And then there were four. After an exciting month of playoff action, the NBA Conference Finals are now set, with Boston battling Cleveland in the Eastern sector and Houston meeting defending champs Golden State in the Western. The penultimate round of playoffs is sure to bring thrills across the board for several reasons, but the talk of the tournament remains the ever-so-close possibility of a fourth consecutive meeting between the Cleveland and Golden State in the finals. Fans of the rivalry are on edge waiting for their wish to be granted, and if the respective Conference Finals ticket prices are any indication, they’re in luck.
It’s difficult to justify calling the Cavaliers an underdog as long as LeBron James is present on the court. Yet their No. 4 playoff seeding, coupled with rather low home game ticket prices, certainly makes it seem that way. Basketball fans are hoping that the Eastern Conference Final is not a one-sided affair, though it appears that it way when looking at ticket prices alone.
Eastern Conference Finals Ticket Prices*
| Home Team | Game Date | Get-In Ticket Price | Median Ticket Price | Highest Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 5/13/2018 | $183.00 | $300.00 | $3,833.00 |
| Boston Celtics | 5/15/2018 | $181.00 | $341.00 | $5,502.00 |
| Boston Celtics | 5/23/2018 | $201.00 | $524.00 | $10,398.00 |
| Boston Celtics | 5/27/2018 | $283.00 | $984.00 | $12,758.00 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5/19/2018 | $130.00 | $253.00 | $2,359.00 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5/21/2018 | $108.00 | $210.00 | $2,946.00 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5/25/2018 | $131.00 | $307.00 | $5,208.00 |
Boston begins the series with home-court advantage, but with it comes higher ticket prices. Game 2 of the series on May 15 boasts the cheapest get-in price for a seat of all scheduled games in Boston at $181. Should a deciding seventh game be necessary, the minimum going rate is over $100 more. The Celtics’ faithful will surely cough up any amount to support their squad in the pursuit of the Finals. Boston sports fans have already been denied two major championships this year – first when the Patriots fell to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII and most recently when Bruins were ousted from the NHL Playoffs by Tampa Bay.
When the series travels to Cleveland for Game 3, fans can get their hands on tickets for $50 less than Boston’s minimum. The Cavs’ second home game, the potential deciding Game 4, offers the cheapest get-in price of the entire Celtics-Cavs’ series at a mere $108.
Western Conference Finals Ticket Prices*
| Home Team | Game Date | Get-In Ticket Price | Median Ticket Price | Highest Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Rockets | 5/14/2018 | $212.00 | $450.00 | $4,561.00 |
| Houston Rockets | 5/16/2018 | $192.00 | $461.00 | $4,293.00 |
| Houston Rockets | 5/24/2018 | $242.00 | $476.00 | $5,468.00 |
| Houston Rockets | 5/28/2018 | $336.00 | $708.00 | $5,210.00 |
| Golden State Warriors | 5/20/2018 | $235.00 | $617.00 | $5,835.00 |
| Golden State Warriors | 5/22/2018 | $201.00 | $597.00 | $5,358.00 |
| Golden State Warriors | 5/26/2018 | $256.00 | $643.00 | $6,083.00 |
The Western Conference Final sees tighter pricing margins, as is the case with most games featuring the top two seeds. Nevertheless, the No. 2 Warriors witness a massive drop in minimum prices compared to their 2017 Western Conference Finals run. The most expensive get-in ticket in Oakland comes at a potential Game 7, priced at $256 each. By comparison, each of the Warriors home games in the 2017 hovered around $300 for base entry. Over the course of their entire 2018 playoff run, Golden State has seen average ticket prices drop 30 percent overall from last year.
These pricing trends are hardly a surprise. Shortly after clinching their playoff spots last month, the Warriors and Cavs faced similarly low prices compared to historical data. Should they advance to the NBA Finals once more, fans could face tremendous savings versus previous years. In the meantime, the world will be watching to see if one of sports’ most notorious rivalries lives on.
*ticket prices include all fees and are accurate as of May 11