Life’s too short to hate

I hate Kobe haters. Particularly, Los Angeles Kobe haters. They must be the dumbest self-hating group of sports fans anywhere. Here they have arguably one of the top five players to ever play the game, an athlete who has grown up and played in a Lakers uniform since he was 17 years old and today has the Lakers poised again for greatness other franchises only dream of.

It doesn’t make sense. Soon he’ll be gone -- as NBA analyst Mark Jackson says, “Father Time is undefeated” -- and the Kobe haters will have missed out on one of the all-time greats of sports.

Richard Karliss

Malibu

After seeing Kobe take his game to Jordanesque heights in Game 1 against Orlando, it becomes very apparent what Jerry West’s intentions were when he called LeBron the best player in the game. Way to go, Kobe! (You too, Zeke.)

Ron Ovadia

Irvine

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Hey Kobe, if it takes you to turn into a snarly looking “Hannibal Lecter/ giant squirrel” to get the win, you go right ahead. Just don’t let the weirdness consume you before we get the title!

Gregg Freeman

Thousand Oaks

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Why do people keep mentioning the fact that Kobe hasn’t won a championship without Shaq but fail to point out that Shaq hasn’t won one without two of the most dominating guards in league history? Kobe could solve world hunger and still be criticized.

George Metalsky

Redondo Beach

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Is it too late to ask LeBron to return the MVP trophy to its rightful owner?

Richard Hardt

Long Beach

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What have we learned so far in these 2009 NBA playoffs? The Lakers have heart and the best player in the NBA, and Big Baby plays for the Celtics, and LeBron became one after he and the Cavaliers got dismantled.

Jeff Calzada

Monterey Park

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LeBron James says, “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lost to them. I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport.” No, LeBron, that’s the definition of being a poor sport.

Michael G. Herman

Los Angeles

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I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs on TV, and I’ve noticed something very unusual. Dwight Howard has no visible tattoos on his body.

Is that legal?

John Paul White

Hemet

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Bill Dwyre [June 2] got it right about what’s wrong with the NBA. The league lost its integrity a long time ago when it instructed referees not to let enforcing the rules of the game detract from the entertainment value of its product.

Bob Stallings

Covina

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Regarding the classy, insightful comments of Kenyon Martin, he and the rest of the Thuggets will have plenty of time to think about how much better they are than the Lakers while they are playing golf during the Finals and the off-season.

Peter Bylsma

Los Angeles