After negotiations reportedly described as "tense," the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries learned they would play Game 6 at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta on Thursday.The game will tip off at 12:30 p.m.
ET, making it a matinee on the East Coast and a breakfast-time start on the West Coast.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.Several Atlanta players downplayed the early start time, instead focusing on the task ahead.The Dream will look to keep their championship hopes alive and a find a way to force a decisive Game 7.
Golden State took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series Monday.The 12:30 p.m.
ET tipoff drew mixed reactions, including from the Dream organization, which viewed the compromise as less than ideal.Courtside seating before Game Three of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream on Oct.21, 2026, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEIn an open letter released Wednesday, the Dream suggested their concerns about finding a venue with enough capacity to host WNBA Finals games "did not receive the attention they deserved." The team also said that moving Game 6 to the early afternoon was "not what we fought for."Dream owners Larry and Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery said the team brought up concerns about potential scheduling conflicts months before the Finals started."Two months ago, when the WNBA finalized playoff dates and times, we raised concerns that the W Finals schedule conflicted with NBA games at State Farm Arena," the letter stated."As we moved through the playoffs, we reiterated those concerns.
Our concerns did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved."All of Atlanta’s home playoff games this postseaso...