The WNBA's decision to tip off Game 6 of the Finals at 12:30 p.m. ET on a Thursday drew backlash from players and fans this week. The Atlanta Dream hosted the Golden State Valkyries at that hour because the Atlanta Hawks had State Farm Arena booked for an 8 p.m. game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that night.
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull was among the latest to weigh in. In an interview with Sportico, she backed swapping the two time slots. Fans pushed back Thursday after Sportico posted the clip, and some pointed out that both NBA teams had played the night before.
"I think that they should have switched to the seven o'clock game and made the Hawks play at 12:30, if it were me," Hull told Sportico in the clip, which the outlet posted Thursday, the day of Game 6.
In the same answer, she added, "But I think at the end of the day, there are thousands of people that are excited about coming to watch the game. So it's great that they were able to figure out a way to play in front of all of those people at 12:30 p.m. ET."
The Dream announced Wednesday that the game had sold out. Hull also called the 12:30 p.m. Eastern, 9:30 a.m. Pacific start "a little brutal."
Her case for the swap drew blunt answers. "Horrible take," one fan wrote.
Another fan dismissed the idea just as briefly: "0 IQ 0 logic."
Another fan took a lighter tone but landed in the same place: "She's wrong, but there is zero chance I am telling Lexie that."
Two fans went after the logistics. "Can someone please tell them that the team the Hawks are playing played in Cleveland last night and that literally wouldn't be allowed?" one fan asked.
Another fan made the same case about the Hawks themselves: "… the Hawks literally played last night. They can't play on such a short turn around."
The Hawks hosted the Miami Heat at State Farm Arena at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday. The Cavaliers hosted the Washington Wizards in Cleveland at the same hour. A 12:30 p.m. tip Thursday would have come 17½ hours after both of those games began, with the Cavaliers traveling to Atlanta in between.
Both NBA teams tipped off at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Under NBA scheduling rules that require at least 22 hours between games, the Hawks-Cavaliers game could not begin at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, only 17½ hours later.
The Wednesday game against Miami also kept the WNBA from moving Game 6 up a day.
The Hawks are State Farm Arena's main tenant. The Dream's regular home this season was Gateway Center Arena in College Park, a far smaller venue.
On October 13, the league announced that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals would move to the Hawks' building to meet fan demand. Game 4 tipped there at 1 p.m. ET on October 24, with the Hawks playing in the arena that night.
For Game 6, the league's other options included playing Thursday night at Gateway Center Arena or moving the game to Friday, which would have pushed Game 7 to November 3.
"Instead, the league moved Game 6 from its original 8 p.m. Thursday slot to 12:30 p.m. ET in order to keep the game at State Farm Arena."
"The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we're excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said when the league announced the move.
The Dream won Thursday's game 80-69, tying the series 3-3 after the Valkyries had led 3-2. The championship will be decided Saturday in Game 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. ET, and both franchises are chasing their first title.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
