11 points.

Final Score: @ Portland 94-98 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150105/LALPOR/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ LA Clippers (01/07)

Kobe's Game Winner Lifts Lakers Over Pacers

DirectTV couldn't remove my NBATV subscription at the best possible time. What a bummer. Anyway, the Lakers pulled out a really tight one at home on Sunday Night, and yes it had to do with Kobe Bryant. Kobe was the Lakers' top performer scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists and hit the game winning shot with around 11 seconds to go to lift the Lakers past the Pacers 87-88. Ed Davis was the only Laker starter to join Bryant in double figures with 11 points. The "big 3" off the bench contributed again with Nick Young all scorers with 22 points despite a 4-12 shooting, but made up shooting a perfect 12-12 free throws, Carlos Boozer added 12 points, and Jeremy Lin racked up 10 points.

Final Score: vs. Indiana 87-88 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150104/INDLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Portland (Tonight 7:00 PM Pacific Time)

01/04: LAKERS vs. Indiana Pacers Q-by-Q Reaction (CANCELED)

Q1:

Score: IND LAL

Well this is unexpected and embarassing at the same time, but DirecTV has totally taken out the subscription to NBATV in my household. Which means, I can't find an alternative to cover the game. Well, that sucks and it's disappointing considering I had this game all set up and ready to go for coverage on this blog. However, it is what is. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll see you guys instead for the Cavs game next week.

General Announcement

If you didn't notice the transition in my blog background, it denotes the transitions from football (full time) and basketball (part time) to basketball (full time), which means football coverage and Raiders coverage as a whole is over until September 2015 even though there is still Super Bowl XLIX to cover and some offseason changes plus the draft to cover on the Raiders side. Now, it's time for the blog to be flooded with Lakers basketball coverage 100%. Now due to my schedule for classes next semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will be waking up at a very early time and since Laker games on Mondays and/or Wednesdays start at a later time in the evening, I won't be covering games on those days unless I'm on Spring Break or something like that. The only exception where I'll cover games on any of those days is March 4th when the Lakers take on the Heat since it's in Miami and thank goodness for East Coast time, they start a little early. So, just letting you guys know about that, I will continue to cover games on every other day besides Mondays and Wednesdays. I'll see you guys tomorrow when the Lakers take on the Pacers at Staples.

Lakers Fall Short vs. Grizzlies

On a night where the Lakers shot over 50% from the field and got a combined 57 points from the bench, it still wasn't enough to take down one of the West's best. Jeremy Lin was the Lakers' top performer off the bench with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Lakers' 109-106 loss to the Grizzlies. Carlos Boozer and Nick Young joined Lin providing the scoring off the bench as both managed to contribute 14 points. Only two Laker starter were in double figures as Kobe Bryant recorded almost another triple-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assist and Ed Davis racked up 20 points and 8 rebounds, but of all people, was the one on the free throw line to potentially tie it up in crunch time, which set up the Lakers' 23rd loss of the season.

Final Score: vs. Memphis 109-106 [L]
Full Article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150102/MEMLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Indiana (01/04) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts