Few could have predicted that the Rose club — who began the Unrivaled season 2-4 — and the Vinyl — who finished 5-9 and dropped their final three games — would face off in the Unrivaled championship.
But, basketball’s unpredictableness is part of what has made the sport so beloved, and against all odds, the two Unrivaled clubs will face off in the title game after big semifinal wins.
The Rose were carried to victory by Chelsea Gray, who scored a league-record 39 points — and the game-winning three-pointers — while the Vinyl overcame a massive performance by Napheesa Collier thanks to the strong play of Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada, and Dearica Hamby, who sealed the game with a driving layup.
Perhaps most shockingly, the Lunar Owls, who were overwhelming favorites to win it all after dominating the competition all season, lose just their second game of the year but are nonetheless eliminated, thanks to Unrivaled’s single-elimination format.
Chelsea Gray will lead the Rose in the Unrivaled championship
Chelsea Gray has been playing on another level in recent weeks, and she’ll be the key to whether the Rose can win it all on Monday. She’s scored 26 or more points in 7 of her last 8 games, and 33 or more points in 3 of the last 5.
If the Vinyl wants to slow the Rose down, it begins and ends with Gray. In Sunday’s semifinal game, no other Rose player scored more than 8 points. In addition, though Angel Reese is out with a hand injury, Naz Hillmon proved to be a great pickup in her place. Limiting her impact around the basket will be key for the Vinyl as well.
Azura Stevens, Lexie Hull, and Brittney Sykes round out the Rose roster. Stevens will continue to see larger opportunities with Reese sidelined, while Sykes is capable of carrying a larger offensive load at any given moment. While she scored just 6 points on Sunday, she’s tallied 14 or more points in 5 of her previous 7 outings.
On the other side, Hamby will key for the Vinyl; she’s been able to dominate the post at times this season. Howard has been the league’s fourth-leading scoring this season, averaging 20.5 points per game, but has mixed in some great performances (like 37 points on 12-24 shooting vs the Phantom on March 8th) with some terrible ones (8 points on 2-20 shooting vs the Rose two days later). Howard is typically able to get good looks — the question is whether shots will fall when the Unrivaled lights are brightest.
The Vinyl’s X-factor is Jordin Canada
It was Jordin Canada who made the biggest difference for the Vinyl against the Lunar Owls. Canada has only averaged 9.6 points per game this season, but put together her best performance of the season when it mattered most, scoring a season-high 21 points and shooting 3 of 4 from three.
The Atlanta Dream guard is not known for her three-point shooting — she’s shot 24.4% from beyond the arc in her WNBA career — but she hit her open looks on Sunday night and that made all the difference.
Canada is also a strong defender who should be able to hold her on on the perimeter. She may or may not be Gray’s primary defender, but regardless, she’ll need to limit her whenever she is switched onto her, which will inevitably be often. If Canada can hit her jumpers and put together another strong offensive performance, the Vinyl could shock the world and turn a 5-9 regular season record into a championship.
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