Raiders Eliminate Themselves from Playoff Contention

Final Score: MIA 26 LV 25 [L] (7-8)

No matter if the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas, some things just never change. This team is a comedy. I'm trying not to laugh at my own team. I've seen this script many times as a Raider fan. But, it never ceases to amaze me that this team just finds new ways to lose in the most undisciplined fashion. This is the "Raider Way." It has been since 2002.

I'm not going dive deep too much into this game. It was a tale of two halves. The first half, it was a defensive battle. Then in the 2nd half, both teams found themselves in a shootout. The defense was able to hold Tua Tagovailoa in check, getting to him 3 times. But, in comes Ryan "Fitzmagic" in the 4th quarter to change the whole complexity for the Miami Dolphins' offense. Low key, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the Raiders' thorn on the side for some time. The fact that it took only one quarter for Fitzpatrick to rally the Dolphins says a lot on the unfortunate luck the Raiders had against him.

Some positives: we expected Carr to sit out the rest of the season with a groin injury, but he toughened it out this week to start. He did well with 21 passes of 34 attempts 336 yards and 1 TD despite being sacked 3 times. Nelson Agholor and Darren Waller balled out tonight and accumulated most of Carr's passes. Waller torched the Phins' secondary with 5 receptions on 112 yards. Inexplicably, the Dolphins were giving him one-on-one coverage and Waller just shredded his matchup. Agholor had 5 receptions for 155 yards, including the go-ahead 85 yard TD to put the Raiders up 16-22 with 3:37 left in the 4th.

Now, let's talk about to where things went south for the Raiders. The Raiders never converted a 3rd down. They went 0-10 in 3rd down conversions. Daniel Carlson missed the PAT after the Agholor TD. And then, that blown coverage and face mask penalty from Arden Key to help set up the Dolphins with the game-winning 44-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. Lets rewind before that, the Raiders didn't punch it in with Josh Jacobs. They let the clock run out with 19 seconds left and hitting the go-ahead field goal. 

24-26, the Dolphins were out of timeouts and only had 19 seconds to go the length of the field. It was a reasonable decision. Jon Gruden's playcalling was anemic this game, but I understood the rationale of running out the clock and settling for the field goal. I mean we would've never expected the defense to blow coverage down the far side of the field and on top of that, commit a stupid asinine penalty to give the Dolphins 15 more yards for a manageable field goal to steal the game and the Raiders' playoff hopes! And I'm laughing again as I reminisce on this game's final drive. You thought this "she-it" was over when they hit Las Vegas huh? Some things just never change. This loss is just another page in the Raiders' long book of losing in embarrassing fashion. 

I wish I could be angry and frustrated. But truth of the matter is as I said, I've seen the same old stuff in my tenure as a Raider fan. I've said it previously, it doesn't matter if this team moves anywhere else, the dysfunction will follow. To all who thought the Raiders would suddenly turn it around when they get to Vegas, the joke's on all...of...you. This team purposely continues to play us like a damn fiddle! I think I'll end it right there. This is just comical.

Lakers 2020-21 Season Preview: The New Dynasty?

Just for the record, I am doubling down on my departure from this blog at the conclusion of Week 17 of the NFL Season. But, I don't want to leave Laker Nation hanging to provide my overall thoughts on the upcoming season. The Lakers only had a good 1 1/2 month to celebrate banner #17. Now, they have to get back to work in what is a very short turnaround because the NBA wants their Christmas Day games. What we know is that the league has shortened the season to 72 games. Only the first half of games has been revealed for each team. The second half is yet to be determined. And after a successful implementation in the NBA Bubble, the play-in tournament between the #9 and #8 seeds has been brought back.

The Lakers are coming in as the defending NBA Champion, having conquered the Bubble in what felt like it was just 72 hours ago that they won the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat in 6 games. Typical championship teams tend to sit back and retain their championship core as long as they can. The drawbacks is that the core gets a year older and opposing teams get better. For the Lakers, the team that just won the championship were filled with veterans and former All-Stars who were on their last legs or looking for a ring before they cash out with other teams. I don't think hanging on to everyone would've been wise, especially in such a short turnaround.

Nobody had a better understanding of this than Rob Pelinka. To ensure that the Lakers stay one step ahead of everyone, he rolled the dice and there was no Kawhi Leonard decision to hold him down like last year. It was tough to see fan favorites like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and Danny Green (not really) leave. But, they were replaced with younger players in Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell and cheaper veterans in Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol. Gasol gives the Lakers a big who can space the floor even more and be the extra facilitator. Wes Matthews provides more offensive arsenal than what Danny Green provided as a mere spot-up shooter and is a solid defender in his own right. Schroder and Harrell gives the Lakers potential pieces that could play with AD in the long-run and helps fortify the bench with two 6MOY candidates. If there was one negative that the Lakers had last season is that they typically fumble away big leads, which leads to LeBron and AD playing unnecessary minutes in the 4th quarter. Because once those two leave, the offense sputters. That's not going to happen when you have Schroder as a reliable third option and Harrell who can double-double at any time. Those acquisitions will help LeBron and AD preserve energy come playoff time because they literally carried the Lakers to a title just two months ago. 

With the departure of McGee and Dwight, they do lose some rim protection and additional lob threats outside of AD. That will be something to monitor as the season progresses, especially when the Lakers run into the premiere bigs like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Bam Adebayo. Marc Gasol is the Lakers' only true Center this season. And he might've lost some athleticism, but he's still a cerebral defender. I don't think it's a cause for concern at the moment. Keep in mind, the buyout market is still a little later this season, so that'll give the Lakers some options to add another big for extra rim protection. Dewayne Dedmon is still in the market and who knows? The Cavs might buy out McGee, which allows him to come back to the purple and gold. 

Despite some tough departures, the championship roster is mostly in tact. KCP re-signed for three years. Markieff Morris re-signed for the minimum. Jared Dudley and Quinn Cook are brought back for team chemistry purposes. The biggest ones is that the Lakers have LeBron and AD to stay for at least 3 more years. LeBron signed until 2023. AD is locked in for the foreseeable future. And on an interesting bonus, the Lakers locked up Kyle Kuzma for 3 years, $40 million just recently. No question Kuz has been a disappointment in his current role. But we have to remember, he battled nagging foot injuries last year so he couldn't fully assimilate himself into Frank Vogel's rotation. No question, he's on a short leash with Talen Horton-Tucker showing up this preseason. We're going to see some extended action from THT after some nice spurts in the Bubble. But the big story, LBJ and AD are here to stay and will extend the Lakers' championship window for another three years.

With that said, can the Lakers run it back this year? This shouldn't be a question to begin with. The Lakers have a pretty good influx of youth and veterans around their dynamic duo. Yes, there's some cracks in the front court and on the wings. But, Frank Vogel and the coaching staff have a great knack of putting players in the best positions to win. This Laker team now has a good idea on how to get to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The crosshairs are going to be looming large at them as teams will try to come at them to dethrone them. There are teams that will be a threat: Clippers, Dallas, and Denver out West. Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Philly, and Miami out East. But, the Lakers have a pretty legit chance to repeat and go back-to-back. A new dynasty is brewing.

It's been real Laker Nation. Thank you all for a great 10 years on this blog. One of the great feelings in the world is finally covering a championship season here. It was a long wait. But, it was well worth it at the end. I'm ready to move on to my next chapter in life. I'll see you guys later.

Raiders Playoff Hopes Fading in Loss to Chargers

Final: LAC 30 LV 27 (OT) [L] (7-7)

Raiders are coming in for a short week, hoping to rebound. But, Justin Herbert and the Chargers had something to say otherwise as the Raiders lose 30-27 in OT.

Yeah, this one hurts. But, kudos to Marcus Mariota for a good game. Derek Carr pulls his groin in the first half. Mariota comes in and reminded the NFL on his ability as a dual threat QB. Charger defense had no answer for him as he dominated through the air and on the ground with 226 yards passing and 88 rushing yards with 2 total TDs and that one pick. It wasn't his best throw of the night as the ball was behind Zay Jones. But, the offense felt more alive with Mariota at the helm. The Raiders were able to adjust the offense and throw in some read option plays to take advantage of Mariota's mobility.

But the night belonged to Justin Herbert this game. Despite the change with Rod Marinelli at DC, the defense still had its issues as I predicted. The run defense was okay. The pass defense? Not so much. It was a rough night for Trayvon Mullen as he accounted for 4 penalties to give Herbert and the Chargers offense some chunk yards. Despite a hobbled Keenan Allen, who was primarily used as a decoy this game, it was the Chargers 3rd, 4th, and 5th options that stepped it up. The trust that Herbert had in his receivers to make a play was something else even if he is a rookie. Like I said, last week, it was the run defense with a lot of problems. This week, it was the pass defense. 

The Raiders are not mathematically eliminated, but those playoff hopes are slowly dwindling. Most likely, we've seen Derek Carr play his last game of the season. Groin injuries are very tricky and the timetable for them to fully heal varies depending on the severity. Luckily, this was the reason the Raiders brought in Marcus Mariota. They get a backup who is serviceable as a starter. The only issue is that he can be wildly inconsistent. I'm just going to say it now, this team is not ready to make that postseason leap. They exceeded expectations in the first half of the season. But in the second half, those cracks are beginning to show. We are pretty much seeing deja vu from last season. We'll see. The Raiders are going to have to finish strong and they're going to need some significant help. I'll see you guys next week.

