Golden State and Atlanta Face Off in First Ever WNBA Finals Game 7

The Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream meet tonight at the Chase Center in San Francisco for a winner-take-all Game 7 to decide the WNBA championship. Halloween night marks the first Game 7 in league history, with both franchises chasing their very first title. Natalie Nakase leads the second-seeded Valkyries in just their second season, while Karl Smesko coaches the fourth-seeded Dream in the franchise's fourth finals appearance and first since 2013. Ticket demand for this showdown has set records for the league. Ticketing analyst Keith Smith reports that this Game 7 is the most expensive ticket in US sports for the weekend, with the cheapest seat at Chase Center priced at $364. That figure beats out major NFL games including Browns-Steelers at $265, Chiefs-Broncos at $264, and Ravens-Bills at $245, alongside a college football game between Florida and Georgia at $226. Both teams arrive at this final contest after a grueling series. The Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings two-to-one in the first round and swept the Las Vegas Aces three-nil in the semi-finals, before taking a three-two lead in the finals. The Dream swept the Washington Mystics two-nil and the New York Liberty three-nil to reach the championship round. After Atlanta won Game 6 with an 80-69 scoreline behind 23 points from Allisha Gray, 21 points from Rhyne Howard, and a double-double from Angel Reese alongside Gabby Williams scoring 26 points for Golden State, the series sits tied at three wins each.

Context

Game 7 represents the climax of the WNBA's expanded best-of-seven finals format, which was introduced last year. The high ticket prices and packed arenas reflect rapid growth in popularity and financial interest for women's professional basketball in the United States over recent seasons.