There is every case to be made for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals being one of the biggest games of the season, for the Atlanta Dream, for the Golden State Valkyries, and for the WNBA as a whole. The ticket market, however, tells a very different story. And the reason for that is straightforward.

As reported by Front Office Sports’ Colin Salao, the get-in ticket price for WNBA Finals Game 6 has fallen to just $32 on the resale market, the cheapest get-in price for a Dream home game all season on the secondary market. The closest comparison is the $33 get-in price from their regular-season game against the Connecticut Sun back in September.

The contrast with earlier Finals home games is stark. The lowest get-in price for Game 3 last Wednesday night was $166 before rising to $246 for Game 4 on Saturday afternoon. In fact, according to SeatGeek, tickets to Atlanta Dream home games averaged $218 across the entire season, well above the $139 WNBA-wide average. The difference between those figures and the current Game 6 price is difficult to miss.

The reason for the dramatic dip is, however, not a lack of interest in the game itself. The culprit is the tip-off time. 

Game 6 was previously scheduled for primetime at 8:00 PM ET on Thursday, October 29. It has, however, since been pushed forward eight hours to a midday slot so that State Farm Arena can accommodate a doubleheader, allowing the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks to keep their scheduled evening matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the same venue. A noon start time on a weekday heavily suppresses fan demand and makes it logistically difficult for many people to attend, regardless of how significant the occasion is.

This is also not the first time the Dream’s Finals schedule has been disrupted by arena conflicts requiring last-minute adjustments. Game 3, originally scheduled for Thursday, October 22, was moved up an entire day to Wednesday, October 21, to clear the venue for a previously booked Sombr concert. Game 4’s tip-off was also pushed forward from 3:30 PM ET to 1:00 PM ET on Saturday, October 24, again to allow State Farm Arena to turn around for the Hawks’ home opener that evening.

As it appears, these recurring scheduling conflicts were flagged by the Atlanta Dream themselves as far back as two months ago. But the WNBA did not respond to those concerns with the urgency they deserved, likely operating under the assumption that the Dream would not make it to the Finals in the first place.

However, despite all of this, the situation heading into Game 6 is not entirely gloomy. The Atlanta Dream have confirmed that State Farm Arena has already sold out for the game. 

So, whatever the resale market suggests about casual demand, the arena will be full. And a sold-out State Farm Arena for a potential series-clinching game, regardless of the hour, will generate an atmosphere that neither the tip-off time nor the ticket prices can fully capture. Game 6 tips off Thursday at 12:30 PM ET. The stage, however awkwardly it was set, is ready.