Lakers + Kobe+ Inflated Ticket Prices = Lots of Lakers Fans

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat writer for the AJC wants to know if there will be more Hawks fans or Lakers fans at Philips Arena tonight.
I say it's going to be a push. Mike Woodson and Hawks players are irked (rightfully so) that so many Lakers fans come out every year, but they shouldn't let themselves get too worked up about it for 3 reasons:

1) It's the Lakers. They are the standard for what a great franchise is in the NBA. Blame it on the 80's. There's no need to spend a whole lot of time on this reason. It really needs no explanation.

2) It's Kobe Bryant. Outside of Cleveland because they have their own once in a lifetime talent, Kobe gets cheers everywhere. This is a man who literally had fans in the Boston Garden chanting MVP for him a few seasons ago. If there are that many Lakers fans in Boston, then you know there's nowhere you can go and not be among them.

3) It costs more to get into Philips Arena when the Lakers are in town. You can go see teams like the Pistons or Raptors for as little as $10, but the cheapest ticket to get inside when the Lakers are in town is about $35. If you're a Hawks fan, you are probably thinking you shouldn't have to pay more to see your favorite team just because Kobe is in town? I don't blame you if you pass on the opportunity. That means there are more tickets for the people who aren't really Hawks fans and the organization knows they are willing to pay more. Hell, they may not even know they're paying more since they only come out when the Lakers are town. If the Hawks are your favorite team, you come to Philips Arena even when they're playing the worst teams in the NBA, so you don't really care about missing the Lakers game. You can watch it on tv and save yourself some money in the process.

Basically, the Lakers are already a popular franchise, add to that the fact that they have the most popular basketball player on the planet, and it costs you more money to walk through the same doors you walk through when they're/he's not in town, and you have all of the necessary ingredients to ensure there will be several Lakers fans in Philips Arena.

I wouldn't worry too much about it though. If the Hawks are winning late, the fans will convert. I've witnessed it time and time again.


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Hawks 119, Spurs 114 or Where Al Horford went Toe to Toe with Tim Duncan and came out on top

This game absolutely deserves a recap and if it weren't already midnight, I'd totally give it one that does it justice. So I'll just spit out some random thoughts about the game

• Al Horford lived up to his nickname "Boss" for real tonight. He had 22 points, and 18 rebounds against arguably the greatest PF ever, who had 29 points and 13 rebounds.
• That one handed dunk on Tim Duncan by Al Horford.......just youtube it.
• They need to find more shots for Marvin.
• Marvin needs to be more selfish.
• Joe The Basketball Player showed up, he was more of a facilitator though.
• Jamal Crawford is worth every penny they're paying him. They may actually owe him a little money.
• Manu Ginobili is irritatingly good.
  
• Every time Matt Bonner shoots a wide open three, I think it's going in. That's a me problem.
• Greg Popovich gets to say things to officials that Mike Woodson can only dream about saying.
• Hawks clinched a playoff berth.
• If Jeff Teague wants to start a support group, I'll join.

For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, Hoopinion, Hawstr8talk or Humanhighlightblog