After a summer of impressive acquisitions including Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, the Lakers became the most talked about team in the league. The storylines coming out of Los Angeles were endless and everyone was anxious to see how the new players gelled with their teammates.
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The Lakers opened the 2012-13 season at home against the Dallas Mavericks, but lost the game despite the absence of Dirk Nowitzki. The very next night, the Lakers headed north to Portland to play the Trail Blazers, a game televised on NBA TV. Los Angeles lost their second consecutive game and Lakers fans were beyond upset.
However, the NBA TV executives had a big smile on their faces as NBA.com reports that the game was the most watched telecasted on the station’s history.
Portland’s victory that sent the new-look Los Angeles Lakers to a 0-2 start was the most-watched telecast in NBA TV history.
The game Wednesday night drew 868,000 viewers, the network said Friday. The largest previous audience for an NBA TV telecast was 847,000 for the debut of “Dream Team,” last summer’s documentary about the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball gold medalists.
NBA TV has reported increased viewing in the past couple of seasons and that speaks to the growing popularity of the sport. The television station airs live NBA games throughout the season and it is a 24/7 information hub for fans of the league.
The Lakers will have a plethora of games on NBA TV and they will surely bring the station thousands of views. Just like the attention the Miami Heat got right after the addition of the Big Three, the entire country is consumed with everything involving the Los Angeles Lakers.