WNBA Finals: Valkyries Near Title as Dream Challenge Game 6 Scheduling

Atlanta arrived home for Game 3 with the WNBA Finals level after winning Game 2, according to ABC Top Stories. The Dream then produced the series' most emphatic result in the supplied coverage, beating Golden State 97-71 to take a 2-1 lead.

Angel Reese finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Sky Sports reported. Al Jazeera described her as the first woman to record double-doubles in each of three consecutive WNBA Finals games. Atlanta was two wins from the championship.

Coverage published October 22 captured Atlanta's momentum after Game 3. CBS Sports called Reese the frontrunner for Finals MVP, while Guardian Sport described the Dream's first home Finals game in 13 years as a hometown spectacle.

On October 24, Golden State changed the series with a 67-62 Game 4 victory. Gabby Williams scored 17 points, and the Valkyries' defense helped level the best-of-seven series at 2-2, according to Sky Sports.

That same day, CBS Sports reported that Game 6's venue was unresolved because the Atlanta Hawks were already scheduled to play Thursday night at State Farm Arena.

On October 26, ESPN reported the solution: Game 6 would stay at State Farm Arena but start at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. The Cavaliers-Hawks game would move back to 8 p.m. Eastern.

Golden State then won Game 5 in San Francisco, 64-55, taking a 3-2 series lead. In coverage published October 27, CBC Top Stories reported that Kiah Stokes contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, putting the Valkyries one victory from a championship in their second season.

Atlanta also challenged the officiating after the loss. CBS Sports reported criticism from Reese and Karl Smesko, with Smesko objecting to the contact allowed against Reese.

Golden State has won two straight games since Atlanta took its 2-1 lead. The Valkyries can clinch their first championship in Game 6; the Dream must win to force a seventh game. Al Jazeera credited Golden State's strong defense with stifling Atlanta in Game 5.

The venue question is settled, but the dispute over timing is not. On October 28, ESPN reported that the Dream said its concerns about finding an available Finals venue had gone unheeded. In a letter to the city, the team said the 12:30 p.m. arrangement was "not what we fought for."

Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday, October 29, at State Farm Arena. Atlanta needs to reverse a sharp scoring decline: it scored 97 points in Game 3, then 62 and 55 in consecutive losses, according to Sky Sports, Sky Sports and CBC Top Stories.

The lunchtime start also remains a point of contention. CNBC International reported that Atlanta criticized the league over the schedule, while Mashable Tech described fans' concerns about watching during working hours.