Dream blame short playoff turnaround for closing upper bowl at State Farm Arena

The limited capacity at State Farm Arena for Atlanta Dream home playoff games comes down to a short turnaround, a team spokesperson tells Front Office Sports.

“We just decided that with the short turnaround, we would only open the lower bowl and really concentrate on selling those tickets,” the spokesperson said.

State Farm Arena, owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and operated by the NBA’s Hawks, normally seats about 17,000 for basketball games. The lower bowl fits about 8,800.

The Dream reported more than 9,700 attendees for each of its first two home playoff games, telling FOS they opened a portion of the top section to accommodate more fans once 8,800 tickets were sold.

TIMELINE OF TICKET SALES

The timeline behind the Dream’s decision starts in late August, when the team announced it would host first- and second-round playoff games at State Farm Arena rather than the 3,500-seat Gateway Center, its usual home venue.

Tickets went on sale Sept. 1, but the exact date of home playoff games wouldn’t be set until playoff seedings were finalized. The August announcement hedged accordingly, stating the “playoff venue is subject to change.”

The picture sharpened late in the regular season. The Dream clinched home court advantage for the first round Sept. 23, the second-to-last day of the regular season. The following day, Sept. 24, they learned the Washington Mystics would be their first-round opponent.

The WNBA announced the exact first-round schedule Sept. 25 — two days before the Dream hosted Game 1.

That compressed window is what the spokesperson pointed to when explaining why the upper bowl stayed closed. Atlanta swept the Mystics on Wednesday, clinching a second-round series against the New York Liberty four days later.