\ud83d\udc7b The case for Phantom BC<\/h2>\n\nThe GIST: <\/strong>This season has been the ultimate glow-up for Phantom, who finished dead last in the league last year with just four wins. Now, the Ghost Gang is championship-bound thanks to a combination of grit, tenacity, and a dash of Kelsey Plum heroics. Boo<\/em>-yeah.<\/p>\n\ud83d\udccd How they got here:<\/strong> Phantom are the league\u2019s hottest team. They haven\u2019t lost since January, tallying eight straight wins en route to the final. And their most recent dub was the most impressive: Monday\u2019s aforementioned 83\u201375 semis win over Vinyl was a defensive masterclass \u2014 even with Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> Aliyah Boston sidelined with a season-ending injury.<\/p>\n\ud83d\ude05 Life without Aliyah Boston: <\/strong>Losing a player of Boston\u2019s caliber leaves huge sneakers to fill, but Phantom has taken it in stride with everyone<\/em> stepping up in her absence. Natasha Cloud was a defensive savant on Monday, making multiple momentum-changing plays, while Tiffany Hayes knocked down three three-pointers in a 19-point outing, her highest total since the season opener.<\/p>\n\n- What\u2019s more, rookie Kiki Iriafen was stellar under the bright lights, logging a season-high 15.7 minutes in the semifinal and putting up 17 points and 11 rebounds for her second career Unrivaled double-double<\/a>. Turns out the moment actually met her.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u2705 Why they\u2019ll win:<\/strong> Just like the semis, Phantom will be undersized in the title tilt, but this squad has proven they can overcome a height discrepancy: They only turned the ball over twice against a bigger Vinyl team. Add in a little Plum magic (the 31-year-old dropped a whopping 31 points and a smooth game winner<\/a> on Monday), and Phantom just might cap off their glow-up with a trophy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\ud83c\udf28\ufe0f The case for Mist BC<\/h2>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/rdxk7lfa\/production\/201150b9544d01be790289ae407d7d26af7dfe1b-4725x3150.jpg?w=600&h=400&q=75&fit=max&auto=format\")
<\/p>\nSource: Ishika Samant\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe GIST: <\/strong>Not to be outdone, the Mist are enjoying a glow-up of their own as the only other team to miss the postseason in 2025. This high-scoring squad has turned those rainy days into a sunny new reality.<\/p>\n\ud83d\udccd How they got here:<\/strong> It\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish. Just ask Mist, whose resilience was on full display in Monday\u2019s come-from-behind 73\u201369 win over Breeze BC. Down by 10 in the final frame (and as many as 16 in the first half), Mist took their first lead of the game moments before Arike Ogunbowale knocked down the epic game winner<\/a>. Talk about a birthday to remember.<\/p>\n\ud83d\udc4f The next-woman-up mentality: <\/strong>Mist\u2019s biggest strength is their depth. Leading scorer Allisha Gray \u2014 who\u2019s averaging 21.8 points per game and earned a spot on the All-Unrivaled Second Team<\/a> \u2014 managed just 12 points in Monday\u2019s win. But you know who was<\/em> dropping buckets? Almost everyone else, mitigating Gray\u2019s uncharacteristically quiet night.<\/p>\n\n- Whether it was Ogunbowale\u2019s stellar shooting (she knocked down five three-pointers), Breanna Stewart\u2019s 23-point outing featuring a penchant for under-the-rim magic<\/a>, or Alanna Smith\u2019s timely buckets, Mist were a full-team wrecking crew down the stretch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u2705 Why they\u2019ll win:<\/strong> Mist can straight-up score, averaging a league-best 77.7 points per game. Why are they so difficult to defend? Any player can dominate the box score on any given night. Plus, they spread the ball exceptionally well, averaging 13.7 assists per game, second only to Phantom\u2019s 14.6. Sharing is always caring. