Game 5 of the WNBA Finals will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco, but the next match will bounce back to Atlanta. That's great news for Atlanta Dream fans, many of whom are already clamoring for tickets, but a familiar story has already reared its head: the Dream don't know exactly where the game will be played yet.
That's because the State Farm Arena, where all five of the team's games have been played so far in this series, is booked up. The Dream could end up playing at Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of 3,500. While that's a far cry from the 17,000 or so fans that State Farm can hold, there is something poetic about the prospect: if the Dream win Game 5 and Game 6, it feels a little fitting for the team to hoist their first-ever WNBA Championship trophy at the arena they're saying goodbye to once this season concludes.
Of course, that probably only sounds poetic to the 3,500 fans who manage to get tickets, should things come to that. At present, the NBA is coordinating with the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers to see if the teams can move their own game, which is scheduled for the same night, to another date, or possibly even to Cleveland.
The entire Dream arena debacle is one that the WNBA likely could have resolved a few weeks ago, when it became apparent the team would need to figure out a hosting plan for Game 3 and Game 4. But it's also a warning sign for the Washington Mystics — and the team can take advantage of the Dream's situation now to plan better for themselves in the future.
The Mystics made it to the first round of playoffs this season, an enormous feat for a young team. Head coach Sydney Johnson was floated for Coach of the Year, and Washington entertained fans near and far all season. The Mystics also play in a small venue: the CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., which has a capacity of 4,200.
That's a little larger than Gateway, but the arena would likely prove to be problematic if the Mystics find themselves hosting second round or even WNBA Finals games in the future — and there is every reason to expect this roster to get there sooner than later. The Washington Wizards currently play at the Capital One Arena in D.C., with a capacity of around 20,000 seats. Unlike the Dream and the Hawks, the Mystics and Wizards share an ownership group (Monumental Sports & Entertainment).
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