The New York Knicks' long-awaited return since 1999 to the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden is making history before tipoff even arrives.

According to TickPick, Monday night's Game 3 between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs has become the most expensive NBA game ever on the secondary ticket market. 

The cheapest available ticket is listed at $11,461—yes, you read that right—while the least expensive seat for Game 4 on Wednesday sits at $13,065. 

Insane.

Combined, it would cost a single fan more than $24,500 to attend both Games 4 and 5 at MSG if you want to go the cheapest route.

The record-setting prices come as the Knicks return home with a commanding 2-0 lead in the series after winning both opening games in San Antonio. 

Now, the franchise has an opportunity to take one step closer to capturing its first NBA championship since 1973 before a sold-out crowd at MSG.

For Knicks fans, this moment has been 52 years in the making.

The organization has not hosted an NBA Finals game since 1999, when the eighth-seeded Knicks made a Cinderella run to the championship round before falling to the Spurs.

The combination of the team's success, the historic significance of the moment, and the unmatched atmosphere at MSG has created unprecedented demand.

As a result, ticket prices have climbed to levels never before seen for an NBA game.

Even upper-level seats are carrying five-figure price tags, leaving many fans to decide whether witnessing history in person is worth the premium.

The excitement surrounding the series has only intensified after New York stunned San Antonio by taking the first two games on the road.

The Knicks now have a chance to seize full control of the Finals with another victory Monday night before another home game in Game 4.

A win would put New York just one victory away from bringing the Larry O'Brien Trophy back to the city and ending one of the longest championship droughts in American sports, especially one for a major city.

Whether fans are watching from courtside, the upper deck, or from home, Game 3 is expected to deliver one of the most memorable nights in MSG history.

The astronomical ticket prices are simply another reminder of how much this opportunity means to one of basketball's most passionate fan bases.

With history on the line and a championship potentially within reach, demand has reached unprecedented heights, cementing Knicks-Spurs Game 3 as the most expensive NBA game ever for fans hoping to be inside the arena.