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u2708\ufe0f A moment for the road trips<\/h2>\n![\"The](\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAPCAIAAABr+ngCAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAADbElEQVR4nCXHaVMbZQAA4P1svQrk2t3s8b577yabfTe7yQbI1ZALE9pCRDAtBIgpUhhguIUKxUI5WqEV24KMaLWd0TqjU48Znaozth9sO+Nfckafbw9GkgRJEv+jaRpAAADHAp0R4gTIvOlxXm9Wm1oYt4fw4aTHi7tcPhwnAGBlWcSCmmoj3bFN2zRQKKgqsiDoolQKhC5raAUoC7RU9\/MdFCszLKBo1k\/REEJZlhRFxjRJdUwzFYtlk\/FiJtWRjre3ZWPR4bb2uVR2J529kzhzMxSpc6IpiKIgipIkqZoqyRLH8ZjXQwAKyJxoqEEnbCViTiqRz3UM5QqNc90zF9\/dvlDZTbbXWRjy0ywDOBZyDAtxgvJ4CcxFkDhFsxCykGMhz\/GCgaLlrovV2tjY5OzKyvb87FapWKUZpcVNur1kixs\/3ew53eRyuTwYQJZg2UrMkZ2IaFkiMs3WxLnekeFLi1Nz165u3L2ydrO7u1\/gVYJgcIJ2e8imZp\/LTfhJgOlWWncyoUQWJfJWvBBJFGNnytnOWrk883blw4HBjcELc+VsVzRkG0GkqUFZVCFQIQhJnIWJnCaKuqKGg3qrEYqHUTJsJhFKm0bBMktOpNRu51Lh9qTV5oRjhm4amq5JuiIglTMw0kcROE2TELIKD1WJD8hCUOA0jtM4qPJA5oGk8mpA0nmo0BSk\/SyF06SXItwkxpIsZKDEiQFZQwHd1A3bQBFk2siMmGYEIStk2P9VFmSGBoyfoXCK8PjczW4sEbWL6XhPZ67a01WvVhoDvY3BvtFa\/9hIdXpsaHGqMT9RnxwdvlSrVs6+lc+kMsm2VMyOomBAErDxRt\/y1Mj64uTuxpWjg50vjva\/\/PzTbx8c\/\/Do\/q8\/f\/fsjx+f\/PLowf3D23ub19YWlmbHpyeGLjf6BvpKXYUktr81e7C7\/PH26q3b218\/PP7+8Te\/PXn88sVf\/7x89vzvpy+eP\/3z958efnV0a29zc\/2D5fmJyfHBRr2n2ls4m49jx3c29neWP1qfXb0+v3Wwtv\/Z1r2TvZOTg0\/2r6+vLi0vzcxNv9+o9b1zvrNcyOTS8USrZSM1KEMJUNjh4Y2razOTc8OjC9WRmUr\/e6XearFyPp9Nxxxbj6BABGm6zHM0SeM+Csdpr8\/T1PzGq6+deuXUvyMN8sWIWwEvAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/rdxk7lfa\/production\/7a863bed1823e2788b2599e24a35278c3d1c6467-512x384.png?w=600&h=450&q=75&fit=max&auto=format\")
<\/p>\nSource: Joe Lemire\/SBJ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nBefore tonight\u2019s championship showdown tips off,<\/strong> let\u2019s look back <\/strong>at two of the biggest moments in Unrivaled history: the league\u2019s first-ever tour stop in Philadelphia and Monday\u2019s electric Barclays Center takeover.<\/p>\n\n- Unrivaled typically hosts games at Sephora Arena in Miami, an intimate venue that holds just 1K people (up from 850 in 2025), but this season, the league wanted to broaden its reach and give even more fans the opportunity to enjoy the best of women\u2019s basketball.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\ud83d\udd14 January\u2019s trip to Philly<\/strong> saw 21,490 fans<\/a> pack Xfinity Mobile Arena, setting the record for the most-attended regular-season women\u2019s basketball game ever. Philadelphia\u2019s a city with a known appetite for hoops and women\u2019s sports, making it the perfect inaugural tour stop \u2014 oh, and the cheesesteaks were good<\/a> too.<\/p>\n\ud83c\udf4e They call it the Big Apple for a reason:<\/strong> Monday\u2019s semifinal showdowns in Brooklyn lived up to the hype. The basketball was absolutely electric, and so was the sellout crowd<\/a> of 18,261. A bona fide hoops hub, NYC showed up, from the celeb cameos<\/a> to pure fan joy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\ud83d\udcb8 And these road trips are money makers: <\/strong>Before the semifinal games tipped off, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell shared that the two tilts had already generated $1M in revenue, while Philly is Unrivaled drew $2M when all was said and done. Cha-ching, indeed.<\/p>\n\ud83d\udc40 What\u2019s next? <\/strong>Almost certainly more tour stops: The league\u2019s reportedly planning up to eight road trips in 2027, with aspiring women\u2019s basketball cities<\/a> like Nashville and Kansas City topping the list of potential locations.<\/p>\n\n- The league\u2019s ever-growing popularity can be attributed to two things: darn good basketball and athlete authenticity<\/a> that\u2019s uniquely integrated into every aspect of Unrivaled\u2019s physical and digital environments. Buckets on buckets. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The GIST: <\/strong>This season has been the ultimate glow-up for Phantom, who finished dead last in the league last year with just four wins. Now, the Ghost Gang is championship-bound thanks to a combination of grit, tenacity, and a dash of Kelsey Plum heroics. Boo<\/em>-yeah.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udccd How they got here:<\/strong> Phantom are the league\u2019s hottest team. They haven\u2019t lost since January, tallying eight straight wins en route to the final. And their most recent dub was the most impressive: Monday\u2019s aforementioned 83\u201375 semis win over Vinyl was a defensive masterclass \u2014 even with Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> Aliyah Boston sidelined with a season-ending injury.