All this for a team with a 80% certainty of never getting out of the
second round


The Lakers have taken a victory without even playing a game this
season.

Season-ticket holders renewed at a 97% rate for the upcoming season, an
increase of five percentage points from last season, halting a two-year
slide in season-ticket sales.

Buoyed by last season's playoff appearance as well as the scoring power
of Kobe Bryant, more Lakers' season-ticket holders dipped into their
bank accounts despite an increase in ticket prices of almost 5% across
the board.

Courtside seats were increased from $2,100 to $2,200 a game, and seats
in six lower-level sections between the baskets were raised from $210
to $220 a game.

But the fans have anted up, adding value to a franchise that was worth
an estimated $529 million last year, second in the NBA only to the New
York Knicks, according to Forbes magazine.