NBA Finals: Tickets and Details
As expected, the NBA Playoffs have failed to disappoint in terms of entertainment value. Of course, there’s nothing like getting your hands on NBA Finals tickets and seeing the most anticipated series of the season live. There have been good teams from both conferences all season, so the NBA Finals are bound to be epic. Any fan of the league is not going to want to miss out on the opportunity to be there. To prepare you to attend the series in person, let’s check out all of the NBA Finals details, covering everything you need to know about getting tickets and making sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity.
When Are Tickets Available?
Tickets for the NBA Finals won’t become available until the end of the Conference Finals. At that point, both participants in the Finals will be known, as well as the schedule and what team will have the home-court advantage in what games. Unlike other sports, the NBA doesn’t place specific dates on the games ahead of time. If the Conference Finals are wrapped up quickly, the NBA Finals will start sooner. Some teams will try to anticipate getting to the Finals and offer season-ticket holders a chance to pre-order tickets to the Finals. However, tickets can’t be officially sold by teams or hit the secondary market until after the Conference Finals are completed. But as soon as that happens, there usually isn’t a long wait until NBA Finals tickets first go on sale. Soon after, tickets will start to show up on the secondary market.
Recent History
For the 2021 NBA Finals, the average ticket price was over $2,700. Keep in mind that’s not the cost of the cheapest ticket but the average, so there were plenty of seats available for less than that. That average was also down considerably from the 2019 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors, which had the most expensive ticket prices in league history with an average of $4,395 per seat. But prior to 2019, the average price of NBA Finals tickets was never more than $1,721 per ticket. In fact, the 2011, 2013, and 2014 Finals all had average ticket prices under $1,000, creating plenty of affordable tickets for hardcore fans. It remains unclear whether the cost for the 2022 NBA Finals will increase or decrease from 2021, but based on the pre-2019 prices, the average ticket could fall back below $2,000 per ticket.
Location Matters
As aforementioned, not every ticket to the NBA Finals will be as expensive as the average ticket price. Of course, some will be more expensive, and that will depend on a number of factors - one of the most important factors that will impact the ticket price is the seat location in the arena. While each arena is different, the general rule is that the closer you are to the court, the more expensive the tickets get. Tickets on the upper level of the venue will always be cheaper than sitting on the lower level. Seats located behind one of the baskets or in the corner will come cheaper than tickets that are located close to the center of the court, which can create a big gap in the price of tickets. But at the same time, it provides plenty of flexibility between the fans that just want to be in the building for the NBA Finals and the fans that want to be as close to the court as possible.
What Game?
One factor that should also be taken into account is what game in the series you want to attend. Not every game in the NBA Finals is created equal. If the series lasts seven games, Game 7 tickets will be in huge demand, leading to more expensive tickets. Likewise, there is usually great anticipation for Game 1 and then again for Game 3, as Game 3 is the first home game for the team that starts the series on the road. That usually means Games 2 and 4 will have the cheapest tickets of the series, as there is a little less excitement and anticipation. Prices can also fluctuate later in the series when one team has a chance to clinch the series. Of course, whether the team with a chance to win the series is at home or on the road can also sway prices in one way or another. There will be far more demand from fans if they can watch their team win the NBA Finals at home.
Feel Free to Wait
In most cases, fans are better off waiting to buy tickets to the NBA Finals unless they are season-ticket holders who are given a chance to buy tickets before the general public. The average fan will be looking on the secondary market for tickets. More times than not, fans will want to wait until there are 24 hours or less until tip-off to purchase tickets on the secondary market. Traditionally, this is when prices start to drop because ticket holders who have no plans to go to the game will try harder to sell their tickets. Since there might only be a day or two between games during the NBA Finals, there is even less time for prices to fall, which means it’s a good idea to wait even longer. Many fans find that the last few hours before the start of an NBA Finals game is when they can find the best deals.