Facing elimination at a lunchtime tipoff, Atlanta flipped the script, beat Golden State 80-69 and set up the first Game 7 the WNBA has ever seen.
History is officially on the schedule. The Atlanta Dream refused to go quietly on Thursday, dismantling the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 to level the WNBA Finals at 3-3 and force the first Game 7 the league has ever staged.
The setting was unusual, a lunchtime tipoff, and the stakes were as high as they get. One more loss would have ended Atlanta's season. Instead, the Dream played like a team that had no interest in a farewell, turning what could have been a curtain call into a statement afternoon.
The key was the offense. Atlanta had looked short of rhythm when the pressure was heaviest, but it rediscovered its touch at exactly the right moment. The shots fell, the Valkyries were pushed onto the back foot, and an 11-point margin made it a comfortable, convincing result in a game with everything on the line.
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Now it comes down to one night. Game 7 tips off Saturday, with the title going to the winner and nothing left for either side to save. Golden State has to regroup quickly after being outplayed, while Atlanta arrives with momentum and the confidence of a team that has already survived elimination once. A best-of-seven that has gone the distance for the first time in WNBA history deserves nothing less.
