Author: jhawkes51

Raiders’ Instant Report Card: Carr delivers for Oakland in stunning win over Saints

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP photo: New Orleans Saints kicker Will Lutz (3) gets sympathy from holder Thomas Morestead after missing a 61 yard field goal attempt which would have won it for the Saints as the Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Darius Latham (75) and strong safety TJ Carrie (38) celebrate a one point victory on Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La — The Raiders, who many have picked to be one of the more dominate teams heading into the 2016 season, proved that the hype around the team is real by pulling out a thrilling, 35-34 road win against the Saints in both team’s season opener.

New Orleans’ rookie kicker Will Lutz missed a 61-yard field goal wide left as time expired.

Checkout each unit’s grade from Oakland’s (1-0) big win in New Orleans Sunday below:

Quarterback (A) – Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr continues to grow as an NFL quarterback, leading Oakland back from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half. Carr completed 24-of-38 passes for 319 yards and one touchdown, a 10-yard dart to slot receiver Seth Roberts with 47 seconds left in the game that pulled Oakland within an point of New Orleans, 34-33.

You’d expect the Raiders to kick the extra point and force overtime, right?

Nope.

Carr looked to the sideline and both he and head coach Jack Del Rio agreed to roll the dice and go for two, which Carr found wide receiver Michael Crabtree for the go-ahead conversion.

At one point, Oakland’s offense stalled going scoreless on six offensive drives.

Running Back (B+) – Latavius Murray scored Oakland’s first touchdown of the season, a 6-yard run that gave Oakland a 10-3 lead in the first quarter. Murray finished the game with 14 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown, but Jalen Richard was the story for me.

Richard, the rookie from Southern Miss. and Louisiana native, only had three carries, but it was the 75-yard run up the middle of the soft Saints’ defense while eluding would-be tacklers in the fourth quarter with Oakland trailing 27-19 was what ignited the Raider comeback.

It was Richard’s first-career touchdown run.

Richard finished with 84 yards and a touchdown, while fellow rookie DeAndre Washington carried the ball five times for 14 yards.

Offensive line (B) – The key for Oakland’s offensive line was to protect their signal-caller and establish the run and stay healthy.

They were 50/50.

Even though Carr wasn’t sacked and Oakland’s ground game racked up 167 yards, the Raiders lost two offensive linemen when Menelik Watson (groin) and Matt McCants (knee) left the game.

Oakland’s offensive line is regarded as one of the best as a group coming into this season because of its depth, was tested Sunday.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (A-) Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree combined for 225 receiving yards and 13 receptions (on 20 targets).

Cooper (6 catches, 137 yards, 11 targets), had no trouble getting open hauling passes of 34, 43, and 45 yards through a suspect Saints’ secondary.

Crabtree overcame a slow start (1 catch for 8 yards in the first half), to finish with seven catches for 87 yards on eight targets.

Clive Wafford caught three passes for 25 yards on five targets to lead the tight ends.

Defensive line/front seven (C+) – Bruce Irvin’s strip-sack (fumble recovered by rookie defensive tackle Jihad Ward)  on Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees on New Orleans’ first drive of the game was one of the lone bright spots for a unit that hadn’t done a much in the game.

Khalil Mack was relatively unheard of for the game, as he fought through countless chip blocks and double teams.

Linebackers Ben Heeney and Malcolm Smith combined for seven tackles (six assisted).

Secondary (D) – Brees and the Saints passing attack carved up Oakland’s revamped secondary for 423 yards passing and four touchdowns on 28-of-42 passing. Brees tied Peyton Manning for the most 400-yard passing games in NFL with 14.

Oakland’s high-priced cornerback tandem of Sean Smith and David Amerson were abused by New Orleans wide receivers Willie Snead (9 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD, 9 targets), and Brandin Cooks (6 catches, 143 yards, 1 TD, 9 targets).

With Oakland trailing 17-10 midway through the third quarter, Cooks ran right by Smith, who was playing man-to-man, and free safety Reggie Nelson, for a 98-yard touchdown catch that gave New Orleans a 24-10 lead. The scoring play established a new franchise record for the longest score for the Saints, and it was also the longest play in Brees’ career.

