The Atlanta Dream have proven to be formidable opponents for this year's stellar Golden State Valkyries squad. But with the insultingly and inconveniently scheduled Game 6 now out of the way, it's back to Ballhalla with home court advantage for a historic Game 7.
Yes, the Valkyries fell to the Dream in Thursday's game, which tipped off at 12:30 pm local time in Atlanta and 9:30 am Pacific Time — all because the arena being used, State Farm Arena, was committed with a men's basketball game Thursday night.
It's just as well that the Dream should tie things up with today's lopsided 80-69 win, because the decisive game in this WNBA Finals will move back the Chase Center for a Halloween Saturday night game — the first ever Game 7 in a WNBA Final.
The Dream dominated early, with Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray succeeding from the three-point line and ending the game having scored 21 and 23 points respectively. They helped give the Dream the largest-ever first-quarter lead, 17 points, in WNBA Finals history, as the Chronicle notes.
For the Valkyries, Gabby Williams scored 26 points and Tiffany Hayes added 15 more, helping bring the point deficit down to eight points at one point in the fourth quarter. This was the fifth game in this series in which Hayes scored in the double digits.
Despite struggling in this series show offensive might to match their defense, the Dream succeeded on both fronts in Game 6, handily winning by 11 points and preventing the Valkyries from clinching the series on their turf — and at an hour when many Valkyries fans likely couldn't watch.
As NBC Bay Area reported, the mood stayed bright and it was "a party" at Thrive City, for the official watch party Thursday morning outside the Chase Center, despite the dismal score showing on the screen throughout the game.
"The fans here believe, no matter what the score says," said NBC correspondent Ginger Conejero Saab, reporting from the watch party.
Saturday's historic Game 7 will tip off at 5 pm at the Chase Center, and tickets (verified resale) are currently starting at $442 for that and going up well into the thousands for near-court seats.
"Ballhalla is the place to be for a historic Halloween night, as this will be the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history and regardless of who wins, it will be their first championship in franchise history," the Valkyries' game recap says.
