Ok, so i know it's normal for the crowd to be late but today was especially empty. I mean from the picture bimathug posted, it looked like only 10% of the seats were filled like at 650. Usually it's about 50%. When they did the dollar beer/hot dog thing in game 5 for OKC it worked and the seats were probably about 80% filled.
Honestly, ever since the 2015 season the Toyota center seems dead. I remember the Dallas and Clipper series being so loud 2 years ago.
Showed up to the arena . If only the team showed up to the actual game though. Why should people spend their hard earned money to come watch a team (just to put it in perspective - when I came so many years go it was $275 a ticket to sit directly behind the broadcasting crew in the front row in the midde of the court. That had ballooned to nearly $900 when I last checked) that doesn't even care enough to bother trying.
Comes down to ticket prices. The front office was happier to have an emptier stadium and milk every dollar per seat than to reduce the cost and have a sellout on an elimination game.
Totally agreed...And they wouldn't line the lower bowl sidelines with places for bars and seating to hang out at other than the seats they paid for.
Also the arena emptied early in the 4th. I mean its the probably the last game of the season. Stay until the end. They still had a good year.
I care. The image it's certainly embarrassing, there is no NBA arena that it would look like that at a game of such importance. It is worrying.
OP, if you weren't there this thread should be closed. That said, neither the crowd nor the team have "performed" well with early starts all year but one of them pays their way and the other gets paid.
I feel you, it's just not something I'm worried about I guess. Back in the 2005/2007/2009 playoffs this was never a problem. The earlier start time hurts, that's probably all it is.
I disagree, if I was there at the arena and decided to chill out at the bar instead of being in my seat, than yes I have no room to talk. I went to game 5 against the thunder and was there in my seat early. No everyone can attend or afford playoff tickets to every single game. Further more i'm not addressing people who didn't have tickets to the game, i'm addressing those folks who had tickets to the lower bowl and decided to not show up or get there early.
I'm used to our shitty crowds, but last night was SOMETHING. That was the worst atmosphere I've ever seen in a major pro sport playoff game.
i think empty arena affected the rockets. I think they were sad by the amount of people who showed up to support them and it gave them a more neutral court feel. by the time people sat in the chairs, the game was over
It's just not worth the $$$ to sit in the lower bowl for a game like that. Did you see how ridiculously expensive the tickets were? Most people are going to chill at home and watch in crystal clear HD.
I got $18 Tickets to round 1 game 2 of the spurs. My Game 1 of round 1 tix were $25 if I remember right.
- Its actually a larger "problem", one in which the Rockets, season ticket holders, regular fans, and the on-line platform "Flasheats" are all in collusion and in which they all benefit. The only "losers" in the scheme are the players on the court and the atmosphere in the arena in the early minutes. And, believe it or not, the issue of "late arriving crowds" is not (entirely) that prices are too high, but that they are being driven too low. Hear me out: Not long ago, the Rockets moved to the "Flashseats" automated ticketing system--no more paper tickets, its all electronic now. Sounds great. The Rockets marketing team touts "Flashseats" as a hassle free way to go to games, or sell your tickets if you don't want to go. They actually encourage folks that if you can't go to the 40+ games in a season, just sell them. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, except that what has resulted is a season ticket fan base of folks who are just as interested in making a tidy profit as they are in attending games. They sell their tickets and watch the game on TV. Problem is, many season ticket holders selling playoff tickets on Flashseats want to fund their retirement accounts on their Rockets profits. And some charge ridiculous prices during the playoffs. (But this, I think, is a result of the encouragement they receive from the marketing team: "Just sell what you can't attend," the Rockets say). Rockets fans are savvy, however. They have gamed the system by going to Flashseats and waiting until game time or later before they purchase these tickets (Flashseats keeps the market open 'til one hour after tip-off). Not surprisingly, the prices plummet around game time. A $200 ticket may go for $25. I think this is why the crowd is so "late." Its not traffic. Its not work. Its sophisticated fans waiting outside the arena on their phone until the season ticket holder, realizing he will lose tons of cash on his tickets and wants to mitigate those losses, says "uncle." The Rockets win because they have already sold the ticket. They collude by raising the prices of their single game tickets to allow the season ticket holder selling on FS a profit margin (hence, making the season ticket package more attractive). The season ticket holder wins because during the regular season he can do pretty well selling the tickets (and he doesn't have to go to the arena in a trench coat risking jail time to sell the tickets). The fan wins because he gets a ticket to the game for a lower price, sometimes for a steal. FS wins because it charges a fee to the buyer for every ticket purchase. The only one who loses are the players on the court and the atmosphere in the gym during the early quarters.
