Some have waited 53 years for this moment.
Some have waited their entire lives.
But most of the Knicks’ most loyal and devoted fans will watch the most-anticipated games of the century somewhere other than Madison Square Garden.
As of Sunday, the cheapest ticket on the secondary market for Game 3 of the NBA Finals was listed at more than $7,000.
For Game 4, the get-in price for the most expensive game in NBA Finals history — also, the potential title-clincher — was more than $10,000.
Multiple tickets have already sold for six figures, while a charity auction for courtside seats on NBA.com has seen the highest bidder offer $500,000.
“I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are,” Josh Hart said following Sunday’s practice. “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, when the cheapest ticket is $7,000 or $8,000. So that’s ridiculous.
“It’s going to be rocking, but obviously I wish those were a little cheaper.”
Jose Alvarado, 28, long dreamed of being part of such a day, growing up a Knicks fan in Brooklyn.
When Alvarado takes the floor with the chance to help his team claim a 3-0 stranglehold in the series against the Spurs, his wife, children, parents and brother will be in the building.
But his friends must look elsewhere for the toughest ticket imaginable.
“I see it’s $11,000 [each], I say no,” Alvarado said. “They know the love. They know what it is. [But] it’s a lot of money … I ain’t doing that. I tell you that much.
“It’s a good thing and a bad thing. That means we got a fanbase that’s willing to do anything to come out and see us and we’re grateful for that. … We’re just seeing what we can do because not a lot of people can afford that. … I’m gonna throw a watch party for my neighborhood [in Williamsburg]. Just improvise and be grateful for the situation we’re in. That’s what New York is all about.”
The Garden will be filled with more excitement than ever before, but so will so many homes, so many bars and so many watch parties.
If a title is clinched at home, the celebration will spill out onto the streets, turning Seventh Avenue into a party that may never end.
“If we win the championship, I don’t know what I would do, but that’s probably one thing that’s gonna go through my head to see how I can go out there and celebrate with everybody,” Alvarado said. “If that happens, it definitely will be something I’ll think about.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
