Dream scrambling with date, arena up in the air for WNBA Finals Game 6

The Dream are back to fighting for a booming home arena for the WNBA Finals.

A Game 6 is now guaranteed in the Finals series between the Dream and Valkyries after Golden State tied the series 2-2 on Saturday. Yet, it’s unknown where the game will be played in Atlanta.

Just as the Dream were in a dilemma for Game 3 and 4, which were both played in what was a sold-out 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, the team is back negotiating with the WNBA to adjust the schedule again to play at the Hawks’ arena for the sake of fans and Finals atmosphere, sources told ESPN Sunday.

The night of Game 6 — Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET — is also when the Hawks are set to host the Cavaliers at State Farm, among other scheduling conflicts.

For Game 3, the league moved the game up a day, and the Hawks agreed to hold a double-header with the Dream for Game 4 and moved the tip-off time of their home opener back 30 minutes. Yet, this time around, the situation appears more complex than what the league dealt with before.

“We are waiting to hear from the league if any changes can be made to allow us to play in State Farm Arena. If not, the game will be played in Gateway Center Arena,” a Dream spokesperson told ESPN Sunday.

“We continue to explore all options,” a WNBA spokesperson added.

Gateway Center Arena — the Dream’s home venue — holds about 3,500 fans in College Park. All potential solutions seemingly will affect both franchises and leagues greatly.

Per the outlet, the NBA has been looking into whether the Hawks’ game could be moved to an alternative date or even to Cleveland. The game is a back-to-back for both teams and moving the game to the Cavs’ home turf would mean a home-road sequence for the Hawks and short notice for Rocket Arena. Fridays are also NBA Cup exclusive games, but the Hawks-Cavs clash is a non-Cup game.

An added wrinkle is that the Cavaliers play the Bucks on Oct. 31, but the city is also set to host Game 6 and 7 of the World Series.

State Farm Arena has openings on Oct. 27 — a day after the Valkyries host Game 5 at Chase Center — and Oct. 30. A proposal that is out there involves moving Game 6 to Friday, Oct. 30 and pushing Game 7 from Oct. 31 to Tuesday, Nov. 3. Yet, both the Dream and Valkyries would have to approve it.

“There are problems with all the solutions,” a source close to the situation told ESPN.

There were also discussions about making Game 6 a matinee as Game 4 was. However, a weekday matinee and weekend matinee aren’t the same thing to the league.

Previously, the Dream looked for solutions at other alternate arenas, including Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion or Gas South Arena in Duluth.

Yet, both arenas would feel like a road game for both teams.

“We’re proud to be part of such a compelling Finals and love seeing the growth of the game,” a Valkyries spokesperson said in a statement. “We fully support what’s best for the league and will stand behind whatever it decides.”