Read Gillian Zucker’s letter to Clippers season ticket holders

Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker recently sent a letter to season ticket holders after the team was bounced from the playoffs by the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.

Zucker encouraged the team’s fans to not be discouraged, even though the Clippers lost the series despite having a 3-1 advantage. The Rockets were just the ninth team in NBA history to recover from that deficit to advance to the next round. In their 45-year history, the Clippers have never made it past the second round of the playoffs.

Below is a copy of Zucker’s letter:

Today we celebrate and we stand proud.

Although it is not yet our year to celebrate that first championship, it is a year to celebrate champions.

We celebrate our fans -- fierce, passionate and growing with the hearts of true champions. Clipper Nation proved Los Angeles rocks the house like no other fan base. It was your excitement, your engagement and most of all your pride, that on so many occasions inspired this team, your team, to accomplish the impossible.

We were champions in our community. Not only through the proud efforts of the Clippers Foundation to truly impact countless lives in our region but also the direct efforts of our players. Through community outreach, mentoring, and programs to promote fitness and academic achievement, they made a real difference.

And we were champions in our behavior and our character. The team, the organization and the fans, we all carried ourselves with honor in how we cherished victories and how we were motivated by our defeats.

So today while we celebrate these things, we also get back to work. Because as much thrill as there was in being one of only five teams still battling, no one wants a title more than we do.

Today, we proudly stand together -- a team committed to our fans and fans committed to their team. And together, we look forward.

Warmest regards,

Gillian Zucker

President of Business Operations