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Unrivaled Week 1 Recap: Highlights, Drama, and Standout Moments!
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Week 1 of Unrivaled brought all the action, drama, and unforgettable moments we’ve been waiting for! 🔥 From jaw-dropping highlights to standout performances, we’re breaking down everything you need to know. Who stole the show? Who’s got something to prove? And what can we expect moving forward? Tune in for all the insight and commentary you don’t want to miss! 💯 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Unrivaled recaps and exclusive coverage! --
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Transcript
Introduction and Unrival's Impact
00:00:00
Speaker
Is it just me or is Unrival one of the top things that has helped us get through January so far in 2025, y'all? What's going on? It's DJ TrixieTrees and welcome back to another episode of The Post-Up where I run my mouth about sports. As you can see here, I have on a LA Strong T-shirt. Big shout out to Fanatics and the LA Sparks for selling these tees to benefit the California wildfires that are currently raging right here, y'all. I am in l LA, not right here, where I am. I'm in LA, I'm downtown. ah Fortunately, the fires have not come this far, but but there are so many people from California who have
00:00:38
Speaker
experienced an unsurmountable amount of loss. So big shots out to our home team for doing something in conjunction with a company that cares and is trying to spread some love in the midst of all of this craziness.
Unrival's Game Format and Player Adaptation
00:00:51
Speaker
The first week of unrivaled has come to an end. And can I tell you that it has passed every single expectation that I could have thought that this league was going to have y'all. I didn't know about all the details. I wasn't privy to a lot of the rules and stuff. I learned a lot about it when you learned about it. So I've been doing my best to teach it back to you, but I love the format. Let's just talk about the things that are different in the game.
00:01:19
Speaker
three on three versus five on five in the WNBA. um The three on three is of course going to be a little bit more fast paced. It's played more of that USA basketball type of style, but there are some conditions. The size of the court is a bit different. ah The foul rules work a little bit different and the fourth quarter does not have a time limit. What they do is they take the leading team score and add 11 to it and that is the target score for the game. So let's say for instance there's a close game at the end of the third quarter. If it's only plus 11 and your team goes on an 11 to no run, you could win.
00:01:58
Speaker
because there's no time. We're not waiting on a clock to expire. It really turns up the intensity. So already I am just shocked at how much in shape these women are and how they're adjusting to this faster pace of game with only two sets of players on the team. So six players on each team. So there's a couple of different rotations that you can go with.
00:02:22
Speaker
But man, Dierka can hand be posted after her last game on, I think it was Sunday. She was like, man, I'm tired. And I commented back, girl, I'm tired for you. Just looking at you on TV. So hats off to all the ladies for just the amount of physical labor that goes into playing this style of basketball.
00:02:42
Speaker
Now with a faster paced game, it means that you cannot hide on defense. That was one major thing that I saw. If you slip a little bit on defense, it really opens up maybe an easy basket or an open three for whoever you were supposed to be covering.
00:02:57
Speaker
um Let's say for instance somebody had the ball and they're about to shoot a three if you do fly by defense and you're gone They could take a a step and just shoot it again move in same thing, but there's less coverage when you're playing um zone defense and basketball there's always someone who can slide in from help side to to bridge that gap, but in three on three, because everything is a one V one matchup and people are constantly running because the clock is running and the court's a different size and all these different things, you gotta play defense. If you are trash at defense, you will get taken advantage of almost every time. There have been some fun match ups. I believe Natasha Cloud was matched up with BG one game and slapped the ball out of her hand. So like, that's cool. You know, you could be a small guard, guard in a center and still give that intensity on defense to make a difference for your team.
Key Performances and Surprises
00:03:51
Speaker
Also with this three on three format, the teams that play as a team usually win. the The standings are all over the place and we'll talk about that in a second, but if you have great ball movement and can trust that each one of your team members are a scorer, those are the ones, the the teams that do better. For instance,
00:04:11
Speaker
I was shocked that Sabrina Inescu hasn't dropped 20 points each game based on her scoring ability and the fact that she's one of the top stars on her team, especially with three point shooting. But if you're not getting open to get that open look at the three, it makes your game completely different. Same with BG as I just used in an example.
