BASKET CASE: LAKERS-NETS TICKETS SKY-HIGH.

Byline: Dereck Andrade Staff Writer

If you're thinking of heading to Game 1 of the National Basketball Association playoffs between the New Jersey Nets and the Lakers on Wednesday night at Staples Center, you'd better be prepared to spend big bucks.

A pair of front-row, courtside tickets will set you back a cool $27,000, according to Murray's Tickets, a Los Angeles-based ticket broker, which as of Monday afternoon had four of the tickets with a face value of $2,000 apiece for sale at $13,500 each on its Web site.

It's the highest asking price ever for any U.S. sporting event on record through a broker, according to several Southland ticket brokers who specialize in top events, including the Super Bowl.

For that 675 percent markup, you could rub elbows with some of Hollywood's courtside royalty, such as Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Billy Crystal - or maybe even have Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal fall on you as he goes for a loose ball.

Barry's Ticket Service Inc., an Encino-based broker, is charging between $9,000 and $10,000 for a front-row, courtside seat. Its least expensive seats start at $175.

``I would guess the people who buy those seats are very wealthy and very big fans,'' said owner Barry Rudin, who said the demand for Lakers tickets is intense. ``A lot of Hollywood studios also buy them for their stars.''

All four NBA Finals games at Staples Center are sold out, according to officials at Ticketmaster, the online firm that sells tickets for all Staples Center events.

``If you are calling for the Los Angeles Lakers championship finals, there are no tickets available through Ticketmaster at this time,'' a recorded telephone message says.

For those who can't afford a $13,000 seat, there's always eBay, where you can still get a ``bargain,'' with tickets ranging from $100 for nose-bleed seats in the far reaches of the 19,282-seat Staples Center to $2,500 for seats 12 rows up from courtside.

``There's a very strong demand,'' Rudin said. ``People are excited because the last series went seven games.''