Ticket dynamic has changed — in favor of fans
the Pacers are good enough to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. Good enough to take the Celtics on a ride in Game 1.
they are not good enough, however, to thrill the ticket-buying public — especially after what could have been.
Boston-Indiana is, well, not Boston-new York.
When the knicks were up, 3-2, in the second round of the playoffs against the Pacers, the promise of a knicks-Celtics Eastern finals had fans paying at least $400 for advance tickets to games at tD Garden, and $900 for games at Madison Square Garden, according to Ace ticket CEO Jim holzman.
And why not? It would have been the first knicks-Celtics third-round matchup since 1974.
“You had the history of the Boston-new York sports rivalry, whether it’s Patriots-Jets, Bruins-Rangers, or the greatest rivalry in sports history, Red SoxYankees,” holzman said. “the market reflected what the expectation was. It didn’t end up being a 50-year matchup.”
tickets for Game 2 against the Pacers were as low as $162 thursday morning. A potential Game 5 — with the possibility of seeing the Celtics clinch a spot in the nBA finals — was as low as $220.
hey, no complaints here about Game 1. More last-gasp threes to send the game to overtime, please. But Boston-Indiana, to the casual fan, is more evidence of a relatively dry Celtics playoff run. Because of roster talent and injuries, Miami and Cleveland didn’t push the Celtics. now here comes Indiana, which doesn’t really scare anyone.
that’s good news, though, for those looking for good seats at a good price.
“Game 1 the other night becomes an incredible value,” holzman said. “People could go on tuesday night for face value, and in some cases less than face value. People got an incredible deal and saw a phenomenal game. Great for them.”
the buzz after Game 1 created a 30-50 percent spike in prices for Game 2, holzman said, and it keeps going up.
“If you want to see the Celtics, you’re not getting a $200-$300 ticket to the finals,” he said. “It’s not happening.”
If you’re annoyed about the dollar amounts involved here, it could be worse: You could be a new York fan.
to get in the door for Game 7 of knicks-Pacers at Madison Square Garden, you might have paid about the same price — $600 — as you would have for 41 games’ worth of nosebleed seats at Pacers home games at Gainbridge fieldhouse.
Some wise knicks fans discovered that a flight to Indianapolis for a game — plus hotel and food — was significantly cheaper than a night at MSG.
When the knicks were looking like contenders, holzman said, one new York client of his bought courtside seats for the Eastern finals, hoping to sit near the knicks bench. the price: $5,000 each.
“the conversation was, ‘If it’s the knicks, I’m going to that game. I’m going to be so happy,’ ” holzman said. “‘If it’s not the knicks, I know I’m losing money, but I’m buying that option. Maybe that seat’s worth $10,000 when the matchup becomes official.’
“If you’re buying a seat at that price, you’re assessing the market.”
Under normal circumstances, Boston fans would score bargains in Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. they won’t find much this weekend.
the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, sandwiched between those games. to make it to Game 3 and return the morning after Game 4, a round-trip flight from Boston started at $600. As of thursday afternoon, staying downtown was at least $300 a night, with hotels on the beltway surrounding the city a little cheaper.
Unless superstition precludes you from doing so, it might be time to assess what a finals trip to Dallas or Minnesota would cost.
“If a ticket is at a price you’re comfortable paying, great,” holzman said. “If it’s not, don’t.
“It’s like a stock. You could have got tickets for [thursday’s] game for less money yesterday, and less the day before. Game 5 right now is a great value, and if it doesn’t happen, you get your money back. You might see the clinching game to the finals. Under $300? If the series is 3-1 Celtics, that might be a $500 ticket.”