12/25: vs. LA Clippers 111-106 [L] (24-7)
WE ALMOST HAD THEM! DAMMIT!
I'll be honest, I was super salty at the end result of this game. As Snoop Dogg says in his rants: "this ruined my Christmas." If there's anything to sum up the first two meetings with the Clippers as 2019 comes to a close, it's this: the Lakers are only good against their hallway brother for 24 minutes. Oh and they had the odds in their favor too! Despite a hobbled LeBron and AD and LeBron having an off game, the Lake Show stood their ground. Kyle Kuzma went off in the first half. Lou Williams was held in check to 5 points. Paul George didn't go off either. The Lakers were up big at the half and had fun with Kevin Hart courtside.
Then the 2nd half happened. Allow me to summarize this to the tune of Jingle Bells to exemplify the spirit of Christmas:
Silly fouls
Turnovers
Missed threes from LeBron
Kawhi went off
For 35 Points
And Pat Beverly talked some sh*t. F*CK!
Just like Patrick Beverly, we will never hear the end of it from Clipper fans. "We're the better LA team" echoed across the Internet as the Clippers go up 2-0 in the Battle for LA. And like that, they creep closer to the top of the Western Conference. That 2nd half was pathetic and once again, Doc Rivers outcoaches Frank Vogel in the 2nd half. How do you sit Kuzma out that long when he's got the hot hand? Danny Green, you've been selected on an all-defensive team. How the hell are you this undisciplined? He committed some silly fouls to let the Clippers back in. And LeBron, you stunk it up this game. I don't know if it was the groin injury that affected your psyche. 1-6 from three point land, unacceptable. Honestly, I don't care if the Clippers sweep the Lakers in the regular season. If they meet in the playoffs, I WANT THE LAKERS TO HANDLE THAT BUSINESS WHEN IT MATTERS THE MOST!
12/28: @ Portland 128-120 [W] (25-7)
This game was the perfect "get right" game for the Lakers. Let's face it, Portland is in the midst of turmoil after an improbable run to the Conference Finals last year. Despite strong acquisitions of Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony, they are struggling so far this season. However, they didn't make this any easy for the Lakers. When the Lakers dominated the Blazers earlier this month at the Moda Center, I figured the next meeting won't be so easy this time around. But, they hung tight on Saturday behind another stellar scoring performance from Kyle Kuzma and some key clutch shots from KCP to add on to LeBron and AD's typical 20+ point stat lines.
12/29: vs. Dallas 95-108 [W] (26-7)
Ending the year on a high note. It's quite a coincidence that the Mavs are the Lakers' first opponent and their last opponent for the month of December. The last meeting between these two teams was an ugly loss for the Lakers as Luka Doncic put up early MVP numbers. But last night, the Lakers made sure they game planned for Luka this time around. To their success, they held him to 19 points and 5-14 shooting. Last night's win was an all-around team game. Honestly, this team has a lot of savvy veterans they can't rely on LeBron and AD to carry them. Six Lakers were in double figures this game. KCP lead the bench with 19 points. Dwight Howard added 15 points. JaVale McGee and Danny Green chipped in with 11 points and 10 points respectively. And of course, AD and LeBron with 23 points and 13 points respectively. The only blemish this game was that Kyle Kuzma had no points after a pair of 20+ point games off the bench. But at the end of the day, a W is what matters. The Lakers end 2019 with an outstanding 26-7 record. 2020 will present an even greater challenge.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Raiders End Season with Tough Road Loss, Eliminated by Titans Win
Final: OAK 15 DEN 16 (7-9)
Now the 2019 NFL Regular Season has ended. The Raiders drop their final regular season matchup representing the city of Oakland with a 15-16 loss. I already tuned out of this game as soon as the Titans sealed the win against the Texans. As I mentioned last week, they were fortunate some chips fell into their favor. This week, not so much. The scenario was clear: a win, TEN loss, PIT loss, IND win and either a CHI or NE or LAC or DET win and they're in. The latter I found out earlier and the Bears did pull out a close one against the #6 seeded Vikings to keep the Raiders hopes alive but faintly.
The way this game went on in the midst of all this playoff chaos, it was without question, the most Raider thing to ever unfold to sum up two decades of futility. Raiders string together good drives. As usual, they can't punch it in the end zone. Daniel Carlson misses a 30+ yard chip shot field goal. Two TDs were called off by the refs. I don't know how they miss Alec Ingold's second effort when he slightly extended the nose of the football on the goal line. Penalties. And the end result in a loss to a bitter rival. You can't write off a better ending as they transition to Vegas.
I would not blame this game too much on the defense. They did just enough to keep the Raiders in the game. Derek Carr and the offense just couldn't deliver with a lot of stalled drives. Then again, they had way too many injuries to overcome with Incognito and Trent Brown out and of course, Josh Jacobs' absence in the running game. The decision to go for two, I'm not too mad about it. The Titans took care of business against the Texans to close the door on the Raiders' playoff hopes. They had nothing to lose and it's pretty pointless to take the game into overtime with nothing to play for at that point.
With that being said, glad this season is done with. Even if the Raiders did their job and the scenarios that needed to happen happened, to have this team limp into Foxborough and avenge a call we dare not mention 18 years later is asking a bit too much. It would be good experience for the young rookies, but this team would be severely overmatched, especially on the road. Overall, this record is what was expected of the Raiders. We expected them to improve their win total from 4-12 last year. The fact that they were in the playoff hunt until the end was an added bonus. They have something to build upon as the team transitions from Oakland to Las Vegas. Stay tuned for my annual Season in Review post as I summarize and break down what has transpired this season. I'll see you guys later.
Now the 2019 NFL Regular Season has ended. The Raiders drop their final regular season matchup representing the city of Oakland with a 15-16 loss. I already tuned out of this game as soon as the Titans sealed the win against the Texans. As I mentioned last week, they were fortunate some chips fell into their favor. This week, not so much. The scenario was clear: a win, TEN loss, PIT loss, IND win and either a CHI or NE or LAC or DET win and they're in. The latter I found out earlier and the Bears did pull out a close one against the #6 seeded Vikings to keep the Raiders hopes alive but faintly.
The way this game went on in the midst of all this playoff chaos, it was without question, the most Raider thing to ever unfold to sum up two decades of futility. Raiders string together good drives. As usual, they can't punch it in the end zone. Daniel Carlson misses a 30+ yard chip shot field goal. Two TDs were called off by the refs. I don't know how they miss Alec Ingold's second effort when he slightly extended the nose of the football on the goal line. Penalties. And the end result in a loss to a bitter rival. You can't write off a better ending as they transition to Vegas.
I would not blame this game too much on the defense. They did just enough to keep the Raiders in the game. Derek Carr and the offense just couldn't deliver with a lot of stalled drives. Then again, they had way too many injuries to overcome with Incognito and Trent Brown out and of course, Josh Jacobs' absence in the running game. The decision to go for two, I'm not too mad about it. The Titans took care of business against the Texans to close the door on the Raiders' playoff hopes. They had nothing to lose and it's pretty pointless to take the game into overtime with nothing to play for at that point.
With that being said, glad this season is done with. Even if the Raiders did their job and the scenarios that needed to happen happened, to have this team limp into Foxborough and avenge a call we dare not mention 18 years later is asking a bit too much. It would be good experience for the young rookies, but this team would be severely overmatched, especially on the road. Overall, this record is what was expected of the Raiders. We expected them to improve their win total from 4-12 last year. The fact that they were in the playoff hunt until the end was an added bonus. They have something to build upon as the team transitions from Oakland to Las Vegas. Stay tuned for my annual Season in Review post as I summarize and break down what has transpired this season. I'll see you guys later.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup #8: Funked Up
Success at the top doesn't come without any adversity the rest of the way. As the season ramps up with more games heading into the New Year, it'll get harder from here. Further success must be proceeded with caution. The Lakers are on a tremendous start 24-3 heading into this week. As Anthony Davis mentioned, this team vows to never lose a game back-to-back. Saying it is easy. Doing it presents a bigger challenge. And quite frankly, the Lakers were due to overcome a little adversity at some point.
12/17: @ Indiana 102-105 [L] (24-4)
It was a homecoming for coach Vogel after a few years of coaching the Pacers to a pair of Eastern Conference Finals appearances. The road streak was fun while it lasted. With the way the Lakers are keeping games close, this was bound to happen eventually. Although, there's no denying that the presence of Anthony Davis was sorely missed. The Lakers ruled out AD after he tweaked an ankle on Sunday's win against the Hawks. The Pacers may be missing their best player in Victor Oladipo, but they aren't no pushover because of how head coach Nate McMillan gets the best out of the talent he has. As expected, the game was tightly contested all the way. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers looked like they about to pull away with a minute and thirty left in the game. But the Pacers kept roaring back behind the efforts of Malcolm Brogdon and a beastly performance from Domantas Sabonis. LA had all kinds of chances to regain momentum and pull out the victory...if they made their free throws down the stretch.
Free throws down the stretch cost the Lakers this game. Despite the greatness of LeBron James, he has been shooting poorly from the free throw line as of late and it showed this game with no AD to bail out the team. As for Dwight Howard, great throwback performance from him with a 20 point game and a perfect 10-10 field goals. But, when you have to rely on Dwight to make free throws in the clutch, you are bound to lose. Indiana kept the window open for the Lakers, but the Lakers could not capitalize because of their own mishaps. LeBron went 0-6 from 3-point. Rajon Rondo was atrocious this game, but you let him take the potential game-tying shot. As mentioned Dwight stepped up as well as Avery Bradley, chipping 13 points this game. You'll probably not see them perform like this on a night-to-night basis. Next game against the Bucks raises the stakes in this heavyweight fight on Thursday night as two of the best teams look to bounce back from tough, streak-breaking losses.
12/19: @ Milwaukee 104-111 [L] (24-5)
NBA fans are in for a treat for a possible Finals matchup. Lakers and the Bucks. The King and the 'Brow battle the Greek Freak, the reigning, defending league MVP. This had all the makings of a heavyweight fight. 12 rounds of boxing converted into 4 quarters of basketball.
And the Bucks win by unanimous decision! Let's be honest, the Lakers could not stop Milwaukee's three-point shooting. When you have Giannis hitting threes, you know you're in big trouble. He hit five threes this game. Five threes! And he also picked his spots against the Laker defense. Poor KCP was thrown into the fodder having to guard the "Greek god of the deer." AD and LeBron guarded him in some spurts and did well. It boggles my mind why we couldn't cancel out Giannis' length with either of those guys full time. Well, AD in particular. We all know LeBron needs his rest. It also doesn't help that the Lakers' 2nd unit scored a whopping 4 points compared to the Bucks' 34 points lead by George Hill's 21 points. They were literally playing five on ten this game and I'm surprised they almost rallied. Key word "almost." They just couldn't stop the precipitation of threes.
12/22: vs. Denver 128-104 [L] (24-6)
The four words that we all don't want to hear prior to this game: LeBron James is OUT. The reports say that he has a strain on his back. Well, literally LeBron and AD are carrying this team throughout the duration of the season. When their backs give out, the purple and gold are in a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, it was LeBron's back that gave out. When he goes, so does the flow of this offense. And it showed this game. I'm not going to say much, but Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma's return carried this Lakers team this game. Outside of Rondo, the Lakers could not find ways to move the ball and create shots for the team. 19 assists has got to be a season low for this team. The offense was literally give AD the ball and make him do work. Oh, and he aggravated his ankle injury. Meanwhile, Denver controlled the pace of the game and dominated flat out in the 2nd half with ball movement and spacing. It's a small sample size, but without LeBron as the primary floor general, this offense staggers.
With the Lakers' recent skid, other top teams in the West are slowly creeping up for the top seed. Denver and Houston are back in the race. You know who else is? The dreaded Clippers. The only thing that's stopping the Clippers from overtaking the entire conference is their affinity for load management. The last thing the Lakers need in this anticipated rematch on Christmas Day is their top stars hobbled with injuries as LeBron and AD are questionable for that game. Just like last Christmas game, I can guarantee you that this game will also be a fortune-changing game for the Lakers.
12/17: @ Indiana 102-105 [L] (24-4)
It was a homecoming for coach Vogel after a few years of coaching the Pacers to a pair of Eastern Conference Finals appearances. The road streak was fun while it lasted. With the way the Lakers are keeping games close, this was bound to happen eventually. Although, there's no denying that the presence of Anthony Davis was sorely missed. The Lakers ruled out AD after he tweaked an ankle on Sunday's win against the Hawks. The Pacers may be missing their best player in Victor Oladipo, but they aren't no pushover because of how head coach Nate McMillan gets the best out of the talent he has. As expected, the game was tightly contested all the way. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers looked like they about to pull away with a minute and thirty left in the game. But the Pacers kept roaring back behind the efforts of Malcolm Brogdon and a beastly performance from Domantas Sabonis. LA had all kinds of chances to regain momentum and pull out the victory...if they made their free throws down the stretch.
Free throws down the stretch cost the Lakers this game. Despite the greatness of LeBron James, he has been shooting poorly from the free throw line as of late and it showed this game with no AD to bail out the team. As for Dwight Howard, great throwback performance from him with a 20 point game and a perfect 10-10 field goals. But, when you have to rely on Dwight to make free throws in the clutch, you are bound to lose. Indiana kept the window open for the Lakers, but the Lakers could not capitalize because of their own mishaps. LeBron went 0-6 from 3-point. Rajon Rondo was atrocious this game, but you let him take the potential game-tying shot. As mentioned Dwight stepped up as well as Avery Bradley, chipping 13 points this game. You'll probably not see them perform like this on a night-to-night basis. Next game against the Bucks raises the stakes in this heavyweight fight on Thursday night as two of the best teams look to bounce back from tough, streak-breaking losses.
12/19: @ Milwaukee 104-111 [L] (24-5)
NBA fans are in for a treat for a possible Finals matchup. Lakers and the Bucks. The King and the 'Brow battle the Greek Freak, the reigning, defending league MVP. This had all the makings of a heavyweight fight. 12 rounds of boxing converted into 4 quarters of basketball.
And the Bucks win by unanimous decision! Let's be honest, the Lakers could not stop Milwaukee's three-point shooting. When you have Giannis hitting threes, you know you're in big trouble. He hit five threes this game. Five threes! And he also picked his spots against the Laker defense. Poor KCP was thrown into the fodder having to guard the "Greek god of the deer." AD and LeBron guarded him in some spurts and did well. It boggles my mind why we couldn't cancel out Giannis' length with either of those guys full time. Well, AD in particular. We all know LeBron needs his rest. It also doesn't help that the Lakers' 2nd unit scored a whopping 4 points compared to the Bucks' 34 points lead by George Hill's 21 points. They were literally playing five on ten this game and I'm surprised they almost rallied. Key word "almost." They just couldn't stop the precipitation of threes.
12/22: vs. Denver 128-104 [L] (24-6)
The four words that we all don't want to hear prior to this game: LeBron James is OUT. The reports say that he has a strain on his back. Well, literally LeBron and AD are carrying this team throughout the duration of the season. When their backs give out, the purple and gold are in a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, it was LeBron's back that gave out. When he goes, so does the flow of this offense. And it showed this game. I'm not going to say much, but Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma's return carried this Lakers team this game. Outside of Rondo, the Lakers could not find ways to move the ball and create shots for the team. 19 assists has got to be a season low for this team. The offense was literally give AD the ball and make him do work. Oh, and he aggravated his ankle injury. Meanwhile, Denver controlled the pace of the game and dominated flat out in the 2nd half with ball movement and spacing. It's a small sample size, but without LeBron as the primary floor general, this offense staggers.
With the Lakers' recent skid, other top teams in the West are slowly creeping up for the top seed. Denver and Houston are back in the race. You know who else is? The dreaded Clippers. The only thing that's stopping the Clippers from overtaking the entire conference is their affinity for load management. The last thing the Lakers need in this anticipated rematch on Christmas Day is their top stars hobbled with injuries as LeBron and AD are questionable for that game. Just like last Christmas game, I can guarantee you that this game will also be a fortune-changing game for the Lakers.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Raiders Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Win over Chargers
Final: OAK 24 LAC 17 (7-8)
Stayin' Alive. Stayin' Alive. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Stayin' Alive. Stayin' Alive. ~ The Bee Gees
I just got off watching the highlights of the full game. I managed to catch the last five minutes of the 4th quarter. Yeah. The Raiders have bounced back and are still miraculously alive in the playoff hunt with this win over the Chargers and a lot of help around the NFL. All the scenarios that need to happen happened this week. Jets beat the Steelers. Ravens beat the Browns. Colts beat the Panthers. And Saints beat the Titans.
It's quite unbelievable that the Raiders still in the playoff hunt. When you think about it, they got flat out embarrassed on the road against the Jets and the Chiefs. Titans came into Oakland and blew them out. Jaguars delivered a gut wrenching loss in the final home game at the Coliseum. But, they managed to take care of business here.
Looking at the highlights, it was not a pretty game. The O-line allowed 3 sack on Derek Carr. The biggest plus though was that Hunter Renfrow was back. Renfrow provided a spark in the passing game with 7 receptions, 107 yards and a TD. Renfrow was definitely missed the last two games and he made the receiving corps look good. He made Carr look good. Let's not kid ourselves, Carr had a good game with almost 300 passing yards, a pass TD, and a rushing TD. His up and down performances continues to raise some bipolarity among Raider Nation. This doesn't change the fact that he's not playing with the money he's worth. But no question, this guarantees that Carr will play at least a season in Vegas. DeAndre Washington filled in for Josh Jacobs well with 85 rushing yards and a TD. The running game didn't miss a beat.
There's not much else I can say about this game. But, luck was definitely on the Raiders' side this week. Let's be a little realistic here, none of the teams in the running for the sixth seed in the AFC are playoff worthy. This is a mess that the Raiders definitely need to capitalize on. As I mentioned, the scenarios that needed to happen happened this week. Next week, they need to win against Denver, Ravens and Texans have to win against Pittsburgh and Tennessee respectively, and the Colts need to win. The odds will be a lot tougher next week. Ravens and Texans are likely going to rest their starters as their playoff picture is set. Whether some of the games that the Raiders lost this season will come back to haunt them remains to be seen. I'll see you guys next week.
