Hundreds gather at the Garden, hoping for Celts tickets

June 2, 2008 09:07 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Hundreds of fervent fans gathered outside the TD Banknorth Garden today, hoping to purchase one of the precious few tickets available for the opening game Thursday of the NBA championship series between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Daniel Snow, 24, of Wilmington was happy after buying two tickets for $111.50 apiece.

But Stephen Souther, 18, of Weymouth, who had waited overnight outside the doors of the Garden, said he was angry with the way the sale was managed.

Lottery tickets were handed out to the people standing in line. The person with the winning ticket became the head of the line. Those in front of him had to move to the back of the line.

“It’s outrageous -- really unfair,” Souther said. “I’m really let down, really disappointed."

Souther was part of a crowd that had slept on garbage bags, flown in from Mexico, and played cards to pass the time.

John Wentzell, president of the TD Banknorth Garden, said the procedure had been used for a decade.

"This was publicized in the Globe and Herald that it would be random. We had signs posted outside the Garden on our doors and box-office windows, telling everyone that random numbers would be called," he said.

"It’s really a policy built to the average fan. Not a lot of people can camp out for two days. It’s something we highly discourage," he said.

Meanwhile, on StubHub.com, the largest online ticket reseller, the average ticket for the game was going for $529. The most expensive -- a courtside seat -- went for $4,750, while the least expensive went for $140.