Atlanta's Dream say their worries about a finals home court were brushed aside as they chase a crucial Game 6 against Golden State.
The Atlanta Dream are heading into a pivotal WNBA Finals Game 6 against the Golden State Valkyries with a grievance: they say their warnings about finding a proper home venue went unheeded. Tip-off is set for a 12:30pm Thursday start, and the scheduling has become a story of its own.
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The issue comes down to space. The Dream's regular home, Gateway Center Arena, holds only about 3,500 fans. With interest in the team surging during the finals, that simply wasn't going to work, so Atlanta has staged its two home games so far at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, which seats more than 17,000.
That move gave the Dream a far bigger stage, but it came with a catch. The Hawks have an NBA game scheduled at the same arena on Thursday, and it could not be moved. That leaves the Dream with the early afternoon slot for a game with a championship on the line.
The Dream's message is that the situation was foreseeable and they raised it in advance. Now the focus shifts to the court, where Atlanta and Golden State meet in a high-stakes Game 6 in front of a much larger crowd than Gateway Center could ever hold.
