This is surprising on several different levels.
A study from Forbes Magazine reveals that the Toronto Raptors have the highest average ticket price for their first-round series, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers. The cheapest tickets in the first round? The Grizzlies and Wizards. According to data from TiqIQ, the Clippers are hell-bent on capitalizing on their absence.
According to data from TiqIQ, Clippers playoff tickets have an average price of $370 for their first round match-up. If the season ended today, the first-round opponent for the Clippers would be the Warriors, who have the second-highest average ticket price for round one.
This year, the Grizzlies have the cheapest first-round series with an average of $129. The next cheapest tickets are for the Wizards, who have an average price of $145 for their first playoff appearance in six years. Wizards playoff tickets have a 115% premium compared to their regular season average price. That compared to a 108% premium for the Grizzlies tickets.
The average premium compared to the regular season average price across the sixteen teams that will play this post-season is 105%. The two highest premiums for the post-season are Pacers tickets and Raptors tickets, at 211% and 242% respectively. The Raptors not only have the highest premium of any team in the playoffs, but also the highest ticket price. They also have the 3rd lowest quantity on the secondary market, with just 2,261 tickets available across the secondary market.
The data is shocking for several reasons.
Team RD 1 AVG RD 1 Quantity Season AVG RD 1 Premium Raptors $370.62 2,261 $108 242.50% Clippers $317.17 10,324 $128 147.98% Warriors $270.31 9,614 $113 138.33% Bobcats $248.15 5,270 $114 118.50% Thunder $244.64 1,786 $202 20.97% Hawks $240.96 2,787 $107 125.24% Pacers $237.31 3,524 $76 211.63% Heat $225.11 7,854 $233 -3.56% Mavs $220.58 5,287 $81 172.83% Nets $218.91 17,455 $140 56.38% Rockets $207.73 4,942 $119 75.21% Bulls $206.35 6,014 $142 45.24% Blazers $168.12 1,042 $140 20.33% Spurs $148.81 14,677 $76 95.57% Wizards $141.11 6,238 $66 115.30% Grizzlies $129.20 1,871 $62 108.05%
The Spurs are the third-lowest on the list, despite four NBA titles, reaching the Finals last year and providing a sustained level of excellence that has continued for more than a decade.
Wizards fans actually don’t seemed that interested in their team returning to the playoffs. The absence of the Lakers, Knicks and Celtics all at the same times has drastically altered the list.
last years Knicks round one series against the Celtics had an average price of $532 per ticket. That would be far and away the most expensive ticket heading into the 2014 playoffs.