Colts Gash Raiders

Final Score: IND 44 LV 27 [L] (7-6)

There's something extra sour when losing to a team with Philip Rivers under center. The Colts dominate the Raiders on the ground and through the air in a 44-27 rout. This loss puts a little dent on the Raiders' playoff hopes.

This is the repercussions from last week's ugly. You struggle against the worst team in the NFL, what more with a playoff contender coming to town? Although, the Raiders play up to par against playoff contenders throughout this season. It looked that way when the Raiders took the lead 14-10 in the 2nd quarter. Then a 41-yard bomb to T.Y. Hilton from Philip Rivers pretty much sucked all the momentum away. It wasn't until the 4th quarter where this game really got away from the Raiders.

The run defense got exposed last week after giving up 104 yards to a "no-name" in Ty Johnson. With the Colts' strong running game behind the trio of Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins, it was going to be a tall task to stop them on the ground. And this game proved it. Taylor got the majority of the carries and gashed the defense with 120 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries. Hines added 58 yards on the ground with 7 carries. The Colts were able to dominate the time of possession early on. They also got a pair of TDs through the air as T.Y. Hilton got 5 receptions for 86 yards and 2 TDs. The last TD, Johnathan Abram got burned big time. That is something he's going to need to work on to be an effective Safety for the Raiders.

The passing game was the only thing that was working for the Raiders, but they had a mixed performance overall. Josh Jacobs is not clearly 100% for the running game to be effective. So, all eyes were on Derek Carr. He got off to a good start, finding Foster Moreau wide open for 47 yards for the Raiders' first score. Then he dished out another dime TD to Nelson Agholor to briefly give the Raiders their first lead and it was their only lead that game. Carr finished with 31 passes of 45 attempts with 2 TDs, 1 Rush TD to add at the end of the game. But, the 2 picks were costly. The first INT, it was an impressive play from Kenny Moore, outjumping Darren Waller with a one-handed grab. The 2nd pick pretty much sealed the game as Carr threw a pick 6. You can make the argument that the 2nd INT was not his fault as the ball ricochet off Jalen Richard's hands. But, that pretty much signaled game over. The Raiders racked up another score after, but it didn't matter anyways.

We've been here before if last year was any indication. The Raiders were in the hunt at 6-4 and they just either ran into the better teams or embarrassed by teams they were supposed to beat. Standing at 7-6, there's no room for error. Miami is still a threat. There's heavy implications there, but that's not until Week 16. The Raiders are gonna come off a short week to take on the Chargers in a divisional matchup. The last time these two teams met, the Raiders were able to get away as the would-be Chargers go-ahead TD was waived off. Regardless, they're gonna be a handful. Justin Herbert has been a standout rookie QB for them. Playoffs is not out of the question. But, these last few games after the Sunday Nighter against KC, I have not been impressed. Suspect play on defense. Inconsistency on offense. It's not looking good these last few weeks. I'll see you guys on Thursday.

Update: Raiders Fire Paul Guenther - So, they finally pulled the plug after two and a half seasons. Guenther was going to get canned eventually with the way this defense has performed during his tenure. Let's be honest, the defensive talent is leaps and bounds away from where they needed to be. And Guenther's defensive schemes didn't mask it well. It also begs the question that maybe the Raiders need to abandon the 4-3 scheme completely. You think about all the Raiders DCs, they've ran the 4-3, but it's the same stuff, different year, different coordinator. Run defense is trash. The pass rush is always one or two steps behind. Linebackers and defensive backs look lost. It's always the same stuff every year even if they think they have the talent to take the next step. But nonetheless, the writing was already on the wall for Paul Guenther. We gave him the benefit of a doubt in his first year since the Raiders traded Khalil Mack and were crying for more pass rush. But since then, no improvement whatsoever. Whether it's the talent or the scheme, something has to change. And with Rod Marinelli taking over, by all accounts, I still have zero expectations that this defense is going to get better from here on out. 

"WTF?" Game of the Year - Raiders Keep Jets Winless in Miraculous Fashion

Final Score: LV 31 NYJ 28 [W] (7-5)

HAIL HENRY (Ruggs)! Just when I was about to witness another chapter in Silver and Black infamy at the idea of losing to the 0-11 Jets. I'd like to think that the Jets remembered that they're tanking for Trevor Lawrence and just handed the game over to the Silver and Black.

This is arguably the worst best game for the Raiders. Even if it resulted in a win, this still felt like a loss. I haven't been this bipolar in a win since 2016 Tampa Bay when the Raiders set an NFL record for penalties in a game, but they still won. That's how this game went down.

Let's talk some positives. Have yourself a game Darren Waller! He carved up the suspect Jets defense with 13 receptions, 200 yards, 2 TDs. He should've had more because they did not have an answer for him. 

Defensively, it was yet another bipolar performance. But, one player that stood out was Clelin Ferrell with 2 strip sacks. I've been critical of Ferrell as a top 5 pick. But he showed out today even if it was against a bad Jets team. They were able to get to Sam Darnold. But in the 2nd half, the run defense got gashed. The Jets running game has been non-existent. But, some guy named Ty Johnson went off with 104 rushing yards and 1 TD on 22 carries. 

Let's discuss that final possession. The Raiders had a failed 4th down conversion. A Carr pass to Renfrow was called back due to offsetting penalties. Next play, they failed to convert. On a 3rd down run play, the refs signaled that the runner stayed inbounds, so that wasted precious time for the Raiders. Carr overshoots Nelson Agholor for a potential game-winning TD. Agholor had a couple of solid catches, but he didn't show up in the clutch. But, it was the rookie Henry Ruggs III with the miraculous 46-yard TD catch! Keep in mind, he made a costly fumble that allowed the Jets to take the go-ahead TD. But, he redeemed himself with the game-winning play.

That play is gonna be talked about for awhile. The Jets dialed a blitz on Carr and left the corner on an island against the speedy Ruggs. They can't lose that #1 pick, especially since Jacksonville lost to Minnesota after this game unfolded. If that is not the sign of a tanking team of throwing the game away, it's gotta be this game. 

By kickoff, I was dumbfounded that Carlson didn't kick it deep and it allowed the Jets to get one more play into the end zone. This game was all kinds of weird, but the Raiders keep their playoff hopes alive. But, at what cost? It becomes more obvious after this game that this team is a fringe playoff team at best. Struggling against a tanking team is not a good sign. But, it is what it is. Raiders keep hope alive and this win was huge with Miami and Indy winning today as well. The Raiders still have yet to play those two, which will have playoff implications at stake. Indy next week is going to be a tough one. Good defensive line and a familiar rival QB comes back to the AFC West. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

James, Davis 2020 - Keep the Lakers Great for 3 More Years

LeBron signed through 2023, AD signed through 2025

Finally, I can have some time to talk about the cream of the crop signings to tie the knot in what was an eventful free agency that the Lakers put together. They bring back Jared Dudley for one more year to retain some stability for chemistry and locker room leadership. And to bring back a guy who will stand up for his teammates. Harp on Dudley if you want. I personally have no problem brining him back. The Lakers gave him a role and he's living up to it. He can still knock down a couple 3 balls at his age.

Okay, jokes aside on "Elmer Fudd" Dudley. You all know where this headline is going. The Lakers may be restoring their greatness as the gold standard of the franchise, but one thing that has been consistent even through the recent years of mediocrity is that they know how to take care of their superstars. Rob Pelinka got it done, inking LeBron James to a two-year extension and re-signing AD to a max contract of $190 million for 5 years. Pretty much, this certifies that the Lakers will be title contenders for awhile as long as the LeBron-AD duo stays in tact. And especially as we usher in AD as the new face of the franchise until he hits free agency again in 2025. Rumors of LeBron's demise last year has been greatly exaggerated as he was able to rebound and lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship. Father time has no answer for him. Regarding the extension, it's no secret that LeBron wants to play with his son, Bronny when he's eligible to hit the league in 2023. You can pretty much connect the dots on this contract.

The Anthony Davis situation is the one that we all were holding are breath on. Prior to LeBron's extension, there were rumors that they were waiting on Giannis Antetokounmpo this season if he was going to extend with the Bucks or hit free agency. I surmised that AD was going to do the Kevin Durant deal with the Warriors and sign a 1+1 deal. One year guaranteed and the other year is a player option which he can opt in and hit free agency with LeBron once his initial 4-year contract is up. That would give the Lakers cap room to possibly sign the Greek Freek and LeBron and the 'Brow would take less money to form an almighty Big 3. I don't know if I should laugh or feel sorry for the rest of the league if that were to happen.

But with the LeBron extension and AD inking a max deal, we can all put that Big 3 talk to rest. I've said this from the very beginning when the Lakers gave up all the young assets (minus Kuzma) to the Pelicans, re-signing AD for the long run would change the fortunes of the franchise. They lose him, they end up right where they were 7 years ago when Dwight Howard bolted for free agency. At least they got a championship out of the trade. But kudos to the Lakers front office for getting this deal done. This ensures that the Lakers will be in good hands for the foreseeable future and it extends their championship window in the now. They will eventually hand over the reins to AD once LeBron hangs it up or departs to wherever team that drafts his son in 2023 (most likely back to Cleveland). The next challenge would be pairing a future star with AD to fill that void. But, that's not until later. The restored greatness of the Lakers extends for a couple more years.

Falcons Hammer Raiders

Final Score: LV 6 ATL 43 [L] (6-5)

Expect a short recap today. The Raiders looked like poo poo today. There's no way around it.

What the hell did I just see today? This game was unbearable to watch. Damon Annette going down early on this game should've been a microcosm of how this matchup was going to go down.