<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude05 Life without Aliyah Boston: <\/strong>Losing a player of Boston\u2019s caliber leaves huge sneakers to fill, but Phantom has taken it in stride with everyone<\/em> stepping up in her absence. Natasha Cloud was a defensive savant on Monday, making multiple momentum-changing plays, while Tiffany Hayes knocked down three three-pointers in a 19-point outing, her highest total since the season opener.<\/p>\n \u2705 Why they\u2019ll win:<\/strong> Just like the semis, Phantom will be undersized in the title tilt, but this squad has proven they can overcome a height discrepancy: They only turned the ball over twice against a bigger Vinyl team. Add in a little Plum magic (the 31-year-old dropped a whopping 31 points and a smooth game winner<\/a> on Monday), and Phantom just might cap off their glow-up with a trophy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Source: Ishika Samant\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The GIST: <\/strong>Not to be outdone, the Mist are enjoying a glow-up of their own as the only other team to miss the postseason in 2025. This high-scoring squad has turned those rainy days into a sunny new reality.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udccd How they got here:<\/strong> It\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish. Just ask Mist, whose resilience was on full display in Monday\u2019s come-from-behind 73\u201369 win over Breeze BC. Down by 10 in the final frame (and as many as 16 in the first half), Mist took their first lead of the game moments before Arike Ogunbowale knocked down the epic game winner<\/a>. Talk about a birthday to remember.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc4f The next-woman-up mentality: <\/strong>Mist\u2019s biggest strength is their depth. Leading scorer Allisha Gray \u2014 who\u2019s averaging 21.8 points per game and earned a spot on the All-Unrivaled Second Team<\/a> \u2014 managed just 12 points in Monday\u2019s win. But you know who was<\/em> dropping buckets? Almost everyone else, mitigating Gray\u2019s uncharacteristically quiet night.<\/p>\n \u2705 Why they\u2019ll win:<\/strong> Mist can straight-up score, averaging a league-best 77.7 points per game. Why are they so difficult to defend? Any player can dominate the box score on any given night. Plus, they spread the ball exceptionally well, averaging 13.7 assists per game, second only to Phantom\u2019s 14.6. Sharing is always caring. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Source: Joe Lemire\/SBJ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Before tonight\u2019s championship showdown tips off,<\/strong> let\u2019s look back <\/strong>at two of the biggest moments in Unrivaled history: the league\u2019s first-ever tour stop in Philadelphia and Monday\u2019s electric Barclays Center takeover.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd14 January\u2019s trip to Philly<\/strong> saw 21,490 fans<\/a> pack Xfinity Mobile Arena, setting the record for the most-attended regular-season women\u2019s basketball game ever. Philadelphia\u2019s a city with a known appetite for hoops and women\u2019s sports, making it the perfect inaugural tour stop \u2014 oh, and the cheesesteaks were good<\/a> too.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf4e They call it the Big Apple for a reason:<\/strong> Monday\u2019s semifinal showdowns in Brooklyn lived up to the hype. The basketball was absolutely electric, and so was the sellout crowd<\/a> of 18,261. A bona fide hoops hub, NYC showed up, from the celeb cameos<\/a> to pure fan joy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb8 And these road trips are money makers: <\/strong>Before the semifinal games tipped off, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell shared that the two tilts had already generated $1M in revenue, while Philly is Unrivaled drew $2M when all was said and done. Cha-ching, indeed.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 What\u2019s next? <\/strong>Almost certainly more tour stops: The league\u2019s reportedly planning up to eight road trips in 2027, with aspiring women\u2019s basketball cities<\/a> like Nashville and Kansas City topping the list of potential locations.<\/p>\n\n
\ud83c\udf28\ufe0f The case for Mist BC<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\u2708\ufe0f A moment for the road trips<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n