Apologies for a Lackluster February

Besides covering Super Bowl 50, it was quite a down month for me in posts. A lot of stuff went on for me, there was a lot of uncertainty, and I just couldn't find time for the blog. I'll rebound in March. There's still some Laker games to cover, the 2016 NFL Free Agency is coming up, and I am resuming activities to release multimedia content for TrueRaiderLaker Productions. In the words of Packers' Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers: "R-E-L-A-X, Relax." I'll be back.

Lakers Lose to Bucks

Jordan Clarkson was the top performer this game with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, but the Lakers rack up another loss in the books as the Bucks defeat the Lakers 101-108 behind a triple-double performance by the "Greek Freak," Giannis Antetokounmpo. In his final game in Milwaukee, Kobe Bryant finished with 15 points, despite shooting 3-12 from the field. Nick Young lead all scorers off the bench with 19 points followed by Lou Williams with 14 points and Brandon Bass with 11 points.

Final Score: @ Milwaukee 101-108 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160222/LALMIL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Memphis (02/24)

Lakers Fall to Bulls in Kobe's Final Game in Chicago

Kobe Bryant made a name for himself in Chicago when he matched up against the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), Michael Jordan and 20 seasons later, he bids farewell to Chicago going up against his former teammate and best friend, Pau Gasol. I saw Pau's introduction on SportsCenter and boy, do I sure miss those times. Nonetheless, in his final game, Kobe Bryant racked up 22 points on 8-20 shooting, but Gasol's got the best of him as his 21 point performance helped the Bulls beat the Lakers, 115-126. Three other starters were in double figures last night. Julius Randle had a fantastic game, racking up 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points, and D'Angelo Russell finished with 15 points. Brandon Bass lead all scorers off the bench with 13 points and Lou Williams was the 2nd leading scorer off the bench with 11 points.

Final Score: @ Chicago 115-126 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160221/LALCHI/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Milwaukee (Tonight, 5:00 PM Pacific Time)

Duncan Edges Out Kobe in Final Lakers-Spurs Showdown

The Spurs and Lakers rivalry has brought so many great memories from the regular season to the playoffs. The two players who dominated the rivalry and dominated the 2000's decade, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, two future hall of famers, battled one last time in Staples Center Friday night and it was a game that signaled an end of an era for those who grew up watching them in their prime. Head-to-head, Kobe Bryant racked up 25 points on 10-25 shooting and Tim Duncan recorded a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, but the Lakers ultimately fell to the Spurs, 119-113 behind Tony Parker's 25 point performance. Jordan Clarkson was the Lakers' top performer this game with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists, Lou Williams added 21 points, and Julius Randle added a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds. Brandon Bass and Nick Young were tied as the leading scorers off the bench as both players finished with 10 points.

Final Score: vs. San Antonio 119-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160219/SASLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Chicago (02/21) <= NO Q-by-Q, Halftime, Full Recap Posts 

Kobe, LeBron Battle One Last Time in Cleveland; Lakers Fall to Cavs

The Kobe vs. LeBron debate has divided Lakers fans and Cavs/Heat fans for years, allowing both to engage each other in some bloody battles in the comments section. I was one of those people. Now, that we've hit the present and with LeBron aging and Kobe retiring at the end of the season, these last two games between these two legends should be taken into appreciation. So one last time, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers battled LeBron James and the Cavs in Kobe's final appearance in Cleveland. Kobe finished the game with with 17 points on 5-16 shooting, but LeBron James' 29 point performance, along with Kyrie Irving's 35 point performance helped the Cavs edge out the Lakers 111-120. Lou Williams was the Lakers' top performer this game, scoring 28 points on 9-15 shooting and Jordan Clarkson added 22 points to round out the starters. D'Angelo Russell continues to lead all scorers off the bench, finishing with 15 points and taking a nut shot from a pass attempt from LeBron (yes, I saw the video).

