His were ears perked for the pitch, but the prices Gerald Carchio saw Wednesday at an Aventura ticket agency meant he’d be going home empty-handed.
"At that price it will be impossible," the Miami Heat fan said, hoping to nab tickets for him and his family.
It's a good time to be a Heat season ticketholder – and a pretty good time to be a ticket broker.
"I basically haven't slept since day one. My phones have been ringing off the hook," said Todd Ruben, the owner of Todd's Tickets.
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The Heat play the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena in the first two games of the NBA Finals on Thursday and Sunday. Calling them hot tickets is an understatement.
"The Finals this year seem to be a bigger ticket and a more popular series because the Spurs is a more popular team [than the Dallas Mavericks]," said Ruben.
With demand dictating the prices, you can't walk into the arena for less than 200 bucks – and that's for standing room only.
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If you want to fantasize a little, courtside south tickets on Sunday are selling for just under $23,000, according to Stubhub.com.
What if you wanted to watch Game 3 in San Antonio? Experts say leave the word budget out of your lexicon. It’s a splurge.
On Monday night, House of Travel in Aventura had already posted this message "Remember we will be open tomorrow to help you with your reservations to San Antonio to cheer the Heat on in the finals" The travel agency found hotel rooms just a mile or two away from the game ranging from $141 to $289 a night.
The airfare will cost you, too. Flights are already crowded, according to Jerry Lang, who says bank on a layover. One of the cheapest fares he found was a flight from Miami to San Antonio with a stop in Atlanta for a little over $1,000. A similar flight from Fort Lauderdale was just under $900.
But with excitement building, fans may be willing to shell out the big bucks after all.
"I'd like to go to see the (game), but I have to think a lot," Carchio said.
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Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida