You can gather that basketball broadcasters are fairly delighted about the identity of the two NBA Finals teams. The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs are two historic teams with large fan bases, and they possibly represent one of the dream ties for neutral fans.
There are strong narratives and incentives to tune in, ranging from the presence of the mercurial Victor Wembanyama on the Spurs roster to the fact that New York has not been in an NBA Finals series since 1999. The Finals NBA betting odds suggest a tight series, so it could go the distance, and that would make the clamor for tickets – already at fever pitch – turn into hysteria.
FIFA World Cup getting underway during NBA Finals
The NBA Finals are due to run until June 19th, but, as most are aware, the FIFA World Cup starts ten days earlier. Will the biggest sports event on earth take a bit of the shine away from the NBA Finals, especially since it is being predominantly hosted in the US?
The short answer is no, probably not. There will likely be World Cup fever across the US, particularly in regions where games are being held, so that includes LA County. But the NBA and FIFA seem to have been careful with scheduling, as no NBA games are set to start at the same time as World Cup games. The same goes for the Stanley Cup Finals. For broadcasters, that’s a gift, as they don’t have to lose out on viewers to a rival sport.
Secondly, one gets the impression that the World Cup will take a little time to lift off. The tournament has been extended to 48 teams for the first time. That creates a lot of extra games, and an additional knockout round. There is a distinct lack of jeopardy in those early weeks, so it might take some time for casual fans to engage.
Of course, much will depend on the performance of the USMNT. They will have two games in the group stage during the NBA Finals, followed by one a week after (a possible) Game 7. The group is a little tougher than it looks, though, featuring games against Australia, Paraguay and Turkey, so it is no given that the team reaches the knockout stages.
NBA Finals tickets in high demand
In terms of ticket sales, the NBA Finals and World Cup are like night and day right now. The former is clearly in demand, and we expect to see some news stories of ridiculously inflated prices should the series heat up. Tickets for Madison Square Garden, should the Knicks remain competitive in the series, could get particularly pricey.
The World Cup organizers received a barrage of criticism for the cost of tickets earlier on in the year, but there has also been lower-than-expected demand in some cities. The upshot is that ticket prices are going down, as are hotel rooms. But that again feeds into our assessment that the World Cup might take a while to warm up. The fact that some tickets for the Final have been priced at over $2 million on resale platforms tells you a lot.
For sports fans, it’s fair to say that the clash with the opening of the World Cup and conclusion of the NBA Finals won’t be much of a problem. In fact, they should segue nicely as the World Cup starts to get interesting after we crown the NBA champion.
