December 3, 2014
When thinking of the greatest rivalries in sports, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are one of the first to come to mind. In terms of NBA rivalries, it's easily the best. There aren't many rivalries that can claim part in 12 championship series, many of which went six or seven games and became classics.Between the two franchises, they've combined for 33 of the 68 championships in NBA history. The Celtics have the upper hand in head to head wins, head to head playoff wins, head to head championships and they have one more all-time NBA championships.
Despite the Celtics leading in those categories, it's still closer than you would think. The all-time series is 197-157 and the playoff all-time series is 43-31. Boston dominated the rivalry early on and Los Angeles has recently made a comeback. One might not even claim it was a true rivalry until Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the fray back in the late 70’s.
It's no surprise that Celtics and Lakers fans have huge demand for tickets in this exciting series. The secondary ticket market for this rivalry has its ups and downs but certainly is one of the more sought out tickets. Take into consideration that Boston and Los Angeles home games cost a hefty amount for regular season games and add in a rivalry and ticket prices will rise.
The Lakers will travel to TD Garden for a game on December 5th. Currently, the average ticket price on the secondary ticket market is $108.41 while the get-in price is $47. The two squads will meet up at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 22nd and the average ticket price for the matchup is currently $254.73, which is over 140 percent higher than the matchup in Boston. However, the get-in price is just $31.
These ticket prices are consistent with prices over the last four seasons. Typically, the more expensive ticket is for the game in Los Angeles and is usually more than double the cost of the ticket for the game in Boston.
| Date | Location | Avg Price | Get-In Pirce |
| 1/30/2011 | @ LAL | $607.50 | $146.00 |
| 2/10/2011 | @ BOS | $287.79 | $140.00 |
| 2/9/2012 | @ BOS | $171.46 | $55.00 |
| 3/11/2012 | @ LAL | $372.73 | $99.00 |
| 2/7/2013 | @ BOS | $185.78 | $59.00 |
| 2/20/2013 | @ LAL | $409.77 | $97.00 |
| 1/17/2014 | @ BOS | $110.46 | $44.00 |
| 2/21/2014 | @ LAL | $216.03 | $40.00 |
| 12/5/2014 | @ BOS | $108.41 | $47.00 |
| 2/22/2015 | @ LAL | $254.73 | $31.00 |
Ticket prices remained high in Los Angeles for the series in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as prices were $372.73, $409.77 and $216.03 on average, respectively, on the secondary ticket market. In comparison, the series in Boston cost $171.46, $185.78 and $110.46 on average, respectively, on the secondary ticket market. Get in prices for those matchups were $99, $97 and $40 for Los Angeles and $55, $59 and $44 for Boston.
Despite Boston and Los Angeles' poor records in 2014, the rivalry remains heated and one of the best in the NBA.
