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The Los Angeles Lakers deservingly won its 15th title in franchise history. Coached by arguably the best coach in NBA history, Phil Jackson raised the Larry O’Brien trophy for a record 10th time, one more than legendary coach Red Auerbach. The Los Angeles Lakers were the best team in the NBA from the start of the season til the end. With the second best record in the league, the Lakers came into the playoffs looking to redeem themselves after a tough loss in the NBA Finals last year to the Boston Celtics.

Utah was their first round rival, but the Lakers were too ready, too good for a Utah team who lacked half-court defense and perimeter shooting, and just were manhandled in every position. In the second round, the Lakers met the Houston Rockets who many argue, gave them the biggest competition of this whole playoffs. The Rockets surprised everyone by winning game 1 in Los Angeles, and playing them tough to the finish of game 2, although they lost the game. The series came back to Houston where they split both games, in a physical battle, the Lakers gained the home-court advantage in game 3. Game 5 and 6 were split as well, with all the marbles left for game 7. Game 7 was a domination by the Lakers from start to finish, I guess they had the loss in the Finals from a year ago on their minds, and went to work as soon as the ball went up in the air to start the game.

Next came Denver, who most thought might be the best team equipped to give LA a run from its money. Early on in the series it looked like Denver meant business winning game 2 in LA, but came out flat in game 3, later even up the series in game 4. In game 5 Denver came up short giving LA the extra motivation needed to come into Denver in game 6 to close out the series. And this is when we knew there is no stopping Los Angeles this year, they were on a mission. NBA Finals came and Lakers were the team on a mission winning the first two games and later finishing off the Magic in 5. The experience of the Lakers players was the main factor in these series. Orlando had a chance to steal game 2 in LA and take game 4, but late game decisions by Orlando players and also by their coach Van Gundy (playing ineffective Jameer Nelson), cost them those two games and eventually the title.
The title was well deserved by the Lakers, led by Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, the best 1-2 punch in the NBA. With two free agents in Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza possibly coming back to the team, this will definitely be a team that can take many more championships in years to come.

Last year’s NBA finalists are going through some tough conference semifinal games.

For the Celtics, we all knew they will have a tough time just making it to the Conference Finals, just because their best player and leader of the team, Kevin Garnett was out for the rest of the season. The young and up-and-coming Chicago Bulls, lead by the great play of first year point guard Derrick Rose and shooting guard Ben Gordon, made a splash in the first round of the playoffs. The ‘09 Celtics/Bulls first round series received great reviews, such as “one of the best of all time” by many experts. No doubt it was one of the most competitive series the NBA has seen in the past 20 years. Four overtime games, last minute clutch shots, great individual performances, controversial calls, I mean it had the makings to go in the history books, and it will. After such a grinding series for the C’s, the moved on to face the more matured and solid Orlando Magic. As it stands right now, the Boston Celtics lead the series 3-2 with game 6 being played tomorrow in Orlando. It is looking like the Celtics will have yet another game 7 at home. The odds are on their side being at home, but it still 50-50. The Magic have played very well in Boston, except game 2. Game 5, Orlando had in the pocket with a 15 point lead into the fourth quarter, until the last few minutes of the game where the Celtics made another one of their well known comebacks. The lesson the Magic learned for the second straight game: a game is won in 48 minutes not 36. I think Van Gundy and Dwight Howard will get it together and lead their troops to a Conference Finals Showdown against King James and the Cavaliers.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are getting a fierce battled from the Houston Rockets despite having their top two players, Tracy MacGrady and Yao Mind out of the playoffs. Surprisingly after Yao Ming’s injury, Houston came out for game 4 and blew out the Lakers. Knowing Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, we knew they were going to come out explosive for game 5 in LA; and they did it in a big way winning by 40 points. The series shifts back to Houston for game 6, and we’ll find out if the injury riddled Rockets will have any gas in the tank to force game 7 in Los Angeles. My prediction is that the LA will come out sharp and take care of business in Houston. An extra game with Houston could present some disadvantages looking towards the Conference Finals. They need to rest Lamar Odom’s back as well as Kobe who has had a strenuous battled with the always tough and rough, Ron Artest. Right now, it is looking that the Denver Nuggets will clinch their spot into next round in game 5 at home. A Lakers and Nuggets Western Conference Finals will definitely be a competitive and must-see series that the NBA can smile about due to the possible huge ratings they will attract.
Both Conference Finals will start next week, and you can follow them here with Tickets of America’s largest inventory for NBA games. Check our tickets listing online or call our representatives at 888-383-1515.

