Tomorrow’s story tonight …

The Lakers’ two-year reign as NBA champions ended with their second-round playoff loss last May to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks. They claimed a new title Wednesday as the league’s most-valuable franchise, according to Forbes.

The Lakers vaulted past the New York Knicks with a value of $900 million, a 40 percent increase over last year thanks in large part to their new television deal with Time Warner Cable. The Knicks were second in value at $780 million, a 19 percent increase.

The Chicago Bulls were third at $600 million, followed by the Mavericks ($497 million), the Boston Celtics ($482 million) and the Miami Heat ($457 million). The Clippers were 20th in the 30-team league at $324 million, up 6 percent from last year.