Feb 2 — Boston: Lakers @ Celtics

Feb 7 — Philadelphia: Celtics @ 76ers

Feb 9 — Boston: Nuggets @ Celtics

Feb 10 — Boston: Warriors @ Celtics

Feb 11 — Philadelphia: Knicks @ 76ers

Feb 13 — New York: Warriors @ Knicks

That would be my choice, that being said its not going to be a cheap trip lol.

Late March is a big toss up. They could be in a dogfight for seeding or they could be resting because it’s already decided. And it could depend on who they’re facing and their seeding too.

I think your safest bet would be right after All Star Weekend. Gives them that little break for any nagging injuries.

I think your travel plans (and potentially budget) is ambitious if you plan in getting to Houston, San Antonio, Philly, Boston, and NYC in a little over a week.

If you have the money to actually pull a trip lole this off, I would probably say you are better off limiting this trip to a couple of destination (obviously based around seeing Lebron before he retires) and the plan another trip back to see other teams & cities. Esp if you want to be able to actually see the cities

I’d look at middle of the season like January through March and pick a stretch where the 6ers have a lot of home games. Could stay in Philly and maybe head north between games or after you see LeBron play

I’m no expert but my advice for seeing LeBron play would be go to a Sixers game that could impact seeding. A late season Warriors v. Sixers there’s a better chance LeBron rests compared to a Knicks/Celtics/Heat game.

I always used Stubhub 24 - 72 hours before game is the best time to buy I’ve found. To get the cheapest ticket I recommend a game in Philly or Boston. NYC will always be the most expensive.

Don’t take my word as gospel this is just my experience as a diehard Sixers fan my whole life going to 3 to 5 games per year.

P.S. Jim’s Steaks on South Street has the best cheesesteak in the city for a traveler. You’ll also get a good taste of Philly culture in the area. Geno’s is better between Pat’s or Geno’s. They’re all tourist traps but still pretty decent. If you want the real best cheesesteak go to any random corner store that’s real Philly. Order “wiz wit” you won’t regret it.

So for anyone coming to the US for the first time - it’s very important to emphasize that the distance between certain US cities can be the difference between countries in Europe.

That leg in TX seems like a pain, and it depends how long you’ll be visiting. If you’re only here for like a week, I would honestly just pick 2 games and spend the rest visiting the city.

The best bet would be to focus on a northeast trip, because they’re fairly concentrated, and have adequate transport between them. You could get to DC > Philly > NYC > BOS with decent amount of ease. I will say that those Knicks tickets will be VERY expensive, and pretty much any PHI game now that Lebron is there

If this really matters to you, plan for a date before January 2027. Christmas/New Year’s Eve at the latest.

Otherwise you’re risking buying tickets for a game where LeBron sits due to injury or load management.

Seize the day, and eat the cost for opening night in Philly if you can. You never know what will happen with stars in their early to mid 30s, much less their 40s.

If you’re planning on going that late in the season, do not buy tickets now. You’ll be paying a premium on those tickets and the second half of the season you’re basically gambling on whether or not a player is playing or not.

My suggestion is just wait until the week of or even the day of for best value and you’ll know for sure if Lebron or whoever else you’re interested in is playing. If you’re going by yourself or have a party of just 3 or 4 it’s not that hard to find tickets and if you don’t care where you sit then the value will be even better.

You can plan as much as you want, but sometimes players (stars or not) get ruled out an hour before the game. It’s impossible to predict where any of these teams will be in March and April. They could be fighting with every star in the game against a mediocre team because they’re fighting for the 5th seed, or playing end of the bench guys against the best team in the league because the stars are resting for the playoffs. 

You’ll have the most fun if you’re just happy to be at an NBA game. Most of them are competitive and will have plenty of highlights.

From someone who travelled from NZ in 2014, pick national TV games for the main guys if you can and pray for no injuries. Seeing Heat at Clippers at Staples with the Heatles all there was the best experience and it made the trip all worth it. Also was Kyrie’s Cavs at Melo’s Knicks, KD and the Thunder at KG and Pierce Nets, Bulls at Lakers (Kobe was injured tho) and The Sixers getting spanked in CP3s return from injury. Just look ahead and go with national games the best you can where it’s a lot less likely that (if healthy) stars would rest. Enjoy!!

edit oh btw this was late Jan/early Feb.

I expect him to play vs golden state as this may his last game vs curry.