Now, I realize there are many people in the Twin Cities who might say that seeing a March game between the Timberwolves and Grizzlies isn't really a NBA game. After all, the two teams combined 34 victories are less than the win total of 10 individual NBA teams. Throw in that it doesn't look like either Foye or Hot Rod Carney are going to play and there isn't a ton of reason to expect anything other than the Wolves' 12th straight home loss.
While I would expect that I'm going to see far more Kevin Ollie than I would like to tonight, I'm all right with going to see a game in which the home team seemingly has little chance. I'll be in the house for Saturday's game against the improving Bobcats as well.
This brings me to the topic of the never-ending Glen Taylor commercials. You know, the ones where he says he never thought he'd own a NBA franchise, etc.
When the announcement on season ticket prices was made last week, I was initially very excited about the possibility. $5 per game gets you in the door, $15 per game gets you a seat downstairs. It is a very good value, there's no question about that. You can get two seats for every game for less than $500 total. Two seats for every game downstairs is less than $1,300 and the team will let you pay for it in nine interest-free payments.
But is that really enough for the Wolves to turn me into a season ticket holder for the first time ever? Probably not.
The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing. Go to two or three games a month and watch a bunch on TV. My reasons are pretty simple.
Even though going to games is very easy for me. I already have parking downtown and I live within 15 minutes of Target Center, I'm not sure that I want to commit 41 nights of my winter. There are other commitments, there are work things and there are times when I'd just rather not go.
Then there is the whole where to buy seats thing. I wouldn't say that I'm cheap, but I'd be inclined to buy upstairs tickets. I don't mind the seats up there and it is super easy to move downstairs to a better locale for the second half. I often go to games with my girlfriend. She'll play along, but it is clear that she doesn't enjoy the chase of the free upgrade nearly as much as I do (for the record, I may never see my upper deck Row V seats tonight). If I was to buy season tickets, she kind of indicated that she would prefer me to get downstairs seats.
I get her point and it is nice to not worry about getting bounced from your seats or getting stopped by an usher. But then you move into a price point where if the tickets don't get used, you'll feel like you're throwing away cash. If you toss away a pair of $5 tickets, that's one thing, but throwing away $30 a pop is another story. And it's pretty clear that some tickets just won't get used.
It does appear on timberwolves.com that there is going to be a super saver 10 pack where you can get downstairs seats for $175. I realize the opponents won't be terribly sexy and the nights of the week might not be awesome, but I think that is what we'll do. We'll end up with reserved seats downstairs for a good number of games and I actually like seeing the non-marquee teams. I see enough of the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic, Suns, Spurs and Mavs on TV. (An aside, I'm twisted enough that I'm bummed that I'm going to be out of town when the Wolves host Oklahoma City down the stretch because I would totally go see the Thunder).
So I think that's what I will do. I'll get a 10-game pack and then catch probably another 5-10 in other ways. Sometimes I get expensive work tickets. And there are always tickets available on eBay. I got a pair for the recent Portland game that were downstairs for $29 with shipping. I saw New Orleans earlier this season for $8 for two seats upstairs.
As much as I enjoy watching the NBA -- there are amazing players and amazing plays at almost every game -- I still don't think there is enough demand to warrant buying season tickets. Tonight, I'm afraid, will prove that. I expect to see acres of empty seats.
No comments:
Post a Comment