Letters: Against all odds, the Lakers made a valiant effort

All odds against them, injuries, Westbrook, 2-10 start, freshman coach, and yet they made it to the conference finals. There’s a lot to be said Lakers, there is something to admire. There is also a lesson: never give up, play as a team and good things can happen. Congratulations Lakers for an inspiring season.

Allan Kretschman
woodland hills

I’m glad I was in Colorado visiting family when the Nuggets won their last two games. The Denver newspaper talked about all the Nugget players and their contribution to victories and eventual victory. Yes, LeBron is a great player, but that’s about all I read about in The Times in this series. I wanted to read about Austin Reeves and others who kept the Lakers close. Now we all read about LeBron. possible pension. Maybe you could type in a bit about the rest of the Lakers players. After all, it’s the ones who kept them on the hunt for a playoff spot while LeBron treated his bad leg!

Judy Thomsen
Glendora

I’m glad LeBron only played four seconds on Monday night. If he had sat for a few minutes, he might have had enough energy to finish strong.

Dave Thomas
Ventura

Someone needs to tell Bill Plashka that a purge is a purge and that not even any “consolation” trophies in basketball. Save the atta boys for another column, Bill.

Robert L. Shirley
Lawndale

None of The Times’ sportswriters dared point out that LeBron ran out of gas in the second half. His future game days will be the same, which is why Lakers fans are gearing up for senior nights at Crypto.

GT Vomiting
rosemead

Bill Plaschke’s opinion that the Lakers can still hold your head up high usually sounds right. I felt the same way when the Lakers lost to Moses Malone. J and 76ers in 1983.

At that point, the Lakers had unfinished business. Karim then won titles with the Lakers in 1985, 1987, and 1988 at ages 38, 40, and 41. As a student of basketball history, LeBron should be motivated to achieve what Kareem has achieved – another title when almost all of his contemporaries are long retired.

Ken Feldman
Tarzan

LeBron James has a measly 97 million reasons to keep playing for the Lakers.

David Marshall
Santa Monica

What could have been: In the 2016 NBA draft, the Lakers selected Brandon Ingram second, and the Celtics selected Jaylen Brown third. In the 2017 draft, the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball second and the Celtics selected Jason Tatum third. Could LeBron have been paired with these two players and dominated for years?

Bernie Kovacs
harbor city

Of the many reasons that point to LeBron James leaving the Lakers, I believe Jim Brown’s example will be the deciding factor. James has stated that when he grew up in northeast Ohio, Jim Brown was a god. Brown retired at the top of his game, never tolerating the decline in skill and likely poor performance in later seasons. Brown’s recent death could have reminded LeBron of the need to preserve his own legacy.

Jim Regan
Karlovy Vary

The harsh reality of sports is that sometimes their team is better than yours. The Lakers played hard and well overall, but the Nuggets were clearly the better team. So, glory to the Lakers and good luck to the Nuggets. It will be much less embarrassing if you are passed by future champions.

Roger Kramer
Brea