The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries may be forced to play Game 6 of the WNBA Finals at a tiny 3,500-capacity arena.
The series is locked at 2-2 after four pulsating games and the Valkyries’ 67-62 win on Saturday has ensured a Game 6 will be required back in Atlanta.
However, unless the teams and WNBA can agree another last-minute change for that game, the Dream will be forced to host their rivals at the smaller Gateway Arena.
The WNBA has already rejigged the schedule to allow the Dream to play Games 3 and 4 at Atlanta’s 17,000-capacity State Farm Arena.
While Game 6 is currently scheduled for Thursday night at 8pm ET, Front Office Sports has reported the WNBA has not yet decided on its location. ESPN also reported that ‘furious negotiations’ spilled into Sunday morning.
They involved the NBA and Atlanta Hawks too because they are due to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night at State Farm Arena.
Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream’s WNBA Finals Game 6 may be held at a smaller arena
The Dream may have to play at the less-inspiring Gateway Center Arena, which holds 3,500
They hoped to play at the bigger State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks
A Dream spokesperson said Sunday: ‘We are waiting to hear from the league if any changes can be made to allow us to play in State Farm Arena. If not, the game will be played in Gateway Center Arena.’
ESPN reported that the NBA has been working with the Hawks and Cavaliers to see whether that game could be rescheduled or shifted to Cleveland. However, there are multiple logistical issues with that possibility.
The Dream’s move to State Farm Arena for the Finals caused a major scheduling issue on Saturday with the Hawks also playing on the same day.
The WNBA moved the game from 3:30 to 1pm, and the Hawks slid their game back from 8pm to 8:30 to allow enough time for the arena staff to change the court.
Approximately 2,500 staff members worked across the two events, helping with a changeover the arena estimated would take three to three-and-a-half hours.
‘From the court to the concourses it’s a total building reset in order to welcome our Hawks fans back into our world class venue,’ said Amanda Mann, chief facilities officer for the Hawks and State Farm Arena.
It has proved to be a controversial WNBA Finals so far with players from both teams leaving the court and returning to the locker room for the national anthem.
The controversial decision has been met with fan fury and even drew the ire of Donald Trump, who warned ‘they’ll destroy themselves before they get started.’
Ahead of Game 4 of the series on Saturday night, both Dream head coach Karl Smesko and Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase were asked about the decision.
Throughout the series, both sets of players have exited the court during the national anthem
Speaking to OutKick, Nakase said: ‘We’re two years in, that’s been part of our pregame. So that’s been our focus. We do our pregame the way we decided to do it.
‘Like I just mentioned, we are locked in focused on the details, learning from our losses, and focused on how we can get better and make sure we win Game 4.’
When pressed on who made the executive decision for the team to be off the court, she added: ‘I really don’t know. I understand your question, I’m not trying to not answer your question – it’s just part of our pre-game.’
Meanwhile, when the matter was put to Dream head coach Smesko, he said: ‘We’re just kind of focused on the Finals and getting prepared to beat Golden State.’
