Super Bowl 50 Preview: Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers

Welcome in to another True Raider Laker edition of previews for Super Bowl Sunday. This year, we are celebrating 50 years since the big game was formed and this year's matchup pits the AFC champion, the Denver Broncos, who are making their 2nd Super Bowl appearance in four years and the NFC champion, the Carolina Panthers, making their 2nd Super Bowl appearance since 2004. And with great pride, this 50th edition of the Super Bowl is happening in my hometown of Santa Clara, California at Levi's Stadium.

I would've never thought in 21 years, a Super Bowl event would be happening in my hometown, let alone, happen in the Bay Area. This is a surreal feeling for me that I'm previewing this Super Bowl, knowing it's going to happen in my hometown. I think this is the only time I'll thank the 49ers for something; building a stadium in my hometown, but I'm still gonna stick to the Silver and Black thank you very much. First we had WrestleMania 31 last year, which I attended and it was a blast. Now, we have Super Bowl 50, it's just pure pandemonium here in Santa Clara for the last two years. Well enough reminiscing about my town, another year where the #1 seed in both conferences will face off against each other in the Super Bowl. The Broncos are trying to win one more for Peyton Manning in his "last rodeo" in professional football while the Panthers are trying to write their name in history after finishing a league best, 15-1 in the regular season. As usual, I will evaluate their roster, their season, and make my prediction as to who do I think will win the big game. Let's get down to business!

Denver Broncos

There is no question that Peyton Manning is grabbing all the attention now that we know that this Super Bowl is his swan song for his NFL career. However, the story of the Broncos this season did not revolve around Manning. Their #1 ranked defense was the sole reason why they wounded up in this Super Bowl. This defense was stacked with plenty of pass rushers from Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, etc. The secondary, headlined by Chris Harris, Jr., Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward were stout and physical in coverage, which opened up a lot of sack opportunities for Miller and Ware. Wade Phillips, in his first year as Denver's defensive coordinator, did wonders in transforming the Broncos' front seven into every quarterback's worst nightmare; you have to give him a lot of credit for that. This season, the Denver defense allowed an average of 199.6 passing yards, ranked #1 in pass defense and they were also top 5 in run defense, allowing an average of 83.6 yards on the ground (link). To show you examples of how legit this defense is: they held Aaron Rodgers to under 100 yards passing, they completely blanked the Raiders' offense for the first half of the Week 14 game in Denver, holding them to minus yardage. Of course both regular season games frustrated me as a Raider fan, but in all honesty, you can't help but fear the Broncos' defense because they are layered with depth from the D-line, Linebacker, and Secondary positions and you just never know what kind of pressure Wade Phillips would dial up.

Even though the defense is a stalwart group, they had to resort to the "bend, but don't break" philosophy in most games because the offense was so stagnant for the most part of the regular season. Peyton Manning had trouble throwing the football and adding some zip to his passes, C.J. Anderson frustrated many Fantasy owners with his slow start to get the ball rolling, Demaryius Thomas dropped a lot of balls, and the O-line, well, Khalil Mack's 5 sack performance in Week 14 told the whole story about the up-and-down play of Denver's O-line. Throughout the season, the poor performance of the offense put Denver in a lot of close games, but because the defense made some timely plays and some key stops, the offense got bailed out in a lot of the team's victories. In the games against the Ravens, the Chiefs (in Kansas City), the Vikings, the Raiders (in Oakland), the Bears, and the Bengals, all of these games were won because of the awesome play of the Broncos' defense much to the expense of the offense. The Denver offense was a hot mess that head coach Gary Kubiak resorted to benching Manning in favor of Brock Osweiler. There's no question that Osweiler filled in admirably, especially when he lead the team to a shocking win over the Patriots. But, you can't write Manning's fairy tale story if he's not under center and I think that was Kubiak's mindset when he made the decision to go back to Manning as the starter much to the dismay of some Bronco fans who thought Osweiler was the man going forward. Also the fact that Manning has postseason experience played into account for the decision to start him. In the playoff games against the Steelers and the Patriots, the offense under Manning's command showed some flashes and they did just enough to win both playoff games while the #1 defense continued to play at a high level.

Carolina Panthers

"Keep pounding" was the mantra all season long for the 2015 Carolina Panthers. Nobody thought they would've made the jump from a 7-8-1 record last season to a near perfect 15-1 record this season. And understandably so, Cam Newton was going to miss his go to receiver, Kelvin Benjamin for the season after a solid rookie year and Greg Olsen was projected to be his only good go to target while everyone else was just questionable. Everybody thought Newton was going to have a down year and the Panthers would not see any postseason action at all. Boy, did they prove everyone wrong. Cam Newton may be en route to receive league MVP honors, proving he's a threat in the air and on the ground. 3,000+ yards passing, 35 passing TDs, and 10 rushing TDs to go with those stats (link). It's not just "Supercam" who carried this team, but their opportune defense was another key component to their regular season success. The Panthers defense lead the league in takeaways, cornerback Josh Norman emerged into a premiere shutdown corner in his contract year, and linebacker, Luke Kuechly may give J.J. Watt a run for his money for Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach, Ron Rivera did an excellent job in making this team play at a high level for all 16 games, but credit also goes to the coordinators. Offensive coordinator, Mike Shula continues to play a key role in Newton's development and defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott had this defense playing hard for 60 long minutes all game when the Panthers' offense decided to shut down after scoring a lot of points.

Now, despite the 15-1 record, a lot of critics are trying to take away their credit because they benefited from an easy schedule. If you look back at their schedule, definitely many teams would die to play that kind of a cupcake schedule. The NFC South? Mediocre. The AFC South? Garbage division this year. The NFC East? Yeah, that's a garbage division as well. But you can't completely blame the Panthers' success all on the schedule. The Panthers just went out there and did their job, to win games and ensure longevity to their season. Because the Panthers' offense played conservative after scoring a lot of points, most of their games were close and the final scoreboard doesn't always indicate how a game went. The game against the New York Giants was a particular example. They had them beat by 30+ points, but the Giants came back and Carolina still eventually won by a field goal. But enough of making fun of the Panthers' easy schedule, they had a pair of legitimate wins against the Seahawks in Seattle and the Packers, who by the way had Cam Newton and the Panthers' number in the previous seasons. To win against the Seahawks in Seattle is a huge accomplishment. When Newton lead the Panthers to a game-winning drive against the Seahawks with 12th man roaring at them, it proved to be a stepping stone for where they are now. In the playoffs, the Panthers have proven that their 15-1 record was no fluke, taking it to the 2x NFC champion, Seahawks and the #2 seeded, Arizona Cardinals and handling them with ease. If a team can manhandle two good teams in a powerhouse division such as the NFC West, especially in the playoffs, it speaks volumes and what we saw in both playoff games is a Panthers team with a lot of young players either in their prime or in their contract year that is hungry to hoist the Lombardi trophy and in the process, shut all their naysayers up.

