LES BOSTON CELTICS

by Bryan Quinlan on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 12:48AM   4

Now here's something Celtics fans can take to the bank.

The Boston Celtics were ranked the fourth most valuable franchise in the NBA, according to a report released by Forbes Magazine on Wednesday.

The Celtics are valued at $452 million, while the New York Knicks top the list at $655 million, the Los Angeles Lakers rank second at $643 million and the Chicago Bulls come in at third with $511 million.

Unfortunately for Angelenos, their Lakers have yet to catch the Celtics in NBA titles. The Celtics lead the league with 17, while LA has 16. The Bulls finish third on this list with six rings.

The Celtics had a 5 percent net gain in worth over the last year, which shows a dedication to winning and a solid grounding with the local community.

"The Decision" of LeBron James gave the Miami Heat a 17 percent boost from their worth last year, while the Cleveland Cavaliers' value saw a league-worst -26 percent change, echoing the economic problems that face the mistake by the lake.

If you break down the money to a per-person ratio within city limits, the Celtics' value becomes $700.00 per person, while LA's worth is dropped to $159.00. The Knicks worth becomes $77.00 per person, roughly the cost of a ticket to Madison Square Garden. Now that's value C's fans can take pride in.