The offense went from hanging with the Chiefs last week to being absolutely atrocious this week against the Falcons. Gotta give credit, the Falcons have been playing better since moving on from Dan Quinn. And they're pretty much on pace to rebounding to a strong finish.

I wouldn't put too many details on the offense's negatives. The running game was stuffed. Carr and the receivers didn't look like they were on the same page. Fumbles, pick 6, poor play calling overall, and penalties swamped this team. We can discuss time zone differential. But, it was a pathetic display overall.

The only positive I can think is that the Raiders' defense forced two INTs. I'm not sure if you can call that a positive because both times, the ball ricochet off a Falcons receiver. That's how bad this game was.

The game was essentially over when Nathan Peterman took over in the 4th. And you know it's even more bad when they switch over to the Colts-Titans game at the 4:15 mark of the 4th quarter for us here in the Bay Area. Yeah, this was the game in a nutshell. If the team puts up this effort again next week against the Jets and lose, no playoffs. It's as simple as that. I'll see you guys next week.

Lakers Free Agency Day 3 + Markieff Morris Announces Return

A "Gasol" on the Lakers seems right, feels right

What a weekend it has been for the Lakers! I don't think you can ask for a better offseason than the way Rob Pelinka and company handled free agency to strengthen the team even more to better their chances at a repeat. Yes, we lost some fan favorites along the way. But, the NBA is a business first and foremost. Some necessary sacrifices are needed to become champions once again as the entire league is trying to play catchup. The Lakers know very well that they have a huge bullseye behind their back and needed to do what they can to stay ahead of the arms race. Let's break down the most recent transactions.

(-)

JaVale McGee --> Traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jordan Bell and Alfonso McKinnie

Comment: JaVale picked up his player option prior to the start of free agency. Personally, I had McGee as a sign-and-trade candidate as we all know the Lakers are shopping Kyle Kuzma around in case he shows no signs progress in the upcoming season. Maybe throw in McGee as an additional player in the package to free up some cap room. When rumors that the Lakers were interested in Marc Gasol swirled up, that was a microcosm that the Lakers are likely to move JaVale elsewhere. And they needed to do that to make cap room for Gasol. Outside of shot blocking, JaVale doesn't provide much value. We already expected this as soon as he found himself out of the rotation in the NBA Bubble. Ultimately, the Lakers lose a hype man and a locker room personality on their team. I was an avid watcher of his "Life in the Bubble" vlogs on YouTube just to have that all-access look on how this team bonded in the Bubble. But, McGee looks good only on short spurts. You're not going to get a lot out of him if you give him more minutes. The Cavaliers do get a decent backup for Andre Drummond.

As for the Lakers' acquisitions in this trade, both Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie are on non-guaranteed contracts. I heard Bell already got waived. They were most likely going to get cut as they were just excess pieces to make the money work to get JaVale to Cleveland. McKinnie is actually going to remain with the team for the time being. He saw some extended action during his time with the Warriors and did decent for the most part. I think he'll provide some value as a wing defender that the Lakers got in return for cheap.

(+)

Marc Gasol (TOR) - 2 years, $2.5M

Comment: A "Gasol" on the Lakers sounds so nostalgic. As soon as the Lakers traded JaVale, this move was inevitable. Real Laker fans know that the team drafted Marc Gasol in 2008 and traded his draft rights to Memphis to get big brother Pau. Looking back at that trade, it was ultimately a win-win. The Lakers won two more titles out of three finals appearances and Marc blossomed into a 3x All-Star and DPOY winner for the Grizzlies. Life comes full circle as Marc will finally don the purple and gold. 

As much as we will miss Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee's shot blocking and rim protection, this is actually a solid upgrade. We know Marc is not as athletic as he once was, but he provides the Lakers a big body that can space the floor with his ability to knock down 3-pointers and can defend the premium centers like a Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Karl Anthony-Towns. So, that takes a lot of pressure away from Anthony Davis to play extended minutes at the 5. And having a big man like Marc who can space the floor and make the right plays with his high IQ, that allows LeBron and AD to have a field day inside. AD, especially will benefit from Marc's presence in the all likelihood he re-signs. Teams will have to think twice about doubling him. And centers like Rudy Gobert and Steven Adams who thrive as interior defenders will have an uncomfortable time having to defend outside the paint with Marc's ability to stretch the floor. 

I hope the Lakers do not retire #16 yet for Pau Gasol. Have Marc wear that number, make it even more nostalgic for us Lakers fans. It'd be a fitting way to follow in his brother's footsteps. Marc may already have a ring with the Raptors, but the Gasol brothers winning rings as Lakers from different eras? That's gonna be quite a story for that family.

Markieff Morris Tweets Return

Earlier today, Markieff announced on his Twitter that he will return to the Lakers. "Run it back!" He says. Nothing else to say. Unlike Dwight's deleted tweet, this is for real as the Lakers are finalizing to bring back 'Kieff for the veteran's minimum. The Lakers getting 'Kieff off the waivers and not having to give up anything unlike the Clippers trading everything for brother, Marcus, was a huge steal. They get a true stretch 4 who can play the 5 in small ball situations. But, I think with Trez onboard, we'll see 'Kieff almost exclusively at the 4. He too was an X-Factor in the Lakers' playoff run from Game 2 of the semi's to onwards. Give it to 'Kieff from beyond the arc, it's a guaranteed bucket. And the Lakers keep a guy who represents grit and toughness. Those Morris twins, you don't mess with them. It's hilarious that the Clippers overpaid for Marcus earlier. But clearly 'Kieff has his priorities straight. Rings now, money later. Once again, Rich Paul and Klutch Sports surely had a hand in this since 'Kieff is also their client along with LeBron, AD, KCP, and Trez. 30% of the Lakers' projected roster is Klutch Sports! 

Raiders Lose the Shootout vs. Chiefs

 Final Score: KC 35 LV 31 [L] (6-4)

Well, I had a post previously. But, apparently that got deleted when I published. I'm just going to give out a condensed summary of this game.

This game was as advertised as a back-and-forth shootout. Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense did what they can and scored as many points. But, key drops were a big factor down the stretch. The defense did what they could with key players missing due to the COVID-19 protocol. In the end, the Raiders lose off a go-ahead TD from Mahomes to Kelce. Kansas City was methodical in their run game and Patrick Mahomes did what we're accustomed to seeing him doing and that's extending plays with his mobility.

I'm not going to drop stats because I exhausted my effort from my previous post that got deleted. But, the Raiders still remain in the last Wild Card spot and they're now at the softest part of their schedule. The only challenging opponents left are the Colts and the Dolphins. But, first they have a chance to get right next week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and company had a brutal day against the Saints' defense today. Maybe, the Raider defense can pull a page out of their book for their preparation for this matchup. I'll see you guys later. 

Lakers Free Agency Frenzy Day 2

The "Pope" is back!

Day 2 of the NBA Free Agency is in the books. We expected some more key losses on the Lakers' front and we got those today. Remember, the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder to get younger and to mitigate the big losses the Lakers will get in terms of their backcourt personnel. Despite some of those losses, the Lakers still rebounded and brought back a guy who'll be an integral piece for many years to come. Let's break down some of these transactions.

(-)

Avery Bradley --> MIA, 2 years, $11.3M

Comment: AB was the first domino to fall today. I wouldn't say I'm surprised by this. The Lakers brought him in to defend the best perimeter players and for the most part, his role was pretty consistent prior to the suspension of the NBA Season. We all know what happened regarding his decision to withdraw from the NBA restart. Again, I'm not going to hold that against him. At least he was open to come back. It's just that I don't think that the Lakers would've offered him this kind of contract that he's getting with the Miami Heat. The Heat have pretty much bolstered their perimeter defense by adding Bradley to the team. And they strengthen their scoring and shooting as he can have a knack to go off at times. But, his niche is defense and pairing him along with Jimmy Butler? That's an underrated defensive tandem right there in a franchise that instills defense into their culture.

Rajon Rondo --> ATL, 2 years, $15M

Comment: When the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder, we knew right then and there that Rondo is expendable. Rondo was huge from the 2nd round onwards in the Lakers' championship run in the NBA Bubble. With LeBron and Rondo on the same team, it was like cheating the system when you have two guys who have unbelievable basketball IQ on the same floor. The only knack is he's not as durable as he was before, having extended periods of absence due to injury. But to get him back in the postseason was great timing and "Playoff Rondo" is as advertised. The Hawks just got a guy who can help Trae Young take that next step as a floor general point guard. It's quite surprising since Rondo was rumored that his preferred destination is to a playoff team. But, the Atlanta Hawks are on the come-up in the East and Rondo's rationale is to secure the last big payday before he declines even further. He's got nothing to prove at this point. He's won championships with two storied franchises. That's more than enough. At least he didn't go to the Clippers. Thanks Rondo for giving your all to the purple and gold!

(+)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 3 years, $40M

Comment: With Danny Green traded. Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo going elsewhere, the Lakers are well on their way to have a revamped backcourt. But bringing back KCP is huge for this team to bring some stability. It's a love-hate relationship with KCP since he first got here in 2017. When he does terrible, he's "Kentavious Caldwell-Poop." But the way he rebounded in the postseason after dropping a goose egg in the beginning swayed public opinion about him. KCP was the X-Factor in the Finals run, hitting clutch shots after clutch shots. I would say he's earned this contract extension after signing multiple 1-year deals and a 2-year deal with a player option. The thing about is, he's only 27 years old. He still has a lot of years left in him and he flashed potential as an integral role player and a guy who's not afraid of the big moment. Don't let the numbers fool you, he's a pesky defender as evident in his playing days in Detroit. The Lakers and Klutch Sports have done it again. We all must remember, KCP signing with the Lakers back in 2017 planted the seeds for LeBron, AD, and the unholy alliance with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports that is unfolding this year before our very eyes. 

