ATLANTA -- When the WNBA Finals resume Thursday, will we crown a champion or return to San Francisco for Game 7?
The Atlanta Dream host the Golden State Valkyries in a matinee Thursday (12:30 p.m. ET) at State Farm Arena in a must-win: Golden State leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and looks to clinch the franchise's first WNBA championship in just its second season.
For the Dream, who have lost back-to-back games after taking a 2-1 lead, it's extend the season or watch the Valkyries celebrate a title on their floor.
If Atlanta wins, the series shifts back to the Valkyries' Chase Center and Ballhalla for a decisive Game 7 on Saturday.
But with so much at stake in Game 6, ESPN takes a look at how each team can win Thursday. And come back when Game 6 tips for live analysis, reaction and highlights from State Farm Arena.
Three keys for the Dream in Game 6
Avoid turnovers: Sounds easy, but it has been a struggle, particularly in the past two losses for Atlanta. In Game 4, the Dream had 18 turnovers that led to 16 points for Golden State. In Game 5, 17 Atlanta turnovers led to 21 points for the Valkyries. In short, that means Golden State has scored almost a quarter of its points off Atlanta turnovers in the two games. And in such low-scoring games, the Dream can't afford to allow the Valkyries to get that many points relatively easily.
"It's about playing at our pace, not getting sped up, making the extra pass," Dream forward Angel Reese said Wednesday. "My turnovers both games, I had offensive fouls. So I need to slow down a little and read the game better. I watched a lot of film ... so it's just kind of slowing down and getting to the spots that I know I can maximize."
Hitting open shots: This is another issue that might sound simple, but it hasn't been for the Dream, especially in the three losses.
In Game 1, Atlanta shot 33% from the floor and 16% from 3-point range. Those numbers were 33% and 17% in Game 4 and 29% and 23% in Game 5. Golden State's defense has been the biggest obstacle for Atlanta's offense, but the Valkyries aren't stopping everything. They're getting help from the Dream's shooting struggles.
Guard Allisha Gray has seen her shooting go from 46.3% (33.9% from 3) in the regular season to 34.4% (25.6% from 3) in her eight postseason games. Of course, she has been dealing with an injury to her shooting hand, suffered in Game 1 of the semifinals, which has impacted her scoring ability.
"The biggest thing is to just give myself grace," Gray said of dealing with the frustration of not being 100% during the Finals. "Shots I normally make, I may not make now. But I can't lose confidence in [myself], and I still have to find other ways to impact the game. I know I can play defense. I know I can hit layups."
Jordin Canada could be a huge factor for the Atlanta Dream in Game 6. We saw how she impacts winning in the first two rounds of the playoffs. https://t.co/sSKqYV6G4f
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 27, 2026
Getting off to a fast start: Atlanta wants to feed off its crowd energy the way it did in Game 3, a 97-71 win on Oct. 21 in which the Dream looked the most themselves offensively. After that game, it seemed the momentum was with Atlanta, but that shifted in Game 4.
Reese said it matters plenty to get the State Farm crowd going early because the best way to crack the Golden State defense is to force the Valkyries to have to play catch-up basketball.
"We're here to get to our identity," she said of a team that averaged 91.3 points during the regular season. "I'm really trying to enjoy it.
"I haven't gotten enough steals. I need to make sure I get more steals, more deflections, more blocks -- that leads to my energy. And when we see a couple of shots going early, our confidence goes through the roof. When you get confidence early at home, that's what helped us get that 26-point win." -- Michael Voepel
Three keys for the Valkyries in Game 6
Continue strong pick-and-roll defense: Golden State has done everything well defensively in its three victories. One thing that has specifically stood out is how well the Valkyries have defended Atlanta in the pick-and-roll.
"A lot of times, it's tough to get the roll because they're doubling down," said Reese, adding the quality of her screens must be better.
Golden State center Kiah Stokes said the Valkyries take pride in being able to disrupt something that is a staple around the league.
"I think the key to pick-and-roll defense is if you can actually manage it 2-on-2 without requiring too much help," Stokes said. "Because that way, we can kind of stay [with] the shooters. Whereas, I'd say in [Game 5], I felt like maybe their guards were coming off a little too clean and getting open looks. So that was a personal thing for me."
The interesting thing is that even though Stokes didn't think Golden State's defense was as good as it could have been in Game 5, the Valkyries still held the Dream to a season-low 55 points. That should tell you how intense Golden State is on defense.
Win the rebounding battle -- or be close: Through five games, the Dream have outrebounded the Valkyries 189-178. Golden State has won the board battle twice: in Games 1 and 4, both victories. The Valkyries' biggest rebounding deficit was 44-33 in Game 5, but Golden State's overall defense was so good then that margin didn't come into play.
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase, though, targeted rebounding as an essential part of Game 6. And she sees that being just a general part of better execution from the Valkyries.
"Sometimes it's boring, but I like boring," Nakase said. "I like discipline. It's going to be kind of ugly and gritty, but that's how it's been all season long. We shouldn't be changing in the Finals."
When was the last time a favorite for Finals MVP was averaging 5.6 points a game in those Finals? Kiah Stokes has been stellar for Golden State. https://t.co/nuDWKMimJL
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 27, 2026
Match the Dream's intensity level: This might be the hardest of all since Atlanta is in a must-win situation, and the Valkyries still have two chances to win this championship. But as much as they love playing at Ballhalla -- where Game 7 would be played Saturday night -- they don't want another game there this season.
Admittedly, from the outside it might seem anticlimactic to clinch a title on the road in what will still be the morning hours Pacific time on a Thursday. But the Valkyries aren't worried about any of that. They want to take care of business as soon as possible.
Stokes won three WNBA titles with Las Vegas, so she knows what it takes to close out a championship run. -- Voepel
"We have to understand Atlanta's mindset coming into the game," Stokes said. "For them, it is now or never. It's do-or-die. They're going to give it their all, their best fight. We have to be able to absorb that and still impose our will against them like we've done the last two games."