Less red, more green! Bucks officials restrict who can buy tickets for Bucks/Bulls Game 6
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Chicago Bulls at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Game 6 of the NBA playoffs -- and Bucks officials want to see less red and more green on Thursday, April 30th! In an effort to ensure Bucks fans outnumber their rivals to the south, the team is restricting who can buy tickets for Game 6.
If you try to purchase tickets for Thursday night's game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center Box Office, you'll need a valid Wisconsin ID. If you try buying them online, the billing address must be in Wisconsin.
Bucks officials say they're just taking care of the team's fans, and they want to make sure that Game 6 feels like a home game.
"There wasn`t anything specific. It was really just us talking and seeing what we can do to reward those fans who have been with us throughout the season and create that atmosphere for what`s gonna be a huge game to try to send it back to Chicago for Game 7," Bucks VP Of Marketing Dustin Godsey said.
During a pre-sale period, the Bucks are only selling tickets to Wisconsin residents.
Alec Paget bought his tickets on Tuesday, April 28th, and says he has mixed feelings about the thousands of Chicago fans who invaded the BMO Harris Bradley Center earlier in the series.
"It`s annoying, but it`s also kind of fun. It`s kind of like an NCAA Tournament game with both fan bases going back and forth, chanting at each other," Paget said.
"If people really want to come, they're going to get tickets somehow, you know? It's just gonna happen," James Bryce Jr. with TicketKing said.
Bryce Jr. says he'll benefit from Chicago fans having to find tickets on the secondary market. Even with the restrictions, he says he expects to see a fair amount of red in the stands on Thursday.
"They really support their team , so you`re gonna see a decent number of Bulls fans," Bryce Jr. said.
Bucks officials say it's not about keeping Bulls fans out, but rather, getting Bucks fans in.
"Chicago fans are still gonna find their way up for Game 6 Thursday," Godsey said.
The Bucks have extended the Wisconsin-only presale until noon Wednesday.
Additionally, on Wednesday, the team rewarded the first 50 fans who pledged to "go green" with a free pair of tickets to Game 6.
Here’s how it worked: When the Bucks Pro Shop in the BMO Harris Bradley Center opened its doors at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, the first 50 fans who showed up with an item of red Bucks gear had the opportunity to exchange it for a green 2015 Bucks Playoffs T-shirt and a free pair of tickets to Game 6.
"We've seen incredible buzz from the time of the final buzzer Monday night after Game 6 was clinched -- the community really coming together in this playoffs in support of the team. We just wanted to find a way to reward some of those fans and come on down and spread that excitement a little bit," Bucks VP of Marketing Dustin Godsey said.
Bucks line for free tickets