The WNBA's potential championship-clinching game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on a Thursday — because an NBA game had priority on the same floor. That scheduling reality tells you more about the league's actual standing than a thousand fawning press hits ever will.
The Golden State Valkyries moved one win from the franchise's first title with a 64-55 Game 5 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Monday. But when the Valkyries get their chance to close it out Thursday, West Coast fans will need to be near a television by 9:30 a.m. local time. The Dream's playoff home, State Farm Arena, has an Atlanta Hawks-Cleveland Cavaliers game at 7 p.m. that night, and the NBA outfit wasn't moving.
NBC News reported that the WNBA, arena operators, broadcasters, and teams all had to scramble just to get earlier playoff games into the 17,000-seat building. Game 3 was moved up a day because the arena had a concert scheduled. The Dream's actual home court — Gateway Center Arena in College Park — seats just 3,500, the smallest building in the league.
Retiring WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert's prepared statement didn't address the odd start time. She focused on the sellout crowds, calling the atmosphere "a tremendous success." The establishment line is always: everything is thriving, keep watching.
On the court, Game 5 was a defensive slugfest. The teams combined for 47 first-half points, the lowest-scoring half in WNBA Finals history. Kiah Stokes anchored the Valkyries with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Veronica Burton matched the line and added four blocks, tying Diana Taurasi's 2009 Finals record for a guard. Golden State turned 17 Atlanta turnovers into 21 points.
Angel Reese, who dominated Games 2 and 3 with 51 points and 28 rebounds combined, managed seven points on 2-for-8 shooting — her postseason low. Afterward, she pointed at the officials. "A lot of us are getting fouled and they're not calling it," Reese said. "Or we're talking to the ref after and they're saying, 'Oh, well we'll get you next time.'" Dream coach Karl Smesko backed her, claiming Atlanta should have gone to the line six to eight more times and citing missed calls on double-dribbles and travels.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase wasn't having it. "It's the Finals. Both teams really wanna win this... You guys act like I'm shocked. I ain't shocked about this."
The press covers this league like it's ascendant. The Guardian rolled out the usual sellout-crowd color. Essentially Sports played it straight as a game recap. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat gave Reese's referee complaints top billing. NBC was the only outlet that led with what actually matters: a professional league's championship game got bumped to a lunchtime slot so the men's team could play that night.
The corporate-media complex insists the WNBA is must-see programming. The schedule says otherwise.
