Hart Slams $7,000 Floor Price as NBA Finals Return to MSG
Hart Slams $7,000 Floor Price as NBA Finals Return to MSG
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart said before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday that the cheapest available tickets to Madison Square Garden – running between $7,000 and $8,000 on secondary markets – are “ridiculous” and have priced out longtime fans from a moment they have waited decades to witness. The Knicks are hosting a Finals game at The Garden for the first time in 27 years, having built a 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
Ticket prices surged after New York held on to win Game 2, 105-104, pushing the series lead and raising the prospect of a potential championship clinch in Game 3 or Game 4. By Sunday night, the get-in price on one secondary platform reached $10,097, with some listings exceeding $110,000. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the situation publicly, calling it “frustrating” that more fans cannot afford to attend, while also conceding that market forces were driving the surge given the historical stakes.
The situation was compounded by President Donald Trump’s expected attendance at Game 3, which triggered enhanced security protocols. The Knicks advised ticket holders to arrive approximately two hours before tip-off to allow for additional screening, which the team compared in scope to airport security procedures. Following news of the presidential visit, get-in prices on some platforms dropped modestly from their weekend peak of $10,000. Trump, asked about the prices while aboard Air Force One on Friday, said fans could watch on television, adding: “That’s the way life goes.”
Hart said his own focus remains on the series rather than the spectacle surrounding it. A Knicks sweep would give New York its first NBA championship in more than five decades. Game 3 tips off at Madison Square Garden at 8:30 p.m. ET Monday, with Game 4 to follow later in the week should the series extend.
