It seemed like the NBA regular season just began yesterday, but it's now time to turn the page and look forward to the second season, the 2013 NBA Playoffs. With the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz still battling for the final spot in the Western Conference, today we will preview the LeBron James Conference... *cough*... I mean the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Contenders: Miami Heat
Like I said in the title of this post, and eluded to in the previous paragraph, the NBA's Eastern Conference has been dominated by LeBron James and the defending champion Miami Heat. The Heat finished atop the standings by a dominating 12 games, finishing 65-16, which included a 27-game winning streak. LeBron James has been by far the best basketball player on the planet and will undoubtedly win his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player Award. It's hard to imagine this Heat team, which many feel is better than last year's championship team, not going back to the NBA Finals to defend their crown.
Challengers: New York Knicks, Boston Celtics
I almost put the Knicks in the contender category due to their recent play, but I don't see how they could possibly beat the Heat. For even a glimmer of a shot, it would take a monster effort from Carmelo Anthony, who will be matched up with LeBron. The X-factor for the Knicks is their three-point shooting; during the regular season, the Knicks took and made more three pointers than any other team in the league. When they catch fire they are tough to beat.
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You may not have noticed, but the NBA season is just a few weeks away from getting started. It feels like yesterday that I had to cringe watching LeBron James lift up the Larry O'Brien Trophy after leading the Miami Heat to the NBA title. Luckily for me (a Celtics fan) and basketball fans everywhere, the start of a new season means a fresh start for your team and another shot at the championship.
The preseason has just started getting underway this past week, but what people are truly waiting for is the beginning of the regular season and to find out when their favorite team plays in its home opener. There are a lot of great openers scheduled, so I decided to take a look at the Top 5 selling home openers on TicketNetwork.com:
#1 - New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
November 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
No surprise here. The biggest basketball market hosting the NBA's defending world champions. It doesn't get much bigger than that. Last year, the Heat visited Madison Square Garden three times including the playoffs, winning two of those games.
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There was a lot of big news this week, including here at TicketNetwork.com. Check out some of the highlights of what people are talking about this week:
One Million Tickets Sold!
As you may or may not have heard, this week we have been celebrating an important milestone here at TicketNetwork.com: one millions tickets sold through our marketplace! It's been a long road to the big number and we wanted to say thank you to all our customers by giving everyone a chance to win a $100 gift card to TicketNetwork.com. Click on the image at left to go to the contest page to enter. Good luck!
First Day of Summer
Yesterday, June 21, marked the first day of summer. Here in the northeast (we are located in CT), mother nature let us know it was summer, giving us triple digit temperatures. Even with the high temperatures, the beginning of summer marks the beginning of the fun season, with swimming, vacations, barbecues and a whole lot of stuff to do outdoors.
LeBron gets his first title... (sigh)
Let's clear the air right off the bat: I'm a bitter Celtics fan. I hate LeBron James. Can't stand him. But, the world is abuzz after LeBron and his Miami Heat captured the 2012 NBA Championship, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. Ok, that's enough positives about LeBron. After the game he said, "I didn't shortcut anything." Newsflash to LeBron: you shortcutted everything! You left your hometown team to go play with two other superstars! Could someone please ask LeBron what exactly he thinks a shortcut is?
I feel better now.
Is there anything else that happened this week you want to tell us? Let us know in the comments below. Have a great weekend!
The Miami Heat are now officially one game away from capturing the 2012 NBA title thanks to a 104-98 victory last night over the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Game 5 once again being played in Miami, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade have a chance to close out the series in front of their home fans. Not surprisingly, the average ticket prices listed for the game have gone up.
2012 NBA Finals Ticket Prices on TicketNetwork.com
| Game |
City |
Date |
Avg. Price
(6/15) |
Avg. Price
(Today) |
|
| 5 |
Miami |
June 21 |
$1,289 |
$1,373 |
 |
| 6* |
OKC |
June 24 |
$2,423 |
$2,261 |
 |
| 7* |
OKC |
June 26 |
$2,145 |
$2,149 |
|
| * If Necessary |
Ticket prices have gone up by $84 since just two days ago and could continue to rise in the time leading up to Thursday night's game. On the flip side, prices for a potential Game 6 to be played in Oklahoma City have dropped by $162 over that same span.
On the court, the Heat have looked to be the better team. LeBron James has proved to be the best player in the world over and over again, but Miami has also been aided by contributions from role players like Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers. The Thunder have finally started to show their youth in the series, struggling to find a rhythm as a unit. They will need to figure it out quickly if they hope to have a chance to send the series back to OKC.
Game 5 will take place Thursday, June 21. If you would like tickets to Game 5 or any other game during the NBA Finals, click here to view the selection available at TicketNetwork.com.
Averages in table are based on the listed ticket price on TicketNetwork.com as of 9:30 a.m. EDT on 6/20/2012. Prices may fluctuate based on demand.
Just like last season, the Miami Heat have taken a two games to one lead in the NBA Finals after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 91-85 on Sunday night. Of course, last season the Heat went on to lose the next three games to Mavericks and lose the series overall. They hope they will have a very different outcome this year.
2012 NBA Finals Ticket Prices on TicketNetwork.com
| Game |
City |
Date |
Avg. Price
(6/15) |
Avg. Price
(Today) |
|
| 4 |
Miami |
June 19 |
$1,047 |
$828 |
|
| 5 |
Miami |
June 21 |
$1,289 |
$811 |
|
| 6* |
OKC |
June 24 |
$2,594 |
$2,423 |
|
| 7* |
OKC |
June 26 |
$2,276 |
$2,145 |
|
| * If Necessary |
The Heat did not play their best game last night, shooting only 38 percent from the field, but they did do one thing well: shoot free throws. The team went to the line 35 times, making an unbelievable 31 of them. On the flip side, the Oklahoma City Thunder went to the free throw line just 24 times, making only 15. That's a 16-point difference, which was undeniably the difference in the game.
Although the series is just starting to heat up, the average ticket prices listed on TicketNetwork.com have started to drop. The most substantial difference is seen in Thursday night's Game 5 in Miami, where the average listed price for tickets has dropped more than 37% since last Friday. Tuesday's Game 4 also has had a large drop in price, decreasing by more than 20%.
Game 4 will take place Tuesday, June 19. If you would like tickets to Game 4 or any other game during the NBA Finals, click here to view the selection available at TicketNetwork.com.
Averages in table are based on the listed ticket price on TicketNetwork.com as of 10:30 a.m. EDT on 6/18/2012. Prices may fluctuate based on demand.