The NBA recently released the game schedules for the 2024-25 regular season, and one of the most notable facets is that the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors lead all teams in national TV games. It isn't that startling, considering that the California-based organizations are two of the most popular franchises in the league.
Even so, that hasn't stopped critics from questioning why the Lakers and Warriors should get that much national attention when they aren't even playoff locks. George Karl also poked fun at the squads by offering a prediction that their fans likely won't be thrilled to hear.
Karl's disdain for the Lakers and Warriors
X (formerly Twitter) users who follow the Hall of Fame coach on social media know that he tends to tease the Lakers and their fans every chance he gets. For instance, he trolled them earlier in the offseason when the organization's purported coaching target, Dan Hurley, opted not to take the job.
Of course, the Lake Show faithful also don't exactly like the former Coach of the Year, especially after he benched Kobe Bryant late in the 1998 All-Star Game.
It's unclear if Karl feels the same way about the Warriors as he does the Lakers. However, he once coached Golden State, spending almost two campaigns with the franchise in the 1980s.
The retired point guard had the first winning season of his coaching career with the Warriors, leading them to a 42-40 record and a first-round playoff appearance in the 1986-87 campaign.
Unfortunately, he couldn't find similar success the following year, especially after the team lost its top four scorers from the previous season to trades and a stint in alcohol rehabilitation. Karl parted ways with them after steering the Dubs to a 16-48 record. But rumor has it that he was actually fired. So, maybe that's a possible reason he doesn't think too fondly of the team to this day.
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Can the Lakers and Warriors prove doubters wrong?
It remains to be seen if Karl's prediction about Los Angeles and Golden State will come to pass. It's tough to believe he would be wrong, considering how the squads fared in the last campaign, with the Lakers bowing out of the first round of the playoffs and the Warriors failing to advance that far.
They also seemingly failed to improve this offseason. The Lake Show whiffed on every rumored free agent/trade target, and the front office's decision to hire the inexperienced JJ Redick as head coach has been ridiculed in many NBA circles. Meanwhile, the Dubs lost Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, although they managed to replace the veterans with Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and De'Anthony Melton.
Still, it might be unwise to write off both squads this early when their rosters feature future Hall of Famers, three of which had a wildly successful summer playing for the Red, White, and Blue in the Paris Olympics.
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