Tickpick announced following the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Cavaliers that Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals at MSG are “the most expensive NBA Finals tickets on record,” according to Mark Giannotto of USA TODAY. The secondary ticket marketplace app said that get-in prices at that point “were $3,745 for Game 3 and $3,464 for Game 4.” Those price ranges are “holding and even increasing into Tuesday,” with the cheapest Game 3 ticket on Stubhub as of 2pm ET set at $4,273. And that is just to sit in the upper deck. It will “cost more to sit in the lower bowl, and a small fortune to be really close to the action.” The good news for Knicks fans is there is “still an opportunity to buy face value tickets” to the NBA Finals through the franchise’s Knicks Fan First program (USA TODAY, 5/26). YAHOO SPORTS noted that since the Knicks closed out the Cavaliers on Monday, the highest sales for tickets for their home games in the Finals, via Gametime: Game 3 on Monday, June 8: $12,022; Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10: $8,820; and Game 6 on Tuesday, June 16: $13,956. For those looking for something a little cheaper, the get-in prices are a “bit more affordable if you’re willing to pony up.” Those are at: Game 3: $3,410; Game 4: $3,255; and Game 6: $4,583 (YAHOO SPORTS, 5/26).
STARS ARE OUT: REUTERS’ Nicole Fernandes noted the Knicks appearance in the NBA Finals will “attract the usual star-studded cast of celebrity fans to the Finals.” Filmmaker and lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee, “sporting orange specs, parked himself on the floor to film the team” being presented with the Eastern Conference championship trophy on Monday. Actor Timothée Chalamet celebrated with the players and actor Ben Stiller was also in attendance. Comedian Tracy Morgan was “overcome with emotion” while soaking in the win courtside. From everyday people to Hollywood A-listers, the Knicks “will have the support of a city behind them as they try to end their five-decade title drought” (REUTERS, 5/26).
COMING TOGETHER: In N.Y., David Waldstein wrote no team in the N.Y. region “unites fans quite the way the Knicks do.” The Nets are a “bit of an outlier in Brooklyn” -- where they relocated from New Jersey in 2012 -- and the Liberty which actually won their championship two years ago, do not have as long a history as the Knicks. Baseball loyalties are “divided between the Yankees and Mets,” and football, soccer and hockey fans “all split their allegiances among multiple metro teams.” Adding to the mounting excitement for fans is their team’s dismal recent history. For Knicks fans, who are “used to eventual bad news,” Monday’s win -- their 11th in a row in the playoffs -- “felt like a cosmic shift” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/26). ANDSCAPE’s William Rhoden wrote times have “changed and basketball culture in New York has changed.” The playground proving ground has been “replaced by air-conditioned gyms and a more corporate and expensive conveyor belt to the big time.” One thing that has “not changed is the adulation that comes with being on a championship push in New York.” This is a “perfect opportunity for the Knicks to underscore the ethos that made New York City the mecca of basketball” (ANDSCAPE, 5/26).
GOING OFF THE RAILS: In N.Y., Jenna Lemoncelli wrote there could be “commuting chaos” at Penn Station for fans on Tuesday, June 16 -- when a potential Game 6 of the Finals could take place at MSG on the same day France and Senegal will be playing a World Cup match at N.Y./N.J. Stadium. If the NBA Finals reaches a Game 6, the Knicks will host their opponent at 8:30pm ET. The France-Senegal matchup is scheduled for 3pm ET. Despite being hours apart, fans returning from the World Cup match and fans heading to a potential Game 6 “could be in for a nightmare commute” (N.Y. POST, 5/26).