Lakers Free Agency Frenzy Day 1

Patrick Beverly and the Clippers on Suicide Watch

The first day of NBA Free Agency has had many twists and turns so far and it is far from over. While we anticipate whether or not Anthony Davis re-signs with the Lakers, the Lakers are wasting no time in making moves by adding players who fit into AD's timeline. Not only that, but the Lakers get younger. They're more athletic. All of a sudden, they went from arguably the oldest team in the league to a younger team fresh off a championship. Let's dig right into Day 1.

(-)

Dwight Howard -> PHI, 1-year, $2.6M

Comments: I thought he was staying? He made a Tweet earlier this evening, giving us signs that he was going to come back to LA for a chance to run it back. But, that tweet was immediately deleted and he's going to the Philadelphia 76ers. From what I heard, the Lakers offered him an incrementally higher salary, which is why it was odd that he would take less money to go from a guaranteed championship team to a team with championship aspirations. Let's be real here, this is a much different circumstance than when he first left in 2013. I am bummed out. The Lakers lose their "enforcer" in the paint, but I'm not completely mad. He completed his redemption arc in the purple and gold. Now, he's a champion. He can do whatever he wants. Let bygones be bygones already. Looks like Shaq has more bulletin to make fun of Dwight more. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Shaq's  recent rants on how Dwight celebrated the championship played a part in this. 

Nonetheless, the 76ers are going to get a true backup to Joel Embiid. Funny enough, Dwight is going to reunite with Danny Green since OKC flipped Green to Philly when the Lakers traded for Schroder. The Lakers still have a shot blocker since JaVale McGee picked up his player option. But honestly, the Lakers are going to miss Dwight as he helps take off the load of McGee and AD defending the more premium centers like a Nikola Jokic. He had a huge role during that matchup against the Nuggets.

(+)

Wesley Matthews (MIL) - 1-year, $3.5M 

Comments: Now, this is a move that we all saw coming. The Lakers needed to find a cheap replacement for Danny Green and Wes Matthews was their guy all throughout this process. Matthews had a pretty decent season as a prominent role player for the Bucks. His best days of averaging 10+ PPG are behind him, but he's a savvy veteran who can still knock down the three ball and defend multiple positions. He's the perfect trade-off for the departure of Danny Green and the Lakers didn't need to break the bank. Fun fact, his dad played for the Lakers in the Showtime Era. It comes full circle for the man.

Montrezl Harrell (LAC) - 2-years, $19M

Comments: I felt a great disturbance in the force as if millions of Clipper fans suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. The salt level of Clipper Nation is through the roof with the signing as Montrezl Harrell decides to join the real LA team across the hallway. Nobody, saw this coming! I never thought he would be a target! But, this mitigated the loss of Dwight a bit earlier tonight. Harrell doesn't have the physical stature and defensive prowess that Dwight has. But, what he brings is relentless energy and high motor and he can score and terrorize the boards in bunches. He was a big reason why the Lakers dropped the first two meetings with the Clippers last year. Once Montrezl and Lou Will subbed in, you just knew momentum was about to shift in the Clippers' way in a blur. 

Now, the Lakers don't have to worry about now that they have him. After further research, Harrell is a client of Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. Definitely, there was a lot of internal stuff going on that we don't know about. But, who are we to complain? Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul are playing chess while the rest of the league is playing checkers. The Lakers have the reigning Sixth Man after previously acquiring the runner-up in Dennis Schroder. I would think Harrell comes off the bench. He and the Carushow are going to be super electrifying coming off the bench. And, they just weakened the Clippers with this "pro gamer" move. Don't cry Clipper fans. If y'all sign Rondo, you better pray to the basketball gods he stays healthy all season and he can handle the egos of Paul Choke (PC13) and Kawhi LoadManagement. 

The Dennis Schroder Trade

I'm on my way out of this blog by the end of the NFL Season. But, we can still talk about the Lakers offseason while I'm still active. The NBA offseason is underway when a trade has been reported. And earlier today, league sources have reported that the Lakers and Thunder have agreed to a trade that would send Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Dennis Schroder to LA in exchange for Danny Green and the Lakers' 28th pick in this year's draft. The trade moratorium is tomorrow, so we can expect this to be official by all accounts.

Rob Pelinka isn't playing any games. This is a great deal for the Lakers. If you want to better your chances to "run it back," you make moves like these. It would be ideal for the Lakers to bring everyone from their 2019-20 championship roster back. But, the truth of the matter is that nucleus is going to get older and opposing teams are going to get better. Schroder may not be the All-Star guard that we covet, but he provides the Lakers a reliable 3rd option to go with LeBron and AD. Schroder is only 27 years old and is a consistent 18-20 point scoring guard with playmaking ability. He is also a much better shooter at this point of his career than what the Lakers currently had among that back court personnel. 

For the assets that the Lakers are giving up, they're literally giving away "peanuts." Danny Green is a solid 3 and D player, but he's slowing down. That's evident in this year's postseason run in the bubble even if he had some injuries. If you compare DG's contract to Schroder's contract, they both make $15 million a year. Obviously, Schroder is getting paid incrementally higher. But the difference is simple: Schroder is reaching his peak while Danny Green is on the decline. The 28th pick doesn't hold too much value. The chances that pick develops into a future superstar is very slim unless OKC's scouts have somebody in mind. That team is committed to a full-on rebuild, accumulating a boat load of draft picks from Houston and the LA Clippers from the Russell Westbrook and Paul George trades respectively. 

This trade is also a contingency plan to patch up the Lakers' backcourt because that unit will take a hit this upcoming offseason. Rajon Rondo is opting out and wants more money. KCP wants more money. Avery Bradley is also opting out. At least Schroder will fill that void for the time being even if it's on a one-year rental. Although we do want Rondo and KCP back, it's understandable we gotta play that game of "keep as many as you can." And there's a chance the Lakers may not get either of them back with their high salary demands, especially since they have to prioritize resigning AD this offseason. This trade is one way to keep AD in LA for the foreseeable future and pair him with a prospective young piece in preparation for the post-LeBron era. And currently, this helps extend LeBron's prime and keep him fresh for the postseason with a guard who can consistently score double digit points and create plays for teammates. 

Raiders Rebound From Slow 1st Half, Pick Lock 4 Times in Rout

Final Score: DEN 12 LV 37 [W] (6-3)

The Raiders may have moved out of my home state, but the one thing that'll never change is a satisfying win over the Denver Donkeys. And today was a beauty. The title says it all with how this game went down as the Raiders blow out the Broncos 12-37. The Raiders keep it rolling with three straight wins against teams we expected them to beat.

From the scoreboard alone, it looked like the Raiders played a complete 60 minute-game. But, that wasn't the case especially in the first half. Even if the Broncos' defense is missing some pieces (notably Von Miller), they have been decent for the most part. What was frustrating though was that the Raiders were able to drive over this Denver defense with ease on the first drive that capped off with a Josh Jacobs 11-yard TD run. After that, the offense came up empty in their possessions. There was a lot of points left out there on the field.  

The big positive was the defense. They came to play out there today and pretty much made Drew Lock's life miserable today. They started sluggish with a couple of missed tackles and giving up some 3rd and long plays. But, the turnovers gave this defense some juice. Jeff Heath especially stood out picking off Drew Lock twice. Probably the critical one was the one he made in the end zone in the final seconds to keep this game a 6-10 score in favor of the Raiders. Denver never saw a lead this game and the drive that ended with Jeff Heath's 2nd pick was the closest the Broncos would get to taking a lead. 

In the 2nd half, the defense made the job of the Raiders' offense a lot easier even though the offense did improve after sputtering in the 1st half sans the opening drive. Carl Nassib had a pick in Denver's own territory, that resulted in another field goal. Broncos had a catch and fumble deep into their own territory yet again, which capped off in a Devontae Booker TD. Nick Kwiatkoski capped off the defense's spectacular performance in the turnover category with a sick 1-handed interception. 

We can't say anything else about the running game. They have been terrific these last three games. Today, Josh Jacobs, Devontae Booker combined for 193 total yards on the ground. Derek Carr's 10 rushing yards put the rushing total to 200+ yards. What's impressive is that this is behind a makeshift offensive line. No Kolton Miller. No Richie Incognito. No Trent Brown. Yes like I said, Vic Fangio and Denver D is missing some key pieces. But, the Raiders' ground game gashed them today. Especially, this was a revenge game for Devontae Booker against his former team and he hangs 81 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries. Josh Jacobs lead the rushing attack as usual with 112 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries.

So, where do the Raiders stand in the playoff picture? They currently hold the 2nd wild card spot in the AFC. If you've been living under a rock, the NFL expanded the Wild Card teams this season to three teams and the Raiders are well within the hunt. They hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland after their win two weeks ago. They get Indy and the Miami Dolphins later in the schedule. The Colts currently lead the AFC South and Miami currently has the final Wild Card spot. Those games will be critical in the foreseeable future and those teams aren't a slouch either. But, it's not too early to talk playoff scenarios and the Raiders are well within the race. They could also be well within the AFC West race if they take care of business against the Chiefs next week in primetime. It's not going to be easy, but a 2-0 season sweep against the defending champs would be monumental for this team. The last time the Raiders swept the AFC West, it was 10 years ago. And I remember that 2010 season very well. I still think they should've gotten those two wins in Arizona and Jacksonville to break the tie for the AFC West crown. It certainly is possible they can do it again 10 years later and they have the chance to do it right this time. I'll see you guys next week. 

