Josh Hart feels for New York Knicks fans who are being priced out of attending Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
“I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are,” Hart said when speaking to reporters on Sunday.
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“I feel like a lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time unfortunately aren’t able to get into the building,” he added. “The cheapest ticket $7,000, $8,000. That’s ridiculous.”
Prices for Game 3 have dropped since going way up following the Knicks’ 105-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. As of Saturday afternoon, the get-in price for Monday’s Game 3 at MSG was $9,257. That was a big increase from the $7,142 rate for the least expensive ticket on Thursday afternoon.
However, with President Donald Trump expected to attend Game 3, the demand for tickets has apparently decreased amid concerns about long waits due to security checks and restrictions on bringing bags and other personal items into the arena. The Knicks issued a statement suggesting fans arrive at MSG two hours before game time “to allow additional time for screening and entry.”
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According to Gametime as of Sunday afternoon, ticket prices for Game 3 continue to drop. The get-in price for Monday at MSG is $6,033. The most expensive seat available is $95,501.
With the possibility of the Knicks winning the NBA championship in their home arena during Wednesday’s Game 4, ticket prices are much higher. The get-in price is $10,787, while the most expensive ticket is $109,106.
Yet those prices are also down from the $13.159 get-in price and $112,158 most expensive seats that were initially available after the Knicks won Game 2 on Friday.
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Hart’s point about tickets being far out of financial reach for most fans still stands, however.
Even understanding that seats for the NBA Finals are at a premium, how many fans could afford more than a month’s salary for one game? And that’s for the least expensive ticket. To get a prime seat costs twice as much as a new car or five times what most people annually pay for their rent or mortgage.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said it was “frustrating” that more people can’t afford to attend Finals games. Yet as you might expect from the league’s chief executive, he acknowledges that the market for tickets sets the prices.
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“Obviously there’s only so many tickets to these games,” Silver told reporters, including Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine.
“It’s frustrating that more people can’t get into buildings, and more people can’t get into buildings at lower prices,” he continued. “But markets are markets when it comes to — especially with a secondary market, the value of tickets.”
