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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to shoot the ball against Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The issue of New York Knicks using their finances to buy road playoff game tickets and taking over opponent’s home courts is a problem for the San Antonio Spurs. Game 5 will see San Antonio fighting to keep their NBA Championship hopes alive at home against the Knicks’ 3-1 series lead. Early reports indicated that a large percentage of tickets were being purchased from the New York and New Jersey postal codes.

TMZ reports that the Spurs issued a new rule to block Ticketmaster sales from anyone outside of a 150-mile radius:

“The message is loud and clear on the Ticketmaster page for Spurs tickets – anyone buying tickets for Saturday night’s crucial game will be blocked if ya ain’t from ’round these parts. The actual warning reads, “Sales to this event will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center” aka the Spurs home arena.

Even if you’re an out-of-towner who already has tickets, you’re likely to get screwed, too. The Ticketmaster warning adds, violators of the rule will have their tickets “canceled without notice” … but you will get a refund.”

Ticketmaster sells the official tickets and will be canceling purchases without notice to those outside of the allotted area. New Yorkers purchasing tickets there and booking flights will have to find new tickets or change their plans with this change.

Why Knicks Fans Can Still Get In

Only Ticketmaster will follow these rules since they have an official agreement with the Spurs and other NBA teams. Other ticket reseller sites, like SeatGeek, Stubhub, and VividSeats, will not be taking part in this initiative.

In fact, those sites probably love the TicketMaster rule since it means they’ll make a lot more money off Knicks buying extremely overpriced tickets. New York fans will still have their chance to buy tickets and take over San Antonio.

Game 5 will be the first time the Knicks have been just one win away from the NBA Championship since 1994. The 1994 Finals featured New York having a 3-2 lead over the Houston Rockets, but they lost the last two games in Houston. This year sees them having three chances to close it out, including one potential home game in a Game 6.

Spurs Failed To Block Knicks Fans Earlier

Game 2 of the NBA Finals featured a similar rule being made by the Spurs via Ticketmaster. However, many Knicks fans from outside of the radius were still able to get their tickets from the secondary marketplace.

Loud cheers were heard when New York made big plays, including the infamous error of Victor Wembanyama turning it over and fouling Jalen Brunson in a tied game. Game 5 was already going to be the most stressful night for the Spurs roster.

The Spurs will have to overcome the series deficit, coming back from an all-time bad playoff collapse in Game 4, and deal with Knicks fans trying to invade their venue. San Antonio’s extremely young roster will have their backs against the walls in many contexts with the season on the line.