NBA Finals Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Basketball fans worldwide became overjoyed when the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics won their respective game Sixes and cemented their spot in the 2010 NBA Championships Series.  The Lakers vs. Celtics matchup is a classic series, featuring the NBA’s top two most successful franchises.  The Lakers and Celtics have combined to win thirteen of the past thirty NBA championships.  LA vs. Boston may be one of the few coast-to-coast rivalries, with many C’s fans sporting “Beat LA” shirts in Boston.  This series is the Yankees-Red Sox; it’s the Liverpool-Manchester United; the Michigan-Ohio State; and the Ali-Frasier.  With that, it’s no wonder that this highly anticipated series is leaving basketball fans are both excited for the series and willing to fork over the big bucks to catch the game live.

Throughout the regular season, Lakers and Celtics fans paid more for tickets on the secondary market than any other fans for any other team in the NBA (yes, even more than Cleveland fans paid to see hometown hero LeBron James play what might be his last season as a Cav)!  LA and Boston fans paid an average of $179 and $153 per game respectively (compared to $93 per for Cleveland fans).  Of course, tickets rise during the playoffs, and the marquee finals matchup will cost those who want to go attend a pretty penny.  For Game One at the Staples Center in LA, the average ticket price is $976, a whopping 797 percent of face value!  Luckily for Boston fans, the Celtics’ first home game, Game Three, is a little more affordable, with ticket prices averaging at $580.

As for my potentially-soon-to-be-very-wrong Finals prediction, I like the Celtics.  Even though Kobe was unreal during Game Six of the Western Conference Finals, practically toying with Alvin Gentry and the Suns, basketball is a team sport.  Kobe can put the Lakers on his back, and Gasol or Fisher can put up big numbers, but I think it’s still no match for the “Big Four”.  Rondo is more than legit, and with this year being potentially the last for Ray Allen in Boston, this is a championship run not worth wasting.  The C’s beat LA in 2008, and with Rondo emerging as one of the best point guards in the league, they will do it again in 2010.  Celtics win Game Six at home to clinch the ‘ship.

As always, SeatGeek is the place for aggregated ticket sales as well as price forecasts.  Be sure to check back to see the change in ticket prices as the series progresses.