Knicks’ tricky Madison Square Garden problem hurts against Celtics

The New York Knicks enter Game 4 up 2-1 against the Boston Celtics in their second-round NBA Playoffs series. Most recently, the Knicks dropped Game 3 at home in blowout fashion.

Despite owning a 27-14 record at home through the 2024-25 regular season, the Knicks’ home struggles  have been real in the playoffs. New York is 5-0 on the road this postseason, which is exceptionally good. However, the Knicks are only 1-3 at home.

Granted, that is an incredibly small sample size. But it’s not how things are supposed to go. Teams are typically better at home than they are on the road for a myriad of reasons. However, there is at least one major reason for the Knicks’ home-court struggles—ticket prices.

Knicks ticket prices leave many diehard fans struggling to gain access

Knicks ticket prices skyrocketed in price for Game 3 against the Boston Celtics. And that’s a problem for real fans. Why? In a city like New York, which is a perpetual tourist destination and home to some of the wealthiest American citizens, there is an increasingly large threat that die-hard fans will get priced out.

It’s happened to Knicks fans for years. But it’s never been as big of an issue as it is right now.

Fans have to pay nearly $1,000 per seat on third-party ticket vendor websites for the worst-available seats for Game 3. That’s significantly higher than any game all season. While obscene ticket prices have become a trend in New York,  it’s been worse through the playoffs. And it’s gotten even worse in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics.

Astronomical ticket prices do not facilitate equitable representation. Put differently, hyper-expensive tickets favor the wealthy, many of whom attend Knicks games because of the event-like atmosphere rather than a deep affinity for the team. That’s not everyone, mind you. But it’s become more of a trend of late.

This trend results in less unwavering support, fewer Jalen Brunson “MVP” chants at the free-throw line, and a less intimidating crowd. To be fair, Knicks fans were unusually supportive of Mitchell Robinson in Game 3 when he struggled to make free throws. But coddling struggling players is lower on the totem pole of crowd responsibilities than remaining engaged and intimidating opponents.

Knicks’ struggles at home are real