After that play, Smith was benched for the remainder of the game and was replaced by former first rounder, D.J. Hayden.

Overall, the defense gave up 507 totals yards to the Saints.

Special Teams (B+) – Kicker Sebastian Janikowski converted both of his field goals (31 and 47-yarders), while punter Marquette King booted four punts (42.0 yard average).

Up next: Oakland returns home to prepare for their own opener when the visiting Atlanta Falcons travel to the Bay Area next Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

Raiders kickoff the season in the Big Easy

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: You might see a lot of this more often Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) jumping for joy in this Aug 27th photo against the Tennessee Titans as they open up in New Orleans on Sunday

OAKLAND, Calif — With the preseason in the rear view window, the 2016 regular season begins for real for the Oakland Raiders as they open up on the road in New Orleans against the Saints in Week 1 action.

Kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. PT at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the Raiders are a 3-point favorite to notch their first win of what people are predicting will be a great year for the Silver & Black. The game can be seen locally on KTVU/FOX Channel 2, making breakfast and football a perfect match.

Sunday’s game will mark the first time Oakland has opened up against an NFC opponent on the road since 1999, where Oakland traveled to Green Bay to start that season.

This will also mark the first time that Oakland and New Orleans face each other in the regular season opener.

With the Raiders hosting the Atlanta Falcons next week in Oakland’s home opener, it will also mark the first time since 1999 that Oakland (who played the Packers and Vikings), will begin the season facing two NFC opponents in back-to-back weeks.

Quarterback Derek Carr leads a promising Raiders’ offense headlined by wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. In four preseason games, Crabtree and Cooper combined for 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Crabtree and Cooper are primed to have huge seasons for Oakland, which is looking to end the team’s playoff drought, dating back to 2002, the team’s last playoff appearance.

Oakland is hoping with the additions of rookie running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard added to the backfield with starter Latavius Murray can make the offense more diverse. Oakland was a pass-first, run-second team last season, even though Murray was one of only seven running backs in 2015 to rush for 1,000 yards (1,066 rushing yards to be exact).

Defensively, Oakland had trouble stopping the run in the preseason.The Raiders were getting gashed by beefy running backs like Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy, and Tennessee’s duo of DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry.

Oakland will be without defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. for at least the first eight weeks of the season due to a hip injury. Edwards Jr., along with defensive tackles Dan Williams and Justin “Jelly” Ellis are so critical to the Raiders’ run defense.

New Orleans features former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, and C.J. Spiller in the back field and each can run the ball well between the tackles, a weakness for Oakland.

The Raiders’ rebuilt secondary could be in for a long day when it faces one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees.

Brees, who enters his 16th year in the NFL, is coming off a season where he threw for a league-leading 4,870 yards in 2015. It was the seventh time in Brees’ career that he threw for over 4,500 yards in a season.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback continues to get better with time and still plays at a high level at age 38, as evident of the new deal he signed on Wednesday.

Details of Brees’ new deal, provided by Spotrac, Brees will pocket roughly $44 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, with $20 million coming in 2016 and only $17.25 million going towards the salary cap.

The deal will almost certain guarantee that Brees finishes his career in New Orleans, the franchise he led to a Super Bowl title in 2009.

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks leads a dangerous Saints’ passing attack. The third-year wide receiver from Oregon State, recorded his first career 1,000-yard receiving season finishing with 84 catches, 1,138 yards, and nine touchdowns, which Cooks led the team in all categories in 2015.

One Saints player to really keep an eye on is second-year wide receiver Willie Snead, who burst on to the scene last season for New Orleans recording 69 catches for 984 yards and three touchdowns.

Former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen enters his first full season as the Saints’ defensive coordinator. Allen, who has seven total seasons on New Orleans’ defensive staff, looks to improve a defense that ranked 31st last season in rushing yards per game allowed (129.8), passing yards per game allowed (284.0) and total yards per game allowed (413.8).

With the additions of veterans in defensive tackle Nick Fairley, linebacker James Laurinaitis, and defensive end Paul Kruger, to go along with mainstay in defensive end Cameron Jordan, the Saints are hoping to provide more pressure to the quarterback this season.

