When 36ers say nearly sold out you can still find 2 or 3 seats around the stadium.

When Melbourne united say its close to a sell out you can still find a row of 10.

Managed to get the last group of 3 seats available.
First time I tried, they said no seats available (in a group). Tried again 5 mins later and they offered me 3 together. Went through the whole map and mine were the only multiple seats in the whole arena left.

got 3 tickets in pretty decent spot! Let's make as much noise even though we might be spread out 36ers fans!!

That Sixers fan whose kid Creek crashed into said his seat was $175. Is it just me or is that cheap?

Sidelines were 99% sold out by 445pm today, 45 mins after they went on sale. Only single seats were available.

It's looking like a sellout.

Bronze tickets are $61 for an adult.

This series deserved a 5th. Glad we got there.

$175 is cheap, having said that $175 buys you a Cairns import for a season though.

Dumb question: Why is the game on Sat? Why not Thurs? Is it court availability, or something else? Just seems strange to drag it out when Collingwood and Victory are both playing at the same time next door on Sat night.

1 out of 3 games aint bad I guess

FWIW, in 2009 when South Dragons met Melbourne Tigers in the grand final, the crowds for Hisense games were

Game 1- 4,211
Game 3- 8,201
Game 5-8,922

Game 1 was on a Wednesday.

That year, the Dragons two semi final home crowds were 3,613 and 3,007.

The two regular season derbies drew 9,308 and 8,093.

This year Melbourne United averaged 8,200. This Saturday will be a sellout with the CHEAPEST ADULT TICKETS BEING $61.

Repeat that. A sellout with the CHEAPEST ADULT TICKETS being $61.

So you can hate Kestlemen all you like (Hi Cram) but you have to be impressed with the numbers that are coming through the doors.

I don't have the same passion for United as I did for the Tigers. I'd like to see them win for Melbourne, but I'm not riding it. So part of me resents LK. But if you're a basketball person first and foremost- as I am- you have to thank him for what he's poured into the sport. It's getting results.

Consider that United were getting 6,500 people to their WEEKNIGHT home games this season.

In 2009 they couldn't even get that to a weeknight grand final game between the two Melbourne teams.

Dragons were averaging about 4,000 people to their non-derby Hisense home games, after 3 years of Cowan pumping money into it. And the Tigers were averaging around 2,700 ish to their home games at The Cage. The Tigers only cracked the 3,000 mark twice in the entire season if you ignore derbies. Their home semi final vs NZ had 2,998 and even Game 2 of the grand final couldn't sell out the Cage with 3,096 turning up.

Ever since LK took over in 2012 it's been all one direction- UP. It will remain an open question whether the trend could've continued if the Tigers had stayed- since they did get some 7,000+ crowds at Hisense in their last season. But regardless of the answer to that open question for which we'll never have an answer, I think we can all agree- anyone who's being objective- that moving to United has generally been a success and that the NBL is heading in a good direction. It's more stable and more supported than it has been in a long time.

Since I was a basketball person before I was a Tigers person, I can honestly say that is more important to me than whether the Tigers are still here.

And more important to me than whether United wins the title.

Don't get me wrong though, I'll still be barracking hard on Saturday :-)

Correction- Dragons were probably more like 3,800 or something. (I'm just doing rough maths in my head going off this wiki page):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%9309_NBL_season

So if we say 3,800 and Tigers 2,700 to non-derby games, that's 6,500 people on average. And some might've been doubling up.

Well said LV. Basketball in Melbourne has come a long long way since 2009.

Its now at the point where if United get "only" 8700 or whatever game 1 was then thats viewed as a bit disappointing. In 2009 that would have been incredible.

Also just shows that the NBL isnt the basketcase that it once was (under BA) and has come a long way since LK pumped HIS money into the league to not only save it from extinction, but have it nearly thriving again (i say nearly because it still has a long way to go yet in my opinion)

Also just shows that the NBL isnt the basketcase that it once was (under BA)

I'm going off memory here, so may be a little off, but I believe only five playoff games have ever sold out at Melbourne Park. Four of them were GF derbies and the fifth was Melbourne v Perth GF in 1993. None of them were during footy season.

There have been six Melbourne derby playoff games played at Hisense Arena and none of them sold out.

So even if there are one or two I've forgotten about, the fact this game was down to single seats only within minutes of going on sale tells the story that the interest in the NBL in Melbourne is at a very high level by historical standards.