Because I forgot to mock the Chargers last week...

Raiders Survive Late Chargers Surge

Final Score: LV 31 LAC 26 [W] (5-3)

Of course, every Raiders game gotta have us living on edge. The Raiders come into the new SoFi Stadium and outlast a furious Chargers comeback lead by the rookie QB, Justin Herbert with a 31-26 victory.

What a game. The Chargers may be in rebuilding mode, but they kept most of the core in tact and put Justin Herbert in the right situation. The Raiders are fortunate to get away with this one. The Chargers are like the gift that keeps on giving. They historically find ways to lose. Last week, they blew a big lead at Mile High. This week, it looked like they won it. But, Isaiah Johnson stepped in and contested the catch. That slight bobble made the difference and the referees ruled it incomplete.

Bad weather wasn't a factor this week. It won't be as long as you're in an indoor stadium. The offense did work today. It was the ground game in the 1st half. The passing game took over in the 2nd half. But, the Raiders still ran the ball to churn out some clock. They may have well found their "Thunder & Lightning" in the back field with Devontae Booker and Josh Jacobs. Booker lead in rushing with 68 yards and 1 TD on 8 carries. He has been the perfect complement this season to Josh Jacobs and it allows Jacobs to stay fresh. Meanwhile Jacobs rushed for 65 yards and 1 TD on 12 carries. 

As I mentioned, the Raiders shook it up in the 2nd half with some pass plays. The most notable one is Derek Carr's 45-yard bomb to Nelson Agholor to recapture the lead 21-17. We continue to see shades of 2016 Derek Carr today. He took a dive in the red zone in the 3rd quarter, very reminiscent of the dive he took to get the first down out of bounds in the opening game against the Saints back in 2016. That set up a 3-yard pass TD to Darren Waller to put the Raiders up 28-17.

The Raiders did not make this win easy at all. The defense had an up and down game tonight. We saw the pass rush get going as they were able to get pressure on Justin Herbert. Carl Nassib and Maxx Crosby each got a sack. The defense was able to stop the run on early downs. But, it was 3rd and long plays that kept the defense on the field a little too much. Every time, Paul Guenther calls prevent, the Chargers responded by throwing underneath to Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Hunter Henry and their YAC abilities just took over. Carr fumbled the ball at the end of the first half to allow the Chargers to retake the lead. That was more on coaching's part. Jon Gruden got too greedy to put some points on the board when they had the ball to start the 2nd half. And in that 4th quarter, it felt like an eternity for the defense to be out there as the offense moved the ball a bit, but couldn't anything going besides a Carlson field goal. As mentioned, Chargers looked like they came back. But a great contest by Isaiah Johnson and an extra camera angle showing the ball being bobbled was the difference.

It's not always easy, but the Raiders somehow still found a way to win. This stretch is not too difficult by all means. The fact that they're taking care of business against the teams they should beat is more than enough. The Raiders get another plus matchup next week against the Broncos. They are within striking distance with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. The Chiefs got away with a win against Carolina. A win against the Broncos next week should set up a crucial AFC West rematch with the Chiefs on Sunday Night. It's astonishing despite some of this team's flaws. But, if they can get it done, they can get it done. I'll see you guys later. 

"The Autumn Wind is a Raider" in Win vs. Browns

Final Score: LV 16 CLE 6 [W] (4-3)

First day of November, windy & wet weather conditions, now football season has started. Not much to say, but the Raiders got it done in sloppy weather conditions. They outrun the Browns in the ground game. When you're in a bad weather game and the running game is your strength, it's a no brainer to run the ball down the defense's throat.

Cleveland's rush defense is respectable, which makes this more impressive. It was literally the Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker show today. Jacobs rushed for 128 yards on 31 carries. Booker when subbed in, gained tough runs after contact and finished with 29 rushing yards. The key phrase is the yards after contact. The running game plowed through the Browns' D-line at will and it chewed up a lot of the clock for the most part of the game.

The Browns tried to be a little too cute on their first drive. Rather than running the ball with Kareem Hunt, they started with some play action to get the pass game going. Probably the riskiest game plan when the elements are not in your favor. The Raider defense didn't have to do much with the poor game planning on the Browns' part under the elements.

Derek Carr can still use his legs. We all know his track record in cold weather games. It was an ugly game on both sides, but Carr did just enough to win. He got pressured, sacked all game long. But, he made the right plays at the right time. The crucial one was the go-ahead TD throw to Renfrow. 

There have been so many passing TDs that were waived off today. I thought that Renfrow TD was gonna get called back since the ball moved a bit. We'll take it regardless. The officiating hasn't always been kind to the Raiders, but that was a huge break and the play of the game. 

The Autumn Wind lead the Raiders to a win today. They only have 2 more cold weather games to deal with at this stretch, which is very favorable. Great win today in the midst of ugly weather conditions. Nothing more to say. I'll see you guys next week.

Brady, Bucs Continue to Haunt Raiders

Final Score: TB 45 LV 20 [L] (3-3)

I guess you can say this is going to be my "farewell tour" for the next couple of weeks. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers come into town today and score 21 unanswered to finish off the Raiders in a 45-20 rout. This game was initially supposed to be a Sunday Night game until it was flexed out because a certain Raider failed to follow COVID-19 protocol. I will address that later.

Figures this would happen after a bye week and after a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. Games after the bye week literally are the Achilles heel for this. For the most part, this game was pretty competitive at the start. The Raiders scored on their opening drive as Derek Carr connected on a 20-yard passing TD to Nelson Agholor. Agholor had a good game today leading the Raiders in receiving with 107 receiving yards and the aforementioned TD. The Raiders were within striking distance down 11 at the half. And then the game just got away from them.

Big plays and the lack of a running game ultimately doomed the Raiders today. The Bucs' leading receiver is Scotty Miller with 109 receiving yards and 1 TD. A lot of Miller's yardage came off of big plays and he caught a big 33-yard grab to help Tampa Bay extend their lead to 10 before the PAT. The Brady-Gronk reconnection is just starting to warm up. They hooked up for a score last week against Green Bay and they followed that up again today. The Bucs have a lot of weapons at their disposal. You talk about Gronk, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette. The secondary couldn't account for all of them and Tom Brady just did what he did in spreading the ball around.

Last week, Tampa Bay's run defense proved their legitimacy by holding the Packers' strong rushing attack to under 100 yards. Then again, Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically threw picks the game. But, today they backed it up. The Raiders racked up a mere 76 yards on the ground and Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs were the only players that were above 5 yards per carry. It simply wasn't there, especially behind a makeshift offensive line. That O-line got thinner as soon as Gabe Jackson was hit with a "BS" unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection after the 3rd quarter drive which capped with a Carr-Waller TD. Jackson didn't even initiate that scrum after the score. But because it's the Raiders and Jackson did have that incident in 2017 when he knocked down a referee against the Broncos, of course he has a big target on his back.

The only silver lining here is that the Raiders got out with a .500 record in their toughest stretch. Going forward, the schedule gets a lot easier and there's plenty of opportunity for the Raiders to rack up some wins. The Browns are an enigma. Chargers are in rebuilding mode. Broncos have some things to work on with Drew Lock. The Jets are pathetic. The Falcons are masters in their craft in blowing leads. The schedule ahead is pretty favorable for Jon Gruden, Derek Carr, and company.

Now, I mentioned I'm calling out one Raider for failing to follow COVID-19 protocol. As if dealing with one "Brown" was enough last year, another is stirring up some trouble this year. Trent Brown, how stupid are you? The Raiders failed to follow COVID-19 protocol yet again because big Trent decided to be negligent and prompt the Raiders to send the entire offensive line home to quarantine. From what I heard, the NFL might take a draft pick away from them. The thing about Trent Brown is that he's good when he's available. But, the guy finds ways to not get on the field. It's frustrating for the Raiders and it's frustrating for Gruden and Mayock. At this pace, he is literally taking the Andrew Bynum route of getting himself out of the league. Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl, big bucks, no more love for the game and getting injured. Those 2019 offseason additions outside of the draft continue to make a negative impact for this team. That's my rant for the day. I'll see you guys next week. 

Moving On

Hi guys. Hope you all are having a splendid week. I'm pretty sure everybody's still celebrating the Lakers' 2020 Championship run. Or having a relaxing bye week like the Raiders after a huge win over the Kansas City Chiefs and gearing up for Sunday Night against the Buccaneers. It's nice to have a week off and reflect on some things and so on and so forth.

I wanted to make this announcement on Sunday, but I've been super busy wrapping up one half of the Fall Semester of my Masters program. And now that's out of the way, I have time to effectively announce my future and the future of this blog. To say I'm "retiring" is not the word I want to throw out there. It's more like I'll be going into a long-term hiatus. I don't know when I'll come back and post content. It could be a year from now. Two years from now. Five years from now. Or maybe fifteen years from now. That's up for me to decide. But, I have decided after witnessing my Lakers' run to the NBA Championship this season, I am effectively moving on from this blog at the conclusion of the Raiders' 2020 NFL Season. 