Keys for the Broncos

Even though the marquee matchup of this Super Bowl is Peyton Manning vs. Cam Newton, the Denver defense will play a key role in containing Cam Newton. The Broncos defense faced some mobile quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers, guys who can move out of the pocket and extend plays with their legs. But, Newton is a different animal when it comes to scrambling quarterbacks. Wade Phillips has to draw up different blitzes and give out all kinds of different defensive alignments to confuse Newton. There has to be a defender in front to spy on the read option because once Cam finds a hole in the defense he'll take off running for a first down or a TD. If Newton gets his way on the ground, it'll open up opportunities for Jonathan Stewart and the Panthers' ground game to get going. The next key for the defense is containing tight end, Greg Olsen. Neutralizing Cam Newton's favorite target will do a lot of wonders for the Broncos secondary and open up some opportunities for Ware, Miller, and the rest of the D-line to wreak havoc in the pocket. Offensively, Peyton cannot be depended on to beat the Panthers defense because we all know what happened two years ago when Seattle crushed Denver 43-8. To ensure that doesn't happen again, the Broncos' running game with C.J. Anderson has to be established to give Peyton some opportunities for some play action and misdirection plays in Gary Kubiak's offensive system. The play of the O-line will be crucial for the offensive game plan to work out as Carolina's front seven poses a daunting matchup in front of them.

Keys for the Panthers

If anything, the Panthers are playing red hot football right now in the playoffs. If there's any indication of how good they are, they got off to fast starts against the Seahawks and the Cardinals and Cam Newton and the opportunistic defense of the Panthers has a lot to do with it. They'll have to repeat the same formula against this Broncos team. Now, this may be the Panthers' greatest test of the season so far because have never faced a defense as vaunted as the defense of the Broncos under Wade Phillips, so the key for them is to get the offense to a fast start. The Panthers' O-line has been so good in keeping Newton upright all season, so they're gonna need to hold up against the likes of Ware and Miller. Perhaps the biggest X-factor for the Panthers besides Newton and Olsen to look out for is Ted Ginn, Jr. Think of the role Percy Harvin played for the Seahawks against the Broncos two years ago. Harvin's presence allowed the Seahawks to open up a lot of opportunities on their offense. What Harvin was to the Seahawks is what Ginn's going to be for the Panthers. If he plays well, the Panthers offense will open things up. The Panthers have to make Peyton Manning beat them and not only do they have to start fast, they have to contain their running game. The Panthers' run defense has been good all season long, ranking 4th against the run (link). If they bottle up C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman in the run game, Manning is going to be a sitting duck and that'll create opportunities for Kuechly, Norman, and Kurt Coleman to make some plays defensively to get Manning rattled or have him commit some costly turnovers.

Prediction

This is always the tough part. The Broncos are going to do everything they can to have Peyton Manning ride out his Hall of Fame career into the sunset as a Super Bowl champion and their #1 defense is going to be carrying this team. The Panthers, despite their youth, a lot of these players are either in their prime or they are playing hard for a contract extension to stay with the teams. I see this as a low scoring affair, but I think the Panthers defense is just going to be too good for Peyton Manning. It's going to be like Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks all over again minus the blowout. I think Newton is going to do just enough against the Broncos' #1 defense, but the Panthers' defense is going to get all the headlines by shutting down the Broncos' running game and making Manning commit key turnovers that'll put Carolina's offense in good positions to score against the Broncos' defense.

Projected Final Score: DEN 13 CAR 23

Lakers Dismantled by Bulls

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Chicago Bulls where the Lakers add another game into the loss column this season in a 114-91 rout courtesy of the Bulls in Pau Gasol's return to LA.

As DJ Khaled would say: "another one." Young mistakes by this young Lakers squad doomed them at the start with a lethargic effort on both sides of the ball against the Bulls. With the up and down season, the Bulls have had, they wanted this game more. The Lakers played a nonchalant game all night long until they saw an old and broken down Kobe Bryant run full court defense on Jimmy Butler and received a little pep talk from Byron Scott on their heart and toughness. No surprises here, the losses continue to keep coming.

(+)

Julius Randle, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4-8 shooting. Evaluating Randle's game, he is clearly good on the fastbreak and when he's attacking the rim, but the one thing he needs to work on is his mid range jump shot. Aside from that, Randle almost chipped in another double-double if he got two more rebounds, but I liked his activity on defensive boards as all 8 of his rebounds came from the defensive end. Even though he attempted one mid range jump shot, he reverted back to where he's comfortable with, especially in the third quarter where he's attacking in open space or in the paint using his power and speed. Randle deserves "Top Performer" honors in this one.

Nick Young, 14 points, 5-10 shooting. Swaggy P has returned! Well not quite, but someone needed to take the place of Lou Williams this game and provide the scoring. The Lakers started to build up some momentum in their offense when Young came in as he hit his first three shots. He had a decent game. It's nothing special, but he did his job out there providing some much needed scoring off the bench.

(-)

D'Angelo Russell, 3 points, 1-7 shooting. Even though Russell had a bad shooting night against the Mavs Tuesday night, he still managed to put up a decent stat line with 12 points off the bench. This game though, Russell checked out, physically and mentally. This is just another set of growing pains in having a young rookie. I keep track of Russell's stat line and he has recorded double-figure point totals for the majority of this month and once he has a string of solid performances, he's going to cool down at some point. Tonight was a primary example as he took some bad shots and of course, committing two inexplicable turnovers in the 1st quarter leading to 4 easy points for Jimmy Butler.

Points in the paint. I can't wait till the Lakers get a true rim protector since Hibbert checked out in his tenure with the Lakers. Most of the Bulls' shots in the paint came from Pau Gasol doing his thing in the post and giving players some opportunities with his brilliant passing and some offensive rebounding.  Butler and Rose attacked the rim at will this game also, which inflates the points in the paint stat line. The Lakers' interior defense just had no chance and the Bulls took full advantage of the team's weakness in the paint whether it was allowing Jimmy Butler or Derrick Rose to the rim or the Bulls feeding the ball inside to Gasol.