Stayin' Alive. Stayin' Alive. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Stayin' Alive. Stayin' Alive. ~ The Bee Gees
I just got off watching the highlights of the full game. I managed to catch the last five minutes of the 4th quarter. Yeah. The Raiders have bounced back and are still miraculously alive in the playoff hunt with this win over the Chargers and a lot of help around the NFL. All the scenarios that need to happen happened this week. Jets beat the Steelers. Ravens beat the Browns. Colts beat the Panthers. And Saints beat the Titans.
It's quite unbelievable that the Raiders still in the playoff hunt. When you think about it, they got flat out embarrassed on the road against the Jets and the Chiefs. Titans came into Oakland and blew them out. Jaguars delivered a gut wrenching loss in the final home game at the Coliseum. But, they managed to take care of business here.
Looking at the highlights, it was not a pretty game. The O-line allowed 3 sack on Derek Carr. The biggest plus though was that Hunter Renfrow was back. Renfrow provided a spark in the passing game with 7 receptions, 107 yards and a TD. Renfrow was definitely missed the last two games and he made the receiving corps look good. He made Carr look good. Let's not kid ourselves, Carr had a good game with almost 300 passing yards, a pass TD, and a rushing TD. His up and down performances continues to raise some bipolarity among Raider Nation. This doesn't change the fact that he's not playing with the money he's worth. But no question, this guarantees that Carr will play at least a season in Vegas. DeAndre Washington filled in for Josh Jacobs well with 85 rushing yards and a TD. The running game didn't miss a beat.
There's not much else I can say about this game. But, luck was definitely on the Raiders' side this week. Let's be a little realistic here, none of the teams in the running for the sixth seed in the AFC are playoff worthy. This is a mess that the Raiders definitely need to capitalize on. As I mentioned, the scenarios that needed to happen happened this week. Next week, they need to win against Denver, Ravens and Texans have to win against Pittsburgh and Tennessee respectively, and the Colts need to win. The odds will be a lot tougher next week. Ravens and Texans are likely going to rest their starters as their playoff picture is set. Whether some of the games that the Raiders lost this season will come back to haunt them remains to be seen. I'll see you guys next week.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup #7: Southeast Road Trip
Roundup is back after a brief hiatus. The Lakers shook off the ugly loss against Dallas to open up the month of December. Last week, the Lakers made it known that the tough schedule wouldn't do them in. They notched road wins at Denver, at Utah, and at Portland. Arguably three of the most hostile environments and the Lakers shut out the decibels from those arenas. They had a brief home stint against Minnesota, but they were surprisingly in a shootout. But they pulled it off with AD's career night, dropping 50 points. Now, the Lakers are on the road again, putting the streak of wins outside Staples Center on the line once more. Their destination the past week? The South East: Florida and Georgia.
12/11: @ Orlando 96-87 [W] (22-3)
Orlando had the Lakers' number last year, there's no denying that. Now, that the Lakers have upgraded their talent, let's see what the Magic, a fringe playoff team last year can do now. Fair enough, they were missing a few bodies, Nikola Vucevic particularly. Even if Rondo and Kuz aren't playing this game, the Lakers still outmatch the Magic in talent. And it showed with a 26-9 shellacking in the first quarter and the Lakers didn't look back. Well, only for the first half. It's fair to say, the Lakers intentionally wanted to make things interesting by letting the Magic creep back in. Poor 3-point shooting and turnovers prevented the Lakers from attaining complete domination. Luckily enough, KCP and Jared Dudley (before he got ejected by backing up Dwight against Mo Bamba and Wes Iwundu) with their 3-point shooting down the stretch.
12/13: @ Miami 113-110 [W] (23-3)
This and Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks to end the road trip are arguably the Lakers' biggest test on the this road stretch. Streaks were on the line this game as the Lakers leveraged their 12-game road winning streak vs. the Heat's 11-game home winning streak. Miami has been an unkind place for the Lakers in the last decade, but the purple and gold have turned things around as of late. This game was a slugfest as expected. LeBron and AD had their off night in Disney World, but there was no off day in South Beach as they combined for 61 points. Though, the only blemish on LeBron was his 8 turnovers. He struggled handling the ball as Miami's D made it rough with their quick hands and zone defense. But, rebounding proved to be their undoing, especially in the final seconds. Despite KCP's 50% conversion from the free throw line after Kendrick Nunn's 3-pointer to cut the lead to one and end the Heat's 11-0 start at home. The final play though, there was a lot of contact between LeBron and Jimmy Butler. The NBA's report acknowledged there should've been a foul call on there. We'll take the victory though.
12/15: @ Atlanta 101-96 [W] (24-3)
It's always gotta be testy in Atlanta. If the Falcons can come back against the mighty 49ers, I'm sure the Hawks can upset the Lakers. NOPE! Despite the Hawks being competitive, they still find ways to choke down the stretch. You got Trae Young pulling up from deep and clanking. Despite the not so dominant win, the Lakers still managed to put up some highlight reels to wow the crowd even against themselves. I'm looking at the play where Rondo faked an alley oop to LeBron and LeBron faked the chase down block afterwards. It would've made it on Shaqtin' if the block was made. Superman was in the building for only two points with a Dwight dunk off the between the legs bounce pass from LeBron. Despite the close games, the Lakers had all the confidence in the world that they're unstoppable. The wins and all are good, but honestly, it's not a good look if they continue to play down to their level of competition. Confidence is good and all, but too much confidence? Anyway, wins are wins.
12/11: @ Orlando 96-87 [W] (22-3)
Orlando had the Lakers' number last year, there's no denying that. Now, that the Lakers have upgraded their talent, let's see what the Magic, a fringe playoff team last year can do now. Fair enough, they were missing a few bodies, Nikola Vucevic particularly. Even if Rondo and Kuz aren't playing this game, the Lakers still outmatch the Magic in talent. And it showed with a 26-9 shellacking in the first quarter and the Lakers didn't look back. Well, only for the first half. It's fair to say, the Lakers intentionally wanted to make things interesting by letting the Magic creep back in. Poor 3-point shooting and turnovers prevented the Lakers from attaining complete domination. Luckily enough, KCP and Jared Dudley (before he got ejected by backing up Dwight against Mo Bamba and Wes Iwundu) with their 3-point shooting down the stretch.
12/13: @ Miami 113-110 [W] (23-3)
This and Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks to end the road trip are arguably the Lakers' biggest test on the this road stretch. Streaks were on the line this game as the Lakers leveraged their 12-game road winning streak vs. the Heat's 11-game home winning streak. Miami has been an unkind place for the Lakers in the last decade, but the purple and gold have turned things around as of late. This game was a slugfest as expected. LeBron and AD had their off night in Disney World, but there was no off day in South Beach as they combined for 61 points. Though, the only blemish on LeBron was his 8 turnovers. He struggled handling the ball as Miami's D made it rough with their quick hands and zone defense. But, rebounding proved to be their undoing, especially in the final seconds. Despite KCP's 50% conversion from the free throw line after Kendrick Nunn's 3-pointer to cut the lead to one and end the Heat's 11-0 start at home. The final play though, there was a lot of contact between LeBron and Jimmy Butler. The NBA's report acknowledged there should've been a foul call on there. We'll take the victory though.
12/15: @ Atlanta 101-96 [W] (24-3)
It's always gotta be testy in Atlanta. If the Falcons can come back against the mighty 49ers, I'm sure the Hawks can upset the Lakers. NOPE! Despite the Hawks being competitive, they still find ways to choke down the stretch. You got Trae Young pulling up from deep and clanking. Despite the not so dominant win, the Lakers still managed to put up some highlight reels to wow the crowd even against themselves. I'm looking at the play where Rondo faked an alley oop to LeBron and LeBron faked the chase down block afterwards. It would've made it on Shaqtin' if the block was made. Superman was in the building for only two points with a Dwight dunk off the between the legs bounce pass from LeBron. Despite the close games, the Lakers had all the confidence in the world that they're unstoppable. The wins and all are good, but honestly, it's not a good look if they continue to play down to their level of competition. Confidence is good and all, but too much confidence? Anyway, wins are wins.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Raiders Leave Oakland With Final Home Loss vs. Jags
Final: JAX 20 OAK 16 (6-8)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6HaXBjJpE8/
Happy to be back after a week off to take care of a project to wrap up this current semester. I was in attendance for this game. Last game in Oakland and all, my bro and I wanted to take a trip to the Coliseum one last time before they depart to Las Vegas (for real). For me, that was only my 2nd time. My first was back in 2011 vs. the Chicago Bears when Carson Palmer still quarterbacked for the team. This game was a bitter loss. It began with a lot of fireworks and it ended with a dud. We didn't see the last five minutes to catch the BART early. But we kept track of the remainder of the game and the Jaguars came back to spoil the celebration.
Without question, this game was a tale of two halves and a microcosm of Jon Gruden's teams in his second stint. This team preaches 60 minutes of football. Yet, they only play 30 minutes of it. The first half was all Raiders. They did a good job that first quarter balancing the run and pass plays to keep Jacksonville's defense off balance. It was nice to have Josh Jacobs back this game as he carved up the Jags' run D. Darren Waller went off this game with 122 receiving yards. Jags' pass D was very susceptible to Tight Ends, which was perfect for Waller. The only lone touchdown on the Raiders was Derek Carr's pass to Tyrell Williams who proceeds to break away from his defender and take it in for a 40-yard TD. The Jaguars were able to get one big play off of Gardner Minshew for the first quarter. But, they were mostly held in check. Raiders added a triplet of field goals from Carlson to extend the lead to 3-16 at the half.
Then, the Jaguars proceeded to score 17 unanswered points. Derek Carr started feeling more pressure and felt the wrath of Sacksonville during the 2nd half. Penalties racked up. Carlson misses a field goal twice with the potential to put the Raiders up six and set up a potential game-winning field goal since the Jags scored with 31 seconds left in the game. As I said, a microcosm of Gruden's teams.
The playoff talk was already over with back-to-back blowout losses on the road. If there was any game they had to get, it was this one. This loss is pretty much a symbolism of the Raiders' ugly 2nd tenure in Oakland: four winning seasons in 24 years since their return. I was too young for three of those even though I vividly remember. This 2nd tenure has sucked. I feel sorry for all of Oakland fans because they had to put up with this for a while. Now the team is departing for Vegas and this is the
last memory we'll see of the Raiders in the Bay Area and all of Cali: letting us down one last time.
Despite the loss, it doesn't take away the fun I had earlier today talking with a lot of Raider fans, taking a look at the tailgate in the Coliseum parking lot one last time. Sure, Vegas has a shiny new stadium for Raider Nation waiting. But, the atmosphere in Oakland is something that Sin City will never replicate. I see a lot of posts on the notion that the Raiders will get better once they move to Vegas. It's not that simple. Relocation doesn't automatically reverse the fortunes of a franchise, especially of a team that has so many holes on the roster. That's where the Raiders are right now. I'm tired of Derek Carr. The organization has invested too much around him for him just to be a "deer in the headlights." Paul Guenther needs to go. Jon needs to bring his brother in to call plays. This organization has lost touch in reality. Despite the draft capital in the next two years, they'll be back in square one where they need to start paying these rookies big dollars in 4-5 years. We keep saying that the future is bright. The greatness of the Raiders is in its future right? So far it hasn't happened and one relocation won't automatically bring an immediate bright future. That's my rant for tonight. They still got two games left on the road. The road to Vegas starts here and the Raiders have their work cut out. I'll see you guys later.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6HaXBjJpE8/
Happy to be back after a week off to take care of a project to wrap up this current semester. I was in attendance for this game. Last game in Oakland and all, my bro and I wanted to take a trip to the Coliseum one last time before they depart to Las Vegas (for real). For me, that was only my 2nd time. My first was back in 2011 vs. the Chicago Bears when Carson Palmer still quarterbacked for the team. This game was a bitter loss. It began with a lot of fireworks and it ended with a dud. We didn't see the last five minutes to catch the BART early. But we kept track of the remainder of the game and the Jaguars came back to spoil the celebration.
Without question, this game was a tale of two halves and a microcosm of Jon Gruden's teams in his second stint. This team preaches 60 minutes of football. Yet, they only play 30 minutes of it. The first half was all Raiders. They did a good job that first quarter balancing the run and pass plays to keep Jacksonville's defense off balance. It was nice to have Josh Jacobs back this game as he carved up the Jags' run D. Darren Waller went off this game with 122 receiving yards. Jags' pass D was very susceptible to Tight Ends, which was perfect for Waller. The only lone touchdown on the Raiders was Derek Carr's pass to Tyrell Williams who proceeds to break away from his defender and take it in for a 40-yard TD. The Jaguars were able to get one big play off of Gardner Minshew for the first quarter. But, they were mostly held in check. Raiders added a triplet of field goals from Carlson to extend the lead to 3-16 at the half.
Then, the Jaguars proceeded to score 17 unanswered points. Derek Carr started feeling more pressure and felt the wrath of Sacksonville during the 2nd half. Penalties racked up. Carlson misses a field goal twice with the potential to put the Raiders up six and set up a potential game-winning field goal since the Jags scored with 31 seconds left in the game. As I said, a microcosm of Gruden's teams.
The playoff talk was already over with back-to-back blowout losses on the road. If there was any game they had to get, it was this one. This loss is pretty much a symbolism of the Raiders' ugly 2nd tenure in Oakland: four winning seasons in 24 years since their return. I was too young for three of those even though I vividly remember. This 2nd tenure has sucked. I feel sorry for all of Oakland fans because they had to put up with this for a while. Now the team is departing for Vegas and this is the
last memory we'll see of the Raiders in the Bay Area and all of Cali: letting us down one last time.
Despite the loss, it doesn't take away the fun I had earlier today talking with a lot of Raider fans, taking a look at the tailgate in the Coliseum parking lot one last time. Sure, Vegas has a shiny new stadium for Raider Nation waiting. But, the atmosphere in Oakland is something that Sin City will never replicate. I see a lot of posts on the notion that the Raiders will get better once they move to Vegas. It's not that simple. Relocation doesn't automatically reverse the fortunes of a franchise, especially of a team that has so many holes on the roster. That's where the Raiders are right now. I'm tired of Derek Carr. The organization has invested too much around him for him just to be a "deer in the headlights." Paul Guenther needs to go. Jon needs to bring his brother in to call plays. This organization has lost touch in reality. Despite the draft capital in the next two years, they'll be back in square one where they need to start paying these rookies big dollars in 4-5 years. We keep saying that the future is bright. The greatness of the Raiders is in its future right? So far it hasn't happened and one relocation won't automatically bring an immediate bright future. That's my rant for tonight. They still got two games left on the road. The road to Vegas starts here and the Raiders have their work cut out. I'll see you guys later.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup #6: 10 Wins...and One December 1 Loss
November has been very kind to the Lakers. Outside of the early loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Lakers have owned the month of November. One could say they've had a far easy schedule against struggling teams. But one thing's for sure, they are taking care of business against teams they're expected to beat. Heading into December, the Lakers will truly be tested against teams with better records. How they fare remains to be seen, but let's take a look at how they performed this week.
11/25: @ San Antonio 114-104 [W] (15-2)
All of LA had their attention on this as soon as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens wiped the floor clean over the Rams on Monday night. You always have to be weary when San Antonio will start flipping the switch. But when your recent win is against the Knicks and you're 6-12, it's not a great start. As for the Lakers, they're surviving this road trip with some heart stopping wins at OKC and at Memphis. Can we at least have a comfortable win here? This is just what the doctor ordered. Looking at the highlights, the Spurs and the Lakers were trading buckets with no team having a decisive lead. That's until the 4th quarter. The Spurs had no answer for LeBron's scoring and facilitating prowess. What's even more lethal? His three point shooting was on point in crunch time. This is especially considering that Anthony Davis had a pedestrian game, yet he still showed up when it mattered the most. The final stat line: LeBron James lead all Lakers with 33 points and 14 assists. As mentioned AD had an off night, but still finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Rondo, KCP, and Troy Daniels provided that extra scoring power. We already know KCP has played lights out since starting, but Rondo had the shooter's touch going 3-3 from beyond the arc. He was especially big at helping the Lakers balloon their lead. The Spurs still fought valiantly as DeMar DeRozan continued to battle. During that fourth quarter, the Spurs were not going away as long as he's getting buckets. But my goodness, work on a 3-point shot man. Maybe your team will have a greater chance making this game close if you can just hit a crucial three.
11/27: @ New Orleans 114-110 [W] (16-2)
11/25: @ San Antonio 114-104 [W] (15-2)
All of LA had their attention on this as soon as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens wiped the floor clean over the Rams on Monday night. You always have to be weary when San Antonio will start flipping the switch. But when your recent win is against the Knicks and you're 6-12, it's not a great start. As for the Lakers, they're surviving this road trip with some heart stopping wins at OKC and at Memphis. Can we at least have a comfortable win here? This is just what the doctor ordered. Looking at the highlights, the Spurs and the Lakers were trading buckets with no team having a decisive lead. That's until the 4th quarter. The Spurs had no answer for LeBron's scoring and facilitating prowess. What's even more lethal? His three point shooting was on point in crunch time. This is especially considering that Anthony Davis had a pedestrian game, yet he still showed up when it mattered the most. The final stat line: LeBron James lead all Lakers with 33 points and 14 assists. As mentioned AD had an off night, but still finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Rondo, KCP, and Troy Daniels provided that extra scoring power. We already know KCP has played lights out since starting, but Rondo had the shooter's touch going 3-3 from beyond the arc. He was especially big at helping the Lakers balloon their lead. The Spurs still fought valiantly as DeMar DeRozan continued to battle. During that fourth quarter, the Spurs were not going away as long as he's getting buckets. But my goodness, work on a 3-point shot man. Maybe your team will have a greater chance making this game close if you can just hit a crucial three.
