Welcome to The Holy Land of Hoops

Well we are about 7 weeks away from tournament time and I will be making my first visit to NYC and of course the BET.
I was wondering if there were any important bits of information out there that may be helpful for first timers. Most specifically,
what are the best options for getting game tickets since we opted against getting all-session tickets?

Single game tickets can be had easily through scalpers. Whatever they offer ask for 1/2 or less. I've always been able to get tix through onsite scalpers retty easily.

Enjoy. NYC is a special place.

Or just hang right outside MSG the day before towards the end of any game where the winner goes into the session you're interested in seeing. You can usually find fans of the losing team looking to offload their tickets for that next day and can get a good price.

You need to be careful buying from scalpers. These days they can sell fake tickets b/c the tix don't have to be torn like the old days. Two years ago that happened to a friend of mine, they went to have the tix scanned and they were counterfeit. Of course by the time they realized it, the scalper was long gone. You might just be better off using a legit ticket service, like Stubhub, even though their fees can be annoying.

If your team is playing in the second game of the double header buy cheap seats up top then right before the first game ends go down to the first level and buy the tickets off the fans of the first game who are leaving. I usually would give $20 for 2 ticket stubs. Great seats for nosebleed price. Always did this before I moved west. Though if you are in the first game you are SOL and have to buy whatever you can afford.

My question is where to stay... Know there are a bunch of good hotels, but which ones to stay away from? (I'm getting tickets thru a Company that is having a meeting with the wife that week. Yeah I married up in the world.) All I have to do is take her to one Show and a few nice dinners she's happy!

I had 2 extra tickets to Wednesday because friends didn't get there in time and I literally couldn't give them away for free. I finally just took them in with me. You can get really cheap tickets for the early rounds on stubhub or out front. Like someone else mentioned, talk them down if you buy from scalpers though they want to get rid of their tickets. The championship will be more expensive depending who's playing in it. Nova fans pack the place.

I don't have many suggestions on hotel as I don't care too much. The only time I'm in the hotel is to sleep. I would maybe recommend Chelsea area as its a nice short walk to MSG. That's where we usually stay.

So do tickets on stubhub and the like become more plentiful and cheaper
once the pairings are set?

born_a_Jay wrote:So do tickets on stubhub and the like become more plentiful and cheaper
once the pairings are set?

Yes for day 1, maybe for day 2, no after that.

Avoid Times Square. You'll be ambushed by Super Mario and his friends.