Conclusion

Overall, there's not much to conclude about this game. The Bulls thoroughly dominated this game with their offense and defense. The loss just piles up towards the Lakers' efforts in their tank job to get a top three pick. It was nice to see Kobe and Pau give one last embrace to each other before tip off. No matter what happens, Gasol earned his place in Laker history, contributing to three straight finals appearances and back-to-back titles. Those glory days will return, but it takes time and the Lakers just need to rebuild the team the right way by letting their young draft picks develop and build chemistry together. It's definitely a good test of endurance and fortitude. Next week, I will not cover the Lakers' game next Thursday against the Pelicans on TNT. I'll be focused squarely on setting up my coverage for Super Bowl 50. Just letting you guys know ahead of time. I'll see you guys later.

01/28: LAKERS vs. Chicago Bulls Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CHI 114 LAL 90

The broken record above symbolizes another Lakers game on national TV, another loss. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

CHI 90 LAL 71

Despite the Bulls continuing their dominance here this quarter, it's been the Julius Randle show this quarter. His game right now is attacking the rim on the open floor as displayed with his dunk early in this quarter. Randle is turning in a solid stat line right now, closing in on yet another double-double with 14 points and 8 rebounds. 4th quarter is expected to be garbage time for the Bulls, but let's see if the Lakers have one last run in them because in the last few games, 4th quarter turns out to be a spark plug for the Lakers to turn a game from a blowout to a competitive game.

Q2:

CHI 58 LAL 40

Better effort from the Lakers this quarter, but it's still not good enough. Nick Young, coming off the bench, provided some spark for the Lakers offense and they pulled within 12 at one point of this quarter. However, the turnovers, the points in the paint are killing them right now and the Bulls continue to have their way with them. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CHI 32 LAL 15

Without Lou Williams in the starting lineup to provide scoring, the Lakers' offense is just stagnant. That was an atrocious display of offense. In fact, both teams struggled to find offense until the Bulls finally hit their stride when Aaron Brooks came off the bench. To make matters worse, two consecutive turnovers to give Jimmy Butler 4 easy points. I highly take back what I said about D'Angelo Russell's play off the bench in the quick recap against the Mavs. First, taking some questionable shot selections, then mishandling the ball twice. He has to do better job and the rest of the team has to do a better job, point blank.

LAKERS-Bulls Halftime Post

CHI 58 LAL 40

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Chicago Bulls where the Bulls lead 58-40 at the half.

(+)

Nick Young, 8 points, 3-3 shooting. Nick Young has escaped Byron Scott's depth chart purgatory. Young equals his same point total that he finished with in Tuesday's game against the Mavs with 8 and he may look to get more to assimilate himself back into this rotation. And I think that's a good thing, especially since Lou Williams is out this game. The Lakers need instant scoring to get the offense going because Kobe Bryant is not in the condition he was once in to pick the slack. Swaggy P is coming back.

(-)

D'Angelo Russell. 3 points, 3 turnovers, 1-3 shooting. I take back what I said about Russell's solid play in the game against the Mavs because of his 4-12 shooting I neglected to include and the reason why he got benched in that game in the 4th was that he was taking bad shots. This game, although he did improve his passing in the 2nd quarter, two consecutive turnovers to Jimmy Butler in the 1st quarter is inexcusable and it's an example of lazy play on Russell's part. Two of his misses in the game had to do with him forcing up a shot to deliver a quick answer to Chicago's easy scoring onslaught, but it failed big time. He needs to mentally check himself into this game.

Turnovers. I'm starting to beat a dead horse with this one as it's a recurring negative. It's a big reason why this Laker offense has been stagnant to start this game. Too many bad passes and one example of poor shot clock awareness in the 2nd quarter as the Lakers couldn't deliver a shot attempt in time.

Bottom Line

The good news is Chicago has been an enigma all season long. They do good against good teams, but they do poorly against bad teams. The hopeful scenario is that the Bulls' offense starts getting stagnant and they start playing conservative with their defense. The Lakers have to find some way to get the whole offense going and they need to try to make some key defensive stops to get back into this game. Let's see what happens.

Lakers Lose to Mavs Tuesday Night

Jordan Clarkson was the Lakers' top performer Tuesday night, scoring 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, but Dirk Nowitzki delivered a vintage clutch moment in the final seconds in the 4th as his game winner sealed the deal for the Mavs, 92-90. Even though Kobe Bryant didn't play in his final showdown with Dirk, the two players showed some respect on the sideline when Dirk hit his game winner. Three other Laker starters were in double figures as Lou Williams added 14 points, Roy Hibbert added 11 points, and Julius Randle recorded a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell continues his fine play off the bench as he lead all scorers with 12 points.

Final Score: vs. Dallas 92-90 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160126/DALLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

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

Lakers Burned by Damian Lillard, Blazers Again

D'Angelo Russell had another solid game coming off the bench as he was the Lakers' top performer once again on back-to-back nights, scoring 21 points on 8-12 shooting, but once again the explosive scoring of Damian Lillard burns the Lakers for a third time as Lillard's 36 point performance helped the Blazers beat the Lakers 103-121 for a regular season sweep. Lou Williams added 16 points, Julius Randle recorded a near double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson added 10 points. Kobe Bryant, in his final regular game in Portland, added 10 points on 5-9 shooting while Anthony Brown added 10 points, being the 2nd top scorer off the bench behind Russell.

Final Score: @ Portland 103-121 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160123/LALPOR/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Dallas (01/26)

Lakers Outmatched by Spurs Again

It was better effort than the last meeting, but the roster of the Spurs is too deep. D'Angelo Russell was the Lakers' top performer Friday night, coming off the bench with 18 points on 8-10 shooting in the Lakers' 108-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The back court of Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson each had 16 points, Julius Randle recorded a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Roy Hibbert added 10 points to round out the starters.

Final Score: vs. San Antonio 108-95 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160122/SASLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Portland (Tonight 7:30 PM Pacific Time)

Lakers Fall to Rockets

*Again, posting up the back-to-back set this weekend*

Lou Williams was the Lakers' top scorer once again, putting up the same point total from his performance Saturday, putting up 20 points on 7-12 shooting, but James Harden's 31 point performance powered the Rockets past the Lakers 112-95. Jordan Clarkson added 16 points and Julius Randle recorded a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. The rookies, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Brown were the top scorers off the bench, with Russell once again leading all scorers with 12 points and Brown chipping in 10 points.

Final Score: vs. Houston 112-95 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160117/HOULAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Sacramento (01/20)

Lakers Fall to Jazz Saturday Night

*I'll be posting the Lakers' back-to-back sets from this weekend*

Lou Williams was the Lakers' top performer with 20 points on 5-16 shooting with a near perfect 7-8 from the free throw line, but the Lakers couldn't stop the balanced effort of the Utah Jazz, lead by Rudy Gobert's 18 points and 18 rebounds double-double performance in a 82-109 loss. Jordan Clarkson added 10 points and D'Angelo Russell lead all scorers off the bench with 13 points.

