Most expensive Game 1 in NBA history? Cavaliers vs. Knicks tickets reach historic high
The New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the game has already set a record fans don’t love.
The Cleveland Cavaliers knocked out the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ll face the New York Knicks, who swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games and have had plenty of rest. But if you were hoping to attend Game 1 in person at Madison Square Garden, you are paying a hefty price for it.
Sky-high prices for Knicks vs. Cavs
Was Gianni Infantino right when he tried to convince soccer fans that World Cup ticket prices were just keeping up with the U.S. market for sports games? No, not at all. The cheapest tickets to a group stage game (at least at the time of his comments) were around $553. With that in mind...the Knicks vs. Cavs game doesn’t seem so bad considering it’s a playoff game and not a regular-season game.
However, they are not much lower than that, and still historically high. According to TickPick, the lowest price to enter the game tonight is $501. That’s around $300 more than a ticket to get into the Western Conference Finals game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. It also happens to be the most expensive price ever recorded for any Conference Finals opener.
Game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Knicks is currently the most expensive Conference Finals ticket ever recorded, per @TickPick
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 18, 2026
Current get-in price: $501
Average purchase price: $1,078 pic.twitter.com/WwKC8luGya
If you want anything nicer than the basic seats, you’ll have to pay even more, with the average price sitting around $1,078. Fortunately for Knicks fans in attendance for the game, the well-rested home team is favored to win. So at least if you’ve invested in the team, there is a good chance it will be worth it.
However, if the series ends up reaching a Game 7, expect more record-breaking prices to see the Knicks try to make the finals for the first time since before the turn of the century.
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