With both teams having suspect defenses heading into the match up, this game could be an offensive barrage by both teams and could come down to which team has the better, more confident quarterback in the fourth quarter.

Will it be Brees, who is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history and holds a 8-2 career record (19 touchdowns and four interceptions) against Oakland?

Or will it be Carr, who is 4-12 on the road in his young career, but has thrown 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in those games?

Sunday is almost here.

Raiders gear up for Seahawks in preseason finale

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree leaps for a pass thrown to him in Raiders camp back on June 15th

OAKLAND, Calif — The preseason comes to a close for the Raiders Thursday night, when they host the Seattle Seahawks at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT.

Oakland (1-2), fell to the visiting Tennessee Titans, 27-14, last Saturday at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr led Oakland’s first-team offense to two first-half touchdown drives of 58 and 75 yards that ended with touchdown passes to rookie running back and DeAndre Washington (6 yards), and wide receiver Amari Cooper (29 yards).

Carr finished with a 133.8 quarterback rating after completing 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards, and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree caught a pinpoint, 41-yard pass from Carr on the Raiders’s first offensive drive of the game that setup Oakland’s first touchdown.

Don’t expect to see Carr or any of the Raiders’s first-team offense to take the field Thursday night.

Backups Matt McGloin and Connor Cook (who both threw interceptions against Tennessee) will get the majority of the snaps from center, while Seth Roberts (1 catch, 15 yards versus Tennessee), Johnny Holton, and K.J. Brent (combined for 6 catches and 108 yards versus Tennessee), will get long looks for the team’s third- and fourth-string wide receivers.

Along with Washington, second-year man George Atkinson III and rookie Jalen Richard

Defensively, Tennessee bludgeoned Oakland with 276 yards offensively,  (106 on the ground), in the first half. Running backs DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry combined for 20 carries, 89 yards rushing, and two touchdowns. The duo found gaping holes in a Raiders defense, that has had its share of problems stopping the run during the preseason.

Russell Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns in Seattle’s 27-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last Thursday at CenturyLink Field. Wilson led Seattle’s first-team into the second half, scoring on four of the team’s final five possessions.

Wilson found wide receiver Paul Richardson on a crossing route for a 9-yard score in the second quarter, then after scrambling to keep the play alive following a juggle, he found wide receiver Tyler Lockett for another 9-yard score in the third quarter.

That touchdown to Lockett would be Wilson’s final play of the game, who finished 16-of-21 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

Like Oakland, Seattle (2-1)  would like to get out of the preseason with minimal injuries, so expect the Seahawks to sit Wilson and their first-team offense and go with rookie quarterback Trevone Boykin at quarterback and backups for the majority of the night.

After Thursday, Oakland will need to make their final roster cuts to the NFL-mandated 53-man active roster by Sept. 3.

Oakland will then turn their attention to  Week 1 and their season opener on Sept. 11 against the Saints in New Orleans at 10:00 a.m. PT.

 

Oakland Raiders commentary: Carr impresses, but Titans get win over Raiders

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP photo: Oakland Raiders running back DeAndre Washington gets broadsided by the Tennessee Titans linebacker Sean Spence in the second half of Saturday night’s pre season game at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND, Calif — Even though the Raiders lost to the Tennessee Titans 27-14 in both team’s third preseason game Saturday night at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, it was good to see Derek Carr and the Raiders’ first-team offense finish off drives with getting the ball into the end zone.

Carr, who led to the Raiders to just six points in the previous six quarters he appeared in during the preseason, went 12-for-18 for 169 yards passing and two touchdowns against the Titans while playing the entire first half.

After Tennessee took an early 7-0 lead behind a DeMarco Murray one-yard run, Oakland’s signal-caller drove the Raiders’ first-team offense 58 yards in seven plays for their first touchdown of the game (and of the preseason) as a unit, a 6-yard toss to rookie running back DeAndre Washington on an angle route out of the backfield to the tie game, 7-7.

