The excitement is palpable in the Alamo City as the Spurs advance throughout the playoffs, with honking and freebies taking over. A new ranking has taken notice, naming San Antonio among the most exciting cities to be in during the NBA.
BonusFinder took into account all 27 cities with teams in either the NBA and NHL playoffs, ranking them using TripAdvisor data on metrics like budget hotel availability, sports bars, clubs and bars, casinos, amusement parks, water parks and extreme tours. Cities were given a score out of 10 in each category, for a maximum score of 70. San Antonio notched a 14.27, landing it in seventh place overall.
According to BonusFinder, San Antonio is actually “one of the most underrated cities in the playoff field” for a few reasons. It fell to San Francisco for the sixth-place spot by less than a tenth of a point, putting it within scratching distance of the top five. Additionally, the city listed 127 budget hotels on TripAdvisor, making for “strong affordability, a genuine entertainment district on the River Walk, and family attractions that most comparably ranked cities can’t match. For fans watching the budget, it’s the most compelling case outside of Houston.”
Here are the numbers: San Antonio had 127 budget hotels on TripAdvisor, the second most in the playoff field. There were more affordable accommodations than in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and all the other top 10 cities. Visitors can hit up 120 bars and clubs, many of them within a reasonable distance of the Frost Bank Center or along the River Walk, and BonusFinder counted 25 sports bars. Additionally, there were two water parks and 10 amusement parks, including SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, “reflecting the city’s broader family tourism infrastructure.”
So, what drags the Alamo City down for playoff energy? San Antonio has no casinos or area sportsbook, according to the ranking — commercial casinos gaming is illegal in Texas outside of Native American casinos or slot machine establishments, and the Lone Star State is notorious for its strict gambling laws. Maybe that’s why Las Vegas came in first with a 38.22 score — if you’re looking for gambling, you’ll certainly find it there.
San Antonio fell to this Texas city in the ranking, but the Spurs remain victorious
At the time of writing, the Houston Rockets are hanging in there against the Los Angeles Lakers, but H-Town blasted far ahead of San Antonio in the ranking with a 21.39 score. Gambling (but also affordability) propelled Houston to fourth place, as it had 246 budget hotels on TripAdvisor, more than double that of the Alamo City and more than every city on the list combined. BonusFinder also found 43 sports bars, 256 clubs and bars and seven casinos in the area.
Maybe Houston has more playoff energy, but the Spurs still demolished the Rockets in three of their four match-ups this season, so who’s really on top?