January 26, 2011
LeBron James and the Miami Heat head back to MSG tonight for the second matchup against the Knicks, and tickets are selling for less than half of first MSG match-up in December.
The first matchup in December was a highly anticipated circus, and a dramatic coda to The Decision. New Yorker’s don’ t like to be spurned, and so they did all they could to pay up and show LeBron what he was missing. The average price for that game were close $750 a ticket, with a 50% increase coming in the 3 days prior. After all that build-up, and cash, a tight first half turned into a blowout for the Heat.
Since the first meeting, the Heat have gone from relative underachievers to beasts that are living up to the pre-season billing as favorites in the East. The Knicks, on the other hand, have lost six of seven, and some of the season’ s early optimism.
For tonight’s game, the Heat is favored by only three points and the average price currently sits just above $324. While it’s a fire sale compared to game one, this is still 50% above the Knicks home average of $212, and over 3 times the average face price for the game. And despite the 50% drop in the last week, it will likely be one of the ten most expensive regular season tickets in New York for 2011. In recent memory, the Knicks have not been able to make that claim often, if ever.
If the Knicks can figure out a way to take down the Heat, it will be money well spent for fans (especially those that snag a 300- or 400-level, which start at $64 and $100 respectively). If they lose, fans can take some measure of solace in the fact that they still have a winging record, a legitimate face for the franchise, and if the season ended today, a spot in the playoffs.
Despite those strides, however, others will argue 6th, 7th or 8th in East is meaningless, and that without Carmelo Anthony the Knicks have no chance of playing May basketball. If he does find his way to the World’ s Most Famous Arena before the February 24th deadline, the circus would be back at the Garden for an extended stay and the Knicks current home average of $212 will seem like a quaint memory.
For tickets to tonight's Knicks-Heat game, click here.
