For New York Knicks fans with some cash to burn, there’s an arbitrage opportunity if you’re willing to make a trip to Indianapolis.
As the Knicks prepare for games in Indiana on Friday and Sunday, fans could fly to see both games in style for about $9,200 all-in. That's a fraction of what it costs to sit courtside at Madison Square Garden, where prices have surged as A-list celebrities and frenzied fans pack the arena during a playoff run that has captivated New York.
The Knicks lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-0. Courtside tickets for Game 5, set for Tuesday back at the Garden if necessary, were listed for as much as $49,000 on Stubhub.com, including fees. For about $12,500, you could nab a single seat near center court in section 5D, Row 1. The cheapest seat available, meanwhile, was more than $500.
Read More: NBA targets $76 billion windfall in new TV rights deal
And the price to sit courtside for the next two playoff games at Madison Square Garden? That would likely run north of $100,000, assuming the current series extends to seven games or the Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in more than two decades.
If that sounds too steep, the best option might be an impromptu trip to Indiana.
TICKETS
To be sure, there’s often a price discount when New York teams play in other parts of the U.S., particularly during the playoffs. But the gap is striking for the upcoming games with the Pacers. Tickets to sit courtside for the game Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis were about $4,500 on StubHub as of Thursday afternoon. The least expensive seat, meanwhile, was $75. And if you want stay to watch Game 4 on Sunday in Indiana, you could sit courtside for about $3,000 or pay roughly $70 for a seat upstairs.
FLIGHTS
During the first round of the playoffs, Knicks fans were a loud presence at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, which is about 100 miles from Manhattan. But getting to Indiana in time for Game 3 will require a flight. The cheapest ticket leaving LaGuardia Airport on Friday afternoon, with an hour layover in Philadelphia, is around $213 on Expedia. A first-class ticket leaving Newark at 3:55 and landing an hour before the game starts is just under $700.
To return back to New York on Monday morning, the cheapest flight on Expedia is about $204. A first-class ticket is a little over $300. Sunday’s game is scheduled to tip off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, and evening flights from Indianapolis to the New York area are around 6:30 p.m., meaning it would be almost impossible to watch the full game and make it to the airport on time.
LODGING
Three nights at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, an easy drive or 20-minute walk to the arena, will cost about $199 a night or roughly $700 for three nights, assuming a return flight on Monday morning, according to Expedia. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, a night at the Holiday Inn Indianapolis Downtown is around $151 for a total of $529 for a three-night stay, according to Expedia.
TOTAL COSTS
The cheapest trip to Indiana to watch the Knicks twice would set you back about $1,100. Or, you could put that money into a ticket to a potential Game 5 at the Garden. A seat behind the basket in Row 17 will cost you nearly $1,300.