Final Score: @ Utah 82-109 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160116/LALUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Lakers Fall to Warriors in Kobe's Final Game in Oakland

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champion Warriors where the Lakers kept it competitive from the 1st quarter to the mid 3rd quarter, then the Warriors started to play like the champions that they are and the Lakers eventually fell to the Warriors 98-116 in Kobe Bryant's final game in the Bay Area, in Oaktown.

Well, it's been a recurring theme in the last two Lakers-Warriors matchups. The Lakers make things interesting early on and then the Warriors just start pulling away in the 3rd quarter or 4th quarter. But in other news, the Bay Area, Oakland, Oracle Arena, says goodbye to Kobe Bryant in his final game here of his illustrious 20-year career. It was especially nice to see some Raider ties in the crowd, particularly Derek Carr and Charles Woodson were in attendance as well as the legendary and one-time Raider, Ronnie Lott were in attendance to pay tribute to Kobe. As both a Raider and Laker fan, I just have absolute chills to see both the "Legends of 24" in the same building on TV. We know C-Wood has officially called it quits and Kobe is soon going to call it quits once this season is over. Just a lot of feels going through from the perspective of a fan posting this blog. But enough of that, let's get through this full recap.

(+)

Jordan Clarkson, 22 points, 10-17 shooting. As I said in the halftime post, Clarkson started off good, hitting five of his first eight shots. Against this good Warriors team tonight, I thought he was patient in letting his shot develop, albeit some of his points benefitted from garbage time when the game was put out of reach. There's not much to say that Clarkson has been the Lakers' constant since coming on in his rookie year last season.

Lou Williams, 21 points, 5-12 shooting. Lou is just too good at drawing contact, that is why he makes up his bad shooting with his near-perfect free throw shooting. He started really slow early on in the game, but he managed to hit his stride somewhere in the 3rd quarter. Sweet Lou finished strong, good enough to be on this positive list.

Julius Randle, 14 points, 9 rebounds. Randle has had an up-and-down season so far, but we have to remind ourselves that he is technically a rookie since he missed all of last season. From a perspective, this was a solid game for Randle, he could've solidified his performance even more if he grabbed one more rebound to record a double-double. Randle has a lot of potential, he just needs to work on taking better care of the ball and developing a jump shot. He took advantage of garbage time and we saw of that potential Randle has yet to unlock to further elevate his game.

(-)

2nd half effort. From all the positives listed and this one negative I can pinpoint, it almost looks like the Lakers won this game. But, it was a competitive game all night long until the Warriors just started to dismantle this Lakers team apart. From the point on in the mid 3rd quarter, the Lakers were giving up a lot of easy points in the paint and the Warriors aside from Curry and Thompson were raining threes all over the Lakers. The Lakers also played a little out of control, committing some turnovers, which didn't help their cause. It was at the moment late in the 3rd quarter that I knew the game was already out of reach for the Lakers.

Conclusion

Overall, not a surprising loss. We thought the Lakers would catch the Warriors off guard since they were coming off back-to-back sets and they just suffered a tough loss against the Nuggets last night. It was all set up for the Lakers to grab an upset victory, but there's a reason the Warriors are the best team in the West and the Lakers are the worst team in the West. But, another chapter is completed in Kobe Bryant's farewell tour. Big kudos to the Warriors fans for showering the Black Mamba with adoration in his final game in the Bay. I've announced this on Friday and I'll announce it again, I will specifically pick out nationally-televised Laker games I can cover. I have an internship that's looming and I don't know what my schedule will look like, so stay tuned for that. I'll see you guys later.

01/14: LAKERS @ Golden State Warriors Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

LAL 98 GS 116

Well, the game was pretty much over in the 3rd quarter. It's just wonderful to see the respect from the Oracle Arena crowd when Byron Scott decided to insert Kobe Bryant back in for the final time, even if it was a couple of minutes. This will be the only regret in my lifetime since I'm a Laker fan residing in the Bay Area: not going to a Warriors game when the Lakers were in town to see Kobe in his absolute prime play. Personal feelings aside, beautiful send off for Kobe from the Bay Area. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

LAL 72 GS 86

The $100 million question: can the Lakers hang around with the Warriors for a full 48 minutes? Well, they continued to keep it close in the early part of the 3rd quarter. But, the Warriors are once again making it look easy on this Lakers defense. Too many easy points in the paint and the 3 pointers continue to rain down. It also doesn't help that the Lakers' play got way out of hand late and players just start turning the ball over to the Warriors.

Q2:

LAL 49 GS 52

We all know Curry is going to have his way, as expected of the NBA's best player and there's nothing the Laker D can do about it. But, big plus for the Lakers for hanging around in the first half against the champs. They are making this a game out there. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

LAL 23 GS 24

It is what you expect at the start in Kobe Bryant's final game at the Oracle Arena. Kobe exchanging shots with either Klay Thompson or Steph Curry, preferrably Curry is worth the price of admission. I thought this was a good competitive quarter for the Lakers. Since getting blown out the water in the first meeting, the Lakers have put up a better fight against the defending champs. The question is now is whether they can keep up for a full 48 minutes against this Warriors team.

LAKERS-Warriors Halftime Post

LAL 49 GS 52

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champion Warriors where the Warriors have a 49-52 lead at the half.

(+)

D'Angelo Russell, 10 points, 4-7 shooting. Russell may not be putting up a performance like he did against the Kings last Thursday, but he's been playing well as of late. When Kobe started slowing down, the offense was off to a slow start. Once Russell came off the bench, he provided a small spark for this Lakers team in keeping this a competitive game out there.

Jordan Clarkson, 10 points, 5-8 shooting. Clarkson looked sharp out there in the first half. His activity in the game has been decent, particularly in that putback dunk in the 2nd quarter and he has taken care of the ball so far, limiting to two turnovers.

(-)

Splash Bros. Curry has 15 points, 5-10 shooting from the three point arc, there is absolutely no way the Lakers have any answer for the incumbent MVP. However, the last time the Lakers competed against the Warriors, Klay Thompson went off and pretty much sealed the deal for the Warriors in their last matchup at Staples Center. So far, they've allowed 9 points for Thompson, but he struggled shooting the ball in the 1st half. I'm keeping my expectations low that the Lakers can keep the other half of the Splash Bros in check.

Bottom Line

As a Laker fan, the margin heading into the half is something that we can consider a partial victory. As long as the Lakers keep Thompson and the rest of the Warriors team in check, barring Curry exploding for 40+ points in the 2nd half to power the Warriors past the Lakers, they could have a shot in leaving Oracle pulling off the biggest upset of the season. Let's see what happens.

