The Knicks are set to host Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden against the Spurs tomorrow night. Ahead of the highly anticipated fixture, Josh Hart spoke to the media and voiced his displeasure with the Knicks’ expensive ticket prices for the Finals.
He initially detailed his expectations from the Knicks’ fans in the arena and then raised his concerns over the exorbitant cost of entry into Madison Square Garden.
“The Garden is going to be rockin’. In this city, we love our Knicks. So they’re going to come out and support, and the energy is gonna be electric,” Hart said initially.
Subsequently, Josh Hart was asked if he would be able to tune out the ‘craziness’ that comes with an electric atmosphere as President Donald Trump and several celebrities are expected to be in attendance.
“I think so. I mean, for me personally, especially in college, Coach Wright always talked about ‘we play for the guys in the locker room, and we don’t really play to the crowd.'”
“And so for me, I feel like I’m able to kind of tune that out pretty well just because that got instilled in me during the four years in college. But the environment, the atmosphere is going to be electric obviously, and we’re happy that we’re at home and we have them at our back.”
“I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are. I feel like a lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time, you know, unfortunately, aren’t able to get into the building with what, the cheapest ticket, $7,000, $8,000? So that’s ridiculous. But you know, it should still be rocking, but obviously wish those were a little cheaper,” Hart concluded.
Following the disapproval from Hart and the rising general sentiment among fans about the ticket prices, the secondary market rates began witnessing a drastic fall. The get-in prices for Game 3 peaked at nearly $11,000 but are now available for $5,500 on TickPick for Game 3, nearly a 50% drop in the price.
This effect also comes in the aftermath of the Knicks’ announcement that the watch party outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3 has been canceled, as they did not receive the necessary permit due to the security concerns raised by the NYPD and the Secret Service.
This extraordinary security measure was in the wake of President Donald Trump’s confirmation that he would be in attendance for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. Even though the get-in prices may be falling, the premium courtside tickets for the event are still reportedly fetching upwards of $176,000.
One can commend the Knicks for donating potentially over $3 million in tickets so that underprivileged young kids can witness the game live in the arena. Moreover, they are also auctioning two courtside seats for Game 3 and donating the proceeds to charity.
So you cannot say these prices were purely driven by greed. However, it is simply very hard to ignore the millions they are expected to rake in from the revenue of hosting such a prestigious event.
According to Joe Pompliano, a sports business expert, the Knicks are expected to generate over $140 million in the playoffs, most of which will come from the 19,000+ tickets they sell for each game at Madison Square Garden.
The get-in price for Game 4, where the Knicks will potentially have a chance to close out this series and become the NBA champions, is currently still listed at $9,300, and a potential Game 6 is still starting at $11,000 on TickPick. It will be interesting to see what the final revenue numbers look like once the NBA Finals are actually over.
