Worcester man wins NBA Finals tickets in charity raffle
WORCESTER – It wasn't the first time Jim Durning donated to one of his favorite charities, but it certainly was one of the luckiest.
Over the weekend, Durning said he got an email from the MW Foundation letting him know of a fundraising raffle for tickets to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Boston.
Durning purchased 100 tickets for $50 and admits he didn't think much of it past that.
During Tuesday night's drawing, one of his tickets hit. He had won a pair of tickets to Wednesday night's game, a pre-game dinner for two in the North End and hotel accommodations in downtown.
"I have never won any tickets to anything ever," said Durning.
A fan since the 60s, Durning said he has fond memories of watching Celtics games with his grandfather. It is a tradition he carried out with his sons over the years.
The father of two had two tickets to Wednesday's final and was faced with the decision of who to invite to come with him.
One son lives in Grafton, the other in Chicago, the distance helped make the choice for him.
"Otherwise, I probably would have had to give them both the tickets and say, 'have fun guys I'll watch it from the couch,'" said Durning.
His oldest son Rob Durning was the lucky pick.
"My first reaction was one of disbelief," said Rob Durning. "To be able to do it with my dad is pretty special."
The father-son duo will have solid seats at The Garden thanks to a good act meeting a lot of luck.
They are hoping some of it wears off on the Celtics. It's the first in-person playoff game for them both and they are hoping for a win.
The Marcus Smart YGC Foundation paired with the MW Fund for this raffle. They report raising more than $25,000 over a 24-hour fundraising period.
The raffle was so popular they are bringing it back for Game 4, on Friday.