Heat Fans Pay the Price To Witness Game 7
MIAMI (CBS4) - Monday's Miami Heat win means fans will have a few more chances to spend big bucks on tickets to at least two more home games.
From the floor seats, to the 400 level, people were willing to dish out some dough to be inside the American Airlines Arena for Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals.
"160 bucks we spent," one woman said of her seats in the standing room only section.
Another woman in the last row of the arena said she'd spent $330 for one ticket. The woman, visiting from London, said she bought it from the concierge at her hotel.
A man in town from Germany said he paid $86 to stand near the top of the AAA.
"Game 7! It's the heat. I'm looking right down at them," James Guillen said. "So yeah, it's worth it."
About an hour before tip-off, a ticket for sale through the Ticketmaster smart phone app in section 108 was going from $376.
Even more expensive were the courtside seats, where stars like soccer player David Beckham, rapper Flo Rida and singer Justin Beiber were all in attendance Monday.
Being close enough to touch the players can cost thousands of dollars, but one girl didn't have to raid her college fund for a ticket.
"Actually, it was a trade," Kaitlyn Shotwell said. "I babysat from somebody and she gave me the tickets."
One lucky pair actually won floor seats minutes before the game
"Who expects that? What are the odds," Eddie Valiente asked. "There's 22,000 people here. Us two selected. Feels great!"
Meanwhile, the line at arena box office was filled with hopeful fans.
Many left empty handed, but one man visiting from Mexico was willing to pay the price of admission.
"I'm a tourist. It's my first game. It's worth any price," Carl Schultz told CBS 4's Lauren Pastrana.
For those who didn't have tickets on hold at will call, there's always this "Will Call", the bar across the street, where admission is absolutely free.
Tickets to the NBA Finals go on sale Tuesday afternoon.