Final Score: @ Cleveland 111-120 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160210/LALCLE/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

"You gotta always protect the McNuggets." - The Longest Yard

 

Next Game: vs. San Antonio (02/19) 

 

Paul George's Heroics Edges Out Kobe's Heroics, Lakers Fall to Pacers

Alright, now that Super Bowl weekend is over, it's time to get back into NBA form, but we're gonna face another hurdle, which would be my internship schedule, but that's for a future post. Kobe Bryant had a string of throwback games against Minnesota, New Orleans, and San Antonio, and provided one last moment in Indiana on Monday night. Though he didn't shoot well, shooting 6-25 from the field, Kobe showed some vintage heroics late in the 4th quarter, finishing with 19 points and almost rallying the Lakers to victory. But, the Pacers lead by Paul George, had other plans on their mind as they rallied and stole a game from the Lakers in a 87-89 win. Julius Randle was the Lakers' overall top performer, finishing with a double-double of 15 points and 19 rebounds, Lou Williams added 13 points, and Jordan Clarkson added 10 points to round out the starters. D'Angelo Russell lead all scorers off the bench with 16 points.

Final Score: @ Indiana 87-89 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160208/LALIND/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Cleveland (02/10) <= NO Q-by-Q, Halftime, or Full Recap posts

Manning, Denver Defense Earn Place in Football History; Shut Down Panthers in Super Bowl 50

Alright guys, welcome in to the full recap of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos! In a battle of #1 seeds in the Big Game's 50th installment, the Denver defense, lead by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, leave their mark in history as they completely shut down the league MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers, 10-24 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

There's no magnificent ending in sports other than to see a legendary player end his storied career by going out on top a champion. This is what circled around this game. The legacy that Peyton Manning will leave, there is no question that he's one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, but you can't write a better ending than what he wrote tonight and that's walking out of Levi's Stadium, in the 50th edition of the Super Bowl, a champion. But let's step away from Peyton's storied career for a minute. Time and time again, the Denver Broncos defense showed why they were the best defense in the league. Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, the rest of the Broncos defense, they attacked Cam Newton and the Panthers O-line like crazy. They didn't give him any room to run as they kept stacking up the box, their defensive backs didn't give the Panthers receivers any room to run, and they made timely turnovers to seal the game. Like I said, the Panthers had some opportunities, but they shot themselves in the foot countless times and it costed them in the long run and the Denver defense was able to eat them up.

Carolina Panthers

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Defense. I predicted that this would be a low scoring game because of how good both defenses are. But let's look at the Panthers' side first. They were on the field for too long this game because of the slow start of the offense and the amount of mistakes the offense was making. But, they hung tough out there. After being off balance for Denver's first offensive drive, they kept them in check all game long, holding them to field goals by Brandon McManus. Luke Kuechly, 10 tackles, 1 sack, no question he's a beast. But Kony Ealy was their top performer out there with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble. Ealy's play tonight kept the Panthers defense afloat and prolonged window of opportunity for the Panthers offense to get the team back into this game.

Corey "Philly" Brown, 4 receptions, 80 yards. When Brown went out to the locker room somewhere in the third quarter, that was it for the Panthers because he was their play maker all game long when the Panthers' offense couldn't get anything going. Cam Newton had pressure in his face all game long, being unable to make some throws he usually make. But Philly Brown stepped up to be that big play maker and he did a tremendous job against this stingy Denver secondary before he went down to injury.

(-)

Missed opportunities. It wasn't just the Broncos' defense who beat the Panthers, it was also the Panthers who beat the Panthers this game. 4 turnovers in the game, a missed field goal by Graham Gano. The running game, when Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert had some good runs, they fumbled. When T.J. Ward fumbled his interception, the Panthers couldn't come up to recover the fumble and score it for a TD. When Cam Newton fumbled the snap in the 4th quarter, he didn't bother to recover the ball to give the team one last run. This is a reflection of a young team and their mistakes showed in the biggest game of their life.

Penalties. Like I said before, the Panthers also beat the Panthers and they shot themselves in the foot this game. Too many pre-snap penalties that costed them yardage when they were putting together solid drives in Broncos territory and too many illegal block/holding penalties that costed them some decent field position to start.

Denver Broncos

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Von Miller, 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks. Von Miller, hands down deserved Super Bowl MVP honors. The Panthers' O-line just didn't have the answers on how to contain him or block him! Von was just too fast for the Panthers to handle. The strip sack he had on Newton for a TD during the first quarter pretty much set the tone that Newton was not going to run circles on this defense. When he brings pressure from the blind side, it results in a sack and he got to Newton too many times. Some of the time, he was able to sack him, hence his 2.5 sacks, but a lot of the time when Miller collapsed the pocket it allowed opportunities for Ware and Derek Wolfe to get after Newton. There was nowhere for Newton to escape and Von Miller definitely made his presence felt this game as a pass rusher and as a disruptive playmaker.

