Turner Broadcasting Explains Lakers-Blazers Blackout

Turner Sports had the Hawks-Heat and Lakers-Blazers games on their live schedule, but because the game in Atlanta went to three overtimes, the first-half of the Lakers-Blazer match-up was not televised.

Mike Tokito of The Oregonian obtained this statement from the network regarding the blackout of the Lakers-Blazers game.

“The Hawks-Heat triple-overtime game was an exciting national telecast,” said Christina Miller, senior vice president of strategy, marketing and programming for Turner Sports. “This was not a regional telecast and we would not leave our first game until its conclusion.”

Turner could not air the Lakers-Blazers game on another station since it had commitments with programs that could not be broken. The Hawks-Heat game was thrilling throughout, so although fans of the team were excited to see the game, people on the West Coast were irate.

The Lakers ended the first half up 56-52, only to eventually fall to the Blazers after a disappointing fourth quarter. Still everyone would have preferred to watch 48 minutes of Lakers basketball, not just 24 minutes.

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Darvin Ham Remains Faithful In Anthony Davis Despite Offensive Inconsistencies

The Los Angeles Lakers enter the regular season with lofty expectations despite LeBron James being in his 21st season…

The Lakers Needs to Play With Consistency and Urgency

Last week I wrote on how the Lakers need to play to…

Byron Scott On Kobe’s Ideal Minutes Next Season: ‘Mid To Low 20s’

On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant was scheduled for surgery to replace a torn…

Chandler Parsons Says He Talks To Dwight Daily About Joining Rockets

The Houston Rockets are one of the possible destinations for Dwight Howard…