11/27: @ New Orleans 114-110 [W] (16-2)
This is the most anticipated game on the schedule. Anthony Davis returns back to New Orleans to face off against his former team. With this, we are expecting a heavy rain of boos drenching on AD whenever he touches the ball. That's what transpired predictably. This wasn't just a return game for AD, but a revenge game for Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball. B.I. was 100% full go for this. Hart didn't miss one. And Lonzo? Nowhere in sight. Maybe he chickened out again, but his official prognosis was that he didn't play due to illness. Things got off to a rocky start this game for the Lakers. After a 10-8 lead, New Orleans fired on all cylinders from three. I gotta give credit to the Pels. They showed up this game ready to play. They were physical. They stretched the floor. Josh Hart nearly head hunted LeBron and AD. In that 2nd quarter, 'Bron bumped knees with Hart. And by the end of the third, gave AD a sore elbow. I'm not implying that Josh Hart is a dirty player. He wasn't notorious for that in his tenure with the purple and gold. But no question he was the common denominator when both the Lakers' star players had to briefly exit the game.
The lead looked insurmountable for the Lakers to overcome. Davis overcame a slow start, but he wasn't getting too much help elsewhere. LeBron looked pedestrian in the first three quarters, missing free throws to make matters worse. Kuz was reluctant to take any shots. KCP, Rondo, Green, and JaVale looked awful. Out of the supporting cast, Dwight Howard looked sharp out of the gate. He was solid after laying a goose egg in San Antonio. Caruso was consistent as usual with his defense despite the lack of stats. Let's roll back to LeBron and Kuzma because when AD had to get off, they came alive down the stretch. Kuzma got in rhythm from. LeBron took over when it mattered the most. AD still finished the game and stuck it to New Orleans with free throws and a clutch steal over B.I. This game turned incredible at the end with the Lakers' resiliency and will to finish strong and that has been their MO all season long. A fitting end to what was a four-game road roller coaster!
11/29: vs. Washington 103-125 [W] (17-2)
The Washington Wizards may have a losing record to start, but they're one of the highest scoring offenses in the league thus far. The Lakers were down 9-0 to start this game to the Wizards. After that, it felt like a millennia that they shut out the Lakers early on. I could throw out a joke that the Lakers were spotting them points before they put the pedal to the medal. They did look sluggish and discombobulated on offense. But, that's exactly what they did. After that start, the Lakers outscored them 29-4, eventually ballooning the lead to 39 points at one point. LeBron James and Anthony Davis did their usual things as the purple and gold's dynamic duo, combining for 49 points. But, it was the rest of the supporting cast that stepped up. Rondo shooting the three ball well contributed to the Lakers storming back and keeping the lead for the rest of the game. Danny Green found the stroke from deep. JaVale McGee joined LeBron and AD in the double-double category with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Quinn Cook did some mop up duty and got hot in the 4th quarter. The defense held Bradley Beal to 18 points. This was a much-needed team-dominant win for the Lakers after pulling out close ones in the last few games. With this start, I feel like a teenager again with these Lakers stacking up wins and dominating teams they should beat. At 17-2, this is their best start 2008-09 if I'm reading the stats correctly. They were near perfect for the month of November with their only loss to Toronto back on the 10th. Now things get testy as the LakeShow puts their best record on the line against a daunting December stretch.
12/01: vs. Dallas 114-100 [L] (17-3)
I did say this December will be a daunting month for the LakeShow. Last meeting, the Lakers grinded it out with an OT win over the Mavs. Don't think the Mavs have forgotten that leading into these game. My head and neck area did some exercises rotating between this game and the Raiders' sh*tshow vs. the Chiefs. The Lakers had momentum at the first half. But, it all fizzled away from the Mavs' hot shooting in the third quarter. The Mavs outscored them 35-17. Not only were they draining 3's, but they were getting 2nd chance opportunities off the boards. AD, JaVale, and Dwight ought to be embarrassed by not boxing out with their size. They got outhustled every step of the way. The Lakers missed some shots with some pretty questionable shot selection. It was very uncharacteristic. LeBron turned the ball over 6 times and missed all 5 of his 3-point attempts. Despite the 25, 9, and, 8 effort, that certainly leaves a blemish. Outside of LeBron and AD, the team didn't have much help besides Caruso. Caruso did give the Lakers a spark when he hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead 87-75 in the third. Other than that, the 2nd half was all Mavs. You gotta give some MVP mention to Luka Doncic. It's a little early, but the dude has been nothing short of special in his sophomore year for Dallas.
*Next week, I will not be posting a Weekly Roundup. I mentioned this in my reaction to the Raiders' loss to the Chiefs. This semester is closing up fast and I have a daunting final paper (currently in progress) staring me in the face. I'll see you guys the week after.*
11/29: vs. Washington 103-125 [W] (17-2)
The Washington Wizards may have a losing record to start, but they're one of the highest scoring offenses in the league thus far. The Lakers were down 9-0 to start this game to the Wizards. After that, it felt like a millennia that they shut out the Lakers early on. I could throw out a joke that the Lakers were spotting them points before they put the pedal to the medal. They did look sluggish and discombobulated on offense. But, that's exactly what they did. After that start, the Lakers outscored them 29-4, eventually ballooning the lead to 39 points at one point. LeBron James and Anthony Davis did their usual things as the purple and gold's dynamic duo, combining for 49 points. But, it was the rest of the supporting cast that stepped up. Rondo shooting the three ball well contributed to the Lakers storming back and keeping the lead for the rest of the game. Danny Green found the stroke from deep. JaVale McGee joined LeBron and AD in the double-double category with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Quinn Cook did some mop up duty and got hot in the 4th quarter. The defense held Bradley Beal to 18 points. This was a much-needed team-dominant win for the Lakers after pulling out close ones in the last few games. With this start, I feel like a teenager again with these Lakers stacking up wins and dominating teams they should beat. At 17-2, this is their best start 2008-09 if I'm reading the stats correctly. They were near perfect for the month of November with their only loss to Toronto back on the 10th. Now things get testy as the LakeShow puts their best record on the line against a daunting December stretch.
12/01: vs. Dallas 114-100 [L] (17-3)
I did say this December will be a daunting month for the LakeShow. Last meeting, the Lakers grinded it out with an OT win over the Mavs. Don't think the Mavs have forgotten that leading into these game. My head and neck area did some exercises rotating between this game and the Raiders' sh*tshow vs. the Chiefs. The Lakers had momentum at the first half. But, it all fizzled away from the Mavs' hot shooting in the third quarter. The Mavs outscored them 35-17. Not only were they draining 3's, but they were getting 2nd chance opportunities off the boards. AD, JaVale, and Dwight ought to be embarrassed by not boxing out with their size. They got outhustled every step of the way. The Lakers missed some shots with some pretty questionable shot selection. It was very uncharacteristic. LeBron turned the ball over 6 times and missed all 5 of his 3-point attempts. Despite the 25, 9, and, 8 effort, that certainly leaves a blemish. Outside of LeBron and AD, the team didn't have much help besides Caruso. Caruso did give the Lakers a spark when he hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead 87-75 in the third. Other than that, the 2nd half was all Mavs. You gotta give some MVP mention to Luka Doncic. It's a little early, but the dude has been nothing short of special in his sophomore year for Dallas.
*Next week, I will not be posting a Weekly Roundup. I mentioned this in my reaction to the Raiders' loss to the Chiefs. This semester is closing up fast and I have a daunting final paper (currently in progress) staring me in the face. I'll see you guys the week after.*
Chiefs Make It Look Easy
Final: OAK 9 KC 40
Here we go with another post before the game ends. This team is nowhere near close to being a playoff team. A blowout loss last week. A blowout this week. I am not surprised that this team continues to fold in big moments.
The only positive was the running game. This was exactly the game plan to keep Mahomes and the red hot offense off the field. Josh Jacobs had over 100+ rushing yards. And that's that. You can't really fault the defense on this one. This team had three turnovers. That's the last thing you wanted to do. And the Chiefs made them pay. Carr threw a pick to Tyrann Mathieu after a solid opening drive. Trevor Davis fumbled on the kickoff return. Carr threw a pick 6. All those turnovers allowed the Chiefs to jump to a 21-0 lead. And they never looked back as Mahomes and the offense absolutely gashed this team. As I said, you can't completely blame the defense on this when the offense outside of the running game couldn't anything going. The Raiders went the length of the game to throw one completed pass to a wideout. That's just sad.
Let's talk about Derek Carr for a bit. He makes us Raider fans bipolar. When he plays great, he's great. When he plays poor, he's garbage. It's a controversial topic. Of course, it's a team game. He's not completely to blame. But, let's face facts here. The Raiders are paying him over $100 million just to play game manager and play scared in the pocket. Both Reggie McKenzie previously and Mike Mayock thus far have invested so many resources to build a talented offensive unit around him. And he can't deliver. You can pin some blame on the turnover for offensive coordinators that Carr had the over the years. You can blame the Antonio Brown fiasco. You can blame the turnover from the 2016 and 2017 rosters. But you know what separates the Aaron Rodgers' of the world? The Russell Wilsons of the world? Heck, even the Tom Brady's of the world? They find ways to make the team better with the weapons they have, with the O-line they have. You don't hear many fans clamoring that they need to give them more talent on that unit or give them more time to learn a new system.
For six years, we've made those kinds of excuses for Carr. He needs a better O-line. Reggie McKenzie gave him that with Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson and later, Mike Mayock gave him that with Trent Brown. He needs weapons. They give him Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and later Jared Cook and Darren Waller. He needs a running game. They gave him Marshawn Lynch who still had some left in the tank and drafted a stud in Josh Jacobs. All those years, they've invested on the offensive end to build around Carr. Hence why they couldn't build up the defense as well. Because all of the investments is going to Carr and the offense. I love DC the person. He had some good years in 2015 and 2016. But, it's time to take the blinders off for good. He may be the record holder of stats in franchise history. But, the overall W-L record as a starter, the record in cold weather games, and the record against the Chiefs speak for themselves. He stares down receivers. He's too timid to extend plays with his legs nowadays. There's no time to give him more time. He's either the guy or he's not. It's time to look this in the mirror.
**Next week, I will not be posting all week. The semester is ending and I gotta put all my writing efforts for a Master's paper in progress. Lakers' Weekly Roundup for this week will be posted soon. Then, I'm going dark from this blog all of next week.**
The only positive was the running game. This was exactly the game plan to keep Mahomes and the red hot offense off the field. Josh Jacobs had over 100+ rushing yards. And that's that. You can't really fault the defense on this one. This team had three turnovers. That's the last thing you wanted to do. And the Chiefs made them pay. Carr threw a pick to Tyrann Mathieu after a solid opening drive. Trevor Davis fumbled on the kickoff return. Carr threw a pick 6. All those turnovers allowed the Chiefs to jump to a 21-0 lead. And they never looked back as Mahomes and the offense absolutely gashed this team. As I said, you can't completely blame the defense on this when the offense outside of the running game couldn't anything going. The Raiders went the length of the game to throw one completed pass to a wideout. That's just sad.
Let's talk about Derek Carr for a bit. He makes us Raider fans bipolar. When he plays great, he's great. When he plays poor, he's garbage. It's a controversial topic. Of course, it's a team game. He's not completely to blame. But, let's face facts here. The Raiders are paying him over $100 million just to play game manager and play scared in the pocket. Both Reggie McKenzie previously and Mike Mayock thus far have invested so many resources to build a talented offensive unit around him. And he can't deliver. You can pin some blame on the turnover for offensive coordinators that Carr had the over the years. You can blame the Antonio Brown fiasco. You can blame the turnover from the 2016 and 2017 rosters. But you know what separates the Aaron Rodgers' of the world? The Russell Wilsons of the world? Heck, even the Tom Brady's of the world? They find ways to make the team better with the weapons they have, with the O-line they have. You don't hear many fans clamoring that they need to give them more talent on that unit or give them more time to learn a new system.
For six years, we've made those kinds of excuses for Carr. He needs a better O-line. Reggie McKenzie gave him that with Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson and later, Mike Mayock gave him that with Trent Brown. He needs weapons. They give him Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and later Jared Cook and Darren Waller. He needs a running game. They gave him Marshawn Lynch who still had some left in the tank and drafted a stud in Josh Jacobs. All those years, they've invested on the offensive end to build around Carr. Hence why they couldn't build up the defense as well. Because all of the investments is going to Carr and the offense. I love DC the person. He had some good years in 2015 and 2016. But, it's time to take the blinders off for good. He may be the record holder of stats in franchise history. But, the overall W-L record as a starter, the record in cold weather games, and the record against the Chiefs speak for themselves. He stares down receivers. He's too timid to extend plays with his legs nowadays. There's no time to give him more time. He's either the guy or he's not. It's time to look this in the mirror.
**Next week, I will not be posting all week. The semester is ending and I gotta put all my writing efforts for a Master's paper in progress. Lakers' Weekly Roundup for this week will be posted soon. Then, I'm going dark from this blog all of next week.**
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup #5: Thriller(s)!
This is posted a little bit early since the Lakers have a game tomorrow at San Antonio.
We had to be on speed dial for this weeks' matchups. A lot of close calls on these games. Let's jump straight to this week's roundup.
11/19: vs. Oklahoma City 107-112 [W] (12-2)
I'm surprised that the Thunder haven't won a road game so far this season. For a team that's supposed to be in rebuild mode, they've done a good job competing. The only negatives I can think of this game was that Dennis Schroeder was unstoppable the first three quarters and turnovers. The Lakers dominated every statistical category, but they only escaped by with a 5-point win. Refer back to those negatives and you'd find out why. It was similar to last Friday against Sacramento. The Lakers looked like they were gonna pull away, but the Kings kept fighting back. Same case happened this game. The Lakers were able to get the victory thanks to their trio of clients of Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. Anthony Davis had a weird game Sunday, but bounced back this game with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. AD's three-point game was on point for this matchup, satisfying to see. LeBron James notched a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, but that is marred by 7 turnovers. When they had Chris Paul on the switch, he was able to bottle up ballhandling of the King. CP3 had a quiet game, but he was getting it done defensively. Have to give credit to that. And the final client of Klutch Sports, KCP, racked up 13 points. KCP is making us eat our words. He has been playing well since Frank Vogel inserted him in the starting lineup in lieu of the injured Avery Bradley. He's earning that money and that no-trade clause on his contract. In other news, Kyle Kuzma got poked in the eye really bad and pretty much the eye swelled up. We hope he's okay. This win wraps up the Lakers' home stand and they'll look to show out on the road trip ahead.
11/22: @ Oklahoma City 130-127 [W] (13-2)
OKC you again this game. As I mentioned in the last section, this Thunder team is a scrappy bunch despite in a rebuild year. This game had the same narrative as the last game. Except the Lakers trailed by the end of the first half. Momentum built up for the Lakers with KCP's buzzer beater in the 2nd quarter. It was a nice heave by Rondo to LeBron. And LeBron alertly tapped it to KCP to execute the beautiful play at the half. By the 2nd half, it looked like the Lakers were going to run away with it. But like the last, the Thunder continued to keep themselves in the ball game. That is until the dynamic duo of the King and the 'Brow came up clutch in the end to seal the win. Davis racked up 33 points and dominated the boards with 11 rebounds. James racked up 23 points and dished out the dimes with 14 assists. KCP and Danny Green provided the third option scoring with 17 points and 14 points respectively. KCP in particular continues to prove us wrong. His defense is not in question. His scoring though is just inconsistent. But, inserting him in the starting lineup is doing wonders.
11/23: @ Memphis 109-108 [W] (14-2)
The Lakers just continue to give us a heart attack this week and what a way to wrap it up with another gutsy win over the Grizzlies. With the Lakers coming off a grueling back-to-back road win and the Grizzlies coming off extra days of rest, you'd think it work in the Grizzlies favor. The first half definitely showed that. By the time I checked into this game, the Lakers were down by 15 points. A loss would finally catch up to the Lakers. But by this period we should know by now, the Lakers always start slow and finish strong. They rallied in the 2nd half, eventually taking a 7 point lead. But, the Grizzlies answered with a run of their own lead by early ROTY favorite, Ja Morant. It also didn't help that the Grizzlies had the three-point game on lock behind Jae Crowder and Jaren Jackson Jr. Despite all that and the efforts that LeBron and Kuzma made to throw away the game, the Lakers wounded up escaping thanks to AD's clutch bucket and defensive play down the stretch. Before that, AD hit a game-tying three pointer, which was big. This game was ugly. Especially down the stretch with LeBron chucking up some threes to try to go for the knockout. Or when Kuzma had the game-saving steal and fumbled it to allow the Memphis to cut the lead to one. But, all is well when they pull out the W against a team they're expected to beat.
We had to be on speed dial for this weeks' matchups. A lot of close calls on these games. Let's jump straight to this week's roundup.
11/19: vs. Oklahoma City 107-112 [W] (12-2)
I'm surprised that the Thunder haven't won a road game so far this season. For a team that's supposed to be in rebuild mode, they've done a good job competing. The only negatives I can think of this game was that Dennis Schroeder was unstoppable the first three quarters and turnovers. The Lakers dominated every statistical category, but they only escaped by with a 5-point win. Refer back to those negatives and you'd find out why. It was similar to last Friday against Sacramento. The Lakers looked like they were gonna pull away, but the Kings kept fighting back. Same case happened this game. The Lakers were able to get the victory thanks to their trio of clients of Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. Anthony Davis had a weird game Sunday, but bounced back this game with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. AD's three-point game was on point for this matchup, satisfying to see. LeBron James notched a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, but that is marred by 7 turnovers. When they had Chris Paul on the switch, he was able to bottle up ballhandling of the King. CP3 had a quiet game, but he was getting it done defensively. Have to give credit to that. And the final client of Klutch Sports, KCP, racked up 13 points. KCP is making us eat our words. He has been playing well since Frank Vogel inserted him in the starting lineup in lieu of the injured Avery Bradley. He's earning that money and that no-trade clause on his contract. In other news, Kyle Kuzma got poked in the eye really bad and pretty much the eye swelled up. We hope he's okay. This win wraps up the Lakers' home stand and they'll look to show out on the road trip ahead.