Washington, along with fellow running back Jalen Richard, combined for 95 yards of total offense, but the diminutive Washington did cough up the ball in the third quarter  after taking a huge hit from Titans linebacker David Bass which resulted in a 47-yard fumble recovery by fellow linebacker Sean Spence that gave Tennessee a 27-14.

But Carr was just getting started.

Following a Ryan Succop 30-yard field goal that pushed Tennessee’s lead, 10-7, Carr engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive culminating a picture-perfect, 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper down the Titans’ sideline and hitting Cooper in the back of the end zone that gave Oakland (1-2) a 14-10 lead shortly before halftime.

Replay would confirm Cooper kept both feet in bounds. Cooper finished with three catches for 52 yards.

Earlier in the game, Carr placed another beautifully thrown pass to his other top target, wide receiver Michael Crabtree for 41 yards.

It would be Crabtree’s only catch of the game.

In the midst of Oakland’s first drive to begin the third quarter, Carr would give way to backup Matt McGloin.

McGloin, and third-string rookie quarterback Connor Cook, proceeded to throw two interceptions to Tennessee’s second- and third-string defenders.

What I wasn’t impressed with was Oakland’s first-team defense, which gave up 276 yards (106 on the ground), in the first half.

Tennessee’s Murray (8 carries for 40 yards) and rookie running back Derrick Henry (12 carries for 49 yards) did the most damage to Oakland’s rush defense. Tennessee found gaping holes that turned two-yard gains, into five-yard gains.

It was the second time this preseason that Oakland had issues with beefy, powerful runners.

Oakland struggled to curtail Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy, surrendering 45 yards on nine carries and a touchdown in Oakland’s 20-12 loss at Lambeau Field last Thursday.

Oakland’s first-team defense never forced the Titans to punt, allowing Tennessee to score three touchdowns and two field goals in two quarters.

It wasn’t until their final drive of the third quarter that Oakland’s starting unit forced Tennessee’s offense to punt.

The secondary had trouble defending the passing game of the Titans.

Tennessee (2-1) starting quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 9-for-16 passes for 170 yards, 65 of those yards to veteran wide receiver, Andre Johnson who will be one of Mariota’s go-to guys this season.

On the Titans’ second drive of the game, the 35-year-old former Miami Hurricane had consecutive catches of 13, 38, and 14 yards.

It was vintage Johnson.

Johnson finished with three catches for 65 yards, while promising rookie wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (fantasy football sleeper), hauled in a 60-yard, catch-and-run pass that helped setup Tennessee’s first score of the game.

Oakland finishes the preseason at home Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks, with the starters unlikely to play.

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders-Tennessee Titans preview: Carr, Raiders needs offense to click against Titans Saturday

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr slings it back to air it out against the Green Bay Packers in week two of the exhibition season at Lambeau Field Thu Aug 18th in Green Bay

OAKLAND, Calif — Derek Carr looked rather pedestrian, completing 9 of 13 for just 38 yards, during Oakland’s 20-12 loss to Green Bay last Thursday night.

Carr and the Raiders’ first-team offense have produced zero touchdowns during the team’s first two preseason games.

In fact, Oakland’s first-team offense have produced just six points in the three quarters that Carr has played so far this preseason. If you’re Raider Nation, you’re not too concerned, but you do want to see Carr engineer the Raiders into the end zone before the end of the preseason.

What’s troubling for me with Oakland’s offense is not the lack of touchdowns, but the chemistry issues in the passing game, particularly with training camp roommates in Carr and Cooper on deep routes.

In Oakland’s first preseason game against the Cardinals in Arizona, Carr and Cooper were disconnected on a deep throw down the Cardinals’ sideline that Cooper caught, but couldn’t keep his feet in bounds.

Then against the Packers, Carr threw an underthrown pass to Cooper that was intercepted by Packers cornerback Damarious Randall in the first quarter.

“I tried to throw it up and give Amari a chance,” Carr said after the game. “This is the time to do it. I am risky, but at this time, a bit more risky.”

I do expect Carr to play comfortable in front of the Raider Nation Saturday, when Oakland (1-1) host Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans in both team’s third preseason game, where generally the starters play the majority of the game.

Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. PDT at the Oakland Coliseum, with the game seen nationally on CBS.

