League Shifts Finals to Bigger Arena as Dream Lead

The league moved WNBA Finals Games 3 and 4 from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena, taking the Atlanta Dream’s home games from a 3,500-seat venue to one that holds more than 17,000. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Atlanta beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 at State Farm Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Finals.

The Players Took Over

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said his team worked through a rough start after halftime without waiting for him to direct every move. “They pulled together on their own and got it worked out, cleaned it up themselves. They knew what mistakes they were making, and they huddled up. And then they started making plays, and it started. The crowd started getting behind it.”

Angel Reese paced Atlanta with 21 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists and three steals. She hit two 3-pointers and became the first player in WNBA history to post a double-double in each of her first three Finals games. She also became the youngest player in Finals history to record more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, and the only woman to record consecutive double-doubles in her first three Finals games.

In Game 2, which Atlanta won for its first Finals victory, Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. She joined four other Dream players in double figures Wednesday. Rhyne Howard had 16 points and five steals, while Naz Hillmon added 15.

Atlanta jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first five minutes. Golden State missed its first eight shots before Aminata Gueye scored with 4:39 left in the first quarter. The Valkyries cut the deficit to 13-10, but Hillmon hit two 3-pointers in a row and Reese added another. Atlanta finished the quarter up 23-15.

Golden State opened the second half with five straight points and tied the game at 48. At 49-all, Atlanta scored eight consecutive points, four of them from Reese, who capped the run with a driving layup. Tiffany Hayes’ layup brought the Valkyries within 59-55, but Atlanta closed the quarter with 12 of its final 14 points. The Dream won the third 25-17 and have outscored the Valkyries 63-35 in that period across the first three games.

A Bigger Stage, With the Same Stakes

The league joined forces with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena to shift the games and fit a larger crowd. Both Game 3 and Game 4 sold out. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Music stars, including Ludacris, were among those in the crowd.

The series has also attracted large television audiences. NBC’s Game 1 broadcast averaged 2.1 million viewers, the largest audience ever for a first game of the Finals. Game 2 on USA Network averaged 1.33 million viewers.

Neither team has won a WNBA title. Atlanta came up short in three previous trips to the Finals, most recently in 2013. The Valkyries made the playoffs in their inaugural season last year and are now competing for the title in their second season.

The Players Set the Terms on Court

Atlanta led by 17 in the fourth quarter when Jordin Canada’s pass sailed over Reese. Reese saved the ball, throwing it over her head beneath the basket to Howard, who drew a foul. Atlanta pushed its lead to 21 later on. Reese left with 1:36 remaining and cheered from the bench as Madina Okot made a skyhook.

After the game, Reese said, “We feel good – we’re still pissed that we lost the first game. We know how good we are; we know our identity.” She added, “We’re all happy for sure, but it’s going to take more. The job is not finished so we’re going to keep going.”

Howard summed up the home-court assignment directly: “Protect home court. Giving our fans a show. We fought for this arena so we had to protect it. It’s big. We went and stole one but we can’t let them come in and do the same thing.” Hayes said, “Disappointed in our fight. This game they wanted it more than us. That’s not who we are, who we’ve been and how we got here.”