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Ticket resale prices for upcoming NBA Finals games at Madison Square Garden have fallen in the last 24 hours almost as hard as they rose last week, highlighting the ongoing volatility of the market.
Low-end, get-in prices for Monday’s Game 3 between the Spurs and Knicks now begin at less than $5,000 per ticket. That figure is less than half of the $11,000 minimum from early Saturday in the wake of New York’s dramatic, come-from-behind Game 2 win Friday night.
Wednesday’s Game 4 has held up somewhat more strongly, as a prior, $15,000 get-in price has since sagged to about $9,000. That contest remains a potential clinch scenario for the Knicks to win their first NBA title since 1973, should they complete the sweep over the Spurs.
Game 6 on June 16, if necessary, now carries a get-in price of nearly $11,000, falling only slightly from this past weekend. With a 2–0 series lead, though, the Knicks are eager to close out the NBA Finals before then.
“I think it’s really cool, 27 years since the last Finals here in this building,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson. “I know the fan base is really excited, as they should be. But as a team, we have more work to do.”
Fencing Off Demand
A key factor in depressing the market, particularly for Game 3, is the rapidly intensifying and less joyous security presence around MSG. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to attend Monday’s contest in person, in turn becoming the first sitting president to be at the NBA Finals.
That visit has created a series of changes to the Midtown Manhattan area that houses MSG, as well as enhanced security protocols for the game. A fence perimeter was rapidly put up Monday around the arena. Beginning at 4 p.m. ET Monday, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be restricted for several blocks in every direction around the venue. Attending fans have been asked to arrive at least two hours in advance to allow for additional screening to enter MSG. A strict no-bag policy is now in effect. A watch party just outside the arena, meanwhile, has been canceled.
“This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious,” said ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith early Monday on First Take. “It is selfish, it is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game. I would say the same thing if it was Obama, George W. [Bush], Clinton, I don’t give a damn if we went back to Reagan. … You have any idea what the congestion is going to be like in New York City?”
Still, these prices surpass the resale market of many other top sports events, including Super Bowl LX in February. The Knicks’ ongoing run is also prompting difficult personal decisions among some Knicks ticket holders.
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