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Tiffany Hayes’ dad pulled no punches over the postseason arena scramble.
The WNBA Finals went completely off the rails when Atlanta got caught flat-footed by venue conflicts. Gateway Center’s tiny 3,500-seat capacity was never going to cut it, but with the Hawks hogging State Farm Arena that night, the league panicked.
Their band-aid fix? Squeezing the game into a bizarre 12:30 p.m. Thursday slot, forcing Bay Area fans to ditch work for a 9:30 a.m. tipoff.
Atlanta somehow didn’t let the weird midday vibes throw them off, grinding out a gritty win over the Valkyries to send this wild series back to Chase Center for an epic Game 7.
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has sustained a left hamstring strain and will miss time, sources tell ESPN. Pacers doctors and Haliburton are now gathering a clear timeline. pic.twitter.com/aYTfj6Z3Ar
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 28, 2026
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Tiffany Hayes’ dad laid the blame right at the league’s doorstep, slamming Atlanta and front-office execs for failing to plan ahead with the stadium. He pointed out how messy it looked to shove a championship game into the morning, leaving West Coast supporters out to dry.
On Outkick, he said:”It’s kind of a shame about how they couldn’t handle the situation better or couldn’t be more prepared. They don’t know that their teams are going to make the postseason, so they weren’t prepared for this situation. But for us, it’s okay. But for our fans in San Francisco, they’re up at 930 in the morning, probably have to take a break off work, take the day off or whatever like that. But for me, I’m good with it.
“I think it’s the league’s fault. It’s the league’s fault and pretty much the Atlanta organisation because like last year, Golden State, when we made the playoffs, our second game had to be moved to a different arena, but it was almost the same size. It was in San Jose instead of San Francisco, but we were prepared for that. Instead of us here, they were talking about going to a 3,500-seat arena gateway. There’s no way that game could have been completed or done. Some fans would have been upset about they couldn’t make it or couldn’t get in, couldn’t get any tickets.”
Even the players’ families know this is a mess.
— OutKick (@Outkick) October 29, 2026
Valkyries star Tiffany Hayes’ dad blames the WNBA and Atlanta dream for a 12:30pm finals tipoff.
The biggest stage in women’s basketball, squeezed into office hours. pic.twitter.com/YEFieuU4LF
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Game 7 goes down Sunday night at Chase Center, handing the Valkyries home-court edge with everything on the line. And to add to the occasion, it’s the first Game 7 in WNBA history thanks to the league’s new best-of-seven format.