NEW YORK (AP) — Knicks fever has set the stage for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs to be a must-see event — inside Madison Square Garden and on the streets and in bars across New York City.
More than three hours before the scheduled 8:42 p.m. tipoff, fans in blue and orange were chanting “Let's go Knicks!” and “Knicks in four!” outside the arena. Some were already in line to get in.
“This is my son here, so taking him to the finals,
you can’t really put a price on the experience and it’s priceless,” said Greg Weldon, who flew in from Florida to attend a finals game like he did when New York won it all in 1970 and '73. “It’s like that commercial: The tickets, ridiculous; the hassle getting in, ridiculous — the experience, priceless.”
With the Knicks in the finals for the first time since 1999 and leading the series 2-0, their first home game this round was a hot ticket. The get-in price exceeded the average cost of rent in the biggest U.S. city.
The cheapest upper-deck seats available were going for over $5,000 on resale platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats. The experience of being courtside goes for more than $75,000.
“I don’t care who you are, that’s a lot of money for a ticket,” said guard Jose Alvarado, a New York native who was planning a viewing party in Brooklyn and pointed out his Queens high school also is hosting one. “People that could afford it, we’re grateful with them coming out, and it just shows you our team is really special and we’re doing something here that hasn’t been done in a long time.”
The Knicks are two victories away from their first championship since '73, and the hoopla for Game 3 includes the anticipated appearances of President Donald Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Trump's presence led to the cancellation of a planned watch party outside the arena, where fans have gathered throughout this run that has included a 13-game winning streak.
“Hope has been brought back to the city,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said. Teammate Josh Hart said “it's going to be rocking” but lamented the high cost just to get into the Garden.
“I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are,” Hart said. “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.”
No NBA team has gone up 2-0 in the finals on the road and not won the series.
"They win this game, it’s kind of over, so this is the game to be at," Weldon said.
The possibility of a sweep drove ticket prices up to over $10,000 apiece over the weekend, and the price is about the same for an if-necessary Game 6.
Fewer than 20,000 people will get the opportunity to attend each night. Alvarado knows far more will be watching on television all over.
“The people that can’t afford it, we improvise,” he said. "We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
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Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report.
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