Sam's Best Blog

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’neal Lakers

It was 1996 when the Lakers were looking to build a super team. They wanted to bring a championship back to LA. Well, this is how they did it. Enjoy!

First, the Lakers were looking to bring Shaq on the team. They signed him on July 18, 1996, on a 7 year $120 million dollar deal. Next, the Lakers wanted another young star to help Shaq. At the time their GM, Jerry West, made one of the best moves ever. He invited Kobe Bryant to an NBA court. There, he had Kobe play a 1v1 against one of the best defenders in Lakers history, Michael Cooper. Jerry West said after the 1v1 that Kobe just “marched over him”. After this Jerry West was eager to get Kobe, so he traded away Vlade Divac. Well, that was a great move and you’ll see why. They also drafted D-Fish or Derek Fisher, who in my opinion, is one of the most clutch players in Lakers History.

Let’s go to the final month where the Lakers record is 56-26 with the 4th seed in the West. In the first round, they defeat the Portland Trailblazers, but however, they fell to the Utah Jazz in 5 games, who eventually went to the Finals falling to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Well, it was a good try, but they needed to try better. Also, Shaq and Eddie Jones went to the All-star game, while Kobe won the Dunk Contest.

Let’s fast-forward to the 1999-2000 season where the Lakers hired the Bulls head coach, Phil Jackson, who helped the Bulls get 6 championships with 2 three-peats. Now with Phil Jackson on the team, you would think that Kobe & Shaq would have the best relationship ever right, WRONG. Apparently, Kobe and Shaq hated each other. Well, the Lakers still made the playoffs that year. So it’s the Playoffs, and the Lakers start well defeating the Houston Rockets in the Finals. But they were swept by the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

Alright, it’s 2000, and the Lakers are not joking this season. They finished with a 67-15 record and the 1st seed in the West. Shaq won his first MVP averaging 29.7 points per game. In the first round of the Playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in 5 games. Then they defeated the Phoenix Suns in 5 games. Okay, it’s serious now. One more series until the Finals. They were facing the Portland Trailblazers. The Lakers led 3-1 in the series. But after they lost game 5 at home, they went to play game 6 in Portland where they lost again. Okay, it’s game 6 now. The Lakers were down by 15 points, and then they went on a 25-4 run to take the lead. Then one of the most iconic moments in NBA history happened, the lob from Kobe to Shaq to secure the game. So the Lakers have made the Finals. The Lakers were able to defeat the Pacers to get their first championship.

They ended up winning the Finals in 2001 and 2002, to get a three-peat. But Kobe Bryant and Shaq started to disagree on things. Even though Kobe and Shaq were playing their best basketball, they argued a lot. The Lakers finished with the 5th seed in the Wets. In the 2003 Playoffs they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in 6 games, but lost to the eventual champions, the Spurs. Let’s move on.

It’s 2004 and the Lakers signed veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton. The Lakers were the favorites to win the Finals. They finished with a 56-26 record with the 2nd seed in the West. Well after diving through the Playoffs, they were back in the Finals. This time they were facing the Detroit Pistons. People thought the Lakers would crush them, but after 5 games, the Lakers lost. This was very disappointing, considering they added two veterans. This is where Kobe and Shaq hate each other the most. They criticized each other on little things and eventually Shaq got traded. People say if they stayed they could have won 5 championships. Well, near the end of their careers, they became friends. They discussed their feud. Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant passed away on January 26, 2020, with his daughter Gianna Bryant.

Well, that’s it for this one. Hope you al enjoyed!

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are an NFL franchise based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders play in the AFC West division in the Nation Football League.

The Raiders were founded on January 30, 1960, in Oakland, California. The Raiders played their first regular-season game on September 11, 1960. The Raiders originally played in the American Football League (AFL) but then were part of the Nfl in the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The Raiders have won 3 Super Bowls in 1976, 1980, 1983.

Super Bowls

The Raider’s first Super Bowl win was in 1976 when they played the Minnesota Vikings. The Raider’s record that year was 13-1, and the Vikings came in at 11-2-1. The game was scoreless in the first quarter but then the Raiders scored on 3 consecutive drives. The Raiders ended up winning the game and the Super Bowl. Fred Biletnikoff was named Super MVP.

The Raider’s next Super Bowl win was in 1980 when they played the Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders came in with an 11-5 record, while the Eagles came in at 12-4. The Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and the Raiders won. Raider’s Quarterback Jim Plunkett won Super Bowl MVP.

The Raider’s latest Super Bowl win was in 1983 when they played the Washington Redskins. The Raiders came in at 12-4 and the Redskins came in at 14-2. The Redskins came in as the favorites to win but the Raiders demolished them 38-9. Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen won the Super Bowl MVP as he rushed for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns against the best-run defense in the NFL.

Los Angeles Era

The Raiders moved the Los Angeles in 1982. The Raiders won their latest championship in Los Angeles but other than that, they didn’t have much success in Los Angeles.

Back to Oakland

The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995 and didn’t find much success early. But then the Raiders hired Jon Gruden and the Raiders won the division title. But Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon got injured mid-game when he got sacked and was out for the rest of the game.

