What Ticket Prices Reveal About Miami’s and Denver’s Paths to the NBA Finals

Reservation prices show the divergent roads the Heat and Nuggets took through the postseason.

After a thrilling postseason, the NBA Finals are finally here. The playoffs have featured upsets, blowouts and compelling individual performances, but now the dust has settled, leaving the Heat and Nuggets as the last two teams standing. Miami and Denver have forged divergent paths through the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively, setting up for an exciting NBA Finals matchup.

Ahead of Thursday’s Game 1, we’re looking back on the Heat’s and Nuggets’ journeys to the Finals, using ticketing trends from SI Tickets’ reservations system.

• Get your seats to the NBA Finals with SI Tickets

Miami entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, bouncing the Giannis Antetokounmpo–led No. 1 seed Bucks in five games, stunning Milwaukee in historic fashion. The Heat’s reservation prices for the NBA Finals stood at $78 at the start of the playoffs, underscoring the gravity of the upset and reflecting the Heat’s 44–38 regular season.

As Miami continued its postseason charge, bouncing the Knicks, then taking it to Boston, ticket reservation prices steadily climbed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Finals ticket prices peaked at $997 as the Heat jumped to a 3–0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. When the Celtics went on their own run, reservation prices plummeted to $326 for Game 7, with the momentum seemingly swinging in Boston’s favor. But Playoff Jimmy and the Heat ultimately prevailed.

The average ticket price for Game 1 of the Finals is posted at $1,443 on SI Tickets.

Courtesy of SI Tickets

The Nuggets had a more straightforward postseason compared to the Heat. Denver started the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, with Finals reservation prices posted at $277. That number was a substantial jump from the start of the season when reservation prices were $155. It makes sense given Denver’s preseason NBA championship odds were +1600, per Basketball Reference.

As the Nuggets dismantled Kevin Durant and the Suns, Finals reservations prices continued to rise, peaking at $647 ahead of the team’s Western Conference finals series against the Lakers. Heading into Game 4, it appeared Denver fans were confident in the prospect of a sweep, with the Nuggets’ Finals reservations topping out at $1,037.

Courtesy of SI Tickets