IMHO, it's because the Clippers are actually a decent team now, while the Lakers suck. When the Clippers had as many followers as PMS/NBC, nobody really gave a rip. Now that they finally had a couple decent drafts and a coach with some cache, all the front-runner fans want to jump on their bandwagon.
Give it a year or two, until most of their talent blows town, and the team and the controversy will be forgotten... again!
It’s friggin basketball, who cares.