Dustin Colquitt. Hey, punters are people too! Rarely is the importance of special teams emphasized, but the defense wouldn't have feasted on the Panthers' offense if it weren't for Dustin Colquitt. Colquitt pinned the Panthers deep for the most part of this game. This answers the reason why the Panthers' offense was getting awful field position to start! Even when the Broncos were deep into their own territory, Colquitt's punts didn't allow Ted Ginn, Jr. to have a favorable punt return nor did he give them any field position to start in Denver territory.

C.J. Anderson, 21 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD. Aside from the defense, Denver's running game was the the other key for the Broncos to have any chance of winning and C.J. Anderson provided that spark. The O-line deserves credit too for opening up some timely holes, but Anderson getting the running game going with some explosive runs kept the Panthers' defense off balance in some stints of the game. Not to mention, his 2 yard TD run sealed the deal for the Broncos in securing a Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored Panthers.

(-)

Demaryius Thomas, 1 reception, 8 yards. Panthers' cornerback, Josh Norman did his job in containing the Broncos' #1 receiver. I don't know if it's the big contract that he got in the past offseason, but Thomas was non-existent for the most part of the season, let alone in the playoffs. And two years after setting receiving records in Super Bowl XLVIII, he is held to just 1 catch for 8 yards in Super Bowl 50. How's he going to live up to his contract now that Peyton Manning may call it quits? We don't know, but he hasn't been the Broncos' go-to-guy as of late.

Conclusion

I'll remove some impartiality a little and say as a Raider fan, this game makes me want to puke after witnessing the Denver Broncos win yet another Super Bowl title and this time in my hometown of Santa Clara. You never want to see a heated divisional rival win it all at your expense. And in the process, they tied us for the most championships in the AFC West. Okay, I've gotten that off my chest. But it's going to be interesting to see if they're still going to be a powerhouse team as they transition into football life without Peyton Manning. As long as they keep their core players in Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan, etc. and Wade Phillips is still calling plays, their defense is going to carry the team on their back because the players are in the prime of their careers with the exception of DeMarcus Ware of course. Hey, in the incoming offseason, the Raiders might not have a shot at Von Miller to pair him with Mack, but they have a legit chance in snagging Malik Jackson or Danny Trevathan or both away to weaken them. As for the Panthers, they're young and this is part of the growing process. There's no question they'll be contenders for quite some time. The only question is, when players like Josh Norman for example played lights out in his contract year, will he play at the same level once he gets a contract extension? Both teams have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason because a lot of their integral pieces will be free agents. As for Peyton Manning, a heck of an ending to a storied career. The game of football is going to be weird to watch since guys like Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning, the last of their kind in the 1998 draft, called it quits after this season. But congrats to Peyton for a storied NFL career and we'll see him again with a gold jacket on in Canton, Ohio. Thank you guys for following my coverage of Super Bowl 50. Until next season. I'll see you guys later.

Congrats Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champions!

(I'm gonna puke)

SUPER BOWL 50: Carolina Panthers (NFC) vs. Denver Broncos (AFC) Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CAR 10 DEN 24

The 2015 Broncos' defense might've solidified its place as one of the best defenses in Super Bowl history to go along with the 1985 Chicago Bears, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, and the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and the rest of the Denver D-line contained Cam Newton and just straight up rattled him and the Panthers' O-line. Like I said in the 3rd quarter, the Panthers had some opportunities to come back in this game, but fumbles, pre-snap penalties absolutely doomed them from start to finish. Peyton Manning, you can't ask for a better ending for a storied career. Just unbelievable. But, the Denver defense hands down won this game single-handedly. They were just too much for the Panthers' offense to handle. Stay tuned for the full recap after the trophy presentation.

Q3:

CAR 7 DEN 16

We can talk about how good the Broncos defense has been all game long. But, the truth of the matter is, the Panthers are shooting themselves in the foot right now. Graham Gano's missed field goal started the trend, which allowed the Broncos to drive and cap it off with another McManus field goal. Then, just when the Panthers are about to go into the Broncos' red zone again, Newton throws an interception, but T.J. Ward fumbled it and that could've swung the momentum in Carolina's favor had Ted Ginn scooped it and possibly return it for a TD. The Panthers had a lot of opportunities this quarter and they couldn't cash them in. The window for them is closing soon as we head to the final quarter of Super Bowl 50 and of the 2015 NFL Season as well.