Carr led four fourth quarter/overtime game-winning drives, one including a 24-21 victory over the Titans in Week 12 last season after trailing 17-21 late in the fourth quarter.

Carr orchestrated a 9-play, 90-yard drive in 3:20 that ended with a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Seth Roberts with 1:21 left in the game.

It was  Roberts’s first career 100-yard receiving game (six catches, 113 yards, and two touchdowns), and the second time in 2015 that Carr and Roberts connected on a game-winning score in the final two minutes.

Coincidentally, Carr found Roberts for a 12-yard touchdown in Oakland’s 37-33 home win over Baltimore in Week 2.

Oakland’s first-team defense can improve, especially against the running game. The Raiders were battered by the strong running game of Packers running back Eddie Lacy, who carried the ball nine times for 45 yards.

Lacy closed out a 14-play, 74-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter. Lacy had a 20-yard run on 2nd and 10 that was key on the Packers’ opening drive, which saw a litany of Raiders missing tackles.

Tennessee (1-1) is coming off a 26-16 loss at home against the NFC Champions, Carolina Panthers, has the promise of being one of the surprising teams this year, especially with Mariota at the helm.

The second-year quarterback completed 9 of 10 passes for 104 yards passing with one interception. Mariota did hook up with wide receiver Harry Douglas for a 23-yard touchdown on his final throw after engineering Tennessee’s first three drives.

Tennessee also has the potential of having one of the league’s better rushing attacks with running backs DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry.

Murray, who was acquired by the Titans in the offseason after spending a disastrous 2015 season in Philadelphia, looked like he is ready for a bounce back season as evident of his 71-yard touchdown run against the Chargers in San Diego in the team’s first preseason game.

The six-year pro out of Oklahoma has 11 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown through two games this preseason.

Henry, the bruiser out of Alabama who Tennessee drafted in the second round this past May, has 15 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown through two games this preseason.

One player that I’m very interested in watching for the Titans is rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe, who Mariota recently told Around the NFL’s Marc Sessler “he makes it easy,” when catching the ball.

The UMass product leads Tennessee with eight catches for 103 yards this preseason.

 

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders-Green Packers preview: Atkinson III, Raiders look for consistency in Green Bay

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

AP file photo: Oakland Raiders running back George Atkinson III jumps for joy with quarterback Derek Carr after scoring a second half touchdown against the Arizona Cardinal last Friday at the University of Phoenix in Glendale AZ

OAKLAND, Calif — The Raiders’ running game was highlighted during the team’s 31-10 win in Arizona to open the preseason last Friday night, thanks in large part to running back George Atkinson III.

Atkinson III, who was listed as the fourth-string running back on the team’s depth chart coming into the game, had touchdown runs of 53 and 35 yards.

Atkinson III finished with 97 yards on just five carries, mostly against Arizona’s reserves, but showed that he warrants a few more opportunities when Oakland travels to Green Bay to take on the Packers Thursday night in both team’s second preseason game.

Latavius Murray, Oakland’s 1,000-yard rusher from last season, is labeled the starter and should play more against Green Bay after just four carries, while rookie running back DeAndre Washington is expected to be a major contributor in Oakland’s office this year.

Can Atkinson III continue to put the pressure on fellow Bay Area native Jamize Olawale and undrafted rookie running back Jalen Richard, who has been recovering from injury to be the team’s third running back?

One battle that intrigues me the most this preseason for Oakland is the race between incumbent Matt McGloin and rookie Connor Cook.

McGloin engineered back-to-back drives ending in touchdown passes of 19 and 10 yards, finishing 5-for-11 for 41 yards after taking over for Carr midway through the first quarter.

McGloin played into the third quarter before giving way to Cook, who went 7-for-11 for 71 yards in his appearance. Cook could see increased reps on Thursday, but McGloin still has the inside track as the team’s No. 2 quarterback given the fact that he has started six games (all in 2013) in his four years with the Raiders.

Oakland didn’t do itself any favors against Arizona, regardless of the score.

The Raiders committed 11 penalties for 86 yards, not to mention struggling to tackle in the open field. Both the penalties and missed tackles have to decrease throughout the preseason if Oakland is going to be one of the better teams in the regular season.