11/22: @ Oklahoma City 130-127 [W] (13-2)
OKC you again this game. As I mentioned in the last section, this Thunder team is a scrappy bunch despite in a rebuild year. This game had the same narrative as the last game. Except the Lakers trailed by the end of the first half. Momentum built up for the Lakers with KCP's buzzer beater in the 2nd quarter. It was a nice heave by Rondo to LeBron. And LeBron alertly tapped it to KCP to execute the beautiful play at the half. By the 2nd half, it looked like the Lakers were going to run away with it. But like the last, the Thunder continued to keep themselves in the ball game. That is until the dynamic duo of the King and the 'Brow came up clutch in the end to seal the win. Davis racked up 33 points and dominated the boards with 11 rebounds. James racked up 23 points and dished out the dimes with 14 assists. KCP and Danny Green provided the third option scoring with 17 points and 14 points respectively. KCP in particular continues to prove us wrong. His defense is not in question. His scoring though is just inconsistent. But, inserting him in the starting lineup is doing wonders.
11/23: @ Memphis 109-108 [W] (14-2)
The Lakers just continue to give us a heart attack this week and what a way to wrap it up with another gutsy win over the Grizzlies. With the Lakers coming off a grueling back-to-back road win and the Grizzlies coming off extra days of rest, you'd think it work in the Grizzlies favor. The first half definitely showed that. By the time I checked into this game, the Lakers were down by 15 points. A loss would finally catch up to the Lakers. But by this period we should know by now, the Lakers always start slow and finish strong. They rallied in the 2nd half, eventually taking a 7 point lead. But, the Grizzlies answered with a run of their own lead by early ROTY favorite, Ja Morant. It also didn't help that the Grizzlies had the three-point game on lock behind Jae Crowder and Jaren Jackson Jr. Despite all that and the efforts that LeBron and Kuzma made to throw away the game, the Lakers wounded up escaping thanks to AD's clutch bucket and defensive play down the stretch. Before that, AD hit a game-tying three pointer, which was big. This game was ugly. Especially down the stretch with LeBron chucking up some threes to try to go for the knockout. Or when Kuzma had the game-saving steal and fumbled it to allow the Memphis to cut the lead to one. But, all is well when they pull out the W against a team they're expected to beat.
Jets Bring the Blitzkrieg on the Raiders
Final: OAK 3 NYJ 34 (6-5)
The final score is subject to change since the game is still going on. But for the Raiders, this game is pretty much over. East Coast game, wet weather, windy conditions, we should've expected that this game was going to go awry for the Silver and Black. And it did big time.
I'm not going to dive deep into this game. The Raiders had a nice opening drive, which finished with Daniel Carlson field goal, but that's all they can write. After that, it's been all Jets. Too many big plays were given up in the passing game. As I mentioned last week, Sam Darnold has been playing better and it showed this game. Over 300 yards passing, 2 passing TDs, and 1 rushing TD. The defense wasn't that great today. The offense was awful especially. You know it's bad when Gruden pulls Carr and Jacobs out before the 4th quarter starts.
This has been common for the Raiders for a while now. In the biggest of games where it's a must-win, the spotlight is just too bright for them and they fold. You can chalk this one up to the tally. This also adds to Derek Carr's awful track record in cold, bad weather games. He's 2-8 going to 2-9 in these kinds of games.
Bottom line, the Raiders got punched in the mouth today. They were caught looking ahead to the matchup against KC next week. Though, they're still right in the hunt with Indy losing to the Texans earlier this week. Next week in a rematch against the Chiefs at Kansas City will be a telltale game and is barometer for this season going forward. So far, the odds are not in the Raiders' favor. The weather is going to be cold again and Andy Reid-coached teams tend to win big after coming off a bye week. Regardless, next week is a must-win for the Raiders' season. I'll see you guys next week for that game.
The final score is subject to change since the game is still going on. But for the Raiders, this game is pretty much over. East Coast game, wet weather, windy conditions, we should've expected that this game was going to go awry for the Silver and Black. And it did big time.
I'm not going to dive deep into this game. The Raiders had a nice opening drive, which finished with Daniel Carlson field goal, but that's all they can write. After that, it's been all Jets. Too many big plays were given up in the passing game. As I mentioned last week, Sam Darnold has been playing better and it showed this game. Over 300 yards passing, 2 passing TDs, and 1 rushing TD. The defense wasn't that great today. The offense was awful especially. You know it's bad when Gruden pulls Carr and Jacobs out before the 4th quarter starts.
This has been common for the Raiders for a while now. In the biggest of games where it's a must-win, the spotlight is just too bright for them and they fold. You can chalk this one up to the tally. This also adds to Derek Carr's awful track record in cold, bad weather games. He's 2-8 going to 2-9 in these kinds of games.
Bottom line, the Raiders got punched in the mouth today. They were caught looking ahead to the matchup against KC next week. Though, they're still right in the hunt with Indy losing to the Texans earlier this week. Next week in a rematch against the Chiefs at Kansas City will be a telltale game and is barometer for this season going forward. So far, the odds are not in the Raiders' favor. The weather is going to be cold again and Andy Reid-coached teams tend to win big after coming off a bye week. Regardless, next week is a must-win for the Raiders' season. I'll see you guys next week for that game.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup Week 4: Taking Care of Business
The loss against Toronto two Sundays ago stung the Lakers and they continued to sit as the 2nd best record in the NBA...behind Boston (bleh). But a loss is sometimes good. Multiple losses? Not quite. So far, the Lakers have stead clear of a losing skid. This past week's schedule presents a much easier stretch for the purple and gold. Why it's against teams that they're expected to beat! As always, it's better to not take any opponent for granted and the Lakers are well aware of that to start this season. Let's see how they fared this stretch!
11/12: @ Phoenix 123-115 [W] (8-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Ah, good to finally see that the team is at full strength with the return of Rajon Rondo. Last Sunday was a tough loss to the defending champions, but it's time to put that in the rear view mirror with a bounceback win against the Phoenix Suns. When you think of the Phoenix Suns in the past, you think easy win. They've turned heads so far this season with a few upset wins on their belt. They are a high octane scoring team that can light up the scoreboard. The Lakers clearly got the memo here and played with a lot of urgency. Anthony Davis dominated his way with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but he had help closing this game out. LeBron did what he did with the 19 points and 11 assists, but it was the supporting cast that stepped up. Danny Green comes alive after a string of quiet games where he was a non-factor with 14 points. Dwight Howard notched a near double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. And Kyle Kuzma, he had a terrible string of games against Miami and Toronto, but he came up big in his 23 point performance this game. No question, the Suns are on the come up. They finally have some veterans they can rely on. Ricky Rubio's addition takes a load off Devin Booker and allows him to do what he do best...score. But, the Lakers came to play and re-exert their hot start as the top team in the West.
11/13: vs. Golden State 94-120 [W] (9-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
For the past 5 years, the Golden State gods enacted their reign of terror across the NBA. When teams see the Warriors, they'd either cower in fear or answer the challenge...and fall short as they're overmatched by their talent. Now, let's look at this year, the Warriors are a shadow of their once unstoppable dynasty. They are no longer the gods of the NBA and are banished to league purgatory. To all my Warrior fans, have a seat. Welcome to the period that is rebuilding.
With the Dubs no longer a threat, the Lakers decide to rule out AD and Rondo for this game. Rondo just got back from injury. And of course, AD is a key piece. They will need the 'Brow healthy down the stretch. No AD? No Rondo? No problem as the Lakers stepped it up and beat down the Warriors like they should. Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee anchored the inside in AD's absence. McGee had 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks and Dwight had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and a block. I'm astonished Dwight is -4. It could be the foul trouble and some missed free throws. He did have some defensive breakdowns, but Dwight's performance was on par with McGee this game. Nonetheless, both bigs filled in well and dominated the Warriors' weak interior D. As mentioned no AD this game, but LeBron and Kuzma proved that the Lakers have an alternate dynamic duo in place. LeBron ran circles around this Warrior team: 23 points, 12 assists on 11-21 shooting. There was a scare in the first half when he slipped. We all know what happened on Christmas Day. But, luckily no injury for the King. Funny enough, the Lakers had a comfortable lead that he was not needed for the 4th quarter. Kuzma picked up the slack in scoring with 22 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting. He's really getting back into the groove of things and he's going to pick it up more as the season progresses. Quinn Cook chipped in 10 points. He did well against his former team. Nice revenge games for both he and McGee. A dominant win against the Warriors takes me back to the good old days when this was common and all my Warrior friends can't say nothing to me. To Dub Nation I say welcome back to being the punching bag.
11/15: vs. Sacramento 97-99 [W] (10-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
This game was a homecoming for Luke Walton since the Lakers terminated him by season's end. Things got off to a rough start in Luke's first few games coaching the Kings, but they're playing much better as of late. Sacramento has strung together some wins sans their key young pieces in De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. It would be sweet revenge for Luke if he coaches the Kings to an upset victory. They started off hot right out of the gate. With the way Luke coaches with that Golden State system, you know the Kings are going to rain threes all night. Things were going fine for Sacramento until LeBron killed Nemanja Bjelica in plain sight during the 2nd quarter. The guy is in his 17th season, yet he's still putting defenders on a poster. This game was a huge scare for the Lakers, especially in the 2nd half. When you think the Lakers were gonna pull away, the Kings kept knocking on the door. It's not just Buddy Hield as a scoring threat, but Richaun Holmes showed out for Sacramento. And there's also Bogdan Bogdanovic to look out for. I still get PTSD from last year when he nailed a cold-blooded three over Tyson Chandler to win the game in their first meeting at Sacramento. The Lakers got some unexpected contributions though. KCP, as much flack as he gets, he made a couple of key buckets in the 4th quarter. That can't be overlooked. Sacramento fought hard, but LeBron and AD closed out the game and finished off the Queens. LeBron made clutch free throws to put the Lakers in front. Then Anthony Davis denied Harrison Barnes as Barnes attempted the game-tying layup.
11/17: vs. Atlanta 101-122 [W] (11-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Kobe Bryant was at this game! All present Lakers must pay their respects as they are blessed by the Black Mamba's presence. LeBron, Kuz, AD, and even Dwight Howard paid their respects to Kobe. Now, it's time to do him proud, embrace the Mamba Mentality, and kill the opposing team in sight. They did just that this game. Yes, I know it's against the Hawks who are not expected to be good, but they have some good young pieces. Atlanta got blown out the following night against the Clippers and the Lakers did the same. This was a weird game throughout, but all was right for the LakeShow. LeBron put on a show for Kobe with 33 points and draining 6 threes. The Black Mamba gave the King an ounce of his shooting venom for this game. AD had a strange game. He didn't grab a single rebound until the 2nd half. He still racked up some points and blocks though. And Danny Green had the highlight of the night with his putback dunk. I totally forgot he still had some hops. Not much to say about this game. It was just another wire-to-wire victory for the Lakers. They definitely needed this blowout after Friday's thriller.
11/12: @ Phoenix 123-115 [W] (8-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Ah, good to finally see that the team is at full strength with the return of Rajon Rondo. Last Sunday was a tough loss to the defending champions, but it's time to put that in the rear view mirror with a bounceback win against the Phoenix Suns. When you think of the Phoenix Suns in the past, you think easy win. They've turned heads so far this season with a few upset wins on their belt. They are a high octane scoring team that can light up the scoreboard. The Lakers clearly got the memo here and played with a lot of urgency. Anthony Davis dominated his way with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but he had help closing this game out. LeBron did what he did with the 19 points and 11 assists, but it was the supporting cast that stepped up. Danny Green comes alive after a string of quiet games where he was a non-factor with 14 points. Dwight Howard notched a near double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. And Kyle Kuzma, he had a terrible string of games against Miami and Toronto, but he came up big in his 23 point performance this game. No question, the Suns are on the come up. They finally have some veterans they can rely on. Ricky Rubio's addition takes a load off Devin Booker and allows him to do what he do best...score. But, the Lakers came to play and re-exert their hot start as the top team in the West.
11/13: vs. Golden State 94-120 [W] (9-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
For the past 5 years, the Golden State gods enacted their reign of terror across the NBA. When teams see the Warriors, they'd either cower in fear or answer the challenge...and fall short as they're overmatched by their talent. Now, let's look at this year, the Warriors are a shadow of their once unstoppable dynasty. They are no longer the gods of the NBA and are banished to league purgatory. To all my Warrior fans, have a seat. Welcome to the period that is rebuilding.
With the Dubs no longer a threat, the Lakers decide to rule out AD and Rondo for this game. Rondo just got back from injury. And of course, AD is a key piece. They will need the 'Brow healthy down the stretch. No AD? No Rondo? No problem as the Lakers stepped it up and beat down the Warriors like they should. Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee anchored the inside in AD's absence. McGee had 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks and Dwight had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and a block. I'm astonished Dwight is -4. It could be the foul trouble and some missed free throws. He did have some defensive breakdowns, but Dwight's performance was on par with McGee this game. Nonetheless, both bigs filled in well and dominated the Warriors' weak interior D. As mentioned no AD this game, but LeBron and Kuzma proved that the Lakers have an alternate dynamic duo in place. LeBron ran circles around this Warrior team: 23 points, 12 assists on 11-21 shooting. There was a scare in the first half when he slipped. We all know what happened on Christmas Day. But, luckily no injury for the King. Funny enough, the Lakers had a comfortable lead that he was not needed for the 4th quarter. Kuzma picked up the slack in scoring with 22 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting. He's really getting back into the groove of things and he's going to pick it up more as the season progresses. Quinn Cook chipped in 10 points. He did well against his former team. Nice revenge games for both he and McGee. A dominant win against the Warriors takes me back to the good old days when this was common and all my Warrior friends can't say nothing to me. To Dub Nation I say welcome back to being the punching bag.
11/15: vs. Sacramento 97-99 [W] (10-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
This game was a homecoming for Luke Walton since the Lakers terminated him by season's end. Things got off to a rough start in Luke's first few games coaching the Kings, but they're playing much better as of late. Sacramento has strung together some wins sans their key young pieces in De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. It would be sweet revenge for Luke if he coaches the Kings to an upset victory. They started off hot right out of the gate. With the way Luke coaches with that Golden State system, you know the Kings are going to rain threes all night. Things were going fine for Sacramento until LeBron killed Nemanja Bjelica in plain sight during the 2nd quarter. The guy is in his 17th season, yet he's still putting defenders on a poster. This game was a huge scare for the Lakers, especially in the 2nd half. When you think the Lakers were gonna pull away, the Kings kept knocking on the door. It's not just Buddy Hield as a scoring threat, but Richaun Holmes showed out for Sacramento. And there's also Bogdan Bogdanovic to look out for. I still get PTSD from last year when he nailed a cold-blooded three over Tyson Chandler to win the game in their first meeting at Sacramento. The Lakers got some unexpected contributions though. KCP, as much flack as he gets, he made a couple of key buckets in the 4th quarter. That can't be overlooked. Sacramento fought hard, but LeBron and AD closed out the game and finished off the Queens. LeBron made clutch free throws to put the Lakers in front. Then Anthony Davis denied Harrison Barnes as Barnes attempted the game-tying layup.
11/17: vs. Atlanta 101-122 [W] (11-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Kobe Bryant was at this game! All present Lakers must pay their respects as they are blessed by the Black Mamba's presence. LeBron, Kuz, AD, and even Dwight Howard paid their respects to Kobe. Now, it's time to do him proud, embrace the Mamba Mentality, and kill the opposing team in sight. They did just that this game. Yes, I know it's against the Hawks who are not expected to be good, but they have some good young pieces. Atlanta got blown out the following night against the Clippers and the Lakers did the same. This was a weird game throughout, but all was right for the LakeShow. LeBron put on a show for Kobe with 33 points and draining 6 threes. The Black Mamba gave the King an ounce of his shooting venom for this game. AD had a strange game. He didn't grab a single rebound until the 2nd half. He still racked up some points and blocks though. And Danny Green had the highlight of the night with his putback dunk. I totally forgot he still had some hops. Not much to say about this game. It was just another wire-to-wire victory for the Lakers. They definitely needed this blowout after Friday's thriller.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Raiders Avoid Trap Game vs. Bengals
Final: CIN 10 OAK 17 (6-4)
Didn't I mention last week that this would be a potential trap game? Well, this game certainly looked like it, but the Raiders pull it out to keep that wild card bid alive and most of all, this put them on the brink of the division lead provided if the Chiefs lose to the Chargers tomorrow night.
The Raiders were heavily favored to win this game by a big margin, but anything can happen on any given Sunday. Jon Gruden gave this team a pep talk before this game that upsets do happen in the NFL and the Raiders shouldn't take the Bengals lightly. The first quarter, they didn't get the memo. Their opening drive started strong, but stalled. Defense did its job on Cincy's opening drive. Maxx Crosby strip sacked Ryan Finley and Maurice Hurst recovered the fumble. On a side note, Mad Maxx had a hell of a game on defense, sacking Finley four times. He's arguably the MVP this game. What a steal in the 4th round by Gruden, Mayock and company! But going back to the slow start, Jacobs had that rookie mistake, fumbling the ball in the red zone. Defense couldn't stop the run and Mixon runs it in for the TD to put the Bengals up 7-0. At this point of the game, you'd think "uh oh."
Despite the slow start, the Raiders recovered well. The offense got going as soon as Carr made big throws to Tyrell Williams. Carr had his fingerprints on the next two scores. He tosses a TD to Foster Moreau. The following drive, he rushed for a TD. You barely see Carr scramble. When he does, you just hold your breath after what transpired at the end of 2016 with the fractured fibula. The last TD, it looked like the Bengals got him for a sack, but Carr was able to escape and run into the end zone.