The legends are back on tour! The Irish rock band is back on a major tour for the first time in four years. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen are ready to give their fans a concert filled with classic songs along with their new material.

From “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” to “Beautiful Day” to the new album, U2 has raised the bar, time after time, when it comes to influential music and great writing in general. Their new album, No line in the Horizon is getting rave reviews with the single “Get on your boots”. Their relevant music and sounds will have you enjoy the concert from start to finish, this is the reason the Killers, Kanye West and Coldplay want to be the next U2. Their music reaches all ages, this is why U2’s 360 Tour will be the concert tour of 2009. It all starts in Barcelona on June 30th.

The U.S. leg of the tour will begin on September 12th at Soldier Field in Chicago ending on October 25th at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. U2 tickets are currently on sale for all tour stops including Europe. Calls us at 888-383-1515 to secure your tickets today.

The best season has arrived, the playoffs are here! The best teams in the league begin their quest to the ultimate prize, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. After six months of dribbling, alley-oops and showtime, we have arrived at the do or die time. Yes!  Fifteen teams will be looking to take the crown away from the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics arrive into the playoffs with some doubts. The team has been without Garnett for most of the last month and they have looked sluggish. If you talked the team’s center piece was Paul Pierce, think again. Clearly, Boston is not a championship caliber team without Kevin Garnett. The C’s look like an average team and that might not get them past the first round, especially if KG is not at full strength. The team benefited the most with KG’s illness, will be Orlando who might meet Boston in the second round for a shot at the Eastern Conference Finals. I believe Orlando can beat the Celtics even with Garnett healthy, but without him, I can see Orlando with a great opportunity at upsetting the Cavs and going to the NBA Finals. We’ll see how the Eastern Conference develops. We can not underestimate the Hawks who had a great run last year pushing the Celtics to the limit, and with the experienced Bibby leading the team, they might make another good run this year.

On the Western Conference, it should be the Lakers, as they dominated the regular season, to represent the conference in the NBA Finals. Unless something catastrophic happens, I do not see anyone rising above and giving Los Angeles a run for their money. A possible second round match up against the Portland Trailblazers should be their toughest test I believe. The Blazers have a great team and the future looks even greater if they can keep the team together. Portland lost both games in Los Angeles, but blew the Lakers out in one of the game in Portland, and controlled their last meeting also in Portland. The Lakers better be sharp in that attractive second round meeting, if they slip a bit, the Trailblazers will surely take advantage and sneak up on them. I’m predicting this second round  to go the distance, each team winning on their home court, the Lakers moving on to the Conference Finals. I can not see San Antonio with their injury issues, New Orleans or even Denver to give the Lakers trouble if they meet in the Conference Finals.

All in all, it should be an exciting postseason. Will Lebron James finally break through and win his championship ring, will this be the start of a new era? or will Kobe finally gets his ring without Shaq in the mix?

Check Kobe, Lebron, Wade and the rest of the NBA playoffs live with Tickets of America.
Tickets to all games all rounds are available now. Call us at at 888-383-1515.

This will be an interesting tournament. After a year filled with upsets across conferences, top ranked teams not being able to hold their spots and for the first time in a long time, there are eight teams capable of going all the way (Louisville, Wake Forest, Connecticut, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Duke,  North Carolina and Oklahoma).

Midwest region
In this Midwest region we have the #1 overall team in Louisville. Pitino’s teams always have that excitement and passion needed to go the distance. But at the same time, it can turn into overconfidence, it has happened in the past, lose their focus and come out flat for a game. This is what they need to be careful and can definitely be a nightmare. Case in point, a possible match up against solid Wake Forest or Utah in Sweet 16, if they take either one of these two teams lightly, they will regret it. Even though Louisville is seeded as the overall #1, I do not think they are the best team in the tournament. In this same region we have Michigan St as the #2 seed, did not have a solid year and they might have a tough time against BC or USC in the second round, but if they get past either one of those teams, Kansas(the national champions) should be too much for them to handle in the Sweet 16. Indianapolis and the Midwest region should be the most competitive region and the most vulnerable to upsets. Playing in Basketball cities like Dayton, Minneapolis and Indianapolis, I anticipate this to be one of the most attended by the fans. My sleeper team?  West Virginia, you know Bob Huggins will have his team focused and ready to go. My prediction: Wake Forest will come out of this region.

