Knicks halt ticket sales after pricing mistake sends opener above $1,000

The Knicks won the championship. For a moment, it appeared they wanted every fan to help pay for it.

New York suspended individual ticket sales after an internal pricing error produced some staggering numbers, including a minimum price of more than $1,000 for the season opener against the 76ers. The average asking price for that game reportedly reached $2,500.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that the Knicks plan to resume sales early next week at significantly lower prices. Tickets will cost roughly 12 percent more than last season, matching the increase applied to season-ticket packages.

Fans who already bought tickets at the incorrect prices will receive refunds for the difference.

“We are pausing Knicks individual ticket sales due to a mistake in our pricing,” an MSG spokesperson told the Post.

The spokesperson said the organization intends to restore last season’s prices with the 12 percent increase and added, “Our intention was never to overcharge our loyal fans.”

That is good, because charging four figures merely to enter the building would qualify as a fairly aggressive loyalty test.

A source told Bondy it was MSG’s first mistake of this kind and not an attempt to capitalize excessively on the Knicks’ championship run.

Tickets at Madison Square Garden will remain expensive, of course. New York has reached the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, and increased demand comes with winning. The Knicks also operate a Fan First program designed to keep tickets away from brokers looking to inflate prices further.

Still, there is expensive, and then there is a $2,500 average for opening night.

The Knicks recognized the difference, stopped the sale and will give back the excess money. In the ticket business, that may qualify as their most impressive reversal since the championship parade.