An army of Knicks fans is set to storm San Antonio Saturday night — with 45% of tickets for the pivotal Game 5 snatched up by New York and New Jersey basketball buffs.
Nearly half of Frost Bank Center will be blue and orange as the Big Apple’s beloved squad looks to secure its first NBA Championship title in 53 years in a 1999 finals rematch when Gregg Popovich’s Spurs won in five games.
Data shows New York billing zip codes bought 37% of tickets to the potentially clinching game, and another 8% came from New Jersey, according to Kyle Zorn of the popular resale service TickPick.
New York Knicks fans celebrate during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 5, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Knicks fans react after the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 3, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Knicks fans are pictured before Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 5, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty ImagesScores of Knicks fans were getting out of dodge at LaGuardia Airport in Queens Friday afternoon — though had to make last-minute adjustments because of flight delays and cancellations to Texas.
Queens native Joe P. bought Game 5 tickets after being convinced by a pal — and realizing the cost is cheaper than one at Madison Square Garden.
“I wasn’t gonna do it, but he said, ‘You’re not gonna experience this ever again in your life,’” Joe said.
“And he’s probably right. So we decided to screw it, and we bought our tickets yesterday. When we saw how expensive it was to fly to San Antonio, we opted to fly to Austin because it was about half the cost. So then we just decided we were gonna rent a car and drive.
“I have not been able to afford any of the tickets for the NBA finals at the Garden, because I think it’s $10,000, $12,000 for nosebleeds now, so that’s a little bit out of my budget … It’s cheaper to go to San Antonio, and fly back then to go to the game in NY.”
Only 12% of tickets were bought by Texas-area customers as of early Thursday, Zorn said.
Andrew Cramer and his 11-year-old son, Charlie, came to MSG all the way from Australia. Courtesy of Andrew CramerKnicks diehards Andrew Cramer and his 11-year-old son, Charlie, flew all the way from Australia to the Big Apple to attend Game 4 of the finals – and they decided why not score tickets to Game 5 for a chance at witnessing more history.
“Once we were here, to make it worth the while since we came all the way from Australia we thought we’d go to the game tomorrow,” Cramer, who lived in New York for seven years, told The Post Friday.
Cramer’s flight to Texas was packed with Knicks fans and it was more of the same in San Antonio.
“There are a lot of Knicks fans here. You can identify one another. It’s a Knicks family which is nice,” he said while enjoying a river cruise with his son.
“It’s a really nice reflection of the city that it brings so many people together. Sports is a wonderful unifier,” he added.
Cramer’s flight to Texas was packed with Knicks fans and it was more of the same in San Antonio. Courtesy of Andrew CramerFive other Knicks fans were boarding a plane to Miami to connect in Austin — and then planned on driving from there to San Antonio. Their original flight to Dallas had gotten cancelled — and the group of strangers bonded over the debacle.
“We’re united Knicks fans,” Eric Kwiatkowski, 40, said. “Now you see what Knicks fans endure.”
Kwiatkowski told The Post he and his pal Ramy Fakhr, 44, shelled out for tickets for Game 5 because “it’s an opportunity” to see the Knicks “close out the series.”
“I’m beside myself with excitement,” he added.
Fakhr was so dedicated to seeing his hometown team potentially make history that he was prepared to go without a change of clothes, after checking his bag on the now-nixed Dallas flight.
“I’m not missing this flight. Now I have to spend the whole weekend without any clothes,” he said. “This is all I’m wearing. Well, I’m gonna borrow some Eric’s clothes.”
Another Queens guy, Kevin Chang, chimed in: “Knicks in five. Knicks in five.”
Both New York and New Jersey accounted for only 13% of Game 1 tickets and 17% in Game 2 — both of which were on the road, SeatGeek numbers indicate.
Fans flocked for tickets in Texas after Knicks completed a historic 29-point comeback against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in Game 4 to take the 3-1 stranglehold in the series at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks lay out T-shirts for fans before the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 8, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty ImagesTickPick’s listings fluctuated throughout Thursday as get-in prices for Game 5 dipped from around $1,500 for standing room to just below $1,200.
The cheapest listed ticket — section 201, row 10 over mid-court — is $1,288 as of Friday morning.
The Knicks are also a perfect 2-0 playing in San Antonio during these finals, notably after Wemby missed what would have been a winning last-second shot in Game 2.
MSG’s get-in price on TickPick is $10,727 for a prospective Game 6 Tuesday night should the Knicks need another crack to win it all for the first time since 1973.
