When it comes to the NBA finals there's no shortage of trash talk. Of course, the cries of "Kobe's a crybaby" and "Pierce is a faker" extend far beyond the arenas where the games are played to pubs, dorms, offices and the vast number of online getaways across the Web.  Basketball fans love their teams.

But in one instance Cupid has apparently kicked aside the Celtic's famed Leprechaun, and brought two rival fans together. John Madden and Lizzie Walters met last month on WooMe, the online speed-dating site I wrote about last year, that features video and voice chat sessions. She's the diehard Celtics fan from New York (go figure), he's the diehard Lakers fan (who once worked at the Lakers' Staples Center arena).

The playoffs were just beginning, but as the long distance, online relationship grew, John threw out a crazy idea to Lizzie: If the Celtics/Lakers made it to the finals and she flew out to L.A., he would get them tickets to a game. Well move over Jack Nicholson and Will Smith, coz that's just what happened. The two rival basketball fans are slated to finally meet in person this Sunday in L.A. for what could be the deciding game in the series (the C's are up 3 games to 1).

"This is more than a blind date, we're already pretty comfortable with one another," said John.

"It's a great site to interact with people because it takes away some of the uncomfortable aspects of meeting someone for the first time," Lizzie said. "But it still has a date feel, we've had fun."

There are no expectations beyond the game, though Lizzie said she expects John to "buy the drinks after the Celtics win." She flies back to New York Tuesday.

WooMe CEO Stephen Stokols said the site's generated plenty of offbeat stories related to online introductions. "We're calling it an introduction platform," he said, noting WooMe is not just for dating. For example a lot of people are using it for travel planning and looking for car pool partners. In addition to information in your profile, you can name a session related to your interests -- e.g. Dinner in Des Moines?

Stokols said the site's doing great, and investor's seem to recognize its potential; WooMe just announced $12.5 million in Series B funding.

Go Celtics!