It's almost like it's easier to sell out Hisense than it is to sell out Rod Laver, even if you just label them both "Melbourne Park" to try and smudge that over.

I don't dispute the growth in interest in Melbourne, less tribal and more ........united (sorry) but, I suspect the ticket sales for Game 5 have also been influenced by a greater push in demand west of Nhill (less time constraints travel wise over Easter and this being the absolute end of the line for what has been a great series).

I was at Game 3 so I will be noting with interest whether Sixer fans are more apparent in numbers this week.

"But if you're a basketball person first and foremost- as I am- you have to thank him for what he's poured into the sport"

Thanks LK, for ensuring I'm not part of the same fan base as LV

We'll never know. They were never given a chance to stand up and be counted

Thats a shame

Hisense is not a great basketball viewing venue. Perth, the Gong, the arena are better places to watch the game from Gold or better seating. Silver and bronze are better than Hisense as well.

Going forward, Melbourne you need a basketball stadium that holds >10k. Not a multipurpose venue that is predominantly a cycling track / tennis court.

Strange that none of these games were scheduled for RLA. Wasn't there talk a couple of years ago about grand final games potentially being there if Melbourne made it?

Agreed that Hisense isn't a great bball viewing venue. It's a velodrome.

MCA and RLA are better.

Given crowds averaged 7,400 last year and 8,200 this season, I wonder if another increase might see games eventually held at RLA?

Cram- So salty. I feel sorry for you. Genuinely.

You are still a part of the same supporter group as me though- Saints. And if anything happened to them, I'd be distraught. So I do empathise- even though I don't feel same re: Tigers/United.

Damn, I was hoping that the Saints supporting the pride game would turn you off them LV, since ya know, the gays are destroying society and all.

No need to feel sorry for me. I have a good life. This is just one sore point that would really just be the difference between a very good list of teams to follow and a perfect one. One can strive for perfection without being unhappy about what you already have.

Spot on- I hope the new 2019/20 franchise plays at MCA. Great little stadium to watch bball in.

Cram, it does frustrate me that the club gets involved in politics but there are two complicating factors:

1. It isn't just St Kilda- it's the entire AFL who is increasingly getting involved in all kinds of political issues. Typically gross hypocrisy emerges. As just one example, consider Eddie McGuire's gaff on Queens Birthday 2016 and Gil McLachlan's response. Consider the absolute epic level of hypocrisy involved by the footy public, crucifying Eddie then tuning into Wayne Carey every weekend. Consider the epic hypocrisy of both the AFL and Collingwood- who think nothing of taking millions of dollars of dirty money from The United Arab Emirates but want to drag Eddie over the coals for a joke.

Mind boggling. But it's only one example where the AFL got involved in politics.

2. I understand why St Kilda does it. It's a strategy to diversify and build their brand. It's a competitive environment. It's a strategy that has potentially more reward than risk so, personal misgivings aside, to the extent that it helps the club I can understand and support it (or at least not openly criticise too much).

I mean, Cram, I am a little conflicted as a Saints fan. I feel some cognitive dissonance...

Two inconvenient truths

1. St Kilda receives massive handouts from the AFL each year. It's a socialist system.

2. That entire system thrives off the backs of broken families, with AFL clubs taking a combined, whopping $94 million from pokies per year. Hawthorn alone takes $20 million.

So to me,

1. The AFL has no business moralising on anything, when their whole business is built on something that is morally questionable.

2. St Kilda benefits from all of this.

So I feel a bit...uncomfortable.

But I also think footy is a great thing for the community as a whole.

It's a tough one.

Anyway, this got way off topic. Sorry all!

Ah, your usual mental gymnastics then.

And its the AFL that is full hypocrisy haha

At least they're remotely interesting gymnastics!

L 'Casper "Impeccable Defence" Ware' V.

Life is complex, not simple.

I think there should be *some* restrictions imposed on gambling advertising, and I'd like to see the AFL take *some* steps to reduce reliability on pokies.

Exactly what those steps are and exactly where the balance is, I don't know.

Would I still support this if I became convinced that it meant St Kilda was likely to go broke in the long term?

That's a genuine moral dilemma. I honestly don't know what my answer is.

It's not "mental gymnastics" unless you're a simpleton who sees everything in black and white. It's called thoughtfully considering a difficult moral question.

PS: Casper does have impeccable defense!

I believe I said impeccable fundamentals.

At 5 foot 10, he does a pretty good job at that end of the court I reckon.

I don't disagree with anything you said about the gambling issues.