Dream force Game 7 after 80-69 win over Valkyries
The series finale follows a 12:30 p.m. start time that drew criticism for being scheduled around an NBA game.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
The Atlanta Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 on Thursday to force a deciding Game 7 in the 2026 WNBA Finals.
The match was played at 12:30 p.m. EST, a midday slot that generated immediate backlash from fans and former players. The schedule was determined by a conflict with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, who were set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. EST that same night. Rather than moving the NBA team's game, the league placed the championship game in the afternoon.
The scheduling issue began earlier this month when the Dream's home venue, the 5,000-seat Gateway Center Arena, was deemed too small for finals demand. On Oct. 13, the WNBA announced that Games 3 and 4 would move to State Farm Arena, which seats nearly 17,000 people and serves as the Hawks' home. This larger venue became necessary for the final games of the series, creating the calendar clash that resulted in the 12:30 p.m. start time for Game 6.
Chiney Ogwumike, an ESPN basketball analyst and former WNBA player, criticized the timing on television this week. "The players, the fans deserve this being in primetime. The fact that this was dealt with so last-minute is an epic fail," she said. Social media users also reacted strongly, with one viral TikTok post describing the start time as "quite literally insane."
The Dream's team owners published an open letter to Atlanta this week, assigning responsibility for the scheduling conflict to the WNBA. The letter stated that the team had raised the issue months in advance, noting that their concerns "did not receive the attention, the urgency that they deserved." The WNBA has not issued a public response to the criticism.
Despite the unconventional start time, the arena was sold out for Thursday's contest. The series has also drawn large television audiences, with Game 4 becoming the most-watched WNBA Finals game in history, attracting nearly 2 million viewers.
The series resumes with Game 7, the final game of the best-of-seven competition between Atlanta and Golden State.
