Broken record

Kurt Streeter writes that the Lakers are the worst 19-3 team in basketball history. I have been a subscriber to the L.A. Times for 40 years and I got one better. The current Times sports staff has the most negative writers in the history of the paper.

Ninety-five percent of all the other NBA teams would be tickled pink to be 19-3, but not you guys. The USC Trojans are 11-1 in 2008 under the fine coaching of Pete Carroll and going up against 11-1 Penn State in the Rose Bowl and I can’t wait to see them kick butt on New Year’s Day, but not you guys.

Jim West

Fallbrook

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I am truly amazed that so many people are whining about the Lakers’ defense. Has their defense been a strength? No. Should it be better? Yes, especially around the basket. But to hear such harsh criticism of their defense you would think they were 3-21 instead of 21-3 through their first 24 games. It just goes to show how spoiled many Laker fans have become.

Jon White

Monrovia

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Do this year’s Lakers remind anyone else of the 1985-86 Lakers who started out 24-3? Talented, overconfident, no urgency, games played on autopilot, looking forward to a Finals rematch against the Celtics, etc. They should ask assistants Kurt Rambis and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar what happened next.

They will be told that those Lakers barely beat their second-round playoff opponent, and were decisively bounced by Houston in the Western Conference finals, thus failing to even qualify to get pounded by the Celtics, who easily won it all.

Kevin Reading

Laguna Hills