The Raiders made a move that involved releasing Gruden from his contract and allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign him. In return, the Raiders received $8 million and four future draft picks from the Buccaneers. Then the Raiders hired offensive coordinator Bill Callahan as head coach.

Under Callahan, the Raiders finished the 2002 season 11–5, won their third-straight division title and clinched the top seed in the playoffs. Rich Gannon was named MVP of the NFL after passing for a league-high 4,689 yards. After beating the Jets and Titans by large margins in the playoffs, the Raiders made their fifth Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Their opponent was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coached by Gruden. The Raiders, who had not made significant changes to Gruden’s offensive schemes, were intercepted five times by the Buccaneers en route to a 48–21 blowout. Some Tampa Bay players claimed that Gruden had given them so much information on Oakland’s offense, they knew exactly what plays were being called.

Recent Years

In recent years the Raiders have really been struggling. They have gone through 17 different head coaches since 2000 (Most in NFL). They have also only made the playoffs once since 2002, which was in 2016 when they had 6 players elected to the Pro Bowl.

R.I.P John Madden

49ers trade DeForest Buckner

The San Francisco 49ers traded DeForest Buckner away today to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts traded their 1st round pick for Buckner. The 49ers got the 13th pick in the draft this year.

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Buckner will be payed $21 million a year making him the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL behind Aaron Donald, of the Los Angeles Rams.

Madden NFL 20 Part 1

Madden NFL 20 has been out for a while but I’m writing about it now because I tried playing every game mode in Madden.

Exhibition

In exhibition you can play Online Head-to-Head, the Pro Bowl, you can Practice, and Play Now.

Ultimate Team

In Madden Ultimate Team(or MUT) you make a team of NFL stars. Then you play games against CPU or real people. It’s actually pretty fun.

To be continued in Part 2…

LA Lakers vs LA Clippers

Yesterday, the Lakers beat the Clippers. This was a good win for the Lakers because they lost to the Clippers in their last 2 meetings before the game. In this LeBron James had 28 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. Anthony Davis had 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Avery Bradley had 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Paul George had 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Kawhi Leonard had 27 points, 2 rebounds, and 0 assists. This was a huge win for the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant’s 81 point game

On January 22nd, 2020, the Black Mamba, Kobe scored 81 points. In the 1st quarter the score was 36-29 raptors. In the 2nd quarter, even though they trailed at the end of the half Kobe scored 26 points. In the 3rd quarter Kobe came back from a 18 point deficit, Kobe scored 27 points to give the Lakers a lead in the game. In the 4th quarter Kobe broke the Laker record for points in a game, took 2nd place all-time in points in a single game(Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points), broke his record for free throws made in a single game, and brought LA a big win.

LA Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers

Today the LA Lakers are playing the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers have been dominating the west with them holding the first seed. Philly has been holding the 6th seed in the east, with them having the best record at home. LeBron and Anthony Davis will have 20+ points. Ben Simmons will have 30+ points. My prediction is that the Lakers are winning.

Yesterday the LA Lakers defeated the 76ers. LeBron had 24 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds. Anthony Davis had 37 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists. For Philly, Glen Robinson 3rd had 25 points, Tobias Harris had 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Mike Scott had 12 points and 8 rebounds.

LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Today the Lakers will be playing the New Orleans Pelicans in the Smoothie King Stadium. I predict that the Lakers will win by 10 points. LeBron James will have 20+ points and 8+ assists. Anthony Davis will have 25+ points and 8+ rebounds. Zion Williamson will have 20+ points and 6+ rebounds. Brandon Ingram will have 25+ points and 8+ rebounds.

Yesterday the LA Lakers had beat the New Orleans Pelicans by 8 points. LeBron had 34 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma had 20 points, and 4 other Lakers players had 10+ points. Zion Williamson had 35 points and 7 rebounds. Lonzo Ball had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. That was the LA Lakers vs the New Orleans Pelicans.

Blog Post Perfection: https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/10401932/posts/8731

Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors.

Today the LA Lakers will be playing Golden State. This season the Warriors have been playing very poorly. On the other hand, the Lakers have been playing very good. So my prediction is a LA win, with AD leading in points, and LeBron leading in assists. On the Warriors, Eric Paschall will be leading in points and rebounds, while Damian Lee will be leading in assists.

Yesterday the Lakers won, by 30 points. This is the first time the Lakers won the series vs the Warriors since ’12-’13 season. Anthony Davis had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist. LeBron didn’t play, so my bad. Kyle Kuzma had 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Javale McGee, Avery Bradley, and Rajon Rondo all had 12 points. That was the Warriors vs the Lakers.

LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans

Today on February 25th, 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers are playing NOLA. I will obviously make the prediction that the Lakers are winning. LeBron James will have 20+ points and 8+ assists. Anthony Davis will have 30+ points and 8+ rebounds. Kyle Kuzma will have 10+ points and 8+ rebounds. I also think that Zion Williamson will have 25+ points and 8+ rebounds.

Today the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 118-109 Lakers. LeBron James had 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Anthony Davis had 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Danny Green had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Brandon Ingram had 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Zion Williamson had 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Highlight of the Game: Alex Caruso Chase-down blocks Lonzo Ball and puts him to the floor.