To be honest, I contemplated about this for a couple of years now. My endgame was that either the Lakers make it to the NBA Finals, win or lose, or the Raiders make it to the Super Bowl, win or lose. Having both scenarios happen would be a plus. But, once one of those scenarios happened, I was going to move on from this blog. When the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, I felt really satisfied and reflected on the 10 years that I've had this blog. I covered what was nearly a decade of mediocrity with both the Raiders and Lakers failing to win championships. Of course, there are a few bright spots like when I recapped the late Kobe Bryant's final game when he dropped 60 points over the Utah Jazz or when the Raiders went 12-4 later in the same year, covering all those come from behind wins. But other than that because the Raiders and Lakers have been terrible through all these years, it has been nothing but pain on this blog. I've been typing out the same regurgitating stuff about what they can do to get better or if certain players or coaches need to get cut or fired. I'm thankful the Lakers got good again with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as I reached my "twilight years" of posting on and managing this blog. And when the Lakers won it all this year, it was right and then and there that this is the decision I wanted to make. 

I made this blog undergo a lot of changes since I first started. I was just beginning my junior year of high school and I lost a lot of writing material because my previous laptop failed and I didn't have a backup drive to save them. I had aspirations to be a writer and the day I lost all of my writing crippled my drive to write again. Starting this blog after that incident in August 2010 was like a haven for me because it was a way to keep my writing style alive. Writing and blogging about my beloved Raiders and Lakers came out of the blue because sports is a consistent topic to blog about.

When I first started, I was actually covering three teams: the then Oakland Raiders, LA Lakers, and the San Jose Sharks. My high school was very religious about Sharks hockey and yes, I do like the Sharks as well. But, I didn't have much knowledge about the NHL or hockey as I did with football and basketball. By the time I transitioned over to college, I dropped the Sharks (still rooted for them though) and stuck to what I knew best and that was Raiders football and Lakers basketball. And that's pretty much when I rebranded this blog as True Raider Laker. By 2013 after doing three years of short recaps and stats highlights, I expanded my posts to share more of my knowledge about the games with the quarter-by-quarter (Q by Q) reactions and full recaps. I just typed what I saw in the games from my perspective. I'm not an expert or anything. It was all subjective on the pluses and minuses after the games.

In 2015, I synergized my YouTube channel, MechG2994, with this blog, starting up TrueRaiderLaker Productions where I simulcasted my hype videos on my channel and on this blog. My 2015 "New Generation" Raiders video caught the eye of a prominent Raiders YouTuber. You may have known him somewhere as "Donkey Lips." But we all know him as Mikey Raider. I was able to drive traffic to my channel, but I missed a big opportunity to drive traffic to my blog. From my 2016 Lakers Hype Video onward, I started watermarking the URL to my blog. I stopped at my 2019 videos because I assumed most of my viewers were annoyed by it. 

2018-2020 was like a "jumbo" era for this blog. I immediately cut off the real-time Q by Q reactions. And as a Raider fan, I pretty much lost my sanity when Jon Gruden infamously dealt Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears before the season started and eventually Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of the season. And of course we had the following year with the saga of Antonio Brown the Clown and the Raiders losing their last home game in Oakland against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Time will tell if Gruden and Mike Mayock rebounded from that mess. There's still a lot of issues, but the Raiders are off to a solid start in their inaugural Las Vegas season. On the Lakers front, it was not as bad, but still bad as the organization couldn't get a plan together and decide if they want championships now or hold onto the young core for long-term sustainability. Rob Pelinka definitely proved naysayers wrong after Magic Johnson resigned, trading for AD and putting a "Plan B" championship team with quality veterans and young players who understood their roles. Like I said, I'm thankful the Lakers got good again to bring some positivity to this blog. By my later years, I started to care less about this blog, but the Lakers' resurgence this past season gave me something to hang onto by a thread.

2020 man, this year has been a year of unpredictability. Kobe Bryant's tragic death sent this world into a tailspin. The following months, all sports have been suspended and we all locked down to contain the spread of COVID-19. And of course on a personal note, I lost my dad overseas and pretty much I have to step up now as the new man of the household. If the NBA continued as planned and the Lakers still won, I would've announced this in June and I wouldn't be around for the first 2020 Las Vegas Raiders season. But life works in mysterious ways. The NBA restarted in July in a bubble setting. The NFL went on as planned with limited to no fans. The Lakers were crowned champions this month, but the Raiders are just getting started. I'll still hang around since football season is current. But like I said, after this season, barring an improbable Super Bowl run by the Raiders, I am moving on to oversee new projects I want to groom and take care of some personal stuff.

I had a great time managing this blog and sharing my fandom for the Silver and Black and the Purple and Gold. But, all good things must come to an end at some point. As I mentioned, I wouldn't say I'm retiring. I won't be around on this blog or post content as much as I used to. However, my TrueRaiderLaker Productions content will hang around as long as I have a visual idea. But, they'll be taking a back seat going forward. I'm thinking about dispersing another niche on my YouTube channel and letting that grow as something new and independent. I'm not gonna close down this blog after this incumbent Raiders season that's for sure. This blog and all of its posts will live on. After all, what happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet. I'll see you guys later.

LAKERS 2020 NBA CHAMPIONS!

Final Score: LAL 106 MIA 93 - LAKERS WIN 4-2!

HOW BOUT THEM LAKERS? HOW...BOUT...THEM...LAKERS??????? I am smiling from ear to ear as I'm typing this post. I'm a couple hours late since the game ended due to a whole lot of celebrating and sharing with my Laker friends and family. After a bitter Game 5 defeat, the Lakers got it done tonight. They put together a defense to offense clinic to close out the scrappy Miami Heat in six in a 106-93 victory to capture the franchise' 17th title in its history. They tie their bitter rivals, Boston Celtics, for the most titles in NBA history.

I just reflect on this. It's been 10 years since I opened up this blog. Between the Raiders and Lakers, I knew it was more of a guarantee to cover a Lakers championship season. But it hasn't worked that way in these past 9 years. I've covered nearly all the NBA Finals in that span, but I was hoping, wishing I'd cover an NBA Finals here on this blog with the Lakers being involved. As much of a horrible year 2020 currently is for us Laker fans and for myself personally, I wanted this moment more than anything. And it feels great. Of all the 100+ recaps on this blog, I'm going to remember this one for a very long time.

First off, Heat Nation, I tip my hat off to you and your team. It wasn't an easy task to face off against this young, scrappy Miami Heat team. You can hold your heads high on this team. They will be a problem in the East for years to come as long as Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra are engineering this organization. With the improbable run they had, they will for sure be a destination for enticing free agents who want to join a championship-contending team. 

But, there could only be one champion and the Lakers took care of business and ended this whole NBA bubble fiasco. It's an old cliché in sports that "defense wins championships." And it was exemplified tonight. Frank Vogel, once again, came up with a big time adjustment by reshuffling the starting lineup. He put AD at the Center position and inserted Alex Caruso in the starting lineup for more defensive pressure. It wasn't until the 2nd quarter where we saw this adjustment as the most ingenious adjustment. 

The Lakers put on a defensive masterpiece that 2nd quarter. They ballooned the lead to as many as 28 points and outscored the Heat 36 to 16. It was then and there that this game was over. They just took the fight out of the Miami Heat. The final score may not be reflection of this game, but Miami was absolutely brutalized as the Lakers constantly imposed their will. I said it last game, they had to come out "pissed off" after losing in those Black Mamba jerseys the last game. And the Lakers had no hesitation of pounding them into submission. To make matters worse, the Heat were missing free throws and absolutely missed so many bad shots. It puts a little blemish on Miami's hard-fought postseason run.

Individual performances, I know this guy hates the "Playoff Rondo" nickname, but he absolutely deserves it. Let's upgrade that to "Championship Rondo." Rajon Rondo was big at the beginning of the series. The last few games, he was solid, but not as much as Games 1 and 2. Tonight, he rekindled and was on the attack: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, three 3s off the bench. MVP of this game and certainly a part of history to win a champion as both a Boston Celtic and LA Laker. Alex Caruso's contribution won't show in the stats, but his insertion into the starting lineup certainly was a game-changer as the Lakers turned up the defensive heat (no pun intended) and played at a really fast pace in transition. Lakers were +20 when he was on the floor. KCP came up big once again with 17 points. Danny Green, way to shake off all the trash we gave you. Not an explosive performance, but Danny Green put up a solid 11 points and nailed three 3s. Anthony Davis bad heel and all was a monster on the boards and on the defensive end. He put up 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Glad to see he was moving well after limping his way to the finish line last game.

LeBron James, no question about it, he deserved Finals MVP of this series. He tied the knot in this series with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists tonight. There is no question that the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation will reopen up after this. Let's be real here, Michael Jordan's 6-0 finals record will never be duplicated. But, we can't disregard LeBron's path as an all-time great in his own right: the only player to win championships and Finals MVP on three different teams. He's the only player since Bill Russell and 60's Celtics to make the NBA Finals for nearly a whole decade. Lead a team down 3-1 to a championship comeback for his home town against historically, the best regular season team ever. LeBron has a plethora of accomplishments that shouldn't be swept under the rug. And this championship adds on to his legacy. The scary part for all NBA teams outside of the Lakers? He's not done.

I'm not sure how I want to end this recap. It's such a bittersweet moment for this franchise after the tragedy on January 26 when we lost Kobe Bryant in that helicopter crash, a day after LeBron surpassed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list. This championship is dedicated to him, his daughter Gigi, and the other lives that were lost in that accident. This championship is also for Chick Hearn, Wilt Chamberlain, and Dr. Jerry Buss, the greatest owner in all of professional sports. On a personal note, this championship is for my late dad. As I mentioned, he was a Laker fan since the Showtime era and I wish my brother and I were celebrating with him now. This year was terrible all-around, but this is a silver lining.

