The Atlanta Dream earned a spot in the WNBA Finals several days ago, and while their road games against the Golden State Valkyries are set, the Dream are still searching for a suitable venue to host their home games.
They currently play home games at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. However, the venue's 3,500-seat capacity significantly limits how many fans can watch the Dream compete for their first WNBA championship.
They had hoped that Atlanta's State Farm Arena could host the event, per USA Today's Meghan L. Hall, as it currently allows for over 17,000 people to attend games. However, it's also the home arena of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and provides a major venue for concerts and other big events.
Those are the major roadblocks to the Dream's attempt to play games at State Farm. The arena has a concert and two of the Hawks' regular-season games on the days when the WNBA Finals games would need to be there.
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The WNBA Finals tip off on Saturday, Oct. 17, with the higher-seeded Golden State Valkyries hosting Game 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET. They'll host Game 2 on Monday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. ET, with both games being played at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
However, Game 3 is in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. ET. Unfortunately for the Dream, the musical artist SOMBR is performing that evening at State Farm Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Game 4 is on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. ET, but the Hawks host their NBA regular-season home opener against the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. that night.
While it might not be impossible to have two basketball games back-to-back, it could bring serious logistical challenges when it comes to the court, the arena operations, and spectators.
With the Finals being a best-of-seven series, a four-game sweep would eliminate the need for additional games. If necessary, Game 5 would return to Golden State on Oct. 26. Game 6 would return to Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. ET, but the Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET.
If necessary, the series would return to San Francisco on Oct. 31 for a decisive Game 7 of the WNBA Finals.
The Valkyries, featuring stars Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and Kayla Thornton, reached the WNBA Finals in just their second season as a franchise. They swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, 3-0, last week in a best-of-five semifinals series.
The Dream were able to play their semifinal games against the Liberty at State Farm Arena, with road games at Madison Square Garden, giving some large venues for fans to watch the action unfold. Atlanta won their series in a sweep, 3-0.
Golden State's home venue for the WNBA Finals, the Chase Center, hosts 18,064 fans, providing a much larger stage for the series considering the league's growing popularity.
Unfortunately, if the Dream are forced to play home games at the Gateway Center throughout the WNBA Finals, it could feel quite underwhelming as they try to win their first championship.
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