Atlanta Dream confirm 'extraordinary' doubleheader after avoiding WNBA Finals blow

The Atlanta Dream were staring at a WNBA Finals home court with 3,500 seats. Now they are getting a 17,000-seat arena and a doubleheader day to go with it.

The WNBA announced Tuesday that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Dream will be played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Game 3 moves from Thursday, Oct. 22, to Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network and CNBC. Game 4 stays on Saturday, Oct. 24, but tips earlier, moving from 3:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Dream had a real problem. They played 16 of their 22 regular-season home games at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, which holds just 3,500 for basketball. Meanwhile, Angel Reese splashed her cash on her Dream teammates after securing a Finals spot.

They hosted all three of their previous playoff games at State Farm Arena, which seats more than 17,000, but the building was booked on all three of the original Finals dates for Atlanta.

A Sombr concert was scheduled for Oct. 22, and the Atlanta Hawks had regular-season games on Oct. 24 and 29. USA Today reported over the weekend that the Dream’s attempts to secure two other venues in the area had hit a roadblock.

The league solved it by moving the games around. Game 3 shifts a day to avoid the concert, and the Hawks agreed to push their Oct. 24 home opener against the Houston Rockets from 8 p.m. ET to 8:30 p.m. ET so the Dream can play earlier that afternoon.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert thanked the groups involved and said the move helps the Dream deliver a big atmosphere.

“The change of venue dramatically expands the seating capacity and ensures that the Dream will be able to provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game to be played in the Atlanta market since 2013,” Engelbert said.

“We are pleased that thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action, the WNBA Finals, in person,” she added.

Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener also praised the effort. “This is what the players and the fans deserve. We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen,” Gottesdiener said.

The change comes with a cost. Moving Game 3 up a day leaves both teams with only one day between Game 2 in San Francisco on Oct. 19 and Game 3 in Atlanta. The league also did not say where a potential Game 6 on Oct. 29 would be played, as the Hawks are scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers that night.

The best-of-seven series begins Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco, with Game 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The Valkyries, the No. 2 seed, are in the Finals in just their second season.

The Dream, the No. 4 seed, are in their first Finals since 2013 after sweeping the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty. Tickets for Games 3 and 4 go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. ET.