For the majority of the 2nd half, it was a defensive battle throughout. The Raiders could've added another TD to put the game away. Let's talk about that. During that play, one of the Bengal D-lineman flinched and went over the line of scrimmage. Easy offsides penalty right? Well, instead they called a false start on Richie Incognito. Drive stalls after that, and the Raiders had to settle for three. Luckily, the defense came up big this game. I mentioned Maxx Crosby's 4-sack performance. Trayvon Mullen came up with the clutch pick to seal it. And the Raiders are 6-4, still in the wild card hunt and in the hunt for the AFC West. They have another winnable game next week. Again, the Raiders should never take any opponent for granted. The Jets have played a lot better than what their record shows. They've notched back-to-back wins against the Giants and Redskins. They're getting better QB play from Sam Darnold. They have to take care of business on this one before looking ahead to Kansas City. For an added bonus, let's see if the Chargers can play spoiler when they play the Chiefs tomorrow night. I'll see you guys later.
Didn't I mention last week that this would be a potential trap game? Well, this game certainly looked like it, but the Raiders pull it out to keep that wild card bid alive and most of all, this put them on the brink of the division lead provided if the Chiefs lose to the Chargers tomorrow night.
The Raiders were heavily favored to win this game by a big margin, but anything can happen on any given Sunday. Jon Gruden gave this team a pep talk before this game that upsets do happen in the NFL and the Raiders shouldn't take the Bengals lightly. The first quarter, they didn't get the memo. Their opening drive started strong, but stalled. Defense did its job on Cincy's opening drive. Maxx Crosby strip sacked Ryan Finley and Maurice Hurst recovered the fumble. On a side note, Mad Maxx had a hell of a game on defense, sacking Finley four times. He's arguably the MVP this game. What a steal in the 4th round by Gruden, Mayock and company! But going back to the slow start, Jacobs had that rookie mistake, fumbling the ball in the red zone. Defense couldn't stop the run and Mixon runs it in for the TD to put the Bengals up 7-0. At this point of the game, you'd think "uh oh."
Despite the slow start, the Raiders recovered well. The offense got going as soon as Carr made big throws to Tyrell Williams. Carr had his fingerprints on the next two scores. He tosses a TD to Foster Moreau. The following drive, he rushed for a TD. You barely see Carr scramble. When he does, you just hold your breath after what transpired at the end of 2016 with the fractured fibula. The last TD, it looked like the Bengals got him for a sack, but Carr was able to escape and run into the end zone.
For the majority of the 2nd half, it was a defensive battle throughout. The Raiders could've added another TD to put the game away. Let's talk about that. During that play, one of the Bengal D-lineman flinched and went over the line of scrimmage. Easy offsides penalty right? Well, instead they called a false start on Richie Incognito. Drive stalls after that, and the Raiders had to settle for three. Luckily, the defense came up big this game. I mentioned Maxx Crosby's 4-sack performance. Trayvon Mullen came up with the clutch pick to seal it. And the Raiders are 6-4, still in the wild card hunt and in the hunt for the AFC West. They have another winnable game next week. Again, the Raiders should never take any opponent for granted. The Jets have played a lot better than what their record shows. They've notched back-to-back wins against the Giants and Redskins. They're getting better QB play from Sam Darnold. They have to take care of business on this one before looking ahead to Kansas City. For an added bonus, let's see if the Chargers can play spoiler when they play the Chiefs tomorrow night. I'll see you guys later.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup Week 3: Keeping Up Momentum
The Lakers continue to stay hot after their opening loss to the Clippers. Start slow, finish strong has been the mantra for this Laker squad in all of their wins so far this season. Whether they can sustain this trajectory remains to be seen as the season progresses. Let's see how they fared this week?
11/05: @ Chicago 118-112 [W] (6-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
This had "trap game" written all over it. The first half pushed that narrative when the Bulls were up big. They were firing all cylinders from three. The Lakers usually go off to a slow start, but pick it up in the 2nd half. But down 48-65 in the first half? Quite a mountain to climb. But, LeBron accepted the challenge as he literally was the only player showed up and kept the Lakers afloat. Then the amazing run, lead by Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, Dwight Howard, and Kyle Kuzma happened as the Lakers stormed back to take the lead and take control of the game for good. Anthony Davis had some hometown butterflies this game, but made up for it in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a dagger 3 and an alley oop jam. LeBron once again triple-doubled with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. If there was a key to the Lakers' three-game road sweep, it was that LeBron had a triple-double in all three games. Meanwhile Quinn Cook and Kuzma lead the bench with 17 points and 15 points. This game, it did look like Kuz was getting his rhythm back. Once he gets back to form, look out.
11/08: vs. Miami 80-95 [W] (7-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Unlike the last few games, the Lakers said "to hell with a slow start, let's get off to a fast start." And they got off to a fast start indeed in the first quarter. The key thing here was that Miami was coming off a shootout win over the Phoenix Suns while the Lakers had a few days to get ready for this game. The Heat still managed to make it tough on the Lakers with their patented 2-3 zone defense. You wonder why they've been a tough opponent for the Lakers in the past 10 years? That 2-3 zone gave them all kinds of fits. But, the Lakers managed to find a crack in that 2-3 zone, by having LeBron, AD, and JaVale McGee attack the middle as quickly as possible. LeBron knows this defense very well since his Heat playing days so of course he knows how to solve it. He and AD put the team on their back and dominated inside to give the Lakers' their 7th straight win.
11/10: vs. Toronto 113-104 [L] (7-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Honestly, did you expect Toronto to lay down? They are the defending champs for a reason and will be known that way throughout the season until further notice. The travesty behind the Lakers' 2nd loss was that the Raptors were shorthanded this game. No Kyle Lowry. No Serge Ibaka. But, they still managed to beat the Lakers with solid defense and better overall offense thanks to big performances from Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam. This was supposed to be a revenge game for Danny Green, but he was a non-factor this game. LeBron had another triple-double, but the numbers were very pedestrian: 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists...on 5-15 shooting. Age concerns are in play once again for LeBron when he has two shots blocked by Chris Boucher. Add insult to injury, the Clippers just beat the Raptors in Toronto's back-to-back stint against the LA teams. Alright Doc you know what to do. Manage Kawhi's load will ya? In all seriousness, this loss can be considered good for the Lakers to stay level-headed in this still way too early season.
11/05: @ Chicago 118-112 [W] (6-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
This had "trap game" written all over it. The first half pushed that narrative when the Bulls were up big. They were firing all cylinders from three. The Lakers usually go off to a slow start, but pick it up in the 2nd half. But down 48-65 in the first half? Quite a mountain to climb. But, LeBron accepted the challenge as he literally was the only player showed up and kept the Lakers afloat. Then the amazing run, lead by Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, Dwight Howard, and Kyle Kuzma happened as the Lakers stormed back to take the lead and take control of the game for good. Anthony Davis had some hometown butterflies this game, but made up for it in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a dagger 3 and an alley oop jam. LeBron once again triple-doubled with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. If there was a key to the Lakers' three-game road sweep, it was that LeBron had a triple-double in all three games. Meanwhile Quinn Cook and Kuzma lead the bench with 17 points and 15 points. This game, it did look like Kuz was getting his rhythm back. Once he gets back to form, look out.
11/08: vs. Miami 80-95 [W] (7-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Unlike the last few games, the Lakers said "to hell with a slow start, let's get off to a fast start." And they got off to a fast start indeed in the first quarter. The key thing here was that Miami was coming off a shootout win over the Phoenix Suns while the Lakers had a few days to get ready for this game. The Heat still managed to make it tough on the Lakers with their patented 2-3 zone defense. You wonder why they've been a tough opponent for the Lakers in the past 10 years? That 2-3 zone gave them all kinds of fits. But, the Lakers managed to find a crack in that 2-3 zone, by having LeBron, AD, and JaVale McGee attack the middle as quickly as possible. LeBron knows this defense very well since his Heat playing days so of course he knows how to solve it. He and AD put the team on their back and dominated inside to give the Lakers' their 7th straight win.
11/10: vs. Toronto 113-104 [L] (7-2)
HIGHLIGHTS
Raiders Escape Chargers on TNF; Go Above .500
Final: LAC 24 OAK 26
Well, that was a wild Week 10. And this is the game that started it all. Last Thursday, the Raiders pulled off another close call win, this time against the Los Angeles Chargers. Since Week 10 ended, there's a lot of implications to discuss here.
Let's overview quickly about this game. The Chargers man. They are a living enigma this season. They do good against good teams. But, against bad teams? Everything hits the fan. The defense got off to a really good start. Erik Harris was Philip Rivers' worst nightmare this game. Harris got two picks. The first one set up the Raiders for three points. The 2nd pick, he took it all the way to the house for six. To be honest, Harris could've had so many picks against Rivers this game. But of course, the refs gotta get in on the action by throwing flags. That was probably one of the few negatives this game outside of the offense's slow start and Daniel Carlson's missed PAT. Clelin Ferrell's hand placement on the LOS was an example of bad technique and placement. But despite that, Ferrell wrapped up a pair sacks. He, Maxx Crosby, and Benson Mayowa managed to get some push and get to Rivers.
The defense wasn't able to sustain the fast start due to the penalties and the Chargers scored 14 unanswered. The offense didn't help either. They had a pretty slow start, but they picked it up in the 2nd half when it mattered the most. I'm not going to dive in too much, but it all started with a near 5 minute drive before the end quarter capped off by Carr's TD pass to Alec Ingold. Both offenses were stagnant in the third quarter. But, the Raiders pulled it off with Josh Jacobs' 18-yard, game-winning rushing TD and Karl Joseph's INT on a 4th down stop. Just like that, the Raiders find themselves at .500 and well within the playoff hunt, let alone in the race for the AFC West.
As mentioned, Week 10 was full of upsets this week capping off with the Seahawks handing the Niners their first loss. The big headliner was Tennessee's upset win over the Chiefs in Patrick Mahomes' return. I've seen my share of meltdowns with the Raiders. The way Kansas City loss that will go down as the biggest "WTF happened" game of the year. They botched the snap on a field goal attempt after the defense gave them a 4th down stop. Intentional grounding was called. Tannehill lead the Titans to a game winning TD and a 2-pt conversion to make it a one possession game. Mahomes drove the Chiefs within field goal range, but the game-tying field goal was blocked. KC's loss is huge as the Raiders are now within one game from the division with win-less Cincinnati and the Jets coming up on their schedule. Buffalo also had an upset loss to the Browns, but Pittsburgh won against the Rams to keep the Raiders one seed away from the last wild card spot.
Both the Bengals and Jets games have "trap games" written all over it. The Raider can't get caught up in the hype just yet. They need to take care of business against the two teams they should beat before the rematch against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. A lot of things can unfold the next two weeks. I'll see you guys after the Bengals game.
Well, that was a wild Week 10. And this is the game that started it all. Last Thursday, the Raiders pulled off another close call win, this time against the Los Angeles Chargers. Since Week 10 ended, there's a lot of implications to discuss here.
Let's overview quickly about this game. The Chargers man. They are a living enigma this season. They do good against good teams. But, against bad teams? Everything hits the fan. The defense got off to a really good start. Erik Harris was Philip Rivers' worst nightmare this game. Harris got two picks. The first one set up the Raiders for three points. The 2nd pick, he took it all the way to the house for six. To be honest, Harris could've had so many picks against Rivers this game. But of course, the refs gotta get in on the action by throwing flags. That was probably one of the few negatives this game outside of the offense's slow start and Daniel Carlson's missed PAT. Clelin Ferrell's hand placement on the LOS was an example of bad technique and placement. But despite that, Ferrell wrapped up a pair sacks. He, Maxx Crosby, and Benson Mayowa managed to get some push and get to Rivers.
The defense wasn't able to sustain the fast start due to the penalties and the Chargers scored 14 unanswered. The offense didn't help either. They had a pretty slow start, but they picked it up in the 2nd half when it mattered the most. I'm not going to dive in too much, but it all started with a near 5 minute drive before the end quarter capped off by Carr's TD pass to Alec Ingold. Both offenses were stagnant in the third quarter. But, the Raiders pulled it off with Josh Jacobs' 18-yard, game-winning rushing TD and Karl Joseph's INT on a 4th down stop. Just like that, the Raiders find themselves at .500 and well within the playoff hunt, let alone in the race for the AFC West.
As mentioned, Week 10 was full of upsets this week capping off with the Seahawks handing the Niners their first loss. The big headliner was Tennessee's upset win over the Chiefs in Patrick Mahomes' return. I've seen my share of meltdowns with the Raiders. The way Kansas City loss that will go down as the biggest "WTF happened" game of the year. They botched the snap on a field goal attempt after the defense gave them a 4th down stop. Intentional grounding was called. Tannehill lead the Titans to a game winning TD and a 2-pt conversion to make it a one possession game. Mahomes drove the Chiefs within field goal range, but the game-tying field goal was blocked. KC's loss is huge as the Raiders are now within one game from the division with win-less Cincinnati and the Jets coming up on their schedule. Buffalo also had an upset loss to the Browns, but Pittsburgh won against the Rams to keep the Raiders one seed away from the last wild card spot.
Both the Bengals and Jets games have "trap games" written all over it. The Raider can't get caught up in the hype just yet. They need to take care of business against the two teams they should beat before the rematch against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. A lot of things can unfold the next two weeks. I'll see you guys after the Bengals game.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup (10/28 - 11/03): The Test
I'm behind and I just saw the Lakers' game tonight. Luckily, that won't be counted on for this week. After a tough opening loss to the Clippers, the Lakers are slowly finding their rhythm. Great win against Utah on the home opener and a win against Charlotte to close out opening week. Now, this stretch gets a bit bumpy with two challenging matchups on the road. But first they gotta take care of business against Memphis. Let's see how they fared below shall we?
10/29: vs. Memphis 91-120 [W] (3-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I think we're witnessing a pattern here with these games. The Lakers will go on a slow start in the first half. But when the second half rolls around, that's when they start putting the clamps on opponents on both ends of the floor. This game was no exception. The Grizzlies jumped out of the gate on the LakeShow with 15-2 start. Based on the way Memphis was playing, it looked like an upset was brewing. Not too mention, the Lakers could not hit anything from beyond the arc as they started 1/11 from that category. But in the 3rd quarter, Anthony Davis was a man among boys. He single handedly dominated his way to transform this game into a blowout, bad shoulder and all. The 'Brow was beast on both ends, disrupting the Grizzlies' offensive blow and just bullying his way to the free throw line. LeBron doesn't have to be dominant as long as this guy is around and stays healthy. The man went for 40 points and 20 boards in three quarters. If that doesn't scream MVP numbers, I don't know what does. One thing important is that the Lakers protected home court during this stretch. Utah was their only challenge, but they took care of business against teams they should beat with ease. The true test lied ahead on the upcoming three game road trip to Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago.
11/01: @ Dallas 119-110 (OT) [W] (4-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I have Dallas as playoff contender this season and there's no better way to open up the road trip for the Lakers. The Lakers did their job to protect their home court, now the real test came on the road. The purple and gold get Kyle Kuzma back from injury, which is a big plus. However, he did struggle to get back into rhythm this game. As usual, the Lakers were off the rough start in the first half. It was a little scary since the Mavs got their 3-point game rolling. The sky was the limit for Luka Doncic in his sophomore year. He did a great job running the Mavs' offense and he created a lot of open shots for his team. The court will belong to Luka someday. But, the Lakers once again shook off the bad start. By Q3, the Lakers and Mavs were trading a lot of shots. I was a little concerned since the last thing this team needs is to be in a shootout. The way I see it, the team is not built that way. But they did a heck of a job to rally behind Air Caruso's ferocious throw down in the 4th quarter. That was a momentum-building play. The Mavs lead in the finals second with Dorian Finney-Smith's go ahead three set up by Doncic. But after the timeout, LeBron found Danny Green in the corner and he hit the buzzer beating three to send it to OT. From then, LeBron and AD took over and it was a wrap. The narrative is that LeBron's declining since the groin injury. Rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated as he notched a near 40-point triple-double with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. 4 steals too.
11/03: @ San Antonio 103-96 [W] (5-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers wrap up their Texas rodeo with another daunting task against the ever-stingy San Antonio Spurs. The first meeting against the Spurs is always tough. Gregg Popovich always emphasizes on a team-first attitude. That's why they're always in the playoffs even without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. It was going to be a dog fight. But as usual, good teams find ways to win. LeBron and AD did their jobs this game. Another triple double for James with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. AD had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. But the main story was KCP, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Howard. They stepped it up big. KCP has been playing well as of late. He'll get cold eventually, but all is right when he plays well. Bradley racked up 16 points, though he did get hurt this game after Dejounte Murray kicked him in the shin. It's nothing major and likely a day-to-day. Spoiler alert, I did watch the Bulls game and see how they fared without him running "point." I'll provide that later in my next weekly roundup. Dwight Howard, especially stepped up with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks. This is the Dwight we wanted to see back in 2012-13. But compared to now, he doesn't have a lot of pressure to do everything since LBJ and AD are the focal point. All he has to do is rebound, block, and putback dunk. That's it and he's made the most of it. Nonetheless, this was an impressive road win and the Lakers are pressing the right buttons to stay atop the Western Conference.
10/29: vs. Memphis 91-120 [W] (3-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I think we're witnessing a pattern here with these games. The Lakers will go on a slow start in the first half. But when the second half rolls around, that's when they start putting the clamps on opponents on both ends of the floor. This game was no exception. The Grizzlies jumped out of the gate on the LakeShow with 15-2 start. Based on the way Memphis was playing, it looked like an upset was brewing. Not too mention, the Lakers could not hit anything from beyond the arc as they started 1/11 from that category. But in the 3rd quarter, Anthony Davis was a man among boys. He single handedly dominated his way to transform this game into a blowout, bad shoulder and all. The 'Brow was beast on both ends, disrupting the Grizzlies' offensive blow and just bullying his way to the free throw line. LeBron doesn't have to be dominant as long as this guy is around and stays healthy. The man went for 40 points and 20 boards in three quarters. If that doesn't scream MVP numbers, I don't know what does. One thing important is that the Lakers protected home court during this stretch. Utah was their only challenge, but they took care of business against teams they should beat with ease. The true test lied ahead on the upcoming three game road trip to Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago.
