After days of total uncertainty, the WNBA finally dropped the news: Game 6 of the Finals is locked in for Thursday, October 29th, at State Farm Arena, with a bonkers 12:30 p.m. ET tip-off. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne broke the update on Monday, bringing an end to the frantic search for a venue and time. Seriously, a championship game kicking off mid-day? That’s wild.
The Logistical Nightmare That Got Us Here
So, how did we even get to this point? It turns out, scheduling a WNBA Finals game at the same arena as an NBA team is a massive headache. The Atlanta Dream, who host their playoff games at State Farm Arena because their regular home, Gateway Center Arena, only seats 3,500 fans (State Farm can pack 17,000!), found themselves in a direct conflict. The Atlanta Hawks were already slated to play the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena on Thursday, October 29th, at 7 p.m. ET. The WNBA’s original plan had the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries tipping off Game 6 at 8 p.m. ET that same night. Talk about a scheduling nightmare! This all blew up after the Valkyries evened the series with a 67-62 win in Game 4 on Saturday, making a Game 6 necessary. The league knew it had work to do, but this was a tough one.
“You Just Gotta Do What You Gotta Do”
To solve the gridlock, the league opted for the unprecedented early start. Now, the Dream and Valkyries will battle it out for the championship at 12:30 p.m. ET, clearing the floor for the Hawks and Cavaliers to start their game at 8 p.m. ET. You might think an early tip for the Finals would throw a team off, but not the Dream’s Allisha Gray. When asked about it, she fired back, “I mean, it’s the Finals. You just gotta do what you gotta do. We’re locked in on winning Game 6. I don’t care if we’re playing at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., midnight. We’ve got a championship to win.” Coach Karl Smesko echoed her sentiment, shrugging off any major impact beyond perhaps affecting shootaround. This isn’t even the first time this series has seen scheduling acrobatics. Game 3 was moved up a day and Game 4’s time was adjusted, all to accommodate the Hawks. Both those games at State Farm Arena were total sellouts, proving the demand is there, no matter the time slot.
With Game 6 finally locked in, the two teams can focus entirely on the hardwood. This whole scheduling mess, thankfully, won’t be an issue for long. The Atlanta Dream are set to move their home games to State Farm Arena permanently starting in 2027, which should, presumably, bring an end to these kinds of wild conflicts with the Hawks. But for now, get ready for a championship game kicking off while most of us are still on our lunch break!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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