West Region
Also known as the UConn invitational region. I mean, no disrespect to Memphis whose had a great season (but who played/and has played in one of the weakest conferences in past years), Connecticut is by far the best team in the country (don’t tell that to Pittsburgh/North Carolina). They are definitely built for the tournament, they are solid in every position. With center Hasheem Thabeet clogging up the middle, forward Jeff Adrien providing instant offense and A.J. Price being the floor leader, along with their maturity (starters,3 seniors, 2 juniors), coach Calhoun, will be looking to make the Final Four and win another championship coming out of the West. Their only tough test on the road to the Final Four should be Memphis. Coach Calipari has been in the coaching ranks long enough to figure out Calhoun’s team.
It definitely should be the only match up to look for in this region. Games in Oregon and Idaho do not present a high interest level.
My prediction: UConn will make it to the Final Four.

East
This region will have more exciting match-ups. In the first round, Oklahoma St/Tennessee, Florida St/Wisconsin, UCLA/VCU, Texas/Minnesota should all be good game to watch. Pittsburgh will not have an easy road to the Final Four, potential second round match Oklahoma St/Tennessee, will definitely give them a tough test because both of those teams present different styles than the ones in Big East. Look for this game to be a close one. also in the second round, A possible Duke vs Texas/Minnesota  should be a good draw especially that it’ll be played in Greensboro. if Texas makes it, look for their devoted fans to give the Cameron crazies a hard time in the stands. Both Greensboro and Philadelphia (with Villanova there) should draw a lot of fans to both rounds.
My prediction: Pittsburgh will be too big and more athletic and should be in Detroit.

South
If you’re a tar heel fan and think North Carolina will have an easy time here, think again! Oklahoma presents a big threat in a possible Regional Final. But before North Carolina get to that game, they will have to go past either Illinois or Gonzaga, both teams can give the tar heels a hard time, especially in the transition game. Both those teams can adopt to any style of play, and are quick to run when needed. With NC point guard Ty Lawson still banged up, we know how vulnerable the tar heels can be as we saw at the ACC Conference Tournament’ semifinal game against Florida State. Ty Lawson should be ready to go come Thursday, but he needs to be at 100%  for NC to gain their best form. There will be a couple of good games in Miami, where one of my sleeper teams, Arizona State, will face Temple in the first round. The winner might  play against my other sleeper Syracuse in the second round. Sunny Miami will be a good place to be, not only it’ll host those two first round games. They’re also the host of two rounds in the Midwest Region. Arizona vs Wake Forest should be a good one, as well as the winner facing Wake Forest in a possible second round game.
My prediction: Roy Williams will lead his troops to Detroit.

Hot cities: Dayton, Minneapolis, Greensboro and Miami. The Indianapolis(Midwest) Region should be the most attractive for fans.

Tickets of America has tickets to any of the tournament games including the Final Four. Call us now at 888-383-1515 and get your favorite seat today.

The NCAA tournament and the Final Four are getting closer and closer, and as some universities have already clinched their way into the tournament, others need a win or two to impress the Selection Committee. The NCAA Conference tournaments are in full action right now with many surprises and upsets already. Bigger upsets are happening in the Big East Conference, where both #2 and #4 teams in the country have been ousted from the tournament. Yes, the Quarterfinals have been a nightmare for two teams looking to get a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Pittsburgh, ranked #2, lost to a solid West Virginia coached by Bob Huggins with his uptempo-in your face defense. West Virginia  held the Pittsburgh Panthers to their season ’s third lowest point total, a mere 60 points. West Virginia all but locked a good seeding into NCAA tourney. In another Quarterfinal game, Connecticut, #4 in the country, and Syracuse played a great-instant classic game. It took six overtimes to decide the winner. Syracuse ended up on top, hurting Connecticut’s chances at getting a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. With this win, Syracuse, just as West Virginia did, locked his spot in the NCAA’s. Also in the Big East, Louisville and Villanova gained a spot into the Semifinals by beating Providence and Marquette respectively. Look for Louisville and West Virginia to meet in the Championship game on Saturday.
The upsets also arrived at the Big 12 tournament. The only higher seed to win was #15 ranked Missouri who beat Texas Tech with no trouble. Top ranked Kansas lost to Baylor and Oklahoma lost to its nemesis Oklahoma State, all in Quarterfinals. Oklahoma was hoping to win the tournament and impress the Selection Committee to get a #1 seed into the NCAA tourney, but that now is out of the question. Missouri should move on to play Texas in the Championship game.