11/01: @ Dallas 119-110 (OT) [W] (4-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I have Dallas as playoff contender this season and there's no better way to open up the road trip for the Lakers. The Lakers did their job to protect their home court, now the real test came on the road. The purple and gold get Kyle Kuzma back from injury, which is a big plus. However, he did struggle to get back into rhythm this game. As usual, the Lakers were off the rough start in the first half. It was a little scary since the Mavs got their 3-point game rolling. The sky was the limit for Luka Doncic in his sophomore year. He did a great job running the Mavs' offense and he created a lot of open shots for his team. The court will belong to Luka someday. But, the Lakers once again shook off the bad start. By Q3, the Lakers and Mavs were trading a lot of shots. I was a little concerned since the last thing this team needs is to be in a shootout. The way I see it, the team is not built that way. But they did a heck of a job to rally behind Air Caruso's ferocious throw down in the 4th quarter. That was a momentum-building play. The Mavs lead in the finals second with Dorian Finney-Smith's go ahead three set up by Doncic. But after the timeout, LeBron found Danny Green in the corner and he hit the buzzer beating three to send it to OT. From then, LeBron and AD took over and it was a wrap. The narrative is that LeBron's declining since the groin injury. Rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated as he notched a near 40-point triple-double with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. 4 steals too.
11/03: @ San Antonio 103-96 [W] (5-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers wrap up their Texas rodeo with another daunting task against the ever-stingy San Antonio Spurs. The first meeting against the Spurs is always tough. Gregg Popovich always emphasizes on a team-first attitude. That's why they're always in the playoffs even without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. It was going to be a dog fight. But as usual, good teams find ways to win. LeBron and AD did their jobs this game. Another triple double for James with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. AD had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. But the main story was KCP, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Howard. They stepped it up big. KCP has been playing well as of late. He'll get cold eventually, but all is right when he plays well. Bradley racked up 16 points, though he did get hurt this game after Dejounte Murray kicked him in the shin. It's nothing major and likely a day-to-day. Spoiler alert, I did watch the Bulls game and see how they fared without him running "point." I'll provide that later in my next weekly roundup. Dwight Howard, especially stepped up with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks. This is the Dwight we wanted to see back in 2012-13. But compared to now, he doesn't have a lot of pressure to do everything since LBJ and AD are the focal point. All he has to do is rebound, block, and putback dunk. That's it and he's made the most of it. Nonetheless, this was an impressive road win and the Lakers are pressing the right buttons to stay atop the Western Conference.
Raiders Finally Home, Rally Against Lions
Final: DET 24 OAK 31 (4-4)
I'll admit, I'm a little behind on some things. I have not posted the weekly roundup for the Lakers. And I just saw them rally against the Bulls. That'll come later. But first things first, the Raiders are finally home in Oakland. It felt like forever in a daunting road trip. Certainly for Oakland fans, every home game counts. The Raiders just have to live up to their end of the bargain and take care of that Town Business. They did that on Sunday against the Lions. It wasn't pretty, but they got the victory.
The only negative I can think of this game was the pass defense. The Lions have one of the most underrated deep threat duos in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The two of them combined racked up 258 receiving yards. If I remember, Jones already went over 100 yards by the time the first half ended. Then again, we have to understand that this defense is still a WIP. There's still so many moving parts here. But they have that bend but don't break mentality and it showed this game. Worley had that crazy pick into the end zone. I feel that was the game changer for the Raiders. The fake punt where Derek Carrier rushed for 27 yards was the 2nd game changer (even though they ended up empty handed on the possession after).
Offensively, let me just say it right here, Josh Jacobs is a beast! The O-line wasn't even 100% this game. Rodney Hudson out indefinitely. Trent Brown exited the game early. But, he still gashed the Lions for 120 yards and 2 TDs. I still remember my comment on how running backs from 'Bama don't turn out good in the pros. Jacobs definitely has a chance to break that curse. He can run, catch out the back field, pass protect, and he has low maintenance so that means fresher legs. Jacobs' rookie season has been nothing short of spectacular. Derek Carr had another clean game again. We're probably seeing 2016 Carr come back from the dead. He made a throw to Jalen Richard while he was covered for a big gainer. He extended the play for the game winning TD to Hunter Renfrow. The offense carried this team and we're starting to see the unit buy into Gruden's system.
I want to go back to that stop that won them the game. Matthew Stafford and the Lions were stopped short of the goal line on third down (probably by about three yards). They had no timeouts, but the Raiders called timeout with 8 seconds to allow the Lions to draw up a play. At first, I was a bit mad at it. Those are decisions that lose a game. If the Lions scored, they probably would've escaped with a W. Now that I think about it, the Raiders defense was discombobulated and at least that gave them a chance for them to align the right personnel. The crazy thing about is the Lions did not have their best receivers on that 4th down. It was a chain of "what are you doing" decisions, but good thing the Lions wounded up making that mistake.
With this win, the Raiders are now at .500. They're still in the hunt with Kansas City for the AFC West title with Mahomes still sidelined. As I said countless times, this is the Raiders' best stretch for this season. They have to take advantage of this favorable stretch. The Chiefs are still the likeliest loss. The Chargers might have their groove back after they fired Ken Wisenhunt, but they are beatable. This upcoming Thursday Night game against the Chargers will be a great barometer on the progress of this team. Expect a playoff-like atmosphere for that game.
I'll admit, I'm a little behind on some things. I have not posted the weekly roundup for the Lakers. And I just saw them rally against the Bulls. That'll come later. But first things first, the Raiders are finally home in Oakland. It felt like forever in a daunting road trip. Certainly for Oakland fans, every home game counts. The Raiders just have to live up to their end of the bargain and take care of that Town Business. They did that on Sunday against the Lions. It wasn't pretty, but they got the victory.
The only negative I can think of this game was the pass defense. The Lions have one of the most underrated deep threat duos in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The two of them combined racked up 258 receiving yards. If I remember, Jones already went over 100 yards by the time the first half ended. Then again, we have to understand that this defense is still a WIP. There's still so many moving parts here. But they have that bend but don't break mentality and it showed this game. Worley had that crazy pick into the end zone. I feel that was the game changer for the Raiders. The fake punt where Derek Carrier rushed for 27 yards was the 2nd game changer (even though they ended up empty handed on the possession after).
Offensively, let me just say it right here, Josh Jacobs is a beast! The O-line wasn't even 100% this game. Rodney Hudson out indefinitely. Trent Brown exited the game early. But, he still gashed the Lions for 120 yards and 2 TDs. I still remember my comment on how running backs from 'Bama don't turn out good in the pros. Jacobs definitely has a chance to break that curse. He can run, catch out the back field, pass protect, and he has low maintenance so that means fresher legs. Jacobs' rookie season has been nothing short of spectacular. Derek Carr had another clean game again. We're probably seeing 2016 Carr come back from the dead. He made a throw to Jalen Richard while he was covered for a big gainer. He extended the play for the game winning TD to Hunter Renfrow. The offense carried this team and we're starting to see the unit buy into Gruden's system.
I want to go back to that stop that won them the game. Matthew Stafford and the Lions were stopped short of the goal line on third down (probably by about three yards). They had no timeouts, but the Raiders called timeout with 8 seconds to allow the Lions to draw up a play. At first, I was a bit mad at it. Those are decisions that lose a game. If the Lions scored, they probably would've escaped with a W. Now that I think about it, the Raiders defense was discombobulated and at least that gave them a chance for them to align the right personnel. The crazy thing about is the Lions did not have their best receivers on that 4th down. It was a chain of "what are you doing" decisions, but good thing the Lions wounded up making that mistake.
With this win, the Raiders are now at .500. They're still in the hunt with Kansas City for the AFC West title with Mahomes still sidelined. As I said countless times, this is the Raiders' best stretch for this season. They have to take advantage of this favorable stretch. The Chiefs are still the likeliest loss. The Chargers might have their groove back after they fired Ken Wisenhunt, but they are beatable. This upcoming Thursday Night game against the Chargers will be a great barometer on the progress of this team. Expect a playoff-like atmosphere for that game.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup (10/22-10/27): Opening Week
There are only four words to build you up for excitement at this point of October: "The NBA is back!" There's nothing like it. One thing for sure is that the NBA knows when to schedule marquee matchups to get fans hyped. This season, we officially mark the end of an era: the end of the superteam. The league blew up with so many big moves this past offseason. No more Big 3's or Fantastic Fours. It's now the era of the dynamic duos. Just like in the good old days.. Of course, the Lakers are no exception. Championship aspirations are once again sky high for this team with the acquisition of Anthony Davis. Paired up with LeBron, this duo is projected to be a dominant force. Let's see how they fared in opening week shall we?
10/22: @ LA Clippers 102-112 [L] (0-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Didn't I say the NBA knows when to schedule marquee matchups? Nobody cared that the Pelicans-Raptors went to OT to see the anticipated battle of LA. LeBron and his new partner-in-crime in Anthony Davis vs. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. No question, the Clippers shattered the fabric of the NBA realm when they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. But, let's not forget the city of LA still rules under purple and gold domain. The Lakers proved their dominance early-on this game, feeding Anthony Davis in the paint. The Clippers had no answer to guard Davis as they fell behind early 13-2. That was all the Lakers had to show for this game. The Clippers countered by sending in their sparkplugs, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. Their instant offense brought the Clippers new life. Kawhi Leonard put up Michael Jordan-esque numbers starting in the 2nd quarter. The guy's midrange was unstoppable that game and he abused KCP. The Lakers continued to run Davis inside until it became predictable for the Clippers defense to figure out. Aside from Danny Green's explosive 3rd quarter, the Clippers had this game on ice and they didn't even have Paul George! Last year, proved they had some depth. Combine that with star power, they're a team to look out for. The 4th quarter was already lost when AD and LeBron combined for only 2 points. The Clippers may have won the battle, but the war has only just begun. We'll see on Christmas when both teams are at full strength
10/25: vs. Utah 86-95 [W] (1-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
After the debacle on opening night, questions arose on LeBron and AD's piss-poor 4th quarter. Moreso on LeBron's end. They say father time is catching up. It was time to push the panic button. I have something to say: it's only one game. Yes, I would've loved that win, but we still got 81 more games to go. The Lakers get another test on opening night against a Jazz team that is expected to make a deep playoff run. It was a slugfest for most of the game. That was expected. Remember the notion that father time is catching up to LeBron? Well, the King bounced back with a near triple-double of 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists. Davis struggled for the most part against Rudy Gobert, but still got the job done with 21 points and 5 blocks on the defensive end. Frank Vogel actually experimented with AD at the 5 and it worked out as the Lakers more activity on the defensive end. Speaking of defensive end, it was a lot better this game. They made Utah turn the ball over 22 times. Troy Daniels lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points. His 3-point shooting gave a lot of momentum for the Lakers to close this out. The Lakers made this interesting in garbage time though when Dwight committed a flagrant foul on Georges Niang. That was the only blemish. But hey! KCP scored a point today! And we have the GOAT, Alex Caruso back! Lakers are 1-0 when those two things happen.
10/27: vs. Charlotte 101-120 [W] (2-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Early on this game, I could not believe what I was seeing. Why in the world are we playing down to the Hornets level? That team is not even expected to be good this year by letting Kemba Walker go the easily for an overpaid Terry Rozier! The first half was bit too close for comfort. But then, they started pulling away in the 3rd quarter and eventually the 4th quarter. One thing's for certain, AD had the 3-point game rolling and notched his first double-double with the Lakers with 29 points and 14 rebounds to go with 10 blocks. And never thought I would mention this guy's name again: Dwight Howard lead the bench with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Opening, he was a little too pedestrian. Against Utah, he picked up some activity. This game is where we actually saw shades of the old Dwight. At least compared to 2012-13, Dwight knows his role and clearly, he owes Laker fans like myself a lot if he wants to fully clear his name. He's made the most of it. LeBron James had 6 points in the first half, but he picked it up in the 4th quarter to pretty much put this game on ice. There was not a lot of load for LeBron to shoulder since he was perfectly setting up AD and Dwight for easy shots in the paint. Those big men did a lot of work inside and it wore down Charlotte's interior defense to pull away from this game.
10/22: @ LA Clippers 102-112 [L] (0-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Didn't I say the NBA knows when to schedule marquee matchups? Nobody cared that the Pelicans-Raptors went to OT to see the anticipated battle of LA. LeBron and his new partner-in-crime in Anthony Davis vs. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. No question, the Clippers shattered the fabric of the NBA realm when they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. But, let's not forget the city of LA still rules under purple and gold domain. The Lakers proved their dominance early-on this game, feeding Anthony Davis in the paint. The Clippers had no answer to guard Davis as they fell behind early 13-2. That was all the Lakers had to show for this game. The Clippers countered by sending in their sparkplugs, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. Their instant offense brought the Clippers new life. Kawhi Leonard put up Michael Jordan-esque numbers starting in the 2nd quarter. The guy's midrange was unstoppable that game and he abused KCP. The Lakers continued to run Davis inside until it became predictable for the Clippers defense to figure out. Aside from Danny Green's explosive 3rd quarter, the Clippers had this game on ice and they didn't even have Paul George! Last year, proved they had some depth. Combine that with star power, they're a team to look out for. The 4th quarter was already lost when AD and LeBron combined for only 2 points. The Clippers may have won the battle, but the war has only just begun. We'll see on Christmas when both teams are at full strength
10/25: vs. Utah 86-95 [W] (1-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
After the debacle on opening night, questions arose on LeBron and AD's piss-poor 4th quarter. Moreso on LeBron's end. They say father time is catching up. It was time to push the panic button. I have something to say: it's only one game. Yes, I would've loved that win, but we still got 81 more games to go. The Lakers get another test on opening night against a Jazz team that is expected to make a deep playoff run. It was a slugfest for most of the game. That was expected. Remember the notion that father time is catching up to LeBron? Well, the King bounced back with a near triple-double of 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists. Davis struggled for the most part against Rudy Gobert, but still got the job done with 21 points and 5 blocks on the defensive end. Frank Vogel actually experimented with AD at the 5 and it worked out as the Lakers more activity on the defensive end. Speaking of defensive end, it was a lot better this game. They made Utah turn the ball over 22 times. Troy Daniels lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points. His 3-point shooting gave a lot of momentum for the Lakers to close this out. The Lakers made this interesting in garbage time though when Dwight committed a flagrant foul on Georges Niang. That was the only blemish. But hey! KCP scored a point today! And we have the GOAT, Alex Caruso back! Lakers are 1-0 when those two things happen.
10/27: vs. Charlotte 101-120 [W] (2-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
Early on this game, I could not believe what I was seeing. Why in the world are we playing down to the Hornets level? That team is not even expected to be good this year by letting Kemba Walker go the easily for an overpaid Terry Rozier! The first half was bit too close for comfort. But then, they started pulling away in the 3rd quarter and eventually the 4th quarter. One thing's for certain, AD had the 3-point game rolling and notched his first double-double with the Lakers with 29 points and 14 rebounds to go with 10 blocks. And never thought I would mention this guy's name again: Dwight Howard lead the bench with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Opening, he was a little too pedestrian. Against Utah, he picked up some activity. This game is where we actually saw shades of the old Dwight. At least compared to 2012-13, Dwight knows his role and clearly, he owes Laker fans like myself a lot if he wants to fully clear his name. He's made the most of it. LeBron James had 6 points in the first half, but he picked it up in the 4th quarter to pretty much put this game on ice. There was not a lot of load for LeBron to shoulder since he was perfectly setting up AD and Dwight for easy shots in the paint. Those big men did a lot of work inside and it wore down Charlotte's interior defense to pull away from this game.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Watson Breaks Silver and Black Hearts in Houston
Final: OAK 24 HOU 27 (3-4)
Always some drama down the stretch whenever these two teams play in Houston. While the Raiders got the better of the Texans in the last two meetings, the Texans were able to get this one.
Before I start this game, as you all know this past Tuesday, we all lost another Raider legend. Hall-of-Fame cornerback Willie Brown passed away. I've told this story a couple times, when I was still a young Raider fan, my dad used to tell me stories about the 70's Raiders. Willie Brown was a prominent figure of those teams, leading the "Soul Patrol" that consisted of other great Raider DBs like Jack Tatum, George Atkinson, and Skip Thomas. It's crazy to think we lost two prominent Raider legends in the same year with Cliff Branch unexpectedly passing away in August. At least Old Man Willie got to see himself inducted into Canton. Nowadays, these writers are petty in the selection process. It's a crime that more Raider legends of the past are not even in the Hall of Fame yet and they may not see that light of day.
Onto the game, the Raiders had a bounce back game written all over this matchup. The first possessions from the Raiders was pretty weird to start. They got off the right footing by running Josh Jacobs behind the O-line at full strength finally before Rodney Hudson went down. But, they kept trying to mix it up with run and pass by feeding the ball early to Darren Waller. Waller still had a decent game, but Justin Reid and the Texans secondary had some pretty good coverage around him the whole game. It was nice to see Tyrell Williams back on the field. He made his presence felt with 3 receptions for 91 yards and 1 TD. They get their down field receiver back, which opens up a lot opportunities. Hunter Renfrow had a nice 65 yard catch and run to open things up.
You can't completely blame the offense this game. Derek Carr played a clean game. It's been a while since he had a 3 passing TD game. The game was pretty much lost on penalties today. 11 penalties for 100 yards won't win you a whole lot of games. Not too mention, Houston dominated time of possession. A scrambling QB like Deshaun Watson is hard to decipher. Watson was able to keep some plays alive with his legs. For the most part, rush defense did its job. But, pass defense got gashed today and it caught up in Watson's go-ahead TD. Funny enough, the Raiders sent Gareon Conley to Texans and he got himself early revenge. There was one crucial point in the game where it looked like Conley had a lot of contact on Williams, but Gruden refused to challenge. He lost one earlier on the Renfrow offensive P.I. Though that play was 50/50, it would've worth a shot to challenge P.I. But, I understood the rationale since they wanted to keep two timeouts plus the two minute warning. The Texans mustered enough first downs at the end.
