Heat, Lakers among most expensive NBA tickets
This past offseason, thanks to Lebron James'(notes) move to the Miami Heat, the NBA tallied an estimated $170 million in new season ticket sales.
But for die-hard fans without season tickets, the secondary market – composed of individual buyers and sellers – is the only place to score a seat for some of the most highly-coveted and most expensive games.
To get an idea of which seats are the most expensive in the NBA, ticket search engine FanSnap.com generated the top 10 average listing prices by game. Ticket values are as of Oct. 21, 2010, and are based on current asking prices from sellers in a secondary marketplace, which may not equate to ticket face values and will fluctuate depending on demand.
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So, where are fans paying the most for their seats this season? For starters, the Heat or the Los Angeles Lakers appear on every entry in the top 10, starting with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Lakers (Jan. 17, 2011).
With Kevin Durant(notes) on the Oklahoma roster, this team may be the second-most exciting to watch in the league. Will Durant's scoring prowess in the World Basketball Championship carry over into the NBA regular season? Find out in L.A. – for an average ticket price of $287.
The Heat's visit to Manhattan to face the New York Knicks on Jan. 27, 2011, is ninth on the list. This past summer, word that James' "Decision" could be New York caused Cablevision stock to rise. Knicks fans were disappointed when they didn't get him, but are willing to pay top dollar to see Lebron and the gang. But then again, the $288 average asking price is only about $80 higher than the season-long average Knicks ticket price (on the secondary market) of $202.
The top five:
5. Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers (Jan. 16, 2011): How much?
4. Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics (Feb. 10, 2011): How much?
3. Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (Oct. 26, 2010): How much?
2. Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers (Jan. 30, 2011): How much?
1. Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 25, 2010): Highest ticket price
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Slideshow: Most expensive NBA tickets
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