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NEW YORK \u2014 The hunt for Knicks tickets has created a cutthroat Hunger Games<\/a>\u2013like competition during this week\u2019s NBA Finals. But Hollywood stars and Wall Streeters pursuing Celebrity Row seats at Madison Square Garden should be forewarned: There are some unofficial rules to scoring the ultimate in luxury, courtside seats, say sources.<\/p>\n As the Knicks and Spurs face off at the World\u2019s Most Famous Arena, they\u2019ll be flanked by a few dozen camera-friendly seats that have become known for hosting A-listers like Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/a>, Spike Lee, Kylie Jenner, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, and Fat Joe.<\/p>\n A pass inside the rarefied air of Celebrity Row<\/a> comes with perks\u2014lots of perks\u2014for the rich and famous. They get their own entrance and elevators, so they don\u2019t have to rub elbows with bridge and tunnel hoops fans. They become part of ABC\u2019s coverage as they react to big moments or dodge a lunging Jalen Brunson. Before and after the game, these lucky few get access to MSG\u2019s near-mythical \u201cSuite 200,\u201d<\/a> where they enjoy the finest food and booze while mingling with one another.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very similar to the way the President\u2019s box works in the US Open. It\u2019s invitation only,\u201d says Joe Favorito, the former Knicks PR chief\u2013turned\u2013sports media consultant.<\/p>\n An inscrutable MSG declines to comment on the process for deciding which movie stars, singers, and comedians get comped courtside\u2014and who are turned away. But interviews with former Garden executives and other sources reveal there\u2019s a method to MSG\u2019s madness.<\/p>\n Nothing is spelled out in black and white. But there are some unofficial rules governing Celebrity Row. Beware: If you break them, you could run afoul of Jim Dolan, the Knicks\u2019 mercurial billionaire owner, as well as the internal team that decides who makes the list\u2014and who\u2019s left empty-handed.<\/p>\n In addition to President Donald Trump, several Trump cabinet members, and a deep lineup of Knicks alumni, the usual powerhouse lineup of celebrities was present at Game 3 on Monday night. Stiller, Lee, Morgan, Chalamet, and Fat Joe were joined by Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, DJ Khaled, Larry David, Jon Stewart, Mariska Hartigay, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Michael Rubin, Rahm Emanuel, and Robert Kraft, among other luminaries.<\/p>\n The Garden is famous for the care and feeding of celebrity clientele. But don\u2019t take its largesse for granted. If you make it to Celebrity Row, you\u2019re expected to mostly remain in your seat\u2014within camera range\u2014until the end of the game. <\/p>\n Supermodels Emily Ratajkowski<\/a> and Irina Shayk committed the cardinal sin of leaving their comped seats early during a blowout. Guess what? The Knicks stormed back to beat the Heat. When Ratajkowski asked for free Rangers tickets later, the Garden turned her down flat. \u201cShe was offered, and is welcome, to buy great seats at any time,\u201d a spokesperson told the celebrity.land<\/a>. <\/p>\n To give the beautiful people a nudge that it\u2019s time to return to the hardwood, Suite 200 will flash the lights and stop service before tip-off time and the start of the second half. \u201cThey close down the hospitality stuff before the game starts\u2014so people have to go to their seats,\u201d says Favorito. \u201cIt\u2019s much more like a Broadway show than Yankee Stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing really comes for free at this Eighth Avenue intersection of sports, entertainment, and business. There\u2019s a quid pro quo at work here. If celebs get comped seats, they\u2019re expected to appear on camera and wave to fans on the jumbotron, film promotional videos, or support the Garden of Dreams Foundation.<\/p>\n Four-time Oscar winner Woody Allen may have found out the hard way what happens when you bend the rules. The die-hard Knicks fan had enjoyed the fruits of Suite 200 for years. But Dolan allegedly banned the director<\/a> from the VIP clubhouse after he declined to do promotions for MSG Network.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t even think of trying to give away, or sell, seats controlled by MSG. Favorito says Celebrity Row functions more like a VIP club than a traditional sporting event. If you\u2019re on the list, you\u2019re golden. <\/p>\n But MSG is not happy when invited guests try to play games. \u201cI think you run a tremendous risk, even for a regular-season game, if those tickets aren\u2019t going into the hands of who\u2019s supposed to get them,\u201d warns Favorito.<\/p>\n The Garden is not interested in just any celebrity. They want people like Stiller and Chris Rock, who\u2019ve demonstrated their loyalty to the Knicks. As former MSG executive Chris Weiller<\/a> told The New York Times: \u201cHow deep a fan you are has a lot to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Most Celebrity Row seats are controlled by the Garden. But not all. The NBA gets an allotment. Big Hollywood studios, talent agencies, and blue-chip sponsors buy some of their own. Ditto for famed director Spike Lee, who admitted to ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith he \u201clooks stupid\u201d<\/a> for spending millions on Knicks tickets over the decades. But the Garden curates the entire process. So good luck seeking Celebrity Row seats on your own.<\/p>\n Take the mad scramble for tickets this week as the Knicks seek their first NBA title in 53 years. The scarcity of tickets is driving prices for Games 3 and 4 to astronomical levels. MSG just announced a pair of Celebrity Row tickets for Game 3 fetched a whopping $1 million<\/a> at a charity auction.\u00a0<\/p>\n One last tip: Be careful about criticizing Dolan\u2019s management decisions. Actor Ethan Hawke<\/a> told Bill Simmons he was cut off from the Celebrity Row gravy train for publicly questioning Dolan\u2019s coaching hires.<\/p>\n But Favorito doesn\u2019t blame MSG. After all, if the Garden\u2019s willing to entertain beautiful people like Hawke on its own dime, they expect some appreciation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s the Knicks or the Garden, you\u2019re there as a guest,\u201d Favorito says. \u201cI don\u2019t think you go to a party and all of a sudden take shots at people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nStay in Your Seat<\/h3>\n
Play Ball<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t Give Away Your Seats<\/h3>\n
Knicks Fans Only<\/h3>\n