Offseason-wise, definitely Anthony Davis is a must re-sign. The Lakers must continue to improve the roster in order to successfully defend the title next year. But all that will be decided a little later. The roster decisions made by Rob Pelinka for this year was beautifully orchestrated. After the Kawhi Leonard free agency fiasco, he unveiled a solid Plan B, built around LeBron and AD and, assembled a unit that Frank Vogel can get the best out of. He was the real Executive of the Year. They can take that to the bank. Also special shoutout to Dwight Howard. He has redeemed himself from 2012-13 and was absolutely deserving of this ring. This was full circle for him, becoming a champion in Orlando. I wouldn't be surprised if he retired after this (actually, let's bring him back please). I have nothing else to say. I will not post an annual "Season in Review." This is the cherry on top. All the things I said in the past about being against signing LeBron and trading the young core for AD, I'm going to eat some good crow tonight. Never have I been this happy to be wrong. Thank you LeBron. Please stay AD. Laker Nation, this year has been real. Let's continue to celebrate this win and celebrate responsibly. NBA Champions baby!!!!!!!!

Raiders Pull Off A Major "Stunner" vs. Chiefs; Snap Losing Streak @ Arrowhead

Final Score: LV 40 KC 32 [W] (3-2)

They did it. They absolutely did it! Compelling performance from the Raiders today just a couple of minutes ago. Going on the road at Kansas City to face the Chiefs at a raucous Arrowhead hasn't been kind to them the last couple of years. But today, that nightmare ended as the Raiders beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 40-32. Derek Carr outduels Patrick Mahomes and gets his first win against Kansas City on the road.

I mentioned this in the last recap, this was a "legacy" game for Derek Carr. One of the blackmarks that he had in his career is that he is 0-6 previously at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs. A lot of those losses came late in the season in cold weather games. This season was his best chance to get a win with the weather being over 80 degrees over there. On the plus side, he got his deep threat Henry Ruggs back and right tackle Trent Brown back. He balled out. I gotta give credit where it's due. He still got ways to go before I can hop back on the Carr train. I want him to regain that 2016 form more than anybody else, which is why I have been harsh on him these past seasons. 

But, this is a stepping stone today. 347 passing yards 3 TDs, 1 INT, and two huge QB sneaks on 4th down. This game is an example of what we always wanted out of Carr. We want him to be aggressive, take shots down field, and give your receivers a chance to make a play. Yes, he threw one pick. But how he responded made that turnover forgettable. He was constantly looking to air it out today. A deep ball to Ruggs for 46 yards on the opening drive. Deep ball to Nelson Agholor for a 59 yard TD. Deep ball to Ruggs again for a 72 yard TD to allow the Raiders to retake a 24-21 lead. And another one to Hunter Renfrow for 42 yards on a critical 3rd and 18 in the 4th. 

How about Henry Ruggs impact today? He only had two receptions, but the numbers I mentioned, he totaled up to 118 receiving yards today and a TD. The Chiefs defense had to be sick to their stomach after letting him loose that first half. They always face someone similar to Ruggs every day in practice. Does Tyreek Hill ring a bell? The Raiders sure gave them a taste of their own medicine for that. Ruggs' presence absolutely opened a lot of opportunities for the offense.

The first half, it was great to see the Raiders scratch and claw back into this game against Patrick Mahomes and a potent Chiefs offense. The 2nd half was even better because they were an absolute no show until late in the 4th. Kudos to the defense and the running game for showing up in that 2nd half. At some point in that half, the Raiders dominated time of possession: 16 minutes to KC's 4 minutes. The offense did a fantastic job keeping Mahomes off the field and kept pushing on the gas with Josh Jacobs securing two more TDs in the ground game. The defense tightened up that 2nd half. The pressure was getting to Mahomes. He was still elusive, but he can only do much. That entire unit hung around and they eventually got a big play with Jeff Heath's INT that helped set up the Raiders to go up by two scores. Holding the Chiefs offense to just 8 points in the 2nd half is a big win and perhaps Paul Guenther lives to coordinate a defense another week. 

This is a monumental win against the defending champs and a great way for the Raiders to head into their Week 6 bye. It was essential to let those Chiefs know that they may be one step ahead in the AFC West, but this Raiders team is on the come up. Raider Nation, we're going to enjoy this win for these next two weeks. We got two weeks to savor this at the expense of Chiefs "King-Dumb." After that, regroup and focus against Tampa Brady and the Bucs on Sunday Night, Week 7. I'll see you guys later. 

Lakers Coronation Denied: Heat Stave Off Elimination

Final Score: MIA 111 LAL 108 - Lakers Lead 3-2

Welcome in to the full recap. The Miami Heat live to fight another day as they scratched and clawed to a 111-108 win. They prevent the Lakers from celebrating a 17th title tonight.

I'm gonna sound like a Debbie downer throughout this post. So bear with me. 

WE WERE SO CLOSE!

The finish of that game really hurt. If you're an NBA fan, definitely this was a game for the ages. Especially when the Lakers rallied, both these teams exchanged bucket after bucket. And it set up a thrilling finish at the end.

But if you're a Laker fan, like I am, I feel like my heart just shattered into a thousand pieces after seeing that final possession. They just needed one bucket. Heat had no timeouts and had to go the length the court. And they came up empty handed.

In all fairness, kudos to the Miami Heat. This has been their M.O. throughout the postseason. They haven't been in a 3-1 hole and as I mentioned last game, I expected them to come out as the more desperate team. And they did just that. Jimmy Butler stepped up when he needed to. 35 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals. He's one of the best two-way players for a reason. But, the main killer this game was Duncan Robinson. He has been a consistent double-figure scorer this postseason, but this kid had the game of his life tonight. 27 points and shot a scorching hot 7-13 from 3s. He made a couple of four-point play opportunities from those. Kendrick Nunn also stepped up with 14 points off the bench. He literally was the bench as Miami went with a 7-man rotation tonight.

Now onto the Lakers, total wasted effort tonight. It's been awhile since I've been this disappointed. LeBron James laid it all on the line out there with 40 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. He was smoking the race for Finals MVP. He played throughout the entire 4th quarter.

Wasted. 

Anthony Davis, bad heel and all, doing it on both ends of the floor with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. He was hobbled during those final seconds and still willed himself in true Mamba Mentality fashion to finish the game.

Wasted.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another big game. He finished with 16 points on 6-15 shooting. He gave the Lakers back their first lead with a three at the 6:20 mark and had another big bucket to put them up by three.

Wasted. Wasted all because of a botched final possession. LeBron made a play, got the Heat defense to gravitate towards him. Danny Green is all alone at the top, had a wide open look and he missed it. Markieff Morris had the rebound, he had LeBron open at the wing, but opted to force a pass inside to AD. Out of bounds. Heat basketball. The Lakers lose for the first time in the Mamba jerseys.

The supporting cast outside of KCP, Rondo, and Dwight with the limited minutes he had were such a huge letdown. I've defended Kyle Kuzma all postseason long. But, he was garbage tonight. 'Kieff was a non-factor tonight. Alex Caruso also didn't make too much of an impact. Danny Green, I could care less if he was +8 on the floor. As if he can't disappoint us more enough offensively in these playoffs. He had the chance to be the Lakers' John Paxson in 1993 and erase everything we've said about him throughout. But, nope same old Danny Green. Seriously, "how many more" threes are you gonna miss? Huge letdown.

I got nothing more to say. They lost in the Mamba jerseys. Just drop the show now. You only win once with them every round. As I mentioned, I had this series go six, but the way the Lakers dropped the ball tonight, I have never been this disappointed to see my prediction come true. If Miami won by 15, I wouldn't have any problem. But, it was such a close game that met a disappointing finish, especially when LeBron and AD were giving it everything they got. It's a wait and see on Sunday. We'll be refreshing the news feed on AD's aggravated heel injury. But, the Lakers gotta look back at this and come out in Game 6 with a lot of anger. The Heat were more aggressive tonight. It's a must that the Lakers respond in kind, especially after a letdown like this. I'll see you guys later.

Lakers Grind Out W vs. Heat to Take 3-1 Lead

Final Score: LAL 102 MIA 96 - Lakers Lead 3-1

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers rebounded from an ugly Game 3 loss that was marred by turnovers and foul trouble. They pick up the victory tonight in a 102-96 win and take once again a 3-1 lead. They're only one win away from their 17th NBA Championship.

This was not an easy game to close out. The Heat are a very dangerous team when you let them within striking distance, especially in that 4th quarter. This was a slow game to start. But a good defensive one. At the 2nd half though, the Lakers once again did what they did and clamp down on the Miami Heat offense. No Jimmy Butler to go off for another 40-point game. He started a perfect 5-5 in the first quarter, but struggled mightily down the stretch. Frank Vogel made the adjustment of having Anthony Davis guard Butler rather than the returning Bam Adebayo and AD's presence proved to be a huge factor for the Lakers today. Coach Vogel was on top of the adjustments this game with AD checking Butler and making the 2nd half adjustment in putting Markieff Morris in the starting lineup when Dwight Howard was ineffective for the most part this game. 

