Lakers defy economy

The LAT's Steve Springer calls it the ultimate Father's Day gift: a seat right behind the visitors' bench at Staples Center to see the Lakers and Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. All it takes is $27,028. If you're bringing a crowd, a 44-person suite can be had on StubHub, the online ticket service, for the bargain price of $51,431. AEG President Tim Leiweke, who runs Staples Center, says it's gotten so crazy that folks are buying $15,000 premier seats for next season just to have priority for the upcoming Lakers-Celtics series. StubHub''s average resale price for the Finals is $772 ($547 in Boston). Last year, the average was $366 in Cleveland and $311 in San Antonio. It's unlikely that any of this has much relation to the economy, good or bad. Crazy as it may seem, sports matchups like this one are pretty much recession proof.