‘You’re kidding’: WNBA champs could be booted off court
A WNBA champion could be crowned on Friday (AEDT), but the winner may have to celebrate on a practice court due to a scheduling conflict with the NBA.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries are approaching the end of the WNBA finals with scores tied 2-2 heading into game five, yet it is the noise around the scheduling and stadium allocation that is overshadowing the closing stages of the series.
US star Angel Reese is hunting her first WNBA championship. Getty Images
The championship could be decided in game six on Friday, with the Atlanta Dream set to host the match at State Farm Arena, the home of the Atlanta Hawks.
The venue was chosen as the home venue for the Dream during the final series due to its higher capacity, with the team usually stepping onto the court at the 3,500-capacity Chase Centre – the smallest arena in the WNBA.
State Farm Arena holds just over 17,000 fans and has hosted the Dream’s sold out game three and four matches, but it is unknown if the potential WNBA championship-winning match will also reach capacity due to its timing.
It was confirmed by the WNBA that game six will tip off at 12.30pm EST (4.30am AEDT), a timeslot where majority of the sport’s fans will be at work.
The game was moved to a midday time slot due to a scheduling conflict with the Hawks, who are set to host Cleveland that night for a regular-season game.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league wanted to stick with State Farm Arena as the preferred location for game six in order to “give thousands more fans the opportunity” to be at a possible championship game.
Despite mass backlash and calls for the NBA to move the Hawks game in support of the WNBA final series, the league would only agree to push its start time from 7pm to 8pm (11am AEDT) to give the arena enough time to turn over the court.
While that hour-long delay will be of benefit to stadium staff, if the championship is won, the winning team may be asked to cut celebrations on the main court short and move their party to a practice court to ensure the NBA gets on in time.
“That championship celebration may not be on that court,” ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne revealed on NBA Today.
“I’ve heard there are discussions about whether there is enough time to turn that arena over and if players will have time to celebrate on court. It could be moved to a practice court.”
Chiney Ogwumike, a former LA Sparks player, interjected: “You’re kidding me.”
“At 12.30, you just have to do the math. What do they want to do – tell people to wrap up the celebrations so they can get the Hawks game started?
“It is not a great option, but it is the option they’ve chosen. None of the options were good.”
Atlanta Hawks’ Aussie guard Dyson Daniels. AP Photo/John Raoux
But while fans were left furious by the scheduling issues forced on the Dream due to their small home venue, the team’s guard Allisha Gray was not too bothered.
“I mean, it’s the Finals. You just gotta do what you gotta do,” she said.
“We’re locked in on winning ... I don’t care if we’re playing at 8 am, 10am or midnight. We’ve got a championship to win.”
