Dream Say Short Playoff Turnaround Is Why They Closed Upper Bowl

The Atlanta Dream did not close the upper bowl at State Farm Arena for home playoff games because of weak demand. A team spokesperson told Front Office Sports the limited capacity comes down to a scheduling problem: the short turnaround to sell tickets for the WNBA playoffs.

"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 roughly 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 once 8,800 tickets were sold. The extra capacity was used, not wasted.

THE SCHEDULE SQUEEZE

The schedule squeeze started months before the Dream knew who they would face. In late August, the team announced it would host first- and second-round playoff games at State Farm Arena rather than the 3,500-seat Gateway Center, where the Dream play most of their home games.

Tickets went on sale starting Sept. 1. But the exact dates of those home playoff games could not be set until the final seedings were locked in.

The Dream clinched home court advantage for the first round on Sept. 23, the second-to-last day of the regular season. The next day, 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.