Seat location

[cordobes]

This issue was raised in a conversation I was having with a brilliant basketball mind and writer and I'm now curious to know your opinion. Are you, as a fan attending a ball game, willing to sacrifice closeness to the floor in order to stay nearer the midcourt? Or you'd rather sit under the basket but in the 1st row instead of much further away from the action but in the midcourt?

Personally, I put some importance on getting a location near the midcourt and closeness to the floor is not important to me at all (my experience with live attendance of NBA games is very limited and I was never even remotely close to the floor in those I attended; I feel that in order to be in the lower rows of a NBA game I'd be willing to sacrifice some midcourt proximity, but still not a lot of it - and probably just because of the value of a new experience).

What's your personal preference? What's your midcourt-floor tradeoff?

[Fafnir]

I just went to a game where I was at an angle that wasn't the best. We couldn't see if the ball was going in on the near basket at times. I will definitely pay for midcourt seats next time my family goes to a Celtics game.

I would like to get near the court for a game or two just for the experience though. I've only been to two NBA games though, so any game is awesome right now. I just wish the C's had pulled out the game in Chicago with me watching on.

Everytime I go to Chicago to see one of my teams they lose. The Cubs, the Bears, and now the Celtics.

[Greenbean]

I have literally sat EVERYWHERE in the Garden and I can tell you from experience that in the lower sections, being behind the basket or even the corners is awful. You really cannot see half of the action on one side of the court. Low middle rows is an unbelievable experience. The view is great and you get to really get a feel for the intensity of the competition. Also, it gets much louder in the lower bowl.

As far as the balcony goes, I really have no preference. Obviously behind the baskets are cheaper but I find that being so high up I can see every inch of the court no matter where the seat is.

Also just a tip, I have gotten some amazing seats this year buying tickets online the day of the game. They were mostly middle of the week matchups with teams like the pacers but nonetheless, if you want to sit really close and not go broke, then its worth a check if you are in the area. Put it this way, I sat NEXT to the celts bench this year for 50 bucks. They were playing the knicks too.

[nickagneta]

I've sat all over both the balcony and the lower bowl in both the TD Banknorth Garden and the old Boston Garden. I only mention the old Garden because unless you were seasted between the baskets in the loge or first balcony, I wouldn't pay for a seat. The seats were often no pointed in the right direction or had horrible sightlines or obstructed views. But if you were anywhere along the sides between the baskets, the seats were the best for watching basketball anywhere ever. You were right on top of the action. The first row or two of the balconey at midcourt was the bomb. You were right over the court. I mean it felt like you were literally hanging over it. It was awesome.


In the TD Banknorth Garden, anyplace in the balconey is really a good seat because you can see everything. I like the balconey in the TD Banknorth Garden, anywhere, but midcourt is great. The sightline makes you feel like you're watching the game on TV because it's at the same distance and angle. On the floor if you aren't on the side or in the first two rows, don't waste your money, especially if you take a person that isn't tall. Often people are in your way and you can't see the whole court. Behind the baskets on the bowl is a waste of money. For being that far away, save the cash and get the balcony. Loge in the lower bowl anywhere between the baskets are probably the best seats with the best value. You see the whole court and can hear and feel everything. You get so much a feel of what's happening that is missing in the balcony and the extra cost is worth every penny.

[Steve Weinman]

This issue was raised in a conversation I was having with a brilliant basketball mind and writer and I'm now curious to know your opinion. Are you, as a fan attending a ball game, willing to sacrifice closeness to the floor in order to stay nearer the midcourt? Or you'd rather sit under the basket but in the 1st row instead of much further away from the action but in the midcourt?

Personally, I put some importance on getting a location near the midcourt and closeness to the floor is not important to me at all (my experience with live attendance of NBA games is very limited and I was never even remotely close to the floor in those I attended; I feel that in order to be in the lower rows of a NBA game I'd be willing to sacrifice some midcourt proximity, but still not a lot of it - and probably just because of the value of a new experience).

What's your personal preference? What's your midcourt-floor tradeoff?

As you might have guessed, cordobes, I'm right with you.  Again, in an extreme situation - i.e. literally being "on the floor," I can appreciate the value of mere closeness to the game from any angle.  But unless we're talking about something legitimately in the first few rows, I'd rather be as close to the middle of the floor as possible.

The corners are actually underrated (they aren't as bad as you might think, especially as you go higher - as Nick alludes), but unless I'm all the way up top or all the way down, I want very little part of being behind the basket.

-sw

[RAcker]

I sat in the third row right next to the C's tunnel back in the fall when I was up in Boston (the Calderon finger waving game) and it was almost too close.  We strained to see the other end of the floor at times.  I literally sat on the seat back most of the game.  Still, awesome to sit that close.  I'll do it on the opposite side from the benches next time around.