Q2:

CAR 7 DEN 13

Panthers' offensive coordinator, Mike Shula made some adjustments this quarter and he let Cam Newton turned loose to get the Panthers' offense going. In the first quarter, the defense held Newton in check, but in the 2nd quarter with some misdirection plays and some option plays, Newton rushed for 46 yards on 5 carries against this Denver defense. That opened up some opportunities and Jonathan Stewart was able to punch in to get Carolina on the board. The Panthers are fortunate to be down by 6 because of their stellar play from their defense lead by Luke Kuechly to contain Denver's offense after their first series, but some costly turnovers and drops are costing them right now from tying the game or taking the lead. Then again, the Broncos defense are making their presence felt in giving Newton all kinds of looks and fits. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CAR 0 DEN 10

This quarter definitely belonged to the Broncos. The Denver defense is definitely as good as advertised. They're stacking up the box against Newton so that he doesn't have any running lanes to flush out of the pocket for a big gainer and they're forcing him to throw. Meanwhile, the Broncos offense went off to a good start. I said if they establish the run with C.J. Anderson, it'll open up things for Peyton and they caught the Panthers' defense off balance before they successfully stopped them in the next few drives. So far though, the Denver defense is doing its job, but credit to the special teams of the Broncos too for giving the Panthers offense horrible field position to start.

Super Bowl 50 Halftime Post

CAR 7 DEN 13

Welcome in to the halftime post of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos where the Broncos have a 7-13 lead at the half.

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C.J. Anderson (DEN), 7 carries, 58 yards. I said in the "Keys for the Broncos" in my preview that the running game has to be established and it starts with C.J. Anderson. Anderson found some good holes in the running lane against this good Carolina run defense as it was evident in Denver's first series on offense and during the 2nd quarter when he found a big hole to put the Broncos into the red zone. The O-line gets credit too for paving some holes for Anderson to run loose. Even though the Panthers stopped Denver a few drives, the running game managed to put their defense on ice.

Defense (DEN). Cam Newton held to 0 rushing yards in the first quarter, a couple of fumbles, one returned for a TD, sacks by Miller and Ware, the defense is doing its job in frustrating Cam Newton and giving him no room to run. If the Broncos are going to win this game, they have to ride on their defense to make plays and give Peyton Manning some opportunities to field some decent drives together.

Luke Kuechly (CAR), 6 tackles, 1 sack. Without a shadow of a doubt, Luke Kuechly is one of the best middle linebackers in the game and he's translating his elite play to the Super Bowl. He was able to get Peyton off a blitz, his activity was well evident when covering the whole field (look at the hit he made on Demaryius Thomas).

(-)

Aqib Talib (DEN), 3 penalties. If there's one thing that's going to cost the Broncos, it's the penalties. The defense hasn't given the Panthers' offense any life, but some big penalties by Aqib Talib has given the Panthers a fighting chance and the Panthers were able to cash in on their first score by those two big penalties by Talib. Talib has costed them the Colts game awhile. He can't afford to cost them here in the big game.

Jitters (CAR). Understandably so, the Panthers are a young team, playing in the biggest game of their young careers. The Panther receivers were dropping a lot of balls, Mike Tolbert fumbled twice when the Panthers were in good field position to field a couple of drives. Right now, they're relying on Cam Newton to put something together and they're not trying to make plays to help out their quarterback because the Broncos defense is zoned out to contain Newton.

Bottom Line

The Panthers' offense have to shake off the jitters and the receivers need to stop dropping some balls to give Newton a fighting chance. That's detrimental for the Panthers to get back in this game since the defense is doing their job containing Peyton Manning and the offense. The Broncos, it's all about defense, defense, defense. This Denver defense is going to make plays and give Manning some opportunities to put together some solid field position to put together some solid scoring drives. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half as Carolina gets the ball after deferring the coin toss.

Kobe Turns Back the Clock in Win vs. T'Wolves

Kobe Bryant found the fountain of youth Tuesday night in the Lakers' win vs. the Timberwolves. The Black Mamba pulled out a vintage performance, scoring 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, going 7-11 from 3 point range in the Lakers' 115-119 victory. Julius Randle added another double-double to his stat sheet this season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Lou Williams added 20 points, and Jordan Clarkson added 16 points, shooting an efficient 8-13 from the field. D'Angelo Russell lead all scorers off the bench, recording 18 points on 6-12 shooting.

Final Score: vs. Minnesota 115-119 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20160202/MINLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nba:scoreboard

Highlights:

Next Game: @ New Orleans (02/04) <= NO Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap posts