In the ACC, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Boston College all won their first round game and will moved onto the Quarterfinals on Friday. Meanwhile in the PAC-10, Arizona State, Washington, UCLA and USC moved onto the Semifinals. First round results in the Big 10, Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State advanced to the Quarterfinals on Friday. In the SEC, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Alabama and Florida, all advanced to  the Quarterfinals. All the rest of the Conference tournaments are taking place right now to crown their Champion and set everything up for Selection day, this Sunday at around 6pm.

Tickets to all these Conference Tournaments as well as the NCAA tourney, you can purchase now with Tickets of America. Final Four tickets as also on sale now. Call us at 888-383-1515!

As we roll along March, three words comes to mind; madness and big dance.
Yes! it’s that time of the year again. The College Basketball regular season is in its final stages and the conference tournaments are starting to take place around the country. Another word is thrown in every tournament conversation, “bubble”. Many bubble teams looking to burst their way into the NCAA Tournament with last minute impressive victories and a good showing at their respective conference tournaments.

This year’s Final Four will take place on April 4th at the Ford Field in Detroit. For the first time in history the tournament will be held in the state of Michigan. The NCAA is preparing a Final Four to remember. This year the NCAA conferences across the board have been very competitive, with lot of changes in the rankings, laying the foundation for an unpredictable and exciting Final Four.
This week will be the last week of regular season games for the major conferences. There is a game with huge implications in the rankings: #1 ranked UConn Huskies at #4 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. Back on February 16th, the two teams met in Storrs, Connecticut, and what a surprise it was. Pittsburgh went in and muscled their way to an impressive victory  76-68, with DeJuan Blair doing damage inside the paint. Pittsburgh will keep that same game plan and try to snatch a second victory away from the Huskies. If they do, look for Pittsburgh to perhaps jump into the top spot in the rankings and with a great showing in the Big East tournament, a number one seed in the NCAA will definitely be in the horizon. Teams contending for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament are: Connecticut, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Memphis, Louisville and Duke.
This is the top 25 Ranking as of this week:

1. Connecticut 27-2
2. North Carolina 25-3
3. Pittsburgh 26-3
4. Oklahoma 26-3
5. Memphis 26-3
6. Louisville 23-5
7. Duke 24-5
8. Michigan State 23-5
9. Kansas 24-5
10. Wake Forest 22-5
11. Villanova 23-6
12. LSU 25-4
13. Marquette 23-6
14. Gonzaga 23-5
15. Missouri 24-5
16. Washington 22-7
17. Xavier 23-5
18. Clemson 22-6
19. Purdue 22-7
20. UCLA 22-7
21. Arizona State 21-7
22. Butler 25-4
23. Illinois 23-7
24. Florida State 22-7
25. Syracuse 21-8

Follow next week tournaments and find out if your favorite team is selected to participate in the NCAA tournament on Sunday March 15th. Tickets for the NCAA tournament, Final Four and all individual conference tournaments are already on sale here at Tickets of America.
Call us now at 888-383-1515 to purchase your favorite seats.

As we are getting closer to the Sony Ericsson Open (March 25th), the ATP/WTA tours keep moving on with several tournaments around the world. Following the Australian Open won by Rafael Nadal in a thrilling final against Roger Federer, there has been other tournaments as warm-ups for the Sony Ericsson Open. These are the ATP/WTA tournaments and their champions:

ATP SA Tennis Open          Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
ATP PBZ Zagreb Indoor      Marin Cilic
ATP Movistar Open            Fernando Gonzalez
ATP ABN AMRO World        Andy Murray
ATP Brasil Open                 Tommy Robredo
ATP SAP Open                    Radek Stepanek
ATP Tour Open 13              Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
ATP Regions Morgan Keegan    Andy Roddick
ATP Copa Telmex                     Tommy Robred

WTA Tour Moorilla Hobart         Iveta Benesova
WTA Open GDF SUEZ                 Elena Dementieva
WTA PTT Pattaya                        Vera Zvonareva
WTA Barclays Dubai                   Venus Williams
WTA Regions Morgan Keegan    Caroline Wozniacki
WTA Copa Sony Ericsson           Gisela Dulko

Both men and women are in action in the Dubai Tennis Championships right now.

