The Golden State Warriors are two consecutive wins away from sweeping the 2017 NBA Finals and finishing the NBA playoffs with a perfect 16-0 record. And that could cost them.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell did the math in a recent article, and if the Warriors complete the sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, it will cost the franchise roughly $22 million by not hosting Games 5 and 7 at Oracle Arena. That’s double what is owed to star guard Stephen Curry for the 2017-18 season.
How Rovell came to that conclusion involves a lot of math, but here’s the simple breakdown.
Rovell estimates each NBA Finals game at Oracle Arena is worth $13.5 million in face-value ticket revenue. The NBA gets 25 percent of that, which brings the total to $10,125,000 per game the Warriors will miss out on.
The Warriors, according to Rovell, also could make up to $1.5 million on resale tickets through Ticketmaster. Rovell estimates that roughly 3,500 tickets will be exchanged on the site for Game 5 and 7 at a price of $1,800 (Game 5) and $2,400 (Game 7).
That brings the Warriors’ ticket sales take to $10,755,000 (Game 5) and $10,965,000 (Game 7), respectively.
But wait, there’s more.
Rovell also estimates the Warriors would take home $17.50 (Game 5) and $20 (Game 7) per fan in concessions and merchandise, meaning a sweep could cost Golden State an extra $332,500 (Game 5) and $380,000 (Game 7).
So, according to Rovell’s math, the Warriors could lose out on $11,087,500 for Game 5, and $11,345,000 for Game 7, respectively, if they make NBA history.
But for some reason, we think owner Joe Lacob will take the loss if his team avenges last season’s NBA Finals defeat.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
