The 2026 WNBA Finals have reached a tense stage, with the Golden State Valkyries leading the Atlanta Dream 3-2. One more win and the Valkyries are champions. But before a single shot is taken in Game 6, the talk is all about where and when it will be played.

After much controversy over the venue, a new decision has landed, and ESPN legend Linda Cohn isn’t happy about it.

Linda Cohn’s Concerns Regarding the Timing Decision for Game 6

After scheduling conflicts and last-minute negotiations involving the WNBA, NBA, Atlanta Hawks, and both Finals teams, the WNBA announced that Game 6 would be played at State Farm Arena.

The Dream’s usual home, Gateway Center Arena, seats roughly 3,500 fans, while State Farm Arena offered the league an opportunity to accommodate thousands more for a potential championship-clinching game. Meanwhile, State Farm Arena, which can accommodate around 17,000 fans, had already hosted massive crowds for Games 3 and 4.

However, there was another problem. The Hawks were scheduled to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena on the same Thursday night.

To accommodate both games, the WNBA moved Game 6 to 12:30 p.m. ET on October 29. The Hawks’ game was also pushed back an hour to 8 p.m., giving the arena more time to be turned over between the WNBA and NBA games.

But after the news spread online, Cohn expressed her disappointment with the decision. The former ESPN broadcaster questioned the unusual timing of such an important Finals matchup. After all, 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday is hardly an ideal time for fans hoping to watch a championship game.

With the game scheduled for the middle of a weekday, Cohn wondered whether the Dream would actually benefit from playing in a larger arena.

“A Thursday 12:30 p.m. ET matinee?! Just who will miss a work day exactly to buy tickets in an attempt to fill a 17,000 seat arena? I hope it’s more than 3500! #wnbafinals,” Cohn wrote on X.

Cohn also criticized how the situation had been handled. She argued that the entire scheduling problem could have been prevented if the league had addressed the venue concerns when Games 3 and 4 were being organized.

“As I’ve been saying for days, this all could have been prevented when the league addressed Games 3 and 4! Instead, they played the wishin’ and hoping game for a short series! Who does that?!” Cohn further wrote in another tweet.

Meanwhile, the Dream have problems of their own heading into Game 6. In Game 5, Angel Reese finished with just 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting. However, she still managed to grab a game-high 15 rebounds and recorded 5 assists. Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 20 points and 5 rebounds, while Allisha Gray contributed 10 points.

Despite those efforts, the Dream struggled against Golden State’s defense and shot a season-low 29.2% from the field. Now, Atlanta faces a must-win situation to keep its championship hopes alive, while Golden State has an opportunity to close out the series.