Tennis Rankings as of 2.23.09

Men
1-Rafael Nadal
2-Roger Federer
3-Novak Djokovic
4-Andy Murray
5-Nikolay Davydenko
6-Andy Roddick
7-Juan Martin del Potro
8-Gilles Simon
9-Fernando Verdasco
10-Gael Monfils

Women
1-Serena Williams
2-Dinara Safina
3-Jelena Jankovic
4-Elena Dementieva
5-Venus Williams
6-Vera Zvonareva
7-Ana Ivanovic
8-Svetlana Kuznetsova
9-Nadia Petrova
10-Agnieszka Radwanska

For Sony Ericsson tickets or tickets to any of the ATP or WTA events, you can visit our website at www.ticketsofamerica.com or you can call our toll free 888-383-1515.

The 2009 Tennis season is underway and Tickets of America is gearing up for the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne. Just like every year the top female and male players come to South Florida to display the best Tennis skills in the world. This should be a very interesting and exciting tournament. On the men side, Nadal is coming off another impressive win against Federer in the finals of the Australian Open. This tournament would usually be in Federer’s pocket but he has not been able to win it since 1997. At the trophy presentation for this year’s Australian Open, Federer let some tears come out his eyes, this led some people to believe he’s on the decline of his career. He’s lost three out of the last four Major finals to Nadal and it looks like frustration is getting to Federer. He’ll use the Sony Ericsson Open to prove he’s still in great shape and able to beat Nadal, and also to prepare for the always tough clay court season in Europe right before the French Open. But he should look past Nadal and also focus on the always dangerous Djokovic and the 2008 sensation–Andy Murray.
On the women side, 2008 was a year of the many #1’s, Jelena Jankovic managed to finish the year at that spot, but as the 2009 Australian Open ended, this could be 2008 all over again. Jankovic lost the #1 spot to tournament champion, Serena Williams. Serena played a great tournament and if she keeps up her great play, it’ll be tough to beat her. Overall the Australian Open was very competitive, and staying atop for Williams will be tough to accomplish. Other former #1’s, Ivanovic and Venus Williams, along with Russians, Elena Dementieva and up-star Dinara Safina will be aiming at the top spot.  All these players will come to the Sony Ericsson Open, and the anticipation is already building up. The Sony Ericsson Open although not a major tournament, it is considered by many to be the fifth major in Tennis, and this is the reason why the best of the best come to win this very important tournament. This should be a big year  for the Sony Ericsson Open and all the fans that year in and year out come to South Florida to watch this great event.

Tickets of America has started processing tickets for every session of the tournament from March 25th to April 5th. Purchase your tickets today, call us at 305-379-7978 and don’t miss any of the action!

The Super Bowl is days away but things are heating up now. Since we found out  the Super Bowl teams, fans started to go after their favorite seating in the stadium. Super Bowl tickets is the hottest sought after item on the net and from my experience here at Tickets of America, this has been the most affordable Super Bowl. If you have ever dreamed of making it to the Super Bowl, this is it. With some Super Bowl tickets going as low as $1395(the lowest today at $1650), there is no doubt there will be a bunch of first timers at the big game. Many reasons, the economy the most prominent, we have a Pittsburgh Steelers with a great following but with the fact that they just made the Super Bowl a few years back, the Arizona Cardinals with not many die-hard fans willing to travel and finally the Tampa area known for being sports enthusiasts but not paying the big bucks. All of these ingredients mixed together, add up to a very affordable Super Bowl, it could be the most accessible of all time. So if you will be around the Tampa area or you’re a Steelers or Cardinals fan, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, a football fan’s dream. Here at Tickets of America we can make your dream come true with the most competitive Super Bowl ticket prices in the market. We are located in close proximity to Raymond James Stadium. Call us at 888-383-1515 and secure your tickets today!