While the New York Knicks have yet to secure their spot in the NBA Finals, eager fans are already snapping up tickets to the first game of the series, regardless of the cost. The Knicks are just one win away from their first trip to the championship series in 27 years and will need a victory on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals to make it happen.
Record-Breaking Ticket Sale
Tickets for Games 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in the current series have already reached exorbitant prices, but one reporter believes the stakes have been raised even higher. According to sports business and collectibles reporter Darren Rovell, a pair of courtside tickets were sold on StubHub for a combined price of $279,804. Rovell shared a screenshot of the listing, which actually shows that the seats are a few rows behind the Knicks bench. The seats were priced at an astounding $139,902 each on the secondary ticket platform.
Market Surge
The secondary market is already skyrocketing ahead of the highly anticipated game. On ticket selling website TickPick, the cheapest seat is selling for $3,265 and is located in Row 7 of section 418 at MSG. The website also has a single ticket listed in the same section as the tickets Rovell found, but closer, being sold for $182,953.
Comparison with Western Conference Finals
A game of this magnitude at this arena simply surpasses the prices for either of the teams in the Western Conference Finals. If the Oklahoma City Thunder win, the most expensive ticket right now for Game 1 of the NBA Finals is being sold for $12,339 on TickPick. However, that comes with the caveat that it is in section 106 and is not courtside. On the other hand, the most expensive ticket for a hypothetical San Antonio Spurs Game 1 in the NBA Finals is a center-court seat in Section 22 that is going for $24,835 on TickPick. That said, the get-in-the-door price for both teams hovers around $1,000, which is a third of the price of the same ticket at MSG.
