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.