Ticketmaster is scrambling to reassure Knicks fans that they can, in fact, attend Saturday's Game 5 of the NBA finals in Texas, despite a brief but terrifying moment when the company appeared to say otherwise.
In a note on its website for the game, Ticketmaster said purchases by those living farther than 150 miles (241km) from the San Antonio arena would be cancelled and refunded without notice. This naturally caused New Yorkers who had booked flights, hotels, and dreams of witnessing a championship to panic that they'd be locked out.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul took to social media with the kind of grief usually reserved for a cancelled holiday: "Knicks fans finally get within one game of a championship and their reward is having their tickets canceled?"
But Ticketmaster later said no tickets purchased on its platform "have or will be canceled." A spokesperson told the BBC on Saturday: "If fans are purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster, they can be confident that they're getting a real, authenticated ticket that will get them into tonight's game."
The Spurs also clarified that while billing ZIP codes outside the designated area would block new purchases, "tickets that have been previously purchased are not being canceled or revoked." The restriction, meant to give locals a fair shot at seats, has been in place since the NBA playoffs began in April. Panic only erupted after TMZ reported on the Ticketmaster note Friday night.
New York Attorney General Letitia James demanded the Spurs drop the policy, writing: "I'm calling foul." After the reassurance, she pivoted to: "I'm glad our Knicks fans will be able to attend the game tonight in San Antonio. Go Knicks!"
A representative for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp - the company headed by Jim Dolan that owns the Knicks - confirmed: "Contrary to prior reporting, we've confirmed with Spurs ownership that they will not be revoking any tickets that Knicks fans have to tonight's game." Ticketmaster noted that geographic restrictions are common for anticipated events, with residency determined by credit card billing address - just in case you were wondering how they know where you live.