00:04:33
Speaker
You can be as tall as you want to be, but if the person passing you the ball can't get an open enough pass lane without a tip or a deflection of some kind of a sword, you're going to have to work harder to score those points. Before we go into the standings, I just want to give a major shout out to everybody on the unrivaled team that made this happen because they actually got a viewership record as well as one of the top women's basketball games to ever be streamed on TNT sports.
00:05:03
Speaker
I think it was over 300k on that. So big shout outs to already doing numbers, having rocks, solid sponsors, and building a beautiful arena. Not trying to fit the mold of something that already existed, but truly creating something that's brand new and your own.
Team Dynamics and Week One Review
00:05:20
Speaker
Let's jump into the standings. Listen y'all, I'm just as confused as you because every team that won the first game continued to win. Every team that lost the first game continued to lose. So it's almost like if you don't have your rotations figured out or you need to figure out different ways to strategize with your team, that first opening weekend was rough. I will say what I expect is some of these bottom teams to have figured out the cheat code, watch some film, and come back week 2 again with a whole new attitude and a whole new game plan. So yes,
00:05:58
Speaker
These are the standings for after week one, but I expect that a lot of these teams are going to flip-flop and the records are going to start to be a little bit less predictable. Let's jump into some of what surprised me, player-wise, okay? First and foremost, Kayla McBride is a star.
00:06:17
Speaker
I knew she was a star based on her WNBA finals experience that we just saw last year. I knew she was a star based off of her college and just that engine, that basketball motor that she's got going. But man, she's got a hot hand.
00:06:32
Speaker
it. I've never seen somebody shoot a ball that fast off touch passes. Just insane. I did not expect that Caleb McBride would be leading her team the way that she is. So you can go ahead and say that I was sleeping on her game before, but listen, I will never, ever, ever, ever in a million years again, sleep on Caleb McBride. And if she continues with the the Minnesota links,
00:06:59
Speaker
Listen, there's so much that they can do. She said in one of her interviews that Cheryl Reeves doesn't let her shoot that much. Not in a way that it was accusatory, but she was basically saying, man, Cheryl would be going crazy if I shot this much in an actual game. And my response to that is, Cheryl.
00:07:16
Speaker
Cheryl, look at the tape. Let that girl shoot. Let her get that thing off because she has talent. She she has a way to read defense, to get open, create space. I am extremely impressed with Kayla McBride. Another thing that shocked me was Satu and Sabrina weren't Having the chemistry that I thought they were going to have off bat, there are a lot of rumors circulating in this free agency that Saatu is leaving Dallas and going to end up with the New York Liberty and s Sabrina and Nescue. If that actually happens,
00:07:50
Speaker
This would be a great testing ground to see how those two play together. I'm not sure why they don't do more pick and roll motions because that's where you'd think they would stand out, but Satu was missing some easy buckets under the rim. which again Not judging, it takes some time to get used to, as well as s Sabrina's three point shot wasn't hitting as much as we've become accustomed to think. So for me, the phantoms performance in general shocked me because they have some stars who are playmakers. Things just don't seem to click just yet. I'm not sure if it's coaching. I'm not sure if it's chemistry. Um, or just that that shock of just having this first weekend and this being a new league and not knowing what to expect. But I expect that the fans are going to get their stuff together and kind of change their strategy up a bit on how they play Sabrina and Satu.
00:08:47
Speaker
of course while wearing this spark shirt you know i gotta talk about my sparks all right so i'm gonna give you a little bit of what i thought about my sparks performance in the unrivaled league first and foremost mama d d erica hamby never ceases to amaze me I never doubt or I never bet against the Erica Hamby because when in doubt she is going to get the job done. She also is playing on a team with Ryan Howard who she has experienced playing USA women's three on three with. So I think team vinyl
00:09:22
Speaker
has something cooking. They've got the formula. They know how to play as well as they have the athletic ability to actually execute a lot of the things. Great job, DeErika. I shouted you out on threads. You were all over my Instagram story. Girl, I was going crazy.
