ATLANTA -- Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a do-or-die WNBA Finals Game 6 for the Atlanta Dream, veteran forward DeWanna Bonner insisted that despite the Dream's recent shooting woes, the team would be "crazy to lose confidence" offensively at this point in the WNBA Finals. "We've been taking those shots all series, so it's just a matter of knocking a couple down," Bonner said. "You start feeling good about yourself.
The crowd started getting behind it. And then it's like, 'Here we go. Here go ATL basketball." As it turns out, in addition to being the third-leading scorer in WNBA history and the second-leading scorer in WNBA playoff history, the 39-year-old Bonner is also a prophet.
The Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 on Thursday afternoon to force the first Game 7 in WNBA history. There was a lot of outside noise from fans and critics alike heading into Game 6, which was played at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday because of an embarrassing web of scheduling conflicts, leadership failures and bureaucratic blame games that left everyone weighing bad options and trying to save face until the time was locked in and tickets went on sale Monday afternoon.
But none of that noise held a candle to the noise made by a sold-out crowd in State Farm Arena at lunchtime. "First, shout out to the crowd being able to come here at 12:30 on a Thursday," said Angel Reese, who had 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. "So many things going on in the world, from school to work to everything else.
And we're just super thankful. They were loud from the beginning. So we're definitely thankful for that.
But we wanted to make sure we maximize this opportunity." While the atmosphere in State Farm was phenomenal for Games 3 and 4 last week, this crowd brought an extra layer of enthusiasm from the start. Perhaps it was the desperation of an elimination game or the novelty of playing hooky from the monotony of midweek work and familial responsibilities to witness the Dream regain their swagger. Or maybe it was a concerted effort to drown out the doubts of anyone who had ever marginalized or counted out the Dream or the city of Atlanta or the WNBA or women's sports -- or even women as a collective -- for one magical afternoon.
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