A downtown arena turned fortress
Atlanta finally got the finals setting it wanted. After scheduling conflicts threatened to send the franchise's first finals home game in 13 years to a 3,500-seat airport venue, the teams, the league and the arena worked together to stage Game 3 at State Farm Arena. The 17,608-seat building filled with fans in matching sky-blue shirts waving rally towels, and the noise in the opening quarter was loud enough to drown out the officials' whistles from the press area.[S1]
The night doubled as an Atlanta music showcase, with Quavo and TI topping a halftime bill and other local rappers performing during stoppages, while Kerry Washington, Ludacris and Cam Newton watched courtside. Angel Reese said afterward that she had never experienced anything like the mix of performances, food smells and a full blue-out crowd, adding that you never know who you might run into in the city.[S1]
Defense smothers Golden State
The Dream held the Valkyries scoreless for the first five minutes and picked up where they left off in Game 2, using length and speed to disrupt Golden State's set offense and force late shot-clock heaves. Golden State clawed back behind three-point shooting from Cecilia Zandalasini and Gabby Williams, trimming the gap to six at halftime and leveling the score at 48 in the third quarter, but Atlanta pulled away to a 97-71 win.[S1][S2][S3]
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Reese finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to record a double-double in three consecutive finals games and joining A'ja Wilson as the only players with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in back-to-back finals games. Rhyne Howard, one of three Dream players on the league's all-defensive team, became the first player with five or more steals in consecutive finals games. Golden State's bench outscored Atlanta's 38-27, but starters Kiah Stokes, Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton combined for five points on 2-of-11 shooting.[S1]
A city that has learned caution
Atlanta's sports fans carry a reputation for guarded optimism, having watched local teams squander promising positions, and the last playoff basketball at State Farm Arena ended with Knicks supporters drowning out the home crowd as the Hawks were routed. The Dream's three prior finals trips all ended in sweeps, so Wednesday's celebration carried an edge of relief as much as joy.[S1]
The series now shifts toward a possible close. A sloppy final two minutes cost Atlanta Game 1, leaving the Dream with a single playoff defeat, and they will try to use their revived home-court advantage to move within one win of the title when Game 4 tips on Saturday in Atlanta.[S1]