00:09:39
Speaker
Also on Team Vinyl, Ray Burrell. Lisa Leslie called her sweet baby Ray on the broadcast. And I think we should make that her nickname across the board. Her game is so smooth. So silky. Just like that barbecue sauce that we all love. I am so excited to see Ray Burrell finally get back in her bag. And not finally get back in her bag. That is, she's been in her bag. But start to show the world how much she's in her bag, okay? This is a top 10 pick, a former Tennessee volunteer, and she is doing her thing in the Unrivaled League. So I'm excited to see how Rae is continuing to lead that second unit. It's looking like she's a part of that second rotation. I wanna see her drop a 20 piece, which I'm sure is on the way, but her sheer athleticism just looks so good.
00:10:32
Speaker
Azaré Z Stephens is playing with former assistant coach of the Sparks, Nola Henry for the Rolls basketball club. And they had two tough losses. My guess is they're still figuring it out. She's playing alongside Angel Reese, Chelsea Gray, Kalia Copper. These are, uh, they're a taller team, so I think they're just finding their chemistry. I expect to see Azaré become more of a leader for this team. She is a past WNBA champion.
00:11:02
Speaker
has that veteran leadership that is going to be needed to win some of these games. So I'm excited to see that club grow. I think the losses again, we're just first week jitters.
Expectations for Week Two and Beyond
00:11:14
Speaker
I want to see them really step their scoring up and Last but certainly not least, our star rookie going into her sophomore season, Rakia Jackson. Big Kia, not the little one as I like to call her. Man, I am loving the fact that she is finding her win and playing with different offensive powerhouses.
00:11:34
Speaker
Watching her and Stewie play together is just stirring up something in my spirit that I know that once her and Cameron Brink and her and DeErika finally get back on the same court, as well as as a Ray Stevens for the Sparks, there's going to be this offensive confidence because she's finding her shot in different ways in that three on three arena. She did have a high scoring game. I think her highest score was like 11 points. The other game, she was a little bit softer. But again, we're going to give her time to figure it out because it's only up from here. She fits in so well with the unrivaled brand with Sephora and so many different brands that they work with. It fits into her personal brand. I know that this is going to help all of the players to build their personal brands, but specifically Rakia Jackson being a young star in the face
00:12:26
Speaker
of ah the future Mount Rushmore of the WNBA. Watching her with Dejanay Carrington and Stewie and all these players alike, I know iron sharpens iron. I'm expecting her to be so much better when she comes back home to the LA Sparks.
00:12:41
Speaker
My predictions for week two, I predict that it's going to go nothing like week one. And I know that's very vague, but I'm, so I'm thinking that a lot of the teams that won will start to think they have it figured out and get bested by teams who are a little bit scrappy or a little hungry or figuring things out.
Women's Basketball's Role in 2025
00:12:57
Speaker
I am expecting the intensity to stay way through.
00:13:02
Speaker
The roof y'all watch the NBA right now or the m NBA is just, it's slower basketball, especially when it's not the playoffs. 2025 has started as being such a weird year with so much just happening in the world.
00:13:17
Speaker
ah with the presidential election, switching over and all these kinds of things. But it is a breath of fresh air to just watch great basketball and watch these women prove to the world things that we already knew. They are immeasurably talented. There is a market for watching women's basketball and brands will put their money where their mouth is on this.
00:13:39
Speaker
On next week's show, I will be giving you my reaction to week two of Unrival, but I will also be talking about free agency in the WNBA as they just announced who the free agents are today.
Upcoming Topics: WNBA Free Agency
00:13:52
Speaker
And I'm excited to see how it will play with this expansion draft and having a brand new team in there to compete for top talent.
00:14:01
Speaker
Thank you so much for tuning in to the post-up. I go by the name of DJ TreeCtrees. Make sure you hit that like, share, subscribe for more content like this. And remember, I'm always here running my mouth about sports. Stay tapped in and I'll see you on the next episode.