Lakers Squeak Past Pelicans

Lou Williams was the Lakers' top performer Tuesday night, scoring 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists to rally the Lakers to a 91-95 victory over the Pelicans. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points and D'Angelo Russell lead all scorers off the bench with 13 points.

Final Score: vs. New Orleans 91-95 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160112/NOPLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Golden State (01/14) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts

Raiders Staying Put in Oakland

The official vote count was 30-2 in favor of the Rams and Chargers moving to LA. Great news for us Raider Nation. The Raiders are staying where they truly belong...in Oakland.

Lakers Fall to Jazz

Lou Williams didn't follow up from his 44 point explosion vs. the Thunder Friday night, but was still the Lakers' top performer with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but the Lakers wound up in a loss in a low scoring affair, falling to the Jazz 86-74 Sunday night. Jordan Clarkson added 14 points and Larry Nance, Jr. added 10 points to round out the starters. Julius Randle lead all scorers off the bench with 11 points.

Final Score: vs. Utah 86-74 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160110/UTALAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. New Orleans (01/12)

Lakers Competitive All Game Long, Still Fall Short vs. Thunder

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder where the Lakers kept this an entertaining game behind Lou Williams' career-night, but once again the duo of Westbrook and Durant proved to be too much as the Lakers fall to the Thunder 117-113.

Another game where the Lakers competed their hearts off, another night for a loss. Usually when the Lakers give their all in one game on back-to-back sets, they just shut off on the next and with the Thunder on schedule, many of this expected to be a blowout. But man, these losses against the Kings Thursday night and tonight against the Thunder, I'm not completely mad or being sarcastic as usual. This young Laker team is knowing how to compete night in and night out. They had another chance to try and put this game away after coming back from being down the whole game, but they just come up short. It's definitely another learning experience that this Laker squad can take into consideration.

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Lou Williams, 44 points, 12-23 shooting, 15-15 from the free throw line. There's no denying this: Sweet Lou was on fire tonight. Out of all the three free agents the Lakers signed this offseason, snagging the reigning Sixth Man of the Year from Toronto proved to be a coup this season. Even if he has a bad game from a shooting standpoint like Tuesday against the Warriors when he went 0-7 from the field, he makes up for it with his precise free throw shooting. However, when the shooting clicks with the free throws, chances are he's going 20 or more points. Lou single-handedly put the Lakers on his back this game offensively. He deserves double positives for being one of the reasons why the Lakers kept hanging around against the Thunder tonight.

Kobe Bryant, 19 points, 8-20 shooting, 6 assists. Yes, Kobe cooled down when it mattered the most in clutch time, but he put up some throwback moments offensively, making impossible threes, crossing over players and pulling up for a jumper. He gave the home crowd a show, successfully following up quite a performance back in Sac-Town last night. Despite the ugly finish in the clutch, Bryant made a key assist to Clarkson to put the Lakers back within one and he made a good decision to go for the tie instead of forcing up a three for the win, he just didn't get the foul called on Durant.

Anthony Brown. Brown's stat line of 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist is not impressive, but that's not the reason why I'm putting the 2nd round rookie on the positive list. He played some good defense down the stretch against the Thunder and eventually made some key stops to give the Lakers a chance. For Brown to play good defense against Durant, Westbrook, and company, that's an example of not being afraid of the moment for him since he only plays during garbage time when the game is well out of reach. Not to mention, his only bucket proved to be a critical one in the Lakers' late rally.

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Offensive rebounding. Just rehashing what I said from the halftime post, this side of rebounding for the Lakers is what killed the team all game long. Despite making the stat line close where the Lakers grabbed 10 offensive boards to the Thunder's 16, they were getting dominated by the Thunder. If the Lakers want to successfully display good defense, they have to hustle and box out for defensive rebound. It was clear as day that the Thunder wanted the rebounds more and as a result: 2nd chance opportunities resulting into 2nd chance points.

Turnovers. Again a little deceptive stat when the Lakers committed only 11 turnovers compared to the 13 committed by the Thunder. Night in and night out, the Thunder demonstrate that if any team turns the ball over to them, they are off to the races in transition to the other side of the court for an easy deuce. As a young team, this will continually be a growing pain for the Lakers until the young players get the memo to take care of the ball and not try to do too much. This game is one of the prime examples given the Thunder are so dangerous in transition.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, a win is a win and a loss is a loss and this is a loss in the books for the Lakers. But as a fan and seeing the competitive level the last two games and observing their brief three game winning streak, this Lakers team is really taking baby steps while tanking for the top 3 pick. They are definitely showing more competitiveness at this stretch of this lost season, but definitely, successfully closing out games like this game and the game against the Kings last night after trailing most of the game should be a top priority of things to work on if the Lakers want to get back to relevancy after Kobe Bryant calls it a career this season. Nonetheless, hell of an effort in this back-to-back stretch. Just a reminder, I might be nitpicky with what nationally-televised games I'm going to cover from this point on because my schedule for the semester is going to be unpredictable since I'm applying for internships. I'm not sure, but I just want to throw that out there. I'll notify you guys, just keep following the bottom of the quick recaps for every Laker game. I'll see you guys later.

01/08: LAKERS vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

OKC 117 LAL 113

Ah, so close, but again no cigar. But again, no matter the outcome, the Lakers get a moral victory against a very good team in the Western Conference. Last quarter for the Thunder, it was Kevin Durant that was lighting it up and this quarter, Westbrook started to play out of his mind to preserve a OKC victory. Lou Williams though, what a game for him! He's definitely earning a big plus in the full recap. Speaking of full recaps, I'll provide that shortly.

Q3:

OKC 90 LAL 85

Glad to see the Lakers are still hanging around against this Thunder team in the 2nd half. Whatever the outcome of this game is, if the Lakers keep this margin at a minimum, it's a moral victory knowing they could hang around against this Thunder team. Despite the competitive nature, somebody has to stop big bad #35 of OKC. Durant has started to lit it up during this quarter and looks to build his momentum to the 4th.

Q2:

OKC 60 LAL 53

A very entertaining quarter if you're an NBA fan. Kobe Bryant put on quite a show when he was on the floor this quarter, pulling off moves that us Laker fans were accustomed to seeing when he was in his prime. Though the Thunder have the lead, the Lakers are making this a game, despite the concerns of being energy-sapped after falling short against the Kings last night. But nonetheless, great back and forth quarter to end the 1st half.

