Businesses near TD Garden hope the Celtics and Bruins have successful playoff runs to boost the economy, while police are cautioning fans to watch out for fake tickets.
The playoffs start at Causeway Street with the Bruins facing Toronto on Saturday night and the Celtics starting their championship run on Sunday afternoon against either Chicago or Miami.
Business and tourism leaders expect a big economic boost from both teams competing for championships, as long as they don't drop out early.
This weekend’s games could be a good option for fans who can't afford the high prices in later rounds. Balcony tickets start at $172 for the Bruins-Maple Leafs Game 1 and $126 for the Celtics on Sunday, according to Stubhub listings on Thursday afternoon.
Boston Police Department is advising fans to be careful about counterfeit tickets. They are encouraging fans to only buy tickets from authorized ticket agencies.
The police want to stop this activity and are urging buyers to only buy from official vendors. Buying tickets through other means could mean ending up with an invalid or fake ticket.
With more people working remotely, the playoffs are crucial for boosting productivity as local businesses are suffering from a lack of lunchtime and post-work rush, according to Gregory L. Stoller, a master lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.
The playoffs are a great opportunity for restaurants, Uber drivers, and small to medium-sized businesses to thrive. Stoller emphasized the importance of supporting these businesses, especially because they struggled due to the pandemic.
Stoller hopes the businesses will benefit from the playoffs, and he also hopes the Bruins will do better than last year.
The longer the Bruins and Celtics remain in the playoffs, the greater the economic impact. According to David O’Donnell, each game in the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals contributes nearly $5 million to the economy.
During the first two rounds of the playoffs, the crowd is mainly local and regional, but during the Conference Finals and Finals, many fans, media, and league representatives come to the city and stay overnight.
Local businesses would love to have more home games due to the success of the local teams over the past decade. Last year, the early exit of the Bruins deprived businesses and the economy of tens of millions of dollars. The Celtics going deeper in the playoffs was beneficial, but losing to the Heat meant missing out on the NBA Finals, which would have been a big boost for the local economy.
Local businesses have already started to experience the positive effects of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at the Garden last month, with more than $18 million in direct spending and nearly $25 million overall from the tournament.
