New York Knicks fans would save money by flying to San Antonio to attend an NBA Finals game rather than buying tickets to a game at Madison Square Garden.
As of publication, the cheapest tickets for a Knicks home game at MSG are selling for nearly $4,000 apiece. CNN highlighted the disparity on Wednesday, just hours before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
“It absolutely would be cheaper [to fly to San Antonio for a game],” analyst Matt Egan said. “You could get a hotel for a few nights in San Antonio for $600. You could fly round trip for $700, and then you could go to not just Game 1, but Game 2 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio. You would still come out ahead by spending about $3,100, less than the almost $4,000 to see them in New York.”
And as a bonus, you’d get a few days in Texas instead of New York.
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According to Egan, some Knicks fans have already made that calculation. Ticket data shows that 30% of Game 2 purchases in San Antonio came from buyers with New York ZIP codes.
For comparison, the cheapest seats for Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio are listed at roughly $750 and $1,100, respectively.
Meanwhile, CNN reports that near-courtside seats by Celebrity Row at MSG are listed for as much as $220,000 each.
“Even the wealthy fans are getting priced out,” Sal Galatioto, president of investment bank Galatioto Sports Partners, told the outlet. “I’m a huge Knicks fan. Would I spend $100,000 to see a game? No way. Not even if you held a gun to me.”
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The staggering prices reflect the excitement surrounding the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. They could climb even higher if the series reaches Game 6, which would be played at Madison Square Garden.
For all the (rightful) criticism the NBA has generated in recent years, there is genuine enthusiasm surrounding this Finals matchup. In addition to the Knicks’ long-awaited return, Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama has emerged as one of the league’s most compelling young stars at just 22 years old.
“The NBA Finals at the Garden are having a Super Bowl moment, price-wise,” Matt Ferrel, TickPick’s head of marketing, told CNN.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Like the Super Bowl earlier this year, President Donald Trump says he plans to attend an NBA Finals game at MSG, potentially for Game 3.
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“I think I’ll be going to one of the games,” Trump said. “I was invited by numerous people, and [James Dolan], and I think I’ll be going.”
The Knicks are +155 underdogs in the series.