Eric Richardson [Flickr]

L.A. Live is reflected in the NBA Championship trophy carried by Laker guard Kobe Bryant during the team's 2009 championship parade.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — At least 500,000 fans are expected to make their way to Downtown on Monday to celebrate the Lakers' 16th NBA championship. The team defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79 on Thursday evening, securing the title in a Finals series that stretched to seven games.

The free, 11am parade will run from Staples Center down Figueroa, ending on Jefferson next to USC's Galen Center. Unlike last year, there will be no post-parade ceremony.

Instead, players will travel the parade route atop a customized flat-bed float equipped with audio. Coaches, team officials, ownership and the Laker Girls will follow behind atop open-roof double-decker buses.

L.A. Live's Nokia Plaza will be closed to the public until the parade is underway, with businesses opening as the caravan moves south on Figueroa.

Street closures along Figueroa will begin at midnight on Sunday, according to the city's Department of Transportation. Also scheduled to be closed the morning of the parade are Flower street between between Washington and Jefferson, Cherry street between Pico and Olympic, Jefferson between Figueroa and Hoover, and all intersections along the two-mile route.

Intersections will be reopened once the crowds have dispersed.

The Lakers have promised to pay all of the costs for the parade. The city is still determining what that bill will be, but early estimates are over $1.5 million. Roughly two-thirds of that cost will go toward policing the event.

LAPD had a heavy presence in Downtown on Thursday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent Downtown from again becoming a scene of mayhem in the wake of the Lakers' win. Chief Charlie Beck today said that the department is busy gathering resources to identify those who caused damage after the game if they show up at the parade.

Both the team and the city are urging those attending on Monday to arrive via public transit. The parade starts four blocks south of the Red Line's 7th & Metro station, and one block west of the Blue Line's Pico / Chick Hearn station.

Metro will be adding additional service to both lines. Trains will run every six minutes throughout the day on the Blue Line, and additional cars will be added to Red and Purple line trains.

Rail operation should be smoother than buses, which will have to work through detours around Downtown. According to a release sent this afternoon, detours will affect Metro's 14, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38, 55, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 96, 102, 200, 333, 335, 378, 439, 442, 445, 450X, 460, 485, 603, 714, 730, 770, and 910 lines.

This is the third time in the last decade that the Lakers have won back-to-back NBA championships.