Much has already been made of the fact that Game 6 of the 2026 WNBA Finals, a potential championship-clinching game if the Golden State Valkyries, up 3-2 on the Atlanta Dream, were to win, will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET in State Farm Arena.
Commissioner Cathy Englebert and WNBA leadership decided to move the game up to half past noon so that the Dream could host 17,000 fans in State Farm Arena, rather than 3,500 in the Dream’s regular-season homecourt of Gateway Center Arena. The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks,
State Farm’s primary tenant, have a regular season game later that night, requiring that Game 6 occupy the early afternoon time slot if the game were to remain on Thursday as scheduled.
It’s disgraceful that the Hawks and the NBA couldn’t accommodate the WNBA Finals and move a likely forgettable regular-season game to another date.
External of that option, it becomes a battle of preference.
While the start time allows for a larger crowd, it will obviously come at the expense of on-air viewership. So, should the league prioritize an in-person atmosphere or a more accessible television viewing experience? How many viewers will be lost by tipping off in the middle of the work and school day? These are questions being answered across the internet, and ultimately the decision has been made.
But such debates distract from the main question raised by the early start time: How will it affect the players?
Are we going to see half-asleep hoops? In a series that’s already trended ugly, could Game 6 become a particularly brutal watch?
Will a sub-optimal start time lead to sub-optimal basketball?
Game 5 of the Finals, which the Valkyries won by nine points, featured a battle of insurmountable defenses and insufficient offenses. Both teams settled for a lot of tough 2-pointers, unable to create strong advantages off the dribble or find a rhythm from 3.
Quite frankly, it was visually bad hoops.
Now, take these elite defenses and wake everyone up at 6 a.m.—if not earlier—to accommodate their routines before an early start time. And perhaps mention the fact that they’re returning from the West Coast, a three-hour time difference.
It’s hard to believe we won’t see at least a few players struggle with an earlier start time. These players are professionals, of course, but such a dramatic shift in schedule will impact the bodies of even the most well-trained athletes as they strive for peak performance.
Energy output and nervous system calibration are scientifically proven to increase as the day goes on. They’re tied to your internal clock, but don’t change when, on a whim, you wake up at a different time. Your internal clock is difficult to push back. Some studies suggest that the peak performance range is as wide as 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., others say your ability is heightened between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. On an Atlanta time schedule, players will be lacing them up earlier than their optimal window. For the West Coast visitors, the tip-off will feel like 9:30 a.m. PT.
Across a large sample size, it’s more likely than not that we would observe a decrease in execution of skill under a sub-optimal game time. In a one game sample size? We’ll have to see.
Neither team broke 25 percent from 3 or 40 percent from the floor during Game 5, a showing that I’ve already referred to as sloppy. Running the risk of a worse quality game feels dangerous.
It’s certainly important that 13,000 more fans will get to see the Finals in person, and create a more memorable arena environment in what has already been a highly entertaining series. But if the Pacific Time-based Valkyries are put at a competitive disadvantage due the start time, and half of America is working or studying while the game is still in it’s waning hours, that memorable environment could turn regrettable.