Green Bay is coming off a 17-11 win over the visiting Cleveland Browns last Friday night, with several key players, most notably starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, sitting out.

Undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Callahan,  passed for 124 and a touchdown while completing 16-of-23 passes while getting the start in place of Rodgers.

Rodgers, who is one of the top-five quarterbacks in the league, doesn’t need the preseason to get ready. There are reports that Green Bay’s star quarterback won’t suit up for Thursday night’s contest.

With the first wave of roster cuts less than two weeks away, the second preseason game is vital for a bubble guy like Atkinson III to build off the success from the previous game and the reps in practice to strengthen their position on the roster.

 

 

 

What to watch out for as Oakland gears up for Arizona in preseason opener

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

AP photo: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr appearing in photo at the 2016 Pro Bowl in February at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu throwing for Team Rice is prepared for Friday night’s game in Arizona the first pre season game for the Raiders

OAKLAND — The Raiders will finally be able to see a different color jersey in training camp, as they travel to the Valley of the Sun to open the 2016 NFL preseason schedule against the Arizona Cardinals Friday night.

Typically in the preseason, the starters play an a series or two to get their feet wet, so don’t expect key Raiders players like quarterback Derek Carr, wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper to be on the field for too long.

And why would you want those guys on the field in a preseason game that is, in all honesty, a meaningless game?

Or defensive linchpin Khalil Mack, who is primed to have a monster of a season, why should he even step on the field?

I expect those guys to be ready for the season and if they don’t play against the Cardinals, I wouldn’t be upset.

What I do expect is to see a lot of the draft picks that general manager Reggie McKenzie has stock-piled for Oakland that will serve as it’s depth this to get the bulk of the work. Rookies like quarterback Connor Cook, running back DeAndre Washington, safety Karl Joseph, and defensive tackle Jihad Ward should see significant time against Arizona.

Washington, Joseph, and Ward have all taken snaps with both the offensive and defensive first teams during training camp and have wowed coaches and teammates.

Arizona, who are one of the preeminent favorites to win the Super Bowl this year after falling short last year to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game, still features former Raiders players in quarterback Carson Palmer and offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, to go along  with the ageless Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd at wide receiver.

Kickoff is set for 7:05 PDT at University of Phoenix Stadium.

 

Cavs explode in Game 3, romp Warriors by 30

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

AFP photo: Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James drives on Golden State Warriors Draymond Green during game three at Quicken Loans Arena Friday

CLEVELAND, OH — It wasn’t a must win game for Cleveland.

It was the game to be had.

After dropping the first two games in Oakland by a total of 48 points, Cleveland drummed the defending NBA champions in Game 3, 120-90, Wednesday night to trim Golden State’s lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series, 2-1.

Cleveland, who improved to 8-0 at home in the postseason, responded in a huge way with big games by both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

James, who called Game 3 a “do or die” game, finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists to pace the Cavs, who never trailed in the game. James shot 14-for-26 from the floor  in 40 minutes of action, after shooting just 7-for-17 from the floor in Golden State’s 33-point win in Game 2.

Cleveland outscored Golden State in the first quarter, 33-16, thanks in large part to Irving.

Irving got Cleveland rolling early with 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting. Irving shot 12-for-25 from the floor for the game and added eight assists.

“We’ve got to give the same effort Friday night,” James said postgame. “It started defensively and trickled down to the offensive side.”

J.R. Smith scored 20 points, and Tristan Thompson finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds (7 offensive). Cleveland controlled the boards, outrebounding Golden State 52-32.

Richard Jefferson, who started in place of Kevin Love, finished with nine points and eight rebounds.

Love sat out Game 3 due to symptoms from a concussion he suffered in Game 2 after taking an inadvertent elbow in the back of the head. Love didn’t pass the NBA concussion protocol and his status is unclear for Game 4 Friday night.

If Love is ready to go for Game 4, Cleveland could be reluctant to put him back into the starting lineup as the starting five of James, Irving, Smith, Jefferson and Thompson meshed well together and played faster against Golden State. The Cavs dominated the paint by outscoring the Warriors 54-32.

