ATLANTA — Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between Atlanta and Golden State on Thursday is a sellout despite its much-criticized 12:30 p.m. EDT tipoff, the Dream announced Wednesday.
The Valkyries lead the series 3-2 and can clinch their first WNBA title with a win in the matinee at State Farm Arena. The Dream need a win to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in California.
There were concerns the early tipoff would have the teams playing the potentially decisive Finals game in a half-empty arena because of fans having work and school obligations. Instead, the sellout means another Atlanta turnout of approximately 17,000 is expected for the third time in the series.
“I think it’s good,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said Wednesday. "I’m glad we’re at State Farm and they got everything worked out. Everybody understands it’s going to be an early start time. Hopefully the crowd gets there early and is ready to support us to a win.”
The Dream played most of their regular-season home games at Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of about 3,500. On Oct. 6, the team announced it will play all its home games at State Farm Arena beginning next season after landing a multiyear agreement with the venue.
For the Finals, however, the Dream and WNBA have had to negotiate scheduling conflicts because of a concert and NBA Hawks home games at State Farm Arena. Because the Hawks had a home game against Cleveland scheduled for Thursday night, the decision was made to schedule the early tipoff instead of holding a primetime game at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena.
The decision generated criticism of the Dream, the Hawks and the WNBA. The Dream ownership group of Robyn and Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery responded with an open letter to fans on Tuesday. The letter said the league was slow to respond to concerns about scheduling conflicts that were raised two months ago.
“As we moved through the playoffs, we reiterated those concerns,” the owners wrote. “Our concerns did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved. Perhaps it was assumed that the Dream would not make it this far. Perhaps, our place in the Finals was not accounted for. Whatever the reason, the reality is that we are here. We earned our place in the Finals, and our city deserves the opportunity to show up for its team.”
Court transformation II
The decision to keep the game at State Farm Arena means a second court transformation of the Finals. The Hawks moved back the start of their game against the Cavaliers from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. so there will be sufficient time to remove the Dream's court and install the Hawks' court.
The Dream also had an early tipoff for Game 4 at State Farm Arena before the Hawks' night game against Houston.
Winning with defense
The Valkyries vowed to address defensive breakdowns following a 97-71 loss to the Dream in Game 3 that left Atlanta with a 2-1 series lead.
Coach Natalie Nakase, center Kiah Stokes and the Valkyries found a fix, holding Angel Reese and the Dream to their lowest-scoring games of the series in a 67-62 win in Game 4 and a 64-55 win in Game 5.
After opening the Finals with three consecutive double-doubles, Reese has made only two field goals in each of the last two games.
“Just trying to match her minutes," Stokes said Wednesday when asked what changed after Game 3. "I think I’ve done the best job on her compared to all of our bigs in the games, so that was just a personal thing. But I think just the increased pressure, especially around the perimeter, because she’s a great passer. So if we can try to limit her assists, too, it’s good for us.”
The Dream ranked third in the league in scoring with 90.8 points per game. The Valkyries allowed a league-low 75.1 points per game.
Reese promises points will come
Reese said she remains confident in the offense.
“It’s just knowing who we are,” she said. "We watched a lot of film, and the mistakes that we made have really just been us. Kudos to Golden State for their defense for sure, but we’ve gotten a lot of great looks. We just haven’t hit the shot yet. It’s coming. I don’t believe it’s not coming.
“We put the work in every single day, Karl has us the most prepared team, so that’s why we have no doubt. I have no doubt this team will come back and fight back and win this Game 6, and then we’ll go on from there.”
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