Season 2 of Unrivaled ended with a bang, somewhat literally.
In what became a tightly contested final quarter, Mist BC star Breanna Stewart found herself with the ball a couple of feet behind the 3-point line. Arike Ogunbowale, after setting a (decoy) cross screen for Allisha Gray to relocate to the left side of the floor, stepped up to set a screen for Stewart.
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Inverted time, baby.
Stewart was able to get downhill, the winning basket firmly in view. Phantom BC wing Tiffany Hayes, seeing the drive develop in real time, ditched Gray and rotated over, beating Stewart to the spot in an effort to draw an offensive foul.
Collision time, baby.
It was initially deemed an offensive foul on Stewart, seemingly giving Phantom BC a golden opportunity to cut further into what was then a four-point deficit. The call was challenged and overturned — though Hayes got to the spot, she wasn’t able to establish legal guarding position in time for the call to stand — and Stewart promptly knocked down the game-winning free throw to secure an 80-74 win and Mist BC championship.
Breanna Stewart took home Finals MVP honors after scoring 32 points in the title game. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
(Leonardo Fernandez via Getty Images)
Not quite the game-winning fireworks the fans wanted, but the game was electric. It was an uber-competitive contest between the two best teams in the league, spearheaded by phenomenal performances from their best (available) player.
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Let’s get into takeaways, shall we?
1. All Breanna Stewart does is win
The résumé for Stewart is pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Multiple high school championships, four straight titles at UConn, three WNBA titles, two EuroLeague titles, multiple FIBA World Cup and Olympic gold medals, and now, an Unrivaled championship.
And then there’s all of the individual honors. The (Finals) MVPs, Most Outstanding Player and Naismith awards, the All-Defensive honors. There just haven’t been many basketball players, period, that have accomplished as much as she has.
Wednesday night’s championship game was a loud example of why she’s been so dominant throughout her basketball life.
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The stat line itself is nutty: 32 points on [double-checks notes] 95.5 true shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It wasn’t a perfect outing; her five turnovers were a season high, and Wednesday marked the first time all season she logged more turnovers than assists in a game — something she did four times last season.
But more impressive than the line, one that earned her Finals MVP, was the way it happened. It was everything.
Stewart operated as a pick-and-roll screener and ball-handler, mixing in on-time dimes with fruitful forays to the basket. She got loose for cuts. She won on post-ups, sprinkling in post fades and bullyball hooks when she needed to. The finishing, both in transition and in half-court settings, was sublime.
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Defensively, she battled inside with Kiki Iriafen (again starting for injured Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston) and spent some time matched up with Kelsey Plum (more on her shortly). She switched, she navigated the drop, she flew around as a helper. Again, it wasn’t a perfect outing, but Stewart’s ability to operate in so many contexts and largely be successful is what makes her one of the best basketball players of all time.
2. Kelsey Plum is absurd
Mist BC needed every bit they got from Stewart, because Plum’s performance would’ve willed Phantom BC to the title otherwise.
To give a window into the absurdity, a brief note on what was probably the funniest moment of the game for me:
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As the second quarter was set to begin, game tied at 24 apiece, Plum was shown on the broadcast. Talking to someone, eventually smiling at what was said. While smiling, a graphic appeared underneath her that highlighted not just her dominance, but her importance. It read:
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KELSEY PLUM: 18 points, 7-8 FG, 4-4 3PT
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REST OF TEAM: 6 points, 3-12 FG, 0-2 3PT
Yeah, man.
Plum would eventually finish with a career-high, and an Unrivaled playoff record, 40 points on [triple-checks notes] 87.9 true shooting while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing out five assists (to one turnover) and racking up a steal to boot.
The shot-making was incredible and varied. Her 6-of-7 (85.7%) clip from 3 included both spot-up and off-the-dribble looks. Her 8-of-14 (57.1%) mark inside the arc included transition finishes, tough half-court drives and a dash of midrange bucket-getting. Her footwork, as it has all year, stood out in a major way.
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Making this performance more impressive was the context.
Again, Phantom BC was without Boston — this year’s DPOY and someone I voted for as MVP. Hayes and Iriafen were mired by foul trouble. And, as she has all year, Plum saw a little bit of everything and everyone defensively.
Veronica Burton, an elite on-ball defender, got the bulk of the Plum assignment. But Gray got a turn. Stewart caught Plum on some cross-matches. Ogunbowale attempted to extend ball pressure against her in their shared moments. Plum, more often than not, found answers anyway.
When operating in ball screens, she saw a mix of at-the-level coverage, ICE coverage (forcing the ball screen down the sideline, often keeping Plum to her right hand) and switching. It’s consistent with the “throw the kitchen sink at her” context she had to operate within during the WNBA season.
Despite the loss, Plum deserves a salute for how good she was Wednesday night, and overall this season.
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3. Lineup versatility is important
Though Stewart and Plum were the obvious stories of this game, the importance of The Others can’t go without mention.
I’m sorry to beat this point over the head, but Phantom BC really needed more outside of Plum. Between her scoring and assisting, Plum accounted for 52 of her team’s 74 points — that’s roughly 70% of the team’s output.
Iriafen finished with a double-double — 13 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive) — but turnover woes (four) and foul trouble (four) limited her overall effectiveness. Instead of Phantom BC countering or flowing into their all-guard lineup of Plum, Hayes, and Natasha Cloud, they needed that group. That trio won their minutes last night — +14 in 8:13 together — but that was largely off the ridiculousness of Plum.
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To put it another way: the Hayes-Cloud duo combined for 33 points on 61.7 true shooting in their win over Vinyl BC on Monday, but only mustered 21 points on 45.9 true shooting in the championship game. That’s not to say they didn’t impact the game in other areas, or make timely baskets, but the consistency (or efficiency) wasn’t there. The margins are even more thin in the playoffs — that dip hurt in what was ultimately a six-point loss.
(It’s also worth noting that Plum acknowledged the absence of Boston in the postgame presser, highlighting how much of an anchor Boston had been for them on both ends.)
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On the other side, Mist BC got game-swinging production from Ogunbowale (19 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, game-high +7 in her minutes) and Alanna Smith (11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, +4) off the bench.
Ogunbowale didn’t hit the game-winner like she did on Monday night, but her (timely) shot-making helped take some pressure off of Stewart — while covering for another quiet offensive night for the otherwise excellent Allisha Gray (12 points on 3-of-8 shooting).
Smith’s size, especially when paired with Stewart, made life a little more difficult for Phantom BC’s offense. The minutes she gave to close the first quarter and open the second, the latter without Stewart, ended up mattering more than it felt like in real time.
Remember, Phantom BC led 24-18 with 2:01 left in the first — Plum had 18 by that point. A 6-0 surge to close the quarter tied that game, with Smith logging a bucket, two rebounds, and a nifty dime to a cutting Ogunbowale in that stretch.
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Ultimately, Mist BC being able to toggle through different lineup combinations and get production from their second unit swung this game.