Q1:

OKC 32 LAL 28

Jordan Clarkson called bank on that buzzer beating half court shot! The Lakers are definitely importing their near comeback against the Kings last night and this was a competitive quarter for the most part. The only things that derailed this Laker team in that quarter are turnovers and 2nd chance opportunities. 7 offensive rebounds to 1 in favor of the Thunder is not a good stat line and most of them resulted into points from the Thunder.

LAKERS-Thunder Halftime Post

OKC 60 LAL 53

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder where the Thunder have a 60-53 lead at the half.

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Kobe Bryant, 9 points, 4-9 shooting. Sitting out a couple of games due to a shoulder injury must have done wonders for the Black Mamba in this back-to-back set of games. Kobe put up a throwback performance on the road last night and he's following it up with potentially another one at home. Particularly in the 2nd quarter, he had his arsenal of moves and footwork on display for the Staples Center crowd and most of those resulted in made impossible shots that we're used to seeing when he was in his prime. For the most part, looks like there's no rust from sitting out and he's shaking off the rust from being long gone in back-to-back seasons because his bounce looked good out there.

(-)

Offensive rebounding. The Thunder have had 10 offensive rebounds compared to the Lakers' mere 3. Clearly, the Lakers need some hustlers and big bodies that can box out for the rebound to finish off a defense. It was very frustrating that the Lakers are playing good defense against this potent Thunder team and their offense lead by KD and Westbrook, but they just can't finish by boxing out and getting a defensive rebound. They can't afford to let the Thunder have 2nd chance opportunities because they are just too good.

Turnovers. This category is another "gimme" the Lakers are giving to the Thunder. Though the Thunder have 7 turnovers compared to the Lakers' 6, the Thunder can easily pick up points because of how they push the ball and set up the fast-paced tempo. Likely, Westbrook is not going to have a missed dunk again, so the Lakers need to take care of the ball. I'm looking at Clarkson in particular because like the Kings game, he's trying to do too much and just like that, the ball gets slapped from him leading to easy points.

Bottom Line

As long as Durant and Westbrook are on the floor, the Thunder will have their way against this Lakers team. Defensively, the Lakers have to make someone other than those two to make points for the Thunder. As for the offense, if they can get some 2nd chance possessions and limit the turnovers, the Lakers will give the Thunder even more of a run for their money. Let's see what happens.

Lakers Fall to Kings Late Despite Overcoming 20+ Point Deficit

My apologies for cancelling the coverage of this game late. I had a few friends that wanted to stop by my place and hang out with me before I go back for the semester. However, I did see the final five minutes of the game and even though the Lakers loss by committing some key turnovers late in the 4th, they fought back this game. The way the Kings were playing based on seeing the full highlights this morning, they were slapping the Lakers around with perfect ball movement and lob passes, but they got too careless and this young Laker squad took advantage of it without Kobe Bryant on the court. They almost got the victory, but again, key turnovers late ended a magical rally by the young Lakers team and they'll build that off as experience as an example of how not to rest easy on a comeback and put teams away.

Kobe Bryant, in his last game in Sacramento, put up a throwback performance in front of the ever-hostile Sac-Town crowd, scoring 28 points on 10-18 shooting in the Lakers' 115-118 loss to the Kings. However, D'Angelo Russell stole all headlines, exploding off the bench for 27 points on 11-16 shooting. He was a key contributor on the Lakers' near-rally and that was unfortunate how he landed awkwardly on his ankle after a layup over DeMarcus Cousins. You don't want to see an injury happen like that, especially if it's a rookie who's having the game of his young career. Lou Williams added 20 points and Jordan Clarkson added 15 points to round out the starters. Clarkson was a positive/negative in that 4th quarter as he made a couple of key shots and he was responsible for committing a majority of key turnovers down the stretch. Brandon Bass was the 2nd leading scorer off the bench with 10 points, he came up big in the 4th and managed to get a couple of key defensive stops on Cousins. It was a good effort, but it is another loss in the Lakers' books.

Final Score: @ Sacramento 115-118 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160107/LALSAC/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Oklahoma City (Tonight, 7:30 PM Pacific Time) <= I WILL be doing Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts on this game tonight

Lakers Hammered by Warriors

Well, that 3 game win streak evaporated in a hurry. Just by following the score on my mobile, it was a competitive game in the first half until Klay Thompson erupted for 36 points. Jordan Clarkson was the Lakers' top performer with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Lakers' 109-88 loss to the record-breaking, defending champion Warriors. Lou Williams was the only other Laker in double figure point totals, putting up a dud after playing well in the Phoenix game with 10 points while failing to convert at least one field goal, finishing 0-7 from the field.

Final Score: vs. Golden State 109-88 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160105/GSWLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Sacramento (01/07) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts (CANCELLED) 

A Season in Review: 2015 Raiders

Welcome in to the annual "Season in Review" post for the 2015 Oakland Raiders season. As usual, I reflect on this season from the past offseason, to the regular season games, and address what the team needs to do in the impending offseason and draft.

By NFL standards, a 7-9 season is a losing record. It is a disappointing finish. But considering the way the Raiders finished last season at 3-13, a 7-9 record is an improvement. The free agent class Reggie McKenzie brought in was leaps and bounds better than last season. Michael Crabtree, Rodney Hudson, Malcolm Smith, Lee Smith, Aldon Smith (before the suspension), David Amerson, and Dan Williams all made solid contributions on this roster. The 2015 draft class, headlined by Amari Cooper, Mario Edwards, Jr., Clive Walford, Ben Heeney, and Neiron Ball, proved to be a worthy sequel to the amazing draft class of 2014. Jack Del Rio and his coaching staff did a solid job in grooming this roster together and creating a "never say die" culture, hence why the Raiders have been competitive in games all season long.

Reflecting on all 15 games of the season, there was no doubt that the Raiders had so many opportunities presented at them to rally or preserve for a victory. They could've easily tripled their win total and be in position to make the playoffs. But too many times, they failed to cash in on those opportunities. The only convincing loss they had all season long was in Week 1 vs. the Bengals. The Bengals picked them apart as expected of an established perennial playoff team. But look at every other loss, the Raiders remained competitive, but they've continually shot themselves in the foot whether it was through costly turnovers, untimely penalties, conservative play calling, special teams errors, or the defense failing to make a stand. Against Chicago, the defense failed to make a game winning stop on 4th down, the first game against Denver, Carr threw a costly, game-sealing pick 6, against Pittsburgh, they failed to allow someone other than Antonio Brown to beat them. This team was virtually in every game and each game they played in were meaningful down the stretch because of playoff implications. They just didn't have the mentality or experience to put teams away. We can't overlook that this Raiders team is young and they'll figure out ways to close out opponents through experience and it benefits even more that they'll have continuity on the coaching staff.