Well, the long road trip is over and the Raiders can return on home turf. For the most part sans Minnesota and Green Bay, the Raiders were able to compete and snatch some shocking wins. This stretch is a lot more favorable: vs. Detroit, vs. LA Chargers, vs. Cincinnati, @ Jets, @ Chiefs, vs. Titans, vs. Jaguars, @ LA Chargers and @ Denver. Chargers might've gotten some momentum after the win in Chicago today. Chiefs are likely getting Mahomes back. Sacksonville lives again in the Jaguars. The way this is trending, we can see an 8-8 finish possibly. But as always, one game at a time. I'll see you guys next week after the game.
Always some drama down the stretch whenever these two teams play in Houston. While the Raiders got the better of the Texans in the last two meetings, the Texans were able to get this one.
Before I start this game, as you all know this past Tuesday, we all lost another Raider legend. Hall-of-Fame cornerback Willie Brown passed away. I've told this story a couple times, when I was still a young Raider fan, my dad used to tell me stories about the 70's Raiders. Willie Brown was a prominent figure of those teams, leading the "Soul Patrol" that consisted of other great Raider DBs like Jack Tatum, George Atkinson, and Skip Thomas. It's crazy to think we lost two prominent Raider legends in the same year with Cliff Branch unexpectedly passing away in August. At least Old Man Willie got to see himself inducted into Canton. Nowadays, these writers are petty in the selection process. It's a crime that more Raider legends of the past are not even in the Hall of Fame yet and they may not see that light of day.
Onto the game, the Raiders had a bounce back game written all over this matchup. The first possessions from the Raiders was pretty weird to start. They got off the right footing by running Josh Jacobs behind the O-line at full strength finally before Rodney Hudson went down. But, they kept trying to mix it up with run and pass by feeding the ball early to Darren Waller. Waller still had a decent game, but Justin Reid and the Texans secondary had some pretty good coverage around him the whole game. It was nice to see Tyrell Williams back on the field. He made his presence felt with 3 receptions for 91 yards and 1 TD. They get their down field receiver back, which opens up a lot opportunities. Hunter Renfrow had a nice 65 yard catch and run to open things up.
You can't completely blame the offense this game. Derek Carr played a clean game. It's been a while since he had a 3 passing TD game. The game was pretty much lost on penalties today. 11 penalties for 100 yards won't win you a whole lot of games. Not too mention, Houston dominated time of possession. A scrambling QB like Deshaun Watson is hard to decipher. Watson was able to keep some plays alive with his legs. For the most part, rush defense did its job. But, pass defense got gashed today and it caught up in Watson's go-ahead TD. Funny enough, the Raiders sent Gareon Conley to Texans and he got himself early revenge. There was one crucial point in the game where it looked like Conley had a lot of contact on Williams, but Gruden refused to challenge. He lost one earlier on the Renfrow offensive P.I. Though that play was 50/50, it would've worth a shot to challenge P.I. But, I understood the rationale since they wanted to keep two timeouts plus the two minute warning. The Texans mustered enough first downs at the end.
Well, the long road trip is over and the Raiders can return on home turf. For the most part sans Minnesota and Green Bay, the Raiders were able to compete and snatch some shocking wins. This stretch is a lot more favorable: vs. Detroit, vs. LA Chargers, vs. Cincinnati, @ Jets, @ Chiefs, vs. Titans, vs. Jaguars, @ LA Chargers and @ Denver. Chargers might've gotten some momentum after the win in Chicago today. Chiefs are likely getting Mahomes back. Sacksonville lives again in the Jaguars. The way this is trending, we can see an 8-8 finish possibly. But as always, one game at a time. I'll see you guys next week after the game.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Lakers 2019-20 Preview: AD - "In the Year of the Brow"
Before I dive in to give my quick two cents, I'd like to take this time to promote my brand new 2019-2020 Lakers Hype Video. This is a follow up to the LeBron-AD hype video I made in August. For this one, I added in the Kawhi Leonard fiasco. A possible Big 3 was brewing, then Kawhi spurned the Lakers for the Clippers instead, bringing Paul George along with him. Now the battle for LA heats up. While the Clippers have been better, last time we checked, the score is still 16 championship banners to selfies. Enjoy the vid and get hyped for Lakers-Clippers tomorrow night!
Now the above is the one I wanted to plug for a quick Raiders 2019 preview and then Antonio Brown happened. Nonetheless, we shouldn't have any drama here, so let's cut right to the chase for the Lakers 2019-20 season outlook.
By last season, the Lakers were in play for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline. They were planning to give up the entire roster for one of Klutch Sports' top client. Unfortunately, Dell Demps, the GM before David Griffin backed out and tried to play the Lakers when in fact he played himself as the Pelicans fired him by season's end. Fast forward to this past summer, with David Griffin in charge, the Lakers and the Pelicans were able to come to a deal to send Anthony Davis to play alongside a well-rested LeBron James in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Once again, the Lakers spurn a long-term future for the short term in hopes of winning it all now.
The next domino to fall was Kawhi Leonard. The Lakers dangerously played the waiting game with Kawhi until he left them in the dust for the Clippers. Luckily, the Lakers had a solid plan B in place by resigning JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers then bolstered their roster by adding vet Jared Dudley and sharpshooter specialist Troy Daniels. I had to throw that out there because I totally forgot they were on the team. Their bigger FA moves came in the form of Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, and the return of the prodigal son, Dwight Howard. For the most part, this is a pretty solid plan B from Rob Pelinka. Well done.
Looking at this roster, it's solid on paper. The only glaring weakness I see on here is the back court. The front court of AD, Dwight, and McGee is stacked as evidenced in the preseason. The way they were dominant in the paint reminded me a lot of the 2008-2012 Lakers when you had Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol roaming the paint. Healthy LeBron on there running the show at point, that's a force to be reckon with. Back to the back court, it's filled with a lot of streaky 3 and D players. Danny Green and Avery Bradley are pests on D. They can score, but they can be wildly inconsistent. KCP, we know a lot about him. When he's hot, he's great. When he's not, he's plain garbage. And then there's Rondo. Also, the health of LeBron and AD are going to be key. Both struggled with the injury bug last season. The only difference we expect LeBron to be refreshed albeit being on the down side of 30 since he had otherwise an injury-free career. AD has a lot more to prove that he has set aside the injury bug that plagued him that has been otherwise a tremendous career to start. And he still has a couple of good prime years left.
The question is whether or not the Lakers can break their playoff drought with this roster? As long as the LeBron-AD duo stays healthy, yes. As long as there's no roster drama, yes. As long as each player understand their role, yes. This team is a playoff contender. And they have a pretty favorable schedule to start. From October-November, they are facing off against four playoff teams in my opinion (Clippers, Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas). In the opener tomorrow against the Clippers, they have an opportunity to get a jump on their little LA brother with Paul George missing in action. However, they're still not to be overlooked at as they retained most of their roster from last year sans Kawhi Leonard and PG13. It's going to be a matter of a team that has a lot of new parts vs. the team that already has components, but added a pair of big time upgrades. It should be an interesting season and definitely all eyes will be on LA all season long. But, the city is still drenched in purple and gold as it has been. GO LAKERS!
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Pack Pummel Raiders
Final: OAK 24 GB 42 (3-3)
Alright, I'm gonna make this quick in order to save time to do some finishing touches on the Lakers hype video for Tuesday. So, the Raiders come off the bye and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers pretty much gave them a rude awakening back. The Raiders first drive started off a good. Josh Jacobs managed to rip off a big run to get things going. It was nice to see Gabe Jackson back. When you have Incognito, Hudson, and Jackson in front, Jacobs is going to see a lot of nice holes inside. The O-line sans Trent Brown did a nice job for the most part. Although, as usual, the great first drive ended up stalled and the Raiders had to settle for three. I think that was already a momentum-killing play because against Aaron Rodgers and the Pack, you need touchdowns. The Lions learned that the hard way last Monday Night sans obvious refball. Of course you know the story of the referees when the Packers play in Lambeau Field. The penalties definitely piled up for the Raiders, but I don't think the refs were as egregious to them as they were to the Lions on Monday Night. This is especially when they were firing on all cylinders today. Rodgers was playing at an MVP-level. The Raiders secondary definitely helped that as they were blatantly allowing the Green Bay's patchwork receivers be open all game long.
Offensively, it was a mixed bag. The running game was awesome today. Darren Waller came alive in the 2nd quarter and finished with a monster line of 7 receptions, 126 yards, and 2 TDs coming off of signing a 3-year contract extension with the team. Execution was there, but penalties, turnovers, and stalled drives ruined it. Mistakes from Derek Carr reared its ugly head again. Remember two years ago when Carr tried to dive for the game winning TD against the Cowboys and he lost the ball in the end zone? He happened to do that again today. It's more important to get a yard and try again on another down to score. Also in the fourth quarter, Waller had the double coverage beat in the end zone, but Carr just underthrew the ball and into the hands of a defender for the INT. On a 4th and goal, they ran it with Jacobs. If you remember from last week, Jacobs leaped into the end zone for the game winning TD against the Bears. He tried that same play in this 4th down, but he didn't extend his arms long enough for the ball to break the plane.
Overall, I'm not too mad at this game, but still disappointed. If the Raiders came out of this game and the game plan was flat, that is definitely subject to a rant. But they had a good game plan, just penalties and turnovers prevented a majority of that. And Aaron Rodgers is a walking Hall-of-Famer. Anyway, the Raiders have a potential bounceback game next week against the Texans. Then, it's home sweet home in Oakland again in November against the Lions. I'll see you guys back here next week.
Alright, I'm gonna make this quick in order to save time to do some finishing touches on the Lakers hype video for Tuesday. So, the Raiders come off the bye and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers pretty much gave them a rude awakening back. The Raiders first drive started off a good. Josh Jacobs managed to rip off a big run to get things going. It was nice to see Gabe Jackson back. When you have Incognito, Hudson, and Jackson in front, Jacobs is going to see a lot of nice holes inside. The O-line sans Trent Brown did a nice job for the most part. Although, as usual, the great first drive ended up stalled and the Raiders had to settle for three. I think that was already a momentum-killing play because against Aaron Rodgers and the Pack, you need touchdowns. The Lions learned that the hard way last Monday Night sans obvious refball. Of course you know the story of the referees when the Packers play in Lambeau Field. The penalties definitely piled up for the Raiders, but I don't think the refs were as egregious to them as they were to the Lions on Monday Night. This is especially when they were firing on all cylinders today. Rodgers was playing at an MVP-level. The Raiders secondary definitely helped that as they were blatantly allowing the Green Bay's patchwork receivers be open all game long.
Offensively, it was a mixed bag. The running game was awesome today. Darren Waller came alive in the 2nd quarter and finished with a monster line of 7 receptions, 126 yards, and 2 TDs coming off of signing a 3-year contract extension with the team. Execution was there, but penalties, turnovers, and stalled drives ruined it. Mistakes from Derek Carr reared its ugly head again. Remember two years ago when Carr tried to dive for the game winning TD against the Cowboys and he lost the ball in the end zone? He happened to do that again today. It's more important to get a yard and try again on another down to score. Also in the fourth quarter, Waller had the double coverage beat in the end zone, but Carr just underthrew the ball and into the hands of a defender for the INT. On a 4th and goal, they ran it with Jacobs. If you remember from last week, Jacobs leaped into the end zone for the game winning TD against the Bears. He tried that same play in this 4th down, but he didn't extend his arms long enough for the ball to break the plane.
Overall, I'm not too mad at this game, but still disappointed. If the Raiders came out of this game and the game plan was flat, that is definitely subject to a rant. But they had a good game plan, just penalties and turnovers prevented a majority of that. And Aaron Rodgers is a walking Hall-of-Famer. Anyway, the Raiders have a potential bounceback game next week against the Texans. Then, it's home sweet home in Oakland again in November against the Lions. I'll see you guys back here next week.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Raiders Gash Mack, Bears Defense
Final: CHI 21 OAK 24 (3-2)
The trade that sent Khalil Mack to the Bears for a first round pick was a case that lingered in the Raider Nation court of public opinion. This game was the equivalent of a court hearing. It was simple, Bears win, it further pushes the narrative that the Raiders made a monumental mistake. If the Raiders win, Jon Gruden walks away a free man and all of his detractors can officially shut up about gift wrapping Mack to the Bears. The verdict? He ain't guilty after this game. And guess what, the 1st round pick from the Bears went off today. This was a win of epic proportions for the Raiders. Not only did they beat a great defense, but they gashed them. As I said last week, this was going to be an interesting matchup between the O-line and the Bears' D-line and how the offense was going to gameplan against Mack. They neutralized Mack the whole game, double teaming him. That's the way to slow him down. He got free in one play during the 2nd half, but Carr was able to get rid of the ball quick. That's quite the advantage Carr has, playing on the opposite side of Mack for three years.
The Raiders came out with a great gameplan to start the first half. As mentioned, this O-line was not afraid to get head-to-toe with the Bears' vaunted front seven. They were more physical, which opened up a lot of holes for Jacobs, Washington, and Richard to run through. The Raiders didn't have Tyrell Williams this game, so they switched it up going with three Tight Ends. We all know Waller is a big time target. But Derek Carrier and Foster Moreau stepped up big to get the passing game going. Josh Jacobs had an awesome game. He's no question the MVP this game with 150 total yards and 2 rushing TDs. The 2nd TD brought the Raiders home. The Bears' first round pick to get Mack wounded up being the Josh Jacobs pick. And Gruden can't ask for better exoneration by having that first round pick gash the Bears like that.
The only negative this game is the second half. Once again, that half reared its ugly head again. Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs had a miscue on the pitch to bring the Bears back. Chicago's offense scored 21 unanswered. Honestly, when the Bears' offense is better with Chase Daniel than they were with Mitch Trubisky under center, that says a lot. But, the Raiders managed to get some momentum back with a third down stop to put Chicago out of field goal range. The fake punt with A.J. Cole running up the middle was gutsy. Gruden didn't want to take any chances to have his defense out there and stop the Bears from all three downs after giving up 21 unanswered. The defense played well today. No Clelin Ferrell, but the Raiders managed to generate 4 sacks on Chase Daniel. This is a defense that's still a WIP, but the run defense is on point. Pass defense could still use a lot of work, but this unit never breaks. As I said, Gruden wasn't taking any chance since the Bears' offense was picking up steam and the defense was making plays.
After this game, we can finally put all this Mack talk in the rear view mirror. Jon Gruden and the Raiders had to put up with this trade for one whole year. After this, we can all settle down now. With the Raiders standing at 3-2, the schedule after the bye gets a lot easier. They still got a couple of road trips to go, but the fact they're standing above .500 five games into the season is one heck of an improvement from last season. Still a lot to clean up, but these Raiders are on the come up and the bye can't come at a better time after a big time win. You're free to go Chucky! We've done our due process here since the trade. "Knock on wood if you're with me."
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Raiders Bounce Back with Win vs. Colts
Final: OAK 31 IND 24 (2-2)
I said it last week, this matchup against the Colts has "bounceback win" marked. After a 14-34 shellacking in Minnesota, the Raiders rebounded with a 31-24 road win over the Indianapolis Colts. We gotta give credit to Jon Gruden for adding some tweaks on what has been mundane playcalling in the past two weeks. He mixed it up with two Tight End sets with Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. There was great balance in the distribution of the football. Chucky claimed he wanted Josh Jacobs involved more, particularly in the passing game. Jacobs had more involvement earlier today. Especially since the Colts were missing their stud LB Darius Leonard, that opened up opportunity for Jacobs to rack up yards: 79 yards on 17 carries and 29 yards on 2 receptions. Derek Carr had a nice bounceback game. The stats are not eye opening as Carr passed for 189 yards and 2 TDs. But, Carr overall played okay sans the 1 fumble lost. The O-line kept him clean for the most part. We got to see Trevor Davis in action. The Raiders acquired him from Green Bay in exchange for a sixth round pick. They used him sparingly in a Percy Harvin-esque role, but he made the most out of it. Davis took an end around 74 yards to the house to put the Raiders up 14-0.
Overall, the scoreboard is a bit misleading. The Raiders dominated time of possession and controlled the momentum the majority of the game with a few hiccups here and there. As mentioned, the Carr turned the ball over to set up Brissett's TD to Jack Doyle to cut it to 14-7. After Erik Harris' pick 6 to pretty much seal the game, they inexplicably gave up a sideline 48 yard TD to Eric Ebron. But luckily, the Raider offense managed to drive and get a few first downs to seal the game overall. This was the matchup that the Raiders had to take advantage of and they got the job done. On side notes, Carr had a precautionary X-Rays on his leg from what I heard after the game. Hopefully, there's no issue and he's okay. He actually took a hit from ex-teammate Denico Autry. Vontaze Burfict could be facing suspension after a hit on defenseless receiver penalty. Those kinds of penalties are ticky tacky since defenders can't stop their momentum. But as I said, Burfict is marked man and a walking 15-yard penalty due to his reputation as a dirty player. He'll be a big loss for Guenther's unit.
The Raiders move ahead after their cross country trip and they'll be traveling to London next week for a "home game" against the Chicago Bears. Now, this game we've had circled since the schedule came out. It's been a year since Chucky shocked Raider Nation by sending Khalil Mack to Chicago and so far, that trade has been lopsided in favor of the Bears. Mack was the missing piece for Chicago to resurrect the "Monsters of the Midway." After an opening night dud to Green Bay, they've picked it up. It's going to be quite a matchup in the trenches with the Raiders' revamped O-line and the Bears' stellar D-line. That defense will be hard to pick apart for sure. I'll see you guys next week after that game.