“Coaching staff gave us an excellent game plan and we executed it for 48 minutes,” added James. Cleveland shot 15-for-20 in the third quarter en route to finishing 52 percent from the field as a team for the game.

Golden State was hit in the mouth early and couldn’t recover from the punch that Cleveland landed to their chin.

Stephen Curry scored 19 points, mostly in the second quarter, after he and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson (10 points) combined to shoot 0-for-8 in the first quarter. Thompson left the game briefly after taking a Timofey Mozgov knee to the left thigh while fighting through a screen chasing Irving.

Curry and Thompson, who haven’t had the games fans have been accustomed of seeing from the preeminent backcourt in the league, finished the game 10-for-26 from the floor.

“We were soft,” said coach Steve Kerr. “When you’re soft, you get beat on the glass and turn the ball over.”

Cleveland treated Game 3 like it was a street fight, resorting to Eastern Conference basketball by being physical with Golden State and pressing them into tough shots. The Warriors were 1-for-11 on catch and shoot 3s, before finishing 9-for-33 from behind the 3-point line.

Harrison Barnes had 18 points and eight rebounds, while Andre Iguodala finished with 11 points.

Draymond Green was off with just six points on just 2-for-8 shooting. Green added seven rebounds and seven assists for Golden State, who dropped their fifth straight Game 3 dating back to last year’s NBA Finals, where Cleveland took a 2-1 lead before Golden State rallied to capture the title by taking three of the last four games.

Golden State did show some fight late in the second quarter, outscoring Cleveland 27-18 before trailing 51-43 at halftime.

“We’re in good shape,” Curry said. “”Not the way we wanted tonight to go … We have a great opportunity on Friday to keep control of the series.”

This was an embarrassing loss for the Warriors, who still are in the driver seat but know that if they have any chance of taking a 3-1 lead, it must limit the turnovers (18 for Golden State compared to 13 for Cleveland) and get better performances from Curry and Thompson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westbrook, Durant throttle champs in Game 4

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Contributor

photo credit The Sporting News: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (35) hand looks blinding for Golden State’s Stephen Curry in the third defeat of the Warriors at OKC on Tuesday night

Oklahoma City — Don’t look now but the Golden State Warriors are in some serious trouble for the first time in two years.

Russell Westbrook recorded his third career triple double, racking up 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while fellow superstar Kevin Durant dropped 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-94 victory Tuesday night and a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 Western Conference finals.

The loss puts the defending NBA champions on the brink of elimination. It also marked the first time that this season that Golden State has loss back-to-back games this season.

Klay Thompson scored 19 of his team-leading 26 points in the third quarter while dealing with foul trouble, while Stephen Curry scored 19 points but struggled tremendously from the floor finishing 6-for-20 from the floor.

The two-time league MVP missed wide open shots for the majority of the game while exerting so much energy chasing Westbrook for most of the night.

Westbrook was an instant fastbreak starter, engineering a Thunder squad that outscored Golden State 48-38 in the paint.

The Thunder, who were the league’s top rebounding team at 48.6 rebounds per game during the regular season, dominated the boards 56 to 40. For the series, OKC has out-rebounded Golden State by averaging 49 to 41 rebounds per game.

In addition to Westbrook and Durant, OKC finished with five players in double figures (Serge Ibaka and Andre Roberson each scored 17 points, Steven Adams scored 11 points, and Dion Waiters chipped in with 10 points off the bench.)

Roberson, who 17 points were a career-high, also finished with 12 rebounds.

During the playoffs, the Thunder are 7-0 when they have five or more players finish in double figures.

“The Thunder are outplaying us right now,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “We have to come up with answers.”

Golden State needs to come up with some answers fast heading back to Oakland for a do-or-die Game 5 Thursday night in what will be  raucous Oracle Arena crowd.

Draymond Green had a game to forget tonight.

Green, who avoided suspension from the league after kicking Adams in the groin during Game 3, finished with just six points and 11 rebounds, but shot 1-for-7 from the floor.

“I bring the energy for this team and I haven’t been bringing that energy,” Green said post game. “We just didn’t take care of the ball well tonight. I have to bring more energy for this team to win.”