Now closely evaluating each game, there was a sense of imbalance or lack of stable identity and that is typical of a team under a first year head coach and a new system. Going back to when the Raiders were dropping 30+ points in Weeks 7-9 vs. San Diego, New York (Jets), and Pittsburgh respectively, this team was explosive and they were fun to watch. We all thought we were wrong about Bill Musgrave and started crowning him as an offensive mastermind. Since the defense was horrendous to begin with, we wanted Ken Norton, Jr. gone. However, as Norton's defense started to come together down the stretch, the "explosiveness" of Musgrave's offense fizzled out and all of a sudden we want Musgrave gone. There is no denial that the offense regressed in the final games of the season. It's not only just Musgrave's play calling, but a plethora of injuries to the O-line and Amari Cooper's nagging foot injury were big factors in the regression of the offense. I personally don't think Musgrave is the right man to orchestrate the offense, but the Raiders can't afford to mar Carr's young career by putting him in yet another brand new offense, unless Pep Hamilton is one call away. Ken Norton, Jr., the way he has adjusted the defense late in the season with all the injuries and the Aldon Smith suspension deserves another year and see what he can do with a heatlthy Khalil Mack and a better secondary. We all know with Jack Del Rio at the helm, this team is defensive-minded, but if the Raiders can get both the offense and defense to click, they will have more victories against good teams and they will have more blowout wins against lesser teams. This offseason should be the opportune time for the players to be fully integrated into the systems.

Even though a team is measured by wins and losses, from a statistical perspective, there were more positives than negatives. The offense produced a 3,000 yard, almost a 4,000 yard passer in Carr, a 1,000 yard rusher in Murray, and a 1,000 yard receiver in Cooper. The O-line was top 10 according to Pro Football Focus at one point before the injuries caught up. Mack, at one point, was the NFL's sack leader and Charles Woodson, at one point, was the league leader in interceptions. Mack, Woodson, and Reece are Pro Bowl bound. Carr, Murray, and Cooper are alternates; if they can get in to replace players whose team is playing the Super Bowl, the Raiders will have 6 Pro Bowl players this season, their highest in a long, LONG time. Obviously, we know Woodson is retiring at the end of the season, Reece's skills are diminishing, and the Pro Bowl doesn't mean squat, but the possibility of having 6 Pro Bowl players is huge. Even though much of these stats and accolades only translate to 7 wins, it's a harbinger of good things to come for the Raiders as long as they build consistency off of this kind of progress for next season.

The good news about the offseason, we don't have to talk about hiring another head coach or which top 5 prospect the Raiders should get in the draft. The priority of this offseason should be in this order: building a stout secondary, shoring up the right side of the O-line, adding a complementary power back to Murray, getting a true "Mike" linebacker that can play both the run and pass, and adding a lot more depth to this team. It also doesn't hurt getting Carr a few more weapons and it also doesn't hurt adding more pass rushers to the defense. There are a lot of good options at corner and safety with Eric Weddle, Eric Berry, Sean Smith, Josh Norman, and Prince Amukamara hitting the unrestricted free agent market. Maybe Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton, Jr. can channel both their Denver and Seattle ties again by luring in Danny Trevathan from the Broncos and Bruce Irvin and Jeremy Lane from the Seahawks. In terms of the draft, the Raiders have the 14th pick and at this point, the Raiders just have to get the Best Player Available. All the intriguing prospects like Vernon Hargreaves, Reggie Ragland, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, will likely be gone by the time the Raiders draft. If somebody follows the college ranks 24/7, you can comment below on who the Raiders should get in the 1st round of the 2016 draft. Then after, they should start addressing glaring holes and add depth to the roster, such as the secondary, O-line, and linebacker position.

Now that the season is over with, it's time that we address the "elephant in the room." Where are the Raiders playing next season? Week 16 could possibly be the last time the Raiders play in Oakland. The Raiders have already applied for possible relocation to LA, along with the Rams and the Chargers. I've kept my views on whether they should stay in Oakland or move to LA behind closed doors dating back to last season. However, I will give you my stance. In my opinion, the Raiders belong in Oakland. If they move to LA, would I turn my back on them? Absolutely not unless Mark Davis pulls an Art Modell when Modell renamed the Cleveland Browns into the Baltimore Ravens. Personally, I will not be mad if the Raiders move because although I am a Bay Area guy, I do have personal ties with family and a majority of my college friends residing in LA and SoCal in general. That and I'm a Lakers fan, just want to throw that out there for the namesake of this blog. I know the rivalry between the Bay Area/NorCal and LA/SoCal is well-documented, but if it means keeping the Raiders in California, so be it. Ultimately though, I would like the Raiders to stay in Oakland. To me, the Raiders epitomize what the city and community of Oakland is about: grit, pride, and hard work. They are the dark side of Bay Area football (Star Wars reference) and it would just be gut wrenching for Oakland, the East Bay, and the Bay Area as a whole if they move out for good. We Raider fans in the Bay Area have stuck through 13 non-winning seasons of hell and for LA to get them when things start to turn around, it's just heartbreaking that the inevitable can possibly happen by next week. At this point, it's up to the NFL owners to vote on which teams go to LA. Hopefully, the Raiders are not one of those teams.

At the end of the day, we can agree on one thing: the Raiders are coming back. The team needs a few more pieces and they will start contending for the AFC West, let alone the Super Bowl. The dark ages are almost over and we finally have a respected football team. Too many times opponents have nonchalantly walked to a matchup vs. the Raiders, marking it as an automatic victory. With this current team on the rise, opponents will have to earn a victory against them. One thing is for certain after this season, the Raiders are starting to become a professional football team once again. Once again, thank you Raider Nation for following my coverage for the 2015 season. Here's to a bright 2016.

"Came so far and it feels so amazing, and now we're dealing with a new generation." ~ Dizzy Wright - "New Generation"

Lakers Notch 3rd Win in a Row vs. Suns

The Lakers are undefeated in the new year. It has truly been awhile since the Lakers were on a winning streak and put up a W in convincing fashion. Lou Williams exploded for 30 points on 11-17 shooting as the Lakers rout the Suns 77-97 to notch a three game winning streak. Larry Nance, Jr. added a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 12 points, and a rare sighting of Roy Hibbert breaking the double digit point mark, adding 13 points to round out the starters.

Final Score: vs. Phoenix 77-97 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160103/PHXLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Golden State (01/05)

Raiders Bottled Up in Finale vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 17 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a chance to rally in the final seconds, but the Chiefs' defense had the number of the Raiders' offense all game long as they lose the regular season finale to the Chiefs 17-23.

