10/26/2026 05:39:00
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10/26 17:37 CDT Atlanta gets home matinee for Game 6 of WNBA Finals against
Valkyries as NBA keeps primetime slot
Atlanta gets home matinee for Game 6 of WNBA Finals against Valkyries as NBA
keeps primetime slot
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
The WNBA has moved Game 6 of the Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden
State Valkyries to a 12:30 p.m. EDT tipoff Thursday at the home area of the
Atlanta Hawks so that the NBA can keep its previously scheduled primetime
contest that day.
The WNBA worked with the NBA to move the game to State Farm Arena, where Games
3 and 4 of the championship series were played.
The Hawks have a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that night that couldn't
be moved to another date or place. The only way they could make it work was to
play the early afternoon game. The Hawks' game against the Cavaliers was moved
back an hour.
"The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games
3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we're excited to give thousands more
fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line,"
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday. "We thank the NBA, Dream,
Valkyries, Hawks, State Farm Arena and USA Network for the collaboration and
flexibility that made this move possible. We look forward to delivering another
unforgettable Finals experience in Atlanta."
Game 5 was set to start at 8 p.m. EDT Monday night at Chase Center in San
Francisco.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase downplayed the difficulty of adjusting to the
early tipoff for Game 6.
"What's amazing is we're always prepped for anything," Nakase said. "So we've
already scheduled. Made it really intentional. Main thing, rest and recover as
best we can. We've had six games in 10 days during the regular season. So yeah,
it's really not affecting us. It's just more we can control what we can control
and that's rest and recovery."
Added Nakase when asked about remaining grounded through the series: "I just
think we're built for this. I think you can throw anything at our team, our
organization, and we're built for it. We like things that are hard for some
reason. We love challenges."
Because the State Farm Arena court will have to be changed for Thursday night's
Hawks game, the floor may have to be cleared quickly, even though there could
be a celebration for a series-clinching win.
"We're not really thinking about that right now," Golden State guard Veronica
Burton said. "Just focus on this game today and again, control what we can
control. So right now it's just Game 5 mentality."
By playing Game 6 in the Hawks' arena, the Dream can have more than 17,000
fans. Their usual home, Gateway Center Arena in suburban College Park, Georgia,
seats about 3,500.
Games 3 and 4 were sold out. Fans bought tickets quickly for Thursday's game,
with more than 10,000 sold in the first 90 minutes they were on sale, according
to a Dream spokesperson.
"Super excited that the game will be at State Farm," Atlanta guard Jordin
Canada said. "The crowd has shown up and showed out."
Dream coach Karl Smesko said the only thing that would change with the early
tip was that neither team would have a shootaround.
"I don't care if we're playing at 8 a.m., 10 p.m., midnight, we got a
championship to win," Dream guard Allisha Gray said.
It was the third time in the series that the WNBA made accommodations for the
Dream to be able to play at the bigger arena. Game 3 was moved up a day to last
Wednesday and Saturday's contest started at 1 p.m. EDT so the Hawks could still
host their home opener that night against Houston.
That game was moved back 30 minutes to allow more time for the arena staff to
change the building over for the Hawks contest. Now there potentially could be
a champion crowned that day so there will be more time between games.
"When we were done (changing the court after Game 4), I texted our CEO and I
said, ?Hey, if you need us to do it again, we're ready to go,'" State Farm
Arena chief facilities officer Amanda Mann said.
The NBA and WNBA explored options to keep the game in primetime. Both the Hawks
and Cavaliers play Wednesday night, so they couldn't play earlier Thursday.
After the first two games of the series drew record ratings, it's likely that
viewership will take a hit with the early start time. The game will tip at 9:30
a.m. local time in San Francisco.
While the league didn't know until last Saturday that there would definitely be
a Game 6 played in Atlanta, a contingency plan could have been put in place a
long time ago by Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The eight playoff
teams were known in early September, before the WNBA paused its season for the
women's FIBA World Cup.
Part of the issue is that unlike the Valkyries, who are controlled by Golden
State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, the Dream and Hawks are owned by different
groups. Also, with NBC and USA Sports broadcasting the games this year, WNBA
Finals games are on different nights then they have been in previous years.
In the past, games wouldn't be played on a Monday night --- like Game 5 will be
--- because of the NFL contract that ESPN has. They also wouldn't be played on
a Saturday, the day that Games 3 and 7 would be played, because of ESPN's
college football contracts.
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AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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See AP's full WNBA coverage here
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