Letters to Sports: Two sides to Lakers crying foul after Game 2
Readers of the Los Angeles Times Sport section give their thoughts on the Lakers, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Mike Trout and the Angels, the Kings and more.
Lakers star Austin Reaves, center, and teammates surround referee John Goble, second from right, after their Game 2 loss t the Thunder on Thursday in Oklahoma City. (Nate Billings / Associated Press) Broderick Turner and Thuc Nhi Nguyen reported that Lakers coach JJ Redick said , "The Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history. " Maybe Redick is right.
The Lakers were able to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and with Jalen Williams not playing, OKC still won Games 1 and 2 by 18 points each. Hopefully the Lakers can avoid a sweep when they return to The Crypt, but it doesn't look very likely, not when committing 39 turnovers in two games. Vaughn Hardenberg Westwood It was so bush league to see the Lakers crowd around the beleagued referees at the end of an 18-point loss to the Thunder in Game 2.
The number of free throws was nearly even, favoring OKC 26-21. There are no bigger whiners in the league than LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, who have in their minds never committed a foul and are always fouled with no call on any possession. This is playoff basketball — grow up and play ball.
The results in this series speak for themselves. Bob Goldstone Corona del Mar You cannot tell me that the defensive “mauling” allowed by NBA officials during the playoffs would be tolerated during the regular season. It almost looks like the NBA upper brass — Adam Silver and his cohorts/consultants — have directly or indirectly “suggested” that referees simply “let ‘em play.
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