Superteams, you either hate them or love them. They are a coveted staple in the modern NBA. Star players from other teams conglomerate with each other to team up and play on one team for the ultimate goal of dominating the league and above all, winning a championship. There’s a reason why superteams frequently happen in today’s NBA. All-Star players are constantly frustrated that the organizations they play for couldn’t put together a competitive and competent roster around them. So they do what they can to get themselves out of their terrible situation and sign with a title-contending team. A ..read more

Well, I'll be dammed.  This season of the Las Vegas Raiders will definitely go down as one for the books. In the midst of the longest NFL season marked by controversy, tragedy, and adversity, the Raiders found a way to "just win baby". Be it through mental fortitude or through superstition such a flip of a coin, they finished their 2021 season at 10-7 and made the playoffs only to lose in the Wild Card to the Cincinnati Bengals. So, how did the Raiders make it this far? Honestly, there was not much expectation for this team heading to this season other than the fact that it's just a matte ..read more

Today's a sad day as the NFL and Sports world mourns the unexpected passing of John Madden. Coach Madden was a pioneer in Sports broadcasting and changed the way audiences see NFL games on television. He was charismatic, had a way with words, and was a frequent user of the telestrator to break down plays as they happened. Not only that, he was a pop culture phenomenon through the commercials (tough actin tinactin), the parodies (Family Guy, Frank Caliendo), and the long-running Madden video game franchise.  Coach Madden was an important figure in the Raider history and lore. He's argua ..read more

Well, that was quite an anticlimactic way to get out of his contract... The Raiders and Jon Gruden parted ways after some emails from 10 years ago surfaced where Gruden made some racist remarks. And now, it was discovered that he had more messages where he made homphobic and misogynistic comments. Jon Gruden has officially resigned as head coach. The Raiders released a statement today from Mark Davis reading: "I have accepted Jon Gruden's resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders." I should feel happy, but at the same time I don't. You all should know by now, I was never sold on ..read more

The Lakers can't leave me alone apparently. So, it's been agreed upon. The Lakers are bringing "Mr. Triple Double" back home with a trade to the Washington Wizards, sending away Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and the 22nd pick in this year's draft. The trade is not official until August 6 when the NBA rings in the new league year. Let's run straight to the positives, the Lakers finally form their coveted Big 3. They get Russell Westbrook to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They are very adamant in preserving LeBron as much as possible and it's obvious there's ..read more

"Guess who's back?" - Dr. Dre, "Still D.R.E." How's it going everyone? No, I am not here to signal that I'll be back to sports blogging full-time. But, I always considered this blog as a haven to get my thoughts across. Honestly, I've been swinging around Raider and Laker fan pages on Facebook providing my thoughts on both teams. But, this blog is a "canvas" where I can "paint the full picture." And after the Phoenix Suns eliminated the now previously reigning, defending champion Lakers, let's dive deep for one post only on what happened. So, the Lakers failed their bid at a repeat and in do ..read more

 Final Score: LV 32 DEN 31 [W] (8-8) Well, looks like this is the first and last post of 2021 on this blog. Welcome in and Happy New Year! TrueRaiderLaker has finally reached its endgame after a 10 year run and what a way to end it as the Raiders finish at 8-8 with a dramatic come-from-behind win against the AFC West team I hate the most, the Denver Broncos in a 32-31 victory. Though, this was a challenge to get a hold of this game if you're residing in the Bay Area. Since this game was meaningless, we had to see the Arizona-LA Rams game as that had more playoff implications on the line ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ba ..read more