The Atlanta Dream were exactly where they wanted to be on Wednesday night, comfortably ensconced inside their downtown arena for Game 3 of the WNBA finals against the Golden State Valkyries. Kerry Washington, Ludacris and Cam Newton led the courtside celebrity delegation. Quavo and TI headlined the half-time show, while two more hugely popular Atlanta rappers performed during other extended play stoppages – a mini-spectacle that speaks to the city’s deep bench of hip-hop talent.
But it was the crowd that really made State Farm Arena a house of horrors for Golden State. They didn’t just fill the 17,608-seat venue. They donned matching sky-blue T-shirts and waved rally towels. They sang along with their favorite emcees and lived and died with every point. They were so loud in the first quarter that I couldn’t hear the referee’s whistle from my 100-level press seat. They stayed to the end – well, two minutes from the buzzer anyway (gotta beat traffic) – and, with the 97-71 win sealed and DJ Khaled’s All I Do Is Win blasting through the arena speakers, serenaded the departing Valkyries with the unofficial Atlanta battle cry: “ATL hoe!”
