The Atlanta Dream’s must-win WNBA Finals Game 6 got bumped to a ridiculous 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, and their ownership group is *not* holding back about it. This isn’t just a minor schedule tweak, folks. This is a Finals game, moved to the middle of a workday, and the Dream owners are making it loud and clear they think the league dropped the ball hard.
Midday Tip-Off and Months of Warnings Ignored
In an open letter to Atlanta and the Dream’s fans, the ownership group flat out stated they raised concerns about scheduling conflicts at State Farm Arena *months ago*. They said those warnings “did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved.” Talk about frustrating, right? They’re on the biggest stage, in a must-win situation, and their home game is now in the early afternoon. The letter specifically calls out that “playing a midday game on a Thursday is not what we would have chosen and not what we fought for.” You can practically feel the steam coming off that statement. It sounds like they believe their incredible run to the Finals wasn’t fully accounted for by the league when scheduling happened.
Arena Conflicts and “No Good Options”
So, why the midday madness? The Dream’s usual home, Gateway Center Arena, only holds 3,500 fans. For a Finals game, that’s just not gonna cut it, which is why all five of their postseason games, including this one, have been played at the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. The issue? Scheduling conflicts, pure and simple. We already saw it with Games 3 and 4: Game 3 had to move from Oct. 22 to Oct. 21 to avoid a concert, and Game 4 got moved up to 1 p.m. ET for a doubleheader with a Hawks-Rockets game. Now, with the Hawks also playing home games on both Wednesday and Thursday, the league apparently had “no good options” but to play Game 6 in the afternoon to keep it at the larger State Farm Arena. It’s a real mess, showing a major lack of foresight for a league’s championship series.
This whole situation makes something abundantly clear, as the Dream ownership put it: “the Atlanta Dream has earned the right to be taken seriously.” They thanked their fans for being patient, flexible, and navigating all the hurdles. They know the city and the fans will still fill the building, even on a workday, a school day, in the early afternoon. That kind of commitment from the fans and the team’s incredible performance deserves better scheduling and more respect from the league. They’re playing for a championship, and that should be the absolute priority.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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