Unrivaled Gets Winning Score for Compelling League Debut

Up until this point the new Unrivaled Basketball League had been more of an idea than a reality to most fans. That's because no one knew what the actual product would look like.

Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell told us that the new league would prove it isn't a gimmick, but until the actual action tipped off on the court it was impossible for viewers to know for sure.

Well, so far so good for Unrivaled. The first night of action was entertaining and caused a buzz, with fast-paced action and intense player showdowns.

In honor of Unrivaled's 3-on-3 play, here were three standout details about its compelling debut.

1. Players

The single biggest selling point for Unrivaled has been the growth of women's basketball. Due to the explosion of the WNBA last season, many of the participants in the league have seen their profiles raised tremendously. This led to curiosity in seeing Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston matching up against one another on the floor and intrigue in the showdown between Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith given recent friction within the Seattle Storm. Anyone who was wondering whether competitive basketball would be played was left satisfied.

2. Pace

As mentioned above, some of the players really went at one another, but it was all done within a frenetic and fast-paced play style. This will ultimately favor players who thrive in space and not likely the likes of Reese and Boston. Which is probably why Loyd went off, Diggins-Smith recorded the first of many game-winners in league history, and Rhyne Howard thrived. Players who can create their own shot off the dribble and shoot from distance are going to light things up in Miami, with perhaps some new stars being created in the process.

3. Format

The winning score was a big win for Unrivaled. The league essentially uses the Elam Ending to determine the outcome of games. What that means is a target score is created by adding 11 points to the point total of the team leading after three quarters. Whichever squad then reaches that number first wins. This means that every single contest has a game-winner. It's also reminiscent of how everyone plays basketball out on the playground and is a strong way for Unrivaled to have its own identity.

It still remains to be seen if Unrivaled will keep the attention of WNBA and basketball fans. But the league made a strong first impression and offered an entertaining reprieve from what is a very long offseason.