“No LeBron James, no Kawhi Leonard, no National TV”: NBA fans don’t hide their disappointment after Lakers-Clippers is taken off ESPN

LeBron James and the Lakers vs. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers always used to be a staple of national TV. That is, except for this year.

Lakers-Clippers is usually a high octane Western Conference bout. For the last three years, ever since the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis, and the Clippers got Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Lakers-Clippers has been must watch TV.

This year, things are a bit different. The NBA had initially kept the Lakers-Clippers bout on ESPN to broadcast to a national audience, but they’ve since then retracted on that, placing Warriors-Suns on ESPN, taking off the battle of LA. It’s an incredible shift, but it also says a lot about the state of both teams currently.

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NBA fans react to LeBron James and Lakers-Clippers being taken off national TV

It’s been a weird year for both LA teams. The Lakers made a splash move this offseason when they traded for Russell Westbrook to form their version of a big three.

Things haven’t exactly gotten off to the greatest of starts. The Lakers just barely made it over .500 on the year recently as they currently sit at 12-11, sixth in the Western Conference.

LeBron’s health has also been a huge factor this year as he’s already missed 12 of the 23 games the Lakers have played. He’s currently slated to miss more after contracting Covid-19. The Clippers have also been dealing with injury issues, namely Kawhi Leonard.

Without their superstar, they haven’t been at the top of the West like they’re used to being either. They’re currently 7th in the West, right behind the Lakers at 11-11. Paul George has been trying his hardest to keep the Clips afloat, but he definitely needs more support at the moment.

So, this matchup definitely has some high stakes involved, just not as high when you’re considering the fact that LeBron James won’t be playing, and that the current #1 and #2 seeds in the West are set for an epic rematch. NBA Twitter was all over the fact that this game was shut down.

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