Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride's unrivaled debut Saturday marked the first time they played in a competitive basketball game since the WNBA Finals.
It's been nearly three months since the Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in overtime to win the franchise's first title.
But McBride still feels the heart-wrenching pain of losing that franchise.
When she learned her Raices team would play Ionescu's Phantoms, she remembered the last time the two sides played.
“I'm not going to lie and say it didn't cross my mind,” McBride said. “But we're here now…and that competitiveness will never go away.”
McBride showed signs of revenge, leading the Rays to an 86-48 victory over the Phantoms.
After the loss, Phantoms coach Adam Harrington clenched his jaw as he passed Rays coach Andrew Wade. Less than an hour later, Harrington received text messages from half the team asking when they could meet up Sunday for practice and regrouping before Monday's game against the Mist.
“We're all competitive,” Harrington said. “I don't like what just happened, so I immediately think, 'What can I do to make them better?'”
Over the past week, players have been talking about the summer camp-like atmosphere at Unrivaled. With a well-equipped recovery room, weight room and glam room, the facility's setup allows players to easily interact with players from opposing teams.
But now that the games have begun, the competitive traits that made them stars are starting to show.
That was evident during the league's opening weekend. There was a lot of nonsense going on on the court. Two players were given technical fouls on Saturday for arguing with officials.
“It's competitive,” McBride said. “The WNBA is already competitive, and it's kind of made it even more so because there's only 36 of us here… There's still internal conflict, whether it's within the team or on the personal side. , we are all competitors.”
Rose guard Chelsea Gray never thought being trapped in close range with an adversary would be a big deal. And on Friday, her team lost to Vinyl.
“I don't like it,” Gray said. “I thought it was okay, but it wasn't. Let's see. I mean, it's my inner rival. It's tough. I'll probably put in AirPods.”
A look at an unparalleled 3-on-3 basketball game with Rose. AP
Vinyl Guard's Ryne Howard said “Unrivaled” reflects the WNBA All-Star Game and the 2020 WNBA season, which was held in a bubble due to the pandemic.
“Obviously you're going to meet your opponents and the people you're going to play with,” Howard said. “But we just managed to keep it professional. … We're here to do a job. As far as I'm concerned, there's no bad blood with anyone.”
Ionescu has a similar outlook to Howard. Although the play is competitive, Ionescu said he is focused on getting better, not necessarily winning.
“It’s a fine line to understand that I’m here to get better and keep working on my game,” she said. “But you also can't mentally lock yourself in like I'm going through a 'W' season here and now, or you'll be burnt out by the time 'W' starts.
“For me, it's like finding a balance. … We can continue to work on our games and get better by surrounding ourselves with the best players, but at the same time enjoy some kind of fun around each other.” You can also.”
