NBA Season Preview: FanDemand and How to get the Hottest Tickets
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010For sports fans, this is a really great time of year. Between the MLB playoffs, intense college football weekends, and of course, NFL Sundays, there is always something to watch. And on October 26, there will be another reason for sports fans to get excited: the kickoff to the 2010-2011 NBA season.
In order to get fans prepped for the onslaught of NBA action from here until next summer, below is the most comprehensive guide to all things ticket related in the NBA this year. When we say comprehensive, we mean it: we’ve studied secondary market ticket data from every single NBA game, every team, and anything in between.
Basically, this data can give fans the ability to judge the demand and popularity of a game or team: or, as we like to call it, “FanDemand”. Our FanDemand Rankings are based on the average prices of tickets being sold on the secondary market. We can also look at number of tickets being sold, minimum and maximum prices (think, floor seats), and price trends. This stuff can be useful: whether you are a diehard basketball fan who goes to a ton of games, or a casual fan looking for simple entertainment, you’re looking for one thing: value. And FanSnap has got some of the best tools to help you find the best value on NBA tickets.
- Miami Heat @ Los Angeles Lakers 12/25/10: $893
- Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers 1/30/11: $615
- Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics 10/26/10: $396
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics 2/10/11: $316
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Los Angeles Clippers 1/16/11: $313
- Miami Heat @ Houston Rockets 12/29/10: $309
- Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers 3/14/11: $306
- Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers 4/3/11: $296
- Miami Heat @ New York Knicks 1/27/11: $288
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers 1/17/11: $288
When Lebron James was still “deciding” on where to play this season, there was a lot of speculation on the impact of signing King James would have on the business side of any team (we had our own thoughts). In New York, even the stock market fluctuated as ‘Bron ‘Bron entertained the idea of calling NYC his home. Well, even though he’s in Miami now, New York is still amped to see the Superfriends: when the Heat visit Madison Square Garden this season, tickets are averaging $288 (overall average prices for Knicks tickets this season is around $200… see below).
This December, you might find yourself saying “All I want for Christmas are some Heat-Lakers tickets”. That’s because on Christmas Day, the revamped Miami Heat head out west to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in what many think is a preview of the 2010 NBA Finals. This game is by far the hottest on our FanDemand rankings, by a good $250 (a quick $20,000 will get you a seat on the floor).
In fact, the Lakers appear five times on the top ten. So, are the Lakers the hottest team in the league?
2010-2011 NBA Season FanDemand Rankings: Hottest Teams in the League
Overall, Los Angeles Lakers tickets are the hottest in the league, followed closely by (you guessed it) the Miami Heat.
This time last year, Heat tickets were averaging $93, and now they are at $311. That’s a 234% increase from ’09-’10. How about Cleveland Cavalier tickets? They’ve dropped by 23$, from $151 in ’09 to $116 in 2010.
There are some interesting teams within these FanDemand rankings, though. The Utah Jazz and the Toronto Raptors have a higher overall average ticket price than the Boston Celtics, who have some of the most passionate fans in the world.
Check out FanSnap throughout the season to see how these teams move in and out of the FanDemand Rankings. As we have seen in our NFL FanDemand, a teams success or failure definitely affects the demand for tickets. So check back for updated FanDemand Rankings as the 2010-2011 NBA season progress’s.