SAN FRANCISCO ― The scheduling hurdles of the WNBA Finals leave a lot questions.
There were also a lot of location inquiries around the Atlanta Dream's home venue, Gateway Center Arena, potentially hosting a Finals matchup. The arena seats roughly 3,500-plus people, would make a hosting a potential championship series game there les than ideal.
It also would a be a stark contrast to Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Valkyries, which seats more than 18,000 people. Before the WNBA Finals began, the WNBA,NBA and both teams were able to move Games 3 and 4 from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, which holds more than 17,000 people.
However, location and logistics issues for a Game 6 have risen again. Game 6 is currently slated to be at Gateway and not State Farm, leaving a lot more questions about what to do for such a big game.
USA TODAY's Studio IX tackles the questions surrounding Game 6 and shares what we're hearing about the upcoming matchup, slated for Thursday, Oct. 29.
How long has the WNBA known about the Finals scheduling issues?
Multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY the potential scheduling issues for Dream Finals games were raised "weeks ago" when it became apparent that Atlanta would likely make the playoffs. It's USA TODAY's understanding that it was then brought up again after the team secured its postseason spot.
Why is the location for WNBA Finals Game 6 still up in the air?
After overcoming scheduling issues for Game 3 and Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, the date for Game 3 was changed from Thursday, Oct. 22 to Wed. Oct. 21, to accommodate the venue change from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Aren. Game 4's date remained unchanged on Oct. 24, with the tipoff time has moved to 1 p.m. ET from its original 3:30 p.m. The move was made to accommodate an Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm the same day. The Hawks game has been moved from an 8 p.m. ET start to an 8:30 p.m. tipoff.
A potential Game 6 (8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 29), is currently scheduled to be at the Dream's home venue, Gateway Center Arena. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY before the WNBA Finals began that additional discussions could happen to assess whether that facility would remain the venue of choice for Game 6.
Now, with Game 6 approaching, it could prove more complicated to move. As of this publication, barring a last-second change by the WNBA, Game 6 is currently scheduled to be played at the Gateway Center Arena, multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation tell USA TODAY Sports.
It remains unclear where all parties will eventually land. A WNBA spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports in a statement: "We continue to explore all options."
The Hawks plan to host the Cleveland Cavaliers the same day as Game 6 (Thurs. Oct. 29) and moving that game would require more changes, including moving the Cavaliers vs. Hawks game to an entirely different day (causing a potential logistical pileup, pending location of the game). The option to move Game 6 for the Valkyries and Dream also hangs in the balance.
State Farm Arena is currently open on Friday, Oct. 30, if Game 6 were to get moved to that date. However, with a potential Game 7 scheduled at Chase Center in San Francisco for Saturday, Oct. 31, Game 7 would also have to be moved to create enough space in between games.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 appears to be the likely target for Game 7 if the date changes. The Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Nov. 1 and the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Nov. 2.
Were other venue options explored for WNBA Finals games?
After making the WNBA Finals, the Dream hoped to play at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. This year, the team hosted six regular-season contests and three postseason games at the venue. Still, initial talks to move Finals games to State Farm were unsuccessful before Tuesday, Oct. 13, due to scheduling conflicts with a concert and two Atlanta Hawks games.
The Dream attempted to explore other venue options in the Atlanta area for Game 3 and 4, such as Gas South Arena (up to 13,000 seats) and Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion (8,600 seats), but were unsuccessful in securing those venues.
Why don't the Atlanta Dream play at State Farm arena?
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Atlanta Dream announced it will call State Farm Arena, which is operated by the Atlanta Hawks, home next year. The move was part of a multi-year agreement with the facility to host home games and amid record growth for the league. Next season, the WNBA will move to 50 games and State Farm will host the Dream's 25 home contests.
The Dream sold out every game during the last three seasons at its current home, Gateway Center Arena, which seats 3,500-plus patrons. Within that same span, Atlanta played multiple games at State Farm, which seats just north of 17,000 people, including six regular-season matchups, three playoff games and two Finals games.
Atlanta, which joined the league as an expansion franchise in 2008, began its WNBA tenure at Philips Arena (now renamed State Farm Arena) the same year and played at the venue through the 2016 season. It then spent two seasons at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion from 2017-2018 before returning to State Farm in 2019. Following the 2019 season, the Dream moved to Gateway Center in 2020, where it has played seven seasons.
In addition to playing games at State Farm, the Dream are also exploring plans for a women's specific arena in Atlanta in the future.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA Finals Game 6 venue remains uncertain. What we're hearing