At the bookmakers, the Lakers appear as the tenth favorites for the ring and the Warriors, as the fourteenth. They are two franchises that have not improved their squads, that in the Western Conference will have to face opponents with much more potential than them and that, indeed, seem far from fighting for the championship at the moment. However, now that the schedule has been made public, these are the two teams that will have the most nationally televised games next season.

The Angelinos will have 39 games broadcast, almost half of the games they will play in the regular season. San Francisco, 36. It is a sign of the weight that LeBron James and Stephen Curry, two of the NBA’s most mediatic players, still have. Despite playing for teams that should be far away from the Finals,they have a bigger impact than some of the most powerful franchises in the competition.

The Lakers have ranked first or second in the NBA in nationally televised games since LeBron came to the team in the 19-20 season. However, this is the first time he has topped the list since 21-22, as the Warriors held the top spot for the past two seasons. That being them, it doesn’t matter their potential or their title chances. What matters is that the two stars are on the team.

The reigning champion Celtics, for example, will be given 34 games nationally, the same as the Knicks. They are the two great contenders to dominate the Eastern Conference and would complete that imaginary TV podium. Even further back are Luka Doncic’s Mavericks, current NBA runners-up, and Kevin Durant’s Suns, with 30.

Jokic, Embiid, Wembanyama…

MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are seventh (29), the reinforced Sixers of Joel Embiid and also alternative in the East are eighth (28), the Thunder, who led the West last season and facing next season have moved well in the market to further improve their roster, are tenth in that ranking (25) and Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will appear in 21 games, like the Clippers.?

At the bottom of the standings, with only four games that can be seen across the United States, are the Pistons, Blazers and Raptors.

Just like betting, the games that televisions are going to broadcast nationally is a sample of each team’s potential and what the upcoming season looks like. That’s why it’s surprising that two teams that are not among the favorites, such as the Lakers and Warriors, are going to be the most broadcasted. The answer lies in the extraordinary drawing power of LeBron and Curry.