I said it last week, this matchup against the Colts has "bounceback win" marked. After a 14-34 shellacking in Minnesota, the Raiders rebounded with a 31-24 road win over the Indianapolis Colts. We gotta give credit to Jon Gruden for adding some tweaks on what has been mundane playcalling in the past two weeks. He mixed it up with two Tight End sets with Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. There was great balance in the distribution of the football. Chucky claimed he wanted Josh Jacobs involved more, particularly in the passing game. Jacobs had more involvement earlier today. Especially since the Colts were missing their stud LB Darius Leonard, that opened up opportunity for Jacobs to rack up yards: 79 yards on 17 carries and 29 yards on 2 receptions. Derek Carr had a nice bounceback game. The stats are not eye opening as Carr passed for 189 yards and 2 TDs. But, Carr overall played okay sans the 1 fumble lost. The O-line kept him clean for the most part. We got to see Trevor Davis in action. The Raiders acquired him from Green Bay in exchange for a sixth round pick. They used him sparingly in a Percy Harvin-esque role, but he made the most out of it. Davis took an end around 74 yards to the house to put the Raiders up 14-0.
Overall, the scoreboard is a bit misleading. The Raiders dominated time of possession and controlled the momentum the majority of the game with a few hiccups here and there. As mentioned, the Carr turned the ball over to set up Brissett's TD to Jack Doyle to cut it to 14-7. After Erik Harris' pick 6 to pretty much seal the game, they inexplicably gave up a sideline 48 yard TD to Eric Ebron. But luckily, the Raider offense managed to drive and get a few first downs to seal the game overall. This was the matchup that the Raiders had to take advantage of and they got the job done. On side notes, Carr had a precautionary X-Rays on his leg from what I heard after the game. Hopefully, there's no issue and he's okay. He actually took a hit from ex-teammate Denico Autry. Vontaze Burfict could be facing suspension after a hit on defenseless receiver penalty. Those kinds of penalties are ticky tacky since defenders can't stop their momentum. But as I said, Burfict is marked man and a walking 15-yard penalty due to his reputation as a dirty player. He'll be a big loss for Guenther's unit.
The Raiders move ahead after their cross country trip and they'll be traveling to London next week for a "home game" against the Chicago Bears. Now, this game we've had circled since the schedule came out. It's been a year since Chucky shocked Raider Nation by sending Khalil Mack to Chicago and so far, that trade has been lopsided in favor of the Bears. Mack was the missing piece for Chicago to resurrect the "Monsters of the Midway." After an opening night dud to Green Bay, they've picked it up. It's going to be quite a matchup in the trenches with the Raiders' revamped O-line and the Bears' stellar D-line. That defense will be hard to pick apart for sure. I'll see you guys next week after that game.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Raiders Fall Behind 21-0 Deficit vs. Vikings
Final: OAK 14 MIN 34 (1-2)
This team is begging me to bring back "The Silver and Black Shitshow," which I promise never to do again. Anyway, the Raiders get routed by Vikings 14-34 to open up a grueling road trip. Last week, the Raiders run defense contained Kansas City's rushing attack. This week, they got shredded. Dalvin Cook rushed for a 110 yards and 1 TD against the Raiders' run defense. When the opposition's running game opens up, that spells a lot of trouble for this defense the entire game. It also doesn't help that they couldn't get off the field behind some really silly penalties to keep Minnesota's drive alive. The unit was also dropping like flies this game with a couple of injuries. The offense was stagnant this game as well. The only legit TD is Carr's flea flicker to J.J. Nelson for this offense. Other than that, Carr was stagnant. Minnesota's defense got to him 4 times going up against what really is a patchwork O-line with some key injuries.
As I mentioned before, this is a daunting stretch with the Raiders not having an Oakland home game until November. And this is obviously an unpleasant way to start. Next week against Indy has "bounceback" game written all over it with the Colts' struggles this season since Andrew Luck's shocking retirement. This team needs a little bit of regrouping with some blowout losses the last two weeks. I'll see you guys next week after the game.
This team is begging me to bring back "The Silver and Black Shitshow," which I promise never to do again. Anyway, the Raiders get routed by Vikings 14-34 to open up a grueling road trip. Last week, the Raiders run defense contained Kansas City's rushing attack. This week, they got shredded. Dalvin Cook rushed for a 110 yards and 1 TD against the Raiders' run defense. When the opposition's running game opens up, that spells a lot of trouble for this defense the entire game. It also doesn't help that they couldn't get off the field behind some really silly penalties to keep Minnesota's drive alive. The unit was also dropping like flies this game with a couple of injuries. The offense was stagnant this game as well. The only legit TD is Carr's flea flicker to J.J. Nelson for this offense. Other than that, Carr was stagnant. Minnesota's defense got to him 4 times going up against what really is a patchwork O-line with some key injuries.
As I mentioned before, this is a daunting stretch with the Raiders not having an Oakland home game until November. And this is obviously an unpleasant way to start. Next week against Indy has "bounceback" game written all over it with the Colts' struggles this season since Andrew Luck's shocking retirement. This team needs a little bit of regrouping with some blowout losses the last two weeks. I'll see you guys next week after the game.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Chiefs Bombard Raiders in 2nd Quarter to Win
Final: KC 28 OAK 10 (1-1)
A little short and sweet, this was an expected result against a human cheat code in Patrick Mahomes and a high-powered Chiefs offense. For the most part, the Raiders tested Kansas City in that first quarter. The defense held that high octane offense without a score in the first quarter, which is a silver lining. The run defense was on point. Secondary jammed the line of scrimmage and didn't give KC receivers any breathing room to turn loose for the most part. Defense had a nice game plan to start.
And then, the 2nd quarter hits and Mahomes just started throwing bombs. The Chiefs quickly adjusted to what Guenther's unit was doing and you have to credit them where credit is due. Mahomes relentlessly heaved a lot of bombs. Two to DeMarcus Robinson. One to Mecole Hardman. The receivers for KC stepped up to open up the playbook in Tyreek Hill's absence. How they managed without getting the run game going is beyond me. But, that is a testament of how unfair this offensive unit is. The next three quarters after Q1, the Raiders were overmatched big time.
On side notes, Derek Carr surpasses the legendary Ken "the Snake" Stabler as the all-time leading passing yards leader for the Raiders. However, that was a little marred by his 2 INTs. The first INT though, Bashaud Breeland outmatched Tyrell Williams off the LOS to get that INT in the end zone to stall a would-be positive drive by the Raiders sparked by Josh Jacobs' 51 yard run. The 2nd INT, there was no receiver in the vicinity. That was the only puzzling throw by Carr this game. The point is, the offense left a lot out there to be desired. Stalled drives, pre-snap penalties, turnovers, the usual suspects of the Raiders' inefficiencies on offense.
It's going to be a while before Oakland sees the Raiders again for the last time this season. They are going to be on the road for 5 straight games. The game against the Chicago Bears is a home game, but that's going international...again. A very daunting 5-game journey awaits the Silver and Black. I'll see you guys next week after the game against the Vikings.
A little short and sweet, this was an expected result against a human cheat code in Patrick Mahomes and a high-powered Chiefs offense. For the most part, the Raiders tested Kansas City in that first quarter. The defense held that high octane offense without a score in the first quarter, which is a silver lining. The run defense was on point. Secondary jammed the line of scrimmage and didn't give KC receivers any breathing room to turn loose for the most part. Defense had a nice game plan to start.
And then, the 2nd quarter hits and Mahomes just started throwing bombs. The Chiefs quickly adjusted to what Guenther's unit was doing and you have to credit them where credit is due. Mahomes relentlessly heaved a lot of bombs. Two to DeMarcus Robinson. One to Mecole Hardman. The receivers for KC stepped up to open up the playbook in Tyreek Hill's absence. How they managed without getting the run game going is beyond me. But, that is a testament of how unfair this offensive unit is. The next three quarters after Q1, the Raiders were overmatched big time.
On side notes, Derek Carr surpasses the legendary Ken "the Snake" Stabler as the all-time leading passing yards leader for the Raiders. However, that was a little marred by his 2 INTs. The first INT though, Bashaud Breeland outmatched Tyrell Williams off the LOS to get that INT in the end zone to stall a would-be positive drive by the Raiders sparked by Josh Jacobs' 51 yard run. The 2nd INT, there was no receiver in the vicinity. That was the only puzzling throw by Carr this game. The point is, the offense left a lot out there to be desired. Stalled drives, pre-snap penalties, turnovers, the usual suspects of the Raiders' inefficiencies on offense.
It's going to be a while before Oakland sees the Raiders again for the last time this season. They are going to be on the road for 5 straight games. The game against the Chicago Bears is a home game, but that's going international...again. A very daunting 5-game journey awaits the Silver and Black. I'll see you guys next week after the game against the Vikings.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Raiders Pound Broncos on Monday Night
Final: DEN 16 OAK 24 (1-0)
Welcome in guys. Just providing my quick thoughts here on the game. You won't see a lot of open thread and full recap posts moving forward. Those days are over. Onto this game, it has been awhile. It has been awhile since the Raiders won on opening night, let alone at home in Oakland. These last 10-13 years on home openers, they have not been good times in the Black Hole. Most of those openers were blowout losses, close losses off stupid mistakes. It's a breath of fresh air.
The Raiders needed this game tonight to wipe out all the Antonio Brown mayhem that has transpired in the last 48 hours or so. Forget about the one possession score, the Raiders dominated the Broncos from start to finish. A lot of credit goes to Jon Gruden and Greg Olson for putting a solid game plan together to neutralize Vic Fangio's defense. A lot mixing and matching involved on run plays, quick screens and slants. Fangio looked dumbfounded in the 2nd half. Tyrell Williams had a pretty solid game against this Broncos secondary. He was key in allowing this offense to open up the playbook. Josh Jacobs, I know it's just one game, I think he may break the running back curse for Alabama. 100 yards from scrimmage, 2 TD rushing TDs, first rookie RB to put up those numbers since LaDainian Tomlinson. The most impressive thing about it is, this was without the Raiders two best interior linemen in Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito. This is a respectable Denver front seven and Jacobs was able to gash them at no problem.
The defense did its job tonight. They completely shut down Denver's running game. This was supposed to be an improved Denver running game now that they've shored up they're offensive line and healthy Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. The front seven kept that in check. Paul Guenther's defensive unit looks like it's coming together. Benson Mayowa, 2nd stint and all, lead the team in sacks. But we gotta give overall credit on the coverage and blitz packages PG dialed up to generate pressure on Flacco. The Broncos offense got the benefit of a doubt with some fluke plays and questionable penalties to get back into this. As I mentioned, the score can be a bit misleading. Johnathan Abram showed definitely stood out on defense, flying all over the field. Tonight, he proved to be as advertised as a hard hitting Safety. But, he might want to control it a bit on where he hits. We don't want him to be marked man for walking 15-yard penalties. They already have Vontaze Burfict for that. But all jokes aside, defense did well.
It's good to be 1-0. However, the Raiders have to start looking ahead against a very tough task vs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next week. However, Kansas City will be missing some key weapons that makes this offense dangerous. Most of that is centered on Tyreek Hill. He'll be out for a bit with a collarbone injury. But they still have Kelce. They Damien Williams. They just signed LeSean McCoy. Sammy Watkins has stepped up in Hill's place. This offense is still potent. The Chiefs' defense though will be a juicy matchup for the Raiders, particularly in the running game as displayed tonight. Last year, the Chiefs run defense could not stop a wet paper bag last year. Their unit is much improved, but probably not much. It'll be interesting to see how well the Raiders matchup this year as opposed to last year with a younger, more athletic roster. I'll see you guys next week after that game.
Welcome in guys. Just providing my quick thoughts here on the game. You won't see a lot of open thread and full recap posts moving forward. Those days are over. Onto this game, it has been awhile. It has been awhile since the Raiders won on opening night, let alone at home in Oakland. These last 10-13 years on home openers, they have not been good times in the Black Hole. Most of those openers were blowout losses, close losses off stupid mistakes. It's a breath of fresh air.
The Raiders needed this game tonight to wipe out all the Antonio Brown mayhem that has transpired in the last 48 hours or so. Forget about the one possession score, the Raiders dominated the Broncos from start to finish. A lot of credit goes to Jon Gruden and Greg Olson for putting a solid game plan together to neutralize Vic Fangio's defense. A lot mixing and matching involved on run plays, quick screens and slants. Fangio looked dumbfounded in the 2nd half. Tyrell Williams had a pretty solid game against this Broncos secondary. He was key in allowing this offense to open up the playbook. Josh Jacobs, I know it's just one game, I think he may break the running back curse for Alabama. 100 yards from scrimmage, 2 TD rushing TDs, first rookie RB to put up those numbers since LaDainian Tomlinson. The most impressive thing about it is, this was without the Raiders two best interior linemen in Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito. This is a respectable Denver front seven and Jacobs was able to gash them at no problem.
The defense did its job tonight. They completely shut down Denver's running game. This was supposed to be an improved Denver running game now that they've shored up they're offensive line and healthy Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. The front seven kept that in check. Paul Guenther's defensive unit looks like it's coming together. Benson Mayowa, 2nd stint and all, lead the team in sacks. But we gotta give overall credit on the coverage and blitz packages PG dialed up to generate pressure on Flacco. The Broncos offense got the benefit of a doubt with some fluke plays and questionable penalties to get back into this. As I mentioned, the score can be a bit misleading. Johnathan Abram showed definitely stood out on defense, flying all over the field. Tonight, he proved to be as advertised as a hard hitting Safety. But, he might want to control it a bit on where he hits. We don't want him to be marked man for walking 15-yard penalties. They already have Vontaze Burfict for that. But all jokes aside, defense did well.
It's good to be 1-0. However, the Raiders have to start looking ahead against a very tough task vs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next week. However, Kansas City will be missing some key weapons that makes this offense dangerous. Most of that is centered on Tyreek Hill. He'll be out for a bit with a collarbone injury. But they still have Kelce. They Damien Williams. They just signed LeSean McCoy. Sammy Watkins has stepped up in Hill's place. This offense is still potent. The Chiefs' defense though will be a juicy matchup for the Raiders, particularly in the running game as displayed tonight. Last year, the Chiefs run defense could not stop a wet paper bag last year. Their unit is much improved, but probably not much. It'll be interesting to see how well the Raiders matchup this year as opposed to last year with a younger, more athletic roster. I'll see you guys next week after that game.
Saturday, September 7, 2019
2019 Oakland Raiders Preview (Not Really)
This has been a really long 48 hours with this whole Antonio Brown fiasco. Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock, the entire Raiders organization, you guys just got played.
There's an old saying: "what you want is what you get." The Raiders wanted to give Derek Carr an elite receiver in Antonio Brown. As talented as he is, we all know that know that he was going to bring a lot of baggage to this team. But they still traded to get him at the cost of a 3rd round pick, which is not bad. However, as this whole shitshow unravels, Pittsburgh's front office look like absolute geniuses. And the Patriots adding Brown at half of the price of his guaranteed money, after he was released by the Raiders today is more insult to injury.
The Raiders should've seen this coming. That when you bring Antonio Brown in, you knew you're getting yourself into a deranged soap opera. Gruden is in his 2nd year after a 10 year hiatus. Mike Mayock is in his 1st year as a GM. They were not prepared for a circus of this magnitude with this clown. This is Antonio Brown's Raider tenure in a nutshell: frostbite, helmet, fines, altercation with GM, released. His entire Raiders tenure was popcorn entertainment all the way through. At first, we thought the helmet drama was just a facade for Hard Knocks. It's not too big of a deal. But when it escalates after the show to the point AB threatens to punch Mayock in the face after getting slapped with a reasonable fine, that's when we should know this was was gonna turn ugly.
Mayock tried laying down the law. The only problem is you have Gruden undercutting the power of the GM, sweeping this under the rug, and ultimately letting him play. Literally after Brown just gave a half-assed apology to the media. Hey "Chuck E. Cheese!" What happened to "no one is above the team" mantra? Cause it worked so well with Khalil Mack that you shipped his ass to Chicago even though he didn't say anything and his agent was doing all the talking. But with Antonio Brown, you kissed his ass all the way through when he's berating the team and the organization and he pulls this shit to make you all look stupid.
I don't even want to share my hype video on here cause I posted it 24 hours before all this happened. Big promotion and such to amp up the Monday Night game since AB was back. The video was in a very awkward position with suspension looming, a possible release, etc. 24 hours after I uploaded, he's gone from the team. I'm done promoting that. As a content creator, the last hype video I'll always remember are my hype videos from 2015-2017. They were the most genuine. Everything else after looks like a desperate view grab even though I still put 110% on it while this shitshow unravels to throw jabs at me and force me to call audibles even though I'm a big advocate of expecting the unexpected.
This post was almost a chance for me to make amends to Raider Nation about poking fun at this team this past season. My biggest gripe is the sheep who support everything this team does. You disagree with the majority, you get labeled a fake fan. Those "It's Raider Nation or nothing. You don't like our team, go support somebody else" type of fans. That kind of mentality is the reason why the team has no desire of getting better and the last decade (excluding 2016) has proven that. We tend to forget a football team is also a product. When that product is not performing to our expectations that we pay for and are highly invested in, of course we're not going to be happy about it! You think I'm gonna call some Samsung owners fake Samsung customers when a Galaxy S7 just exploded inside their pocket and their voicing their displeasure? Of course that's not cool and you have a right to tell them that they dropped the ball on poorly mass producing the product. That's where I stand with the Raiders now. You just want to pull them to the side and tell them that they're fucking up and they need to get their shit together. Stupid decisions year after year is the reason why this team is a cellar dweller since 2002.
It's sad the last season in Oakland will end with a distinct plop. There was no intention of winning one more Super Bowl for that city and the Bay Area. Sure it might get better when they get to Las Vegas, but at the same time they're watching this incompetence unravel very closely. These last three seasons are just a facade so they can finally build from the ground up when they get to Vegas. They have the cap space and draft picks to do that. Whether or not the incompetence and dysfunction carries over remains to be seen. If this team surprises me this season with some wins, I'll accept that I'm wrong with humility. Until then, here's to another evaluation season to see how the three 2019 first round picks pan out and everybody else is fighting for a roster spot in 2020. Deuces!
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