The San Antonio Spurs slapped a ticket restriction on NBA Finals games in a pathetic bid to keep New York fans from flooding the Frost Bank Center — but backed off after public outrage prompted Madison Square Garden officials to intervene in support of their orange and blue fanatics.
The beleaguered Texas team, which is down 3-1 in the series after the New York Knicks historic comeback victory Wednesday, tried to keep Knicks fans from snatching up any of the 18,418 seats inside the arena by slapping a geographic limit on who could purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.
“Frost Bank Center is located in San Antonio, Texas. Sales to this event will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center,” a note on Ticketmaster reads.
The San Antonio Spurs are trying to prevent Knicks fans from attending Game 5. NBAE via Getty Images“Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”
Angry fans — including those who feared they’d be turned away at the gate for the 8:30 p.m. tip off — prompted Madison Square Garden to reach out to its counterparts in San Antonio to ensure Knicks boosters would be allowed in.
“We’ve confirmed with Spurs ownership that they will not be revoking any tickets that Knicks fans have to tonight’s game in San Antonio and all ticket holders will be allowed in to Frost Bank Arena,” MSG said in a statement shared with The Post.
Basketball fans were incensed by the flagrant party foul.
“So the lifelong Spurs fan who moved somewhere else in our huge state is barred. The Knicks fan sensing history tonight can’t go. This is stupid,” radio host Mark Davis wrote on X.
“That’s bulls–t. Spurs are scared and know they’re going to lose so they resort to these tactics. Deal with it like adults,” X user Pebbles wrote.
“This can’t be real? Is this even legal,” author and New Jerseyan Phil Ruzzo wrote on X.
Gov. Kathy Hochul tried to take credit for the apparent U-turn from the Spurs, who insisted the ticket restriction had been in place before Friday night.
“After hearing concerns from Knicks fans, my team got in touch with Ticketmaster, and I’m pleased to confirm that no fan who purchased a ticket through the platform will have their ticket canceled. New Yorkers will have a fair shot to show up and show out. Knicks in five!” she posted on X.
One Knicks fan who encountered the attempted ban said nothing would stop him from getting in.
“You’re not keeping me out,” the New Jersey native, who now lives in California, told The Post.
The man, who gave his name as Kyle, tried to buy via Ticketmaster for $1,100, but when the 39-year-old lawyer’s transaction was canceled, he found a workaround.
“You get to the end and it says, ‘Due to restrictions from the arena and the team,’ if you’re billing ZIP code is not within 150 mile radius of the arena, they will cancel it and refund. So I said, ‘Okay I’ll go elsewhere,’” he said, and bought on the secondary market.
Game 5 is being played at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. NBAE via Getty ImagesAnother fan went to apparent extremes to dodge the geographic limit.
The man claimed he created a fake, San Antonio-based address for his credit card after the Spurs won the Western Conference Finals, to ensure he would be able to get in to the championship round.
“I outsmarted them,” he told The Post, asking for anonymity.
Ticketmaster couldn’t explain how one far flung fan managed to purchase tickets via its platform despite the restriction.
Brad Schultz traveled 40 hours from Australia to get to Game 5 — only to land in Los Angeles and find a note from Ticketmaster canceling his order after he’d completed the purchase.
“I flew in from Melbourne, Australia and bought my tickets before I left home,” Schultz, 25, who works in marketing, told The Post.
“By the time I landed, I checked my emails and just wanted to confirm whether I still have my tickets or not. And then, yeah, it came through that I had mine cancelled due to being, I think it was, like, 150 miles away from San Antonio.
“My heart sank as soon as I read the email, like ‘Your ticket’s been canceled,’ I had nothing,” Schultz said. “I was like, I’m flying all this way to have a ticket potentially canceled and not be able to go?”
He bought another ticket on the secondary market from a Spurs season ticket holder, he said.
After inquiries from The Post, Schultz said Ticketmaster called him and offered to “make things right.”
Ticketmaster said the Spurs were responsible for the the out-of-area ban — but added anyone with a valid ticket would get into Saturday night’s game.
“Geographic restrictions on NBA Finals Game 5 tickets were set by the hosting team and applied at the time of purchase. If you bought your tickets on Ticketmaster, you have a valid, authenticated ticket that will get you in tonight. No tickets purchased on Ticketmaster for this game have or will be canceled,” the ticket seller claimed in a panicked statement Saturday after the uproar.
The Spurs claimed they were trying to “prioritize” local fans and said the restriction “remains in place throughout the NBA Finals.”
“Throughout the season, Playoffs and Finals, we have encouraged Season Ticket Members to keep tickets in the hands of Spurs fans whenever possible,” they said in a statement.
Both Hochul and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin called out the exclusionary tactics, with Hochul initially saying in an X post, “on behalf of Knicks fans everywhere, I’m calling foul,” while Menin insisted the move “violates every major tenet of consumer protection law.
“Fans paid for tickets, booked flights, reserved hotels, and made travel plans in good faith. Canceling those tickets after the fact raises serious concerns about detrimental reliance and basic fairness. No fan should be punished for wanting to root for their team,” she wrote on X.
“And to be clear: Knicks in 5,” she added.
The Spurs, making their last stand after the Knicks took a commanding lead in the series, tried to encourage their deflated and regional fanbase with a statement on Friday — in the face of a mass of Knicks fans expected at the possibly decisive game.
The Post reported that nearly 50 percent of tickets had been purchased by fans from the New York/New Jersey area. Getty Images“We’re excited about the energy and support our fans have brought throughout this Finals run and look forward to Game 5,” the org said.
“Tickets may be transferred or resold multiple time after their initial purchase through a variety of channels,” the statement, reported by News 4 San Antonio continued. “That’s why the location of the original purchaser based on billing address does not always necessarily reflect who ultimately attends the game.”
It’s not the first time opponents have tried to keep Knicks fans out of their arena.
Back in the second round, the Philadelphia 76ers attempted to keep Knicks fans out of Xfinity Mobile Arena — with even star center Joel Embiid begging locals to hang onto their stubs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who the Knicks swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, also tried and failed to maintain home court advantage — pulling notable Knick fan Fat Joe’s courtside seats at Rocket Arena for Game 4.