Last week, the Raiders sent Charles Woodson out in Oakland with a bang. His final game in the NFL is surely a stinger. But let's not turn this attention to Woodson's final game ending on a bad note, this game was bad on all facets of the game offensively. The receivers couldn't get open, the O-line was getting beat around, the running game was held in check, offensive playcalling was soft, and Derek Carr was trying to do too much. The defense, despite giving up 21 points, hung around for the Raiders, created a pair of turnovers to make this a game, but it wasn't enough.

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Turnovers. I'm just going to rehash from what I said in the halftime post, they said Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' winning streak. This game, the Raiders took it to heart and managed to generate two interceptions on Smith. T.J. Carrie had a pick, David Amerson, another pick for 6. There's no question the secondary needs to be addressed this offseason with Woodson gone and possibly other players getting cut (e.g. D.J. Hayden), but this game proved that Amerson is worth keeping around. He's not going to be a shutdown corner, but he's a decent football player. As much as Carrie had a down year due to injuries and shuffling from corner to safety, he's the Raiders' best player in the secondary. Props to them getting the picks and bringing the Raiders back in this game.

Khalil Mack, 10 tackles. There's no question Mack is a candidate for defensive player of the year. He rightfully deserves Pro Bowl honors and he's possibly moving up in the NFL's top 100 list. When he's not getting sacks, he's a tackling machine. Perhaps the highlight of this game was when he decided to do push ups after stopping a run. He could've had a couple of sacks here like last game, but I saw a lot of times he got held and the refs weren't calling them. Nonetheless, it was an impressive sophomore campaign for Mack, a huge leap from his rookie season.

(-)

O-line. Okay, I know most of the Chiefs sacks were because Carr didn't want to throw the ball away. I'm not pro Carr, so I'll pinpoint that flaw from Carr's game. I think with all the injuries and shuffling, especially from that right side of the O-line, the lack of depth was showing. Obviously, J'Marcus Webb is not starter material, Feliciano still has a long way to go in polishing his game to be the Raiders' long-term answer at right guard. The negatives on the O-line doesn't just stem from the pass protection, but they couldn't open up holes for Murray to get the run game going. 6 sacks on Carr, it's a "bang-bang" argument that it was Carr not getting rid of the ball or the O-line just couldn't block.

Offensive playcalling. I would hate for the Raiders to do this to Carr by hiring a new offensive coordinator and give him a new playbook in three years, but Musgrave needs to go along with this conservative playcalling. He made a fool out of us during the stretch of the Chargers, Jets, and Steelers games, thinking that this offense is explosive, but it's clear that they've regressed. Defenses have a lot of game film on them and Musgrave doesn't make any adjustments. Too many quick screen passes, no elements of surprise, really predictable.

Conclusion

It sucks the Raiders couldn't send Charles Woodson off a winner in his final NFL game and it sucks they did not end the season on a high note. Even though the record is unsatisfactory, a 7-9 finish exceeded a lot of expectations. Although I had this team going at 8-8 or 9-7, the consensus was that this team was going 6-10 and the Raiders proved a lot of experts wrong. This team had a couple games slip away from them this season, but they were virtually in every game except the first game of the season vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. Though this loss against the Chiefs ended the season on a sour note, there's a lot of good things to look forward to for the future. Once again, I'll provide a "season in review" post to elaborate on the good and the bad this season, so stay tuned for that. Sorry if I'm a little slow getting these posts on time. I am currently battling a cold that I got on Friday, so not a good way to start off the New Year for me. But, thank you Raider Nation for following my coverage of the 2015 season for the Oakland Raiders. I'll see you guys later.

Week 17: C-Wood's Last Game RAIDERS @ Kansas City Chiefs

Q4:

OAK 17 KC 23

Game winning drive with no timeouts 101: always aim for the sidelines. The Raiders had a chance to steal one in Kansas City, but they just kept throwing on the field. What were they doing there? It also didn't help that Carr took a sack, pretty much sums this game up. O-line was horrible today, Carr needs to know when to throw the ball away and use his mobility more, Musgrave didn't open up the playbook until that last TD drive to Crabtree. Woodson walks out the game with a loss on the road. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 10 KC 23

What I said in the halftime post, it's been the same thing like it was all game long in the 2nd half. The offense is just stagnant and they can't decipher this Chiefs defense. O-line can't protect Carr, the running game is still non-existent, predictable quick screen passes from Musgrave. This is just awful.

Q2:

OAK 10 KC 14

Bend, but don't break. As much as the Chiefs' offense are gashing the Raiders' defense, the defense just finds ways to bring life for the team. Two timely interceptions on Alex Smith, one returned for a touchdown, just enough to put the Raiders back in this game. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 0 KC 14

Well, the majority of this quarter was all Chiefs. They were just methodical in their first two drives. Andy Reid was throwing everything on the offensive playbook at the Raiders' defense and that resulted in two TDs. At the end of the first quarter though, a rare sighting of a long kickoff return for the Raiders as the returning game has been nonexistent all season long. Taiwan Jones provided a much needed spark on the last kickoff return for the Raiders to get back in it.

RAIDERS-Chiefs Halftime Post

OAK 10 KC 14

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Chiefs in Kansas City where the Chiefs have a narrow 10-14 lead at the first half.

(+)

Turnovers. It's been said a lot of times, Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' hot winning streak. This game, he already has two interceptions. T.J. Carrie managed to get a pick. After Derek Carr threw a costly pick to Ron Parker, the Raiders' defense responded with a pick 6 from David Amerson. As much as the defense is getting picked apart, this category is what's keeping them alive.

(-)

Offense. Latavius Murray held to 22 yards, the receiving corps not doing much, Derek Carr held in check. The Chiefs defense, despite missing a couple of key players are doing their job containing this offense. The only good drive I can pinpoint was when it was set up by Taiwan Jones' big return, but that drive stalled resulting into three points. Whatever it is, the offense has to get going at some point.

Bottom Line

The Raiders fortunately get the ball back after deferring. The offense just needs to find answers to decipher this Chiefs' defense. As much as the defense is keeping the Chiefs offense in check after giving up two TD scores, they're going to need some help if the Raiders sustain long drives on offense. Let's see what happens.

Lakers Top Sixers for First Win Streak of the Season

And they avoided utter infamy from being swept against the worst team in the NBA. Lou Williams was the top performer Friday night with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists on 6-15 shooting in the Lakers' 84-93 win over the 76ers. Jordan Clarkson added 19 points and Julius Randle lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points.

Final Score: vs. Philadelphia 84-93 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160101/PHILAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next game: vs. Phoenix (01/03)