The Dream win the 12:30 p.m. Game 6 their owners fought, and now Game 7 gets prime time

Two days after Atlanta Dream ownership told the city that a Thursday 12:30 p.m. Game 6 was "not what we fought for," the Dream played it and won it. Atlanta beat the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 at State Farm Arena to tie the WNBA Finals 3-3 and force the first Game 7 in Finals history.

The time slot didn't matter to the crowd. A sellout of 17,099 filled the Hawks' arena on a workday afternoon, and Atlanta's mayor asked employers and educators to "extend grace" to anyone watching, according to Atlanta News First.

It didn't matter to Allisha Gray either. Before the game she said the Dream were locked in "whether it's 8 a.m., 10 p.m., midnight." She went out and scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with five 3-pointers, three blocks and two steals. Her corner 3 with 56 seconds left came right after Golden State had cut a 25-point lead to eight, and it ended the comeback.

Rhyne Howard added 21 points and four 3s. Angel Reese had 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and, per ESPN, turned to talk to the Valkyries bench after hitting her first 3. Atlanta led 32-15 after one quarter and never let Golden State get comfortable. The Valkyries shot 31 percent.

Here is the part the league should sit with. The Dream spent two months warning that their Finals dates would collide with Hawks games at State Farm Arena, according to their open letter. The fix was a lunch-hour tip that started at 9:30 a.m. in California and a Hawks game pushed back an hour. The fans showed up anyway. All of the Dream's 2027 home games will be played at State Farm Arena, according to Atlanta News First. The league has a year to make sure the schedule works around them next time.

Game 7 is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center on USA Network and Peacock. Game 6 was supposed to be in that 8 p.m. slot before the venue change. Golden State has the home crowd, and Gabby Williams, who scored 26 on Thursday, will want the ball. Atlanta has momentum and a shooting night to build on.