PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns fans are getting a harsh dose of reality when it comes to ticket prices for games one and two of the NBA Finals -- and prices keep rising.
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Early Monday afternoon, upper-level tickets were starting around $600 and pushing heights of $10,000 for lower-level and courtside seats.
For fans who bit the bullet, and bought seats, it was worth the money. "I paid $710 for the nose bleeds," said Ara G, a Suns fan, who bought a single ticket for himself.
"$920 a ticket," said Tyler Vasquez, who bought tickets for Games 1 and 2 in Phoenix. "We can’t guarantee that this is going to be some magical run where we go to the finals three or four years in a row."
Perhaps nobody is more grateful for a ticket than local sports fan and Suns podcast host Greg Esposito, who assumed he'd be watching the games from the couch until his family surprised him with a ticket for Game 2.
"[I] saw the prince and said I can’t justify this you know, we’ve got a young kid at home," said Esposito, co-host of the Solar Panel Podcast. "My wife and my brother surprised me with a ticket, one ticket, in basically the last row of the arena."
Esposito said his family pooled money together to help buy him a single ticket to Thursday's game.
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"I don’t think it will hit me until Thursday when I walk into that arena that it’s real but it was one of those great acts of kindness that just catch you completely off guard," said Esposito.
Fans hoping to get tickets to Game 2 and beyond are looking to shell out even more cash.
As of Wednesday morning following the Suns win in Game 1, ticket prices have jumped around 20% from some sellers.
Ticket website TickPick says "get-in" prices for Game 2 rose from $621 on Tuesday morning to $747 by Wednesday. The site lists Game 3 and Game 4 tickets for over $1,000.