AD the last game was a non-factor due to early foul trouble. But tonight, he impacted the game all-around. As I mentioned, Vogel assigned AD to guard Butler for the majority game. His size and length did a great job disrupting Jimmy B's line of sight to the basket for the most part. Down the stretch, he was huge on both ends with a dagger three to put the Lakers up 100-91 and a big block on Butler in the final seconds to deny Miami's bid for an improbable run. He bounced back with a solid all-around game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

LeBron James struggled early on in this game. He was held in check to single digits in the first half. But the second half is when he really got going. The turnovers were still prevalent as James committed 6 turnovers, leading the Lakers in that category. He did take some questionable shot selections from behind the arc. The Lakers were in a close game and he just continued to chuck up 3s in that third quarter. Luckily enough, Rajon Rondo was in position to block out and get the offensive rebounds during those sequences for the Lakers.

The supporting cast showed up for this game. As I mentioned, Rondo didn't score much with 2 points, but was impactful on the offensive boards with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma had a dip in scoring that we expected on game-by-game basis, but each contributed with 9 points. Alex Caruso added 7 points and sacrificed his body like usual to draw charges. Danny Green got off to a hot start with 10 points, but cooled off since then. The main headline though, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, had 15 points. KCP was huge tonight with 8 points to start. He cooled down a little bit. But in the big moment, he went on a mini 5-0 run with a clutch 3 in the corner and a driving layup to put the Lakers up 95-88 in the final seconds of the 4th. He can be hard to trust in those situations, but the poise was evident out there. You can say Klutch Sports took over this game for the Lakers. LeBron, AD, and KCP are a part of that agency with agent, Rich Paul. They are the top three leading scorers for the Lakers tonight. 

The free throw disparity was the main reason that this game was close for the most part. I think I remember on the ESPN graphic, the Lakers only had 3 free throw attempts while the Heat had 16 of them. You could tell all the calls were favoring the Heat for the most part. Miami got away with a whole lot of contact in some spurts of the game. By the end of the game though, the Lakers were starting to get calls in their favor and the fact that they put Miami in the penalty early on was huge. By the end of the game, the free throws were a lot closer with the Heat attempting 26 while the Lakers finished with 21 free throw attempts.

Well, the Lakers have been here before if the last three series were any indication. Miami has not been in this situation throughout this postseason. The Lakers are one win away from another title. The job is not finished though as Kobe Bryant would mutter out. Especially with two extra days, the Heat have ample time to be at full strength. We don't know how serious Goran Dragic's foot is or whether he can return to the court. Regardless, you can expect the Heat to come out with more desperation than they have all postseason long. For the Lakers, this is it. The message for Game 5 is simple: leave nothing out there on the court! LeBron and AD have to kick it into high gear. The supporting cast, we're going to need you to step your game up once more. Just for this one more game, leave nothing behind and give it your all. Get this 'ship! For Kobe! For Gigi! For Chick Hearn! And for Dr. Jerry Buss! Just one more baby! Let's wrap this up on Friday! I'll see you guys later.

Raiders Handed First Las Vegas Home Loss vs. Bills

Final Score: BUF 30 LV 23 [L] (2-2)

Okay. Time to drive this double time on the blog home with this. The Raiders returned home after an ugly loss in New England last week. Still, it was the same old story as the Raiders couldn't rebound in a 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills who are riding high to a 4-0 start.

This was pretty much a repeat theme from the Patriots loss last week. A lot of points left out there on the field, but you can only do so much with so many injuries. I mentioned last week, that I wouldn't put too much blame on the defense. This week, yes they are a negative this game. They were disappointing to start. No push, no pressure whatsoever. I'm pretty sure the gameplan was not to let Josh Allen run out of the pocket because he's prone to do that when he feels pressure. But it backfired in a hurry as Allen was able to sit in the pocket and find targets with ease. 

It didn't help that the secondary was dropping like flies and coming in and out of the game to create a lot of inconsistencies. That showed on the first TD of the game for Buffalo. Amik Robertson filled in with injuries to LaMarcus Joyner and Nevin Lawson. He gets burned for a 26-yard TD to Gabriel Davis. 

The defense overall didn't play well this game. I'm not surprised that Paul Guenther is on the hot seat. What bothers me more is that I'm not seeing the impact play from Clelin Ferrell on the D-line. Four weeks into the season, I just don't see it. The fact that the Raiders reached him that high last year is still a headscratcher to me. He was a decent prospect, but definitely not top 5 pick material.

For the offense, it was the same story this game. I won't put the blame too much on Derek Carr. Although, he did fumble the ball late in the 4th to deny the Raiders a bid for a comeback. There was a lot of points left out there on the table. Untimely penatlies, drops, and a crucial fumble by Darren Waller in a one-score game cost the offense so many positive drives this game. Going back to Carr, it's not completely his fault today. He put the ball where it needed and Waller and Nelson Agholor, as solid of a game they had in the receiving game, didn't put enough effort to make a play in critical situations. Like last week, the offense was most effective in scoring during the 2-minute drill in the first half and in garbage time when the game is well out of reach.

The injuries to the offensive side of the ball is catching up to the running game, which is the Raiders' strength. This is where the extended absences of Henry Ruggs, Trent Brown, and Richie Incognito make an impact. The Raiders rushed for only 86 yards. Josh Jacobs certainly struggled to find holes to the open field with 48 rushing yards on 12 carries. He only had 2 big 10+ yards this game, but that's not saying much. It's frustrating to watch that run game struggle without Brown and Incognito on the O-line and Ruggs out there to stretch the field. As I said, these injuries are hindering on what is the biggest strength of the Raiders' offense.

As I mentioned, the Raiders get the toughest 5-week stretch to open up the season before their bye week. The only surprise was the win against New Orleans, but everything else has been expected. The last two losses, Buffalo and New England are expected go neck-and-neck in the race for the AFC East. Next week, the Raiders visit Patty Mahomes earlier than expected in Arrowhead. And judging by these recent losses, they are still far away from catching up to the Chiefs in terms of talent. But, the Raiders have to show us they can hang around for 60 minutes. Last year's matchups against these Chiefs were brutal with the blowouts. 

Most of all, next week is probably Derek Carr's legacy game. There are two black marks on Carr's career with the Raiders: his Win-Loss ratio and the fact that he's 0-6 at Arrowhead. Mahomes is everything that we expected out of Carr and more. As devoid of talent he has on the offense, Derek Carr has to elevate what he currently has around him. This week is not his fault entirely. But next week, he has to play like a franchise quarterback. No exceptions. No garbage time stats. I'll see you guys next week.

"The Butler Did It" - Lakers Couldn't Contain Jimmy Buckets in Game 3 Loss

Final Score: LAL 104 MIA 115 - Lakers Lead 2-1

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The shorthanded Miami Heat pulled off an inspiring performance, behind Jimmy Butler's 40-point triple-double as they beat the heavily-favored Lakers 104-115.

Despite the loss, the Lakers hung around  throughout the game, eventually recapturing the lead at 91-89 at the 9:01 mark in the 4th. It was just a couple of things that were eventually magnified down the stretch. For the good parts of the game: Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma stepped up with the scoring off the bench. They combined for 38 points, 19 each, both on 6-13 shooting. They brought the scoring and 3-point spark while the rest were a non-factor in that category. 

The offense got off to a very slow start with turnovers and early foul trouble from AD. Kuz and Kieff's timely buckets kept the Lakers hanging around when it looked like the Heat were pulling away. LeBron James had to pick up the slack when the Heat completely took out Anthony Davis this game. It was a mixed bag game for LeBron with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks but 8 turnovers and he did struggle from the free throw line.

I already hinted at the games, so I'll go in-depth on them. The turnovers and AD in foul trouble are two big negatives that kept the Lakers out of reach this game. They started off the game with 10 turnovers in the first quarter! They totaled 19 turnovers throughout the game. The ball movement was so sloppy tonight. While there was more activity on Miami's defensive end than the last two games, it was more so of a series of mental errors on the Lakers' part tonight. 

Anthony Davis is off to hot start in these finals. This game? Not so much. The big reason? Foul trouble. AD committed 3 fouls in the 1st half and it pretty took him off his game and forced the Lakers to play small ball. The Heat cashed in on that opportunity big time. The Lakers' loss of rim protection is the Heat's gain of spacing the floor. That lack up of rim protection opened huge lanes for them to attack the basket and the Lakers were caught rotating late because of the miscommunication on defense. It also allowed them to just zone in on LeBron, despite the fact he still dominated found ways to attack the paint.

We gotta give where credit is due, Jimmy Butler put the team on his back tonight with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The Laker defense had no answer for him. It didn't matter who was on him. He looked like Michael Jordan out there, automatic with his midrange jumper. He did most of his damage when smaller guys like KCP and Caruso guarded him off a switch. He was as aggressive as a facilitator as well. Jae Crowder, Duncan Robinson, and Kelly Olynyk were each in double figures. Tyler Herro struggled for most of the game, but finished strong with clutch scoring to put the game on ice. All of them got the benefit off of Jimmy Buckets' unselfish play.

We shouldn't be surprised. The Lakers tend to drop a game throughout this postseason. But really, it was such an uncharacteristic game with the early turnovers and AD in foul trouble. Solid performances by Kuz and Kieff off the bench were definitely wasted tonight. It's difficult to ask for consistency from them. We'll see what happens. The Lakers are expected to still take the championship. But, the Heat will be rewarded for this inspiring performance with Bam Adebayo getting healthy for Game 4 to bolster their frontcourt. It was fun while it lasted, but the Lakers have to rebound and stay locked in. These NBA Finals are far from done based on how this game went. I'mma have to jump in to the Raiders-Bills recap now. It's not a good feeling when both these teams lose on the same day. I'll see you guys later.