The Warriors had 13 of their 21 turnovers in the first half. Green and Curry each had six turnovers.

Harrison Barnes finished with 11 points for Golden State, who now have a larger mountain to climb if they are going to reach the NBA Finals for the second straight year.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, teams that trail 3-1 in a best-of-7 series are just 9-223.

But the focus wasn’t just on Curry’s disappearing act (2-for-10 on 3s), or Thompson racking off 19 straight points in the third quarter that pulled Golden State within eight points after being down as much as 25 points, but on the tentative play by Green.

“This is the first time in my life I didn’t respond to critics,” said Green.

The Thunder have smacked the NBA champions in the mouth the last two games, hammering the Warriors by an average of 26.5 points per game in the two win at Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City rung up 72 points in the first half for the second straight game on Golden State this postseason, joining the 1987 Showtime Lakers as the only team to score 72 points in the first half in back-to-back games in the playoffs.

For Golden State, the next 48 hours are going to be the most important 48 hours that the team has faced during the Steve Kerr era.

The team that won a regular season-best 73 games during the regular season, has looked awful the last two games of the Western Conference finals with the bad shot selections, turnovers, and poor rebounding.

But if winning championships were easy then everyone would be doing it, right?

The Warriors have face adversity all season, but the Thunder have made life extremely difficult for Golden State in this series.

Kerr and the coaching staff has to find answers for a beat up Warriors team that are on the ropes.

 

 

 

Portland take Game 3 thanks to Lillard’s 40 points

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Columnist

AP photo: Rip City Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard scores 40 on the Golden State Warriors in game three in Portland on Saturday

PORTLAND, OR — So much for the Portland Trail Blazers wilting under pressure.

Damian Lillard poured in a career-high 40 points added 10 assists, igniting Portland to a 120-108 victory Saturday night in Game 3 of the their Western Conference semifinal series.

With the win, Portland becomes just the second team to beat Golden State twice this season while trimming the Warriors’ lead, 2-1 in their best-of-7 series.

“I was really happy about the way we played tonight,” Lillard, who shot 14-of-27 from the field, including 8-0f-13 on 3s, said postgame. “We were the more aggressive team down the stretch.”

The Trail Blazers led 58-46 at halftime, and even saw their lead balloon to as much as 2o points in the fourth quarter.

Al Farouq-Aminu added 23 points and 10 rebounds while starting the game shooting 7-of-7 before finishing 8-of-9 from the floor. Aminu was even deadly from behind the three-point line, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc.

C.J. McCollum, who started off the game 1-of-7, finished the game with 22 points on 8-0f-18 shooting.

Draymond Green scored a career-high 37 points, including 8-of-12 on 3s (also a career-high for any game). Green drained five 3s en route to a 19 point third quarter, but took responsibility for Golden State’s loss.

“That team [Portland], they had doubt. I could tell they had doubt,” said Green. “And we didn’t take advantage of it…And that’s on me.”

Golden State’s defense looked erratic at best at times.

As a team, Portland shot the lights out the ball from deep, converting 17-of-30 on 3s. The Trail Blazers shot 46-percent from the floor (40-of-86).

But the heartbeat of the Warriors has already gone on record that Golden State will make the necessary adjustments to win Game 4.

“We’ll be better there [defensively],” Green added. “I’ll be better. We’ll win.”

Klay Thompson scored 18 of his 35 points in the first quarter. Thompson was blistering hot in the first quarter, making 7-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 on 3s. It was the second time this series that Thompson scored 18 points in the opening period, accomplishing the feet in Game 1.

There is the possibility of Stephen Curry  suiting up for Game 4 on Monday in Portland. The MVP played two-on-two Saturday before Game 3 and participated in additional drills, but no word has been given regarding Curry’s availability.

Golden State could use Curry’s scoring, especially tonight.

Outside of the huge performances from Green and Thompson, and Leandro Barbosa’s 10 points off the bench, Golden State didn’t have any other players in double-figures.

Harrison Barnes (2-of-8) and Andre Iguodala (0-for-5) combined for 8 points, while Shaun Livingston finished with just 2 points.