LONDON – June 4, 2008 – The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will tip-off the 2008 NBA Finals on June 5 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. A record 285 international media members from 35 countries and territories will converge in Los Angeles and Boston to cover the 2008 NBA Finals, which will be televised to 205 countries and territories in 46 languages, including 47 European countries.

“This is the most exciting time of the year for the NBA and basketball,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, NBA Europe Vice President for Marketing Partnerships and Business Development. “We are looking forward to an amazing match-up on the court and are enthusiastic about the many ways basketball fans in Europe can access and interact with the NBA Finals, allowing them the opportunity to witness the passion and intensity of the season finale.”

The NBA Playoffs began in April with more than 50 International players from 25 countries and territories, with 25 representing Europe. Now, four European players remain, including Pau Gasol ( Spain), Vladimir Radmanovic ( Serbia and Montenegro), Ronny Turiaf (France) and Sasha Vujacic ( Slovenia).

Led by 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant and Barcelona native Pau Gasol, the Western Conference Champion Lakers will look to earn their 15 th NBA Championship, the second most titles in league history. The Celtics, who began their season in Rome and London for NBA Europe Live, are led by Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Boston boasts 16 NBA titles and earned home court advantage for The Finals with an NBA-best 66-and-16 regular season record. Boston holds an 8-2 Finals record in this storied rivalry with the Lakers, taking the last two series (1985 and 1987).

NBA.com, which receives 60-percent of its traffic from fans outside of North America, will provide extensive Finals coverage through the league’s 10 global sites. In the UK, fans can follow The Finals on-demand with NBA.com via Tiscali.co.uk, and can continue to view highlights with BBC Sport (bbc.co.uk). Orange will provide mobile and online video highlights in Spain and France, while Marca (marca.com, elmundo.com) and Prisacom ( as.com, elpais.com) will host video highlights in Spain. NBA fans in Germany can access Finals webcasts on Premiere.

The NBA's merchandising business in the EMEA region has doubled in the last five years to include over 55 licensed partners distributing NBA products to more than 15,000 retail locations. International sales account for more than 25-percent of the league’s overall global merchandise business. This season, Lakers and Celtics merchandise have led sales in their respective regions, along with the jerseys of Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Gasol.

NBA Finals Schedule

Game 1 5 June Los Angeles at Boston
Game 2 8 June Los Angeles at Boston
Game 3 10 June Boston at Los Angeles
Game 4 12 June Boston at Los Angeles
Game 5* 15 June Los Angeles at Boston
Game 6* 17 June Boston at Los Angeles
Game 7* 19 June Los Angeles at Boston
* - if necessary All games will start at 21h00 EDT

About the NBA
The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2007-08 season, the NBA will distribute games and programming to 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league’s worldwide reach can also be seen with 76 international players from 30 countries and territories on NBA rosters. Domestically, the NBA broadcasted 142 games on national television last season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2, and eclipsed attendance records for the fourth consecutive season.