I thoroughly enjoyed the first night. I had chosen the Lunar Owls to root for before the season started. So SDS getting the win that way was really exciting, especially since it was a comeback. Love the target score rule. It sets an actual goal for the down team to reach for. Also enjoyed all the 1 on 1 isolations with no help. Especially when there's a mismatch. Did you see when Dolson posted up against Cloud? What a battle that was. That's something you'd never get to see in the regular game. Looking forward to watching the rest of the short season.
I don't have cable so I signed up with Sling to watch TNT and TruTV broadcasts. Had to DVR it for Saturday's games since I was out. Unfortunately, the games ran late and their DVR function wasn't smart enough. So, it cut off the second half of the Owls game. Also they're supposed to have a function that auto records all sports so you don't have to remember. But it doesn't seem to recognize Unrivaled as sports. Anyone use Max? I'm curious if it has on demand for past games similar to the WNBA League Pass.
On the first day, I watched via YouTube TV which is my primary "cable" service now. I switched to it from Comcast back in early 2024. It should be pretty similar to how Sling TV works as well. I watched Saturday's games on Max.
I just booted up Max streaming to verify how it works. From what I can tell, it looks like it has Saturday's games still available to watch but does not have the first games that were played on Friday. I bet it's a similar setup to how the Seattle Kraken and Amazon Prime Video work. You can watch Kraken games live on Prime Video or you can watch the game either 24 or possibly 48 hours after the game. However, after that, it goes away.
I really enjoyed the games. The rules about free throws and the fourth quarter are really creative and make the game more intense. I wondered about having a "full court" 3x3 making the game too spread, but the shorter court seems like an excellent solution.
I liked how all the players had similar messages about the league, clearly people are invested in making the succeed and have a "rising tide lifts all boats" attitude.
Unrelated to the games... I wish they had a dedicated app so I could get stats in real time. The Athletic kinda does that.
I thought players used "give-and-go" more than in 5x5 games. Any idea if that's true, or just my subjective impression? I could see that in a game where you'd expect less defensive help g-n-g might be more successful than in 5x5. I noticed that from the Laces.
Do you think players will be even more thoroughly scouted in the W by other teams due to this league? Many more opportunities to see how play X does against player Y in something closer to isolation. Or are there so many opportunities to get that information already?
Anyway, I just loved the games and I hope the league is successful. Go Stewie and Mrs. & Mr. Phee!
I 100% agree that the "rising tide lifts all boats" and that the more teams that move in that direction the more the other owners are pressured into stepping up their game to treat these amazing athletes with respect and all the proper and necessary amenities. Cheap owners can be so damaging to a franchise. Unfortunately, Seattle fans have experienced that with the Seattle Mariners over the years.
I wonder if the Bleacher Report app would have all the stats in real-time. I noticed the ESPN app did not show or support Unrivaled (at least not yet). Bleacher Report is owned by Turner Sports/Warner Bros Discovery, so their app would be the most likely to support Unrivaled. I'll have to look into that and get back to you.
Regarding "give-and-go", I'll have to watch the games a little more closely. They definitely run a ton of pick-and-roll where the post player screens for the guard with the ball and then receives the ball as they roll to the basket. It reminded me a lot of the last youth basketball team I coached as I taught them to run Pick and Roll a lot and they found success with that. With 3 x 3, there are only so many actions a team can run. There is going to be a lot more isolation (1-on-1) because of all the open court space and less help defense with four fewer players (total) on the court. The teams basically can run a ball screen, often pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop for the jump shot. They can screen away, the two players without the ball, one goes and screens the other to get open usually near the rim. Or they go iso 1-on-1. Those types of plays and fast breaks will be most of the action. But it will be interesting to keep watching and see if that holds true.
Regarding the scouting, I certainly think Unrivaled will make it easier in some regards. Because the players stay stateside it would be easier to travel to Florida and watch them play in person. It also could show off certain players who may have more opportunities to expand their role beyond what they've done in the WNBA or their foreign clubs. Probably one thing that wouldn't be as ideal is certain players may be better at 3 x 3 compared to 5 x 5 and if that's the case, General Managers could start over-valuing certain players. But I do think it's a good chance to scout players and since the league is comprised of all WNBA players, that also allows them to have a good understanding of how each player performs in the WNBA.
I feel maybe a player like Kate Martin or even someone like Azurá Stevens could showcase more thanks to Unrivaled. Obviously, we know who Napheesa Collier, Stewie, Jewell Loyd, Sabrina Ionescu, Arike Ogunbowale, etc. are and what they're capable of. But I do feel Unrivaled can offer some new opportunities for certain players.
I do feel this league probably would have been more beneficial in the early 2000s or early 2010s. When I spoke with Talisa Rhea last year, it sounded like the scouting has come a long way and is a lot more advanced now. Organizations can get their hands on lots of game tape even if it's from different countries, etc. I can't say for certain, but I do feel some of the scouting was a lot more limited 10 years ago.
Oh man, mentioning the Mariners really harshed my mellow. ;-) It seemed like a week after I bought my Flex pass last year Jerry Dipoto dropped his "we aim to play .540 for a decade" comment. I was not happy. I definitely didn't renew this season. I got tickets to see them when the Dodgers and Yankees come to town and I'll probably see another few games. But they won't get my money up front like before.
It will be fun to see how the strategies evolve with this version of 3x3.
As I understand it, the cameras are pointed at the less populated side of the court. 867 people isn't a huge audience, but the way they have the broadcasts situated makes it look like a game in a small high school. I understand that the cameras need to face the benches, you want to see what the coaches are doing. I wonder if they'll change that up over time.
Your comment about GMs maybe overvaluing some players led me in a different direction. I wonder if we will see 3x3 specialists. I'm a fairly new WNBA/Women's NCAA viewer, so I recognize I may be poorly calibrated. But I look at Hailey Van Lith and how she did at FIBA 3x3 and the Olympics.. I wonder if she may be "more elite" at 3x3 than 5x5. Don't know. Thoughts? Of course, Unrivaled 3x3 is pretty different from FIBA 3x3.
I believe the way the arena, court, stage is set up. There are only fans on one side. I might be wrong, I'd have to go back and double-check but I don't think they have any fans behind either basket and I know they don't have fans behind the player benches. As many have said, it is more like high school basketball where there is bleachers all on one side and the players and coaches only on the opposite side.
I think one tricky thing with the audience is that they are playing all the games at a neutral site. No one really has homecourt advantage. And I don't really hear any "Here we go, Owls! Here we go!" *clap* *clap*.
It did sound like after Day 1, there was a PA guy trying to get the crowd to be louder and make more noise. But it was all neutral stuff like "Un-Riv-aled! Un-Riv-aled!"
Regarding Hailey Van Lith, I think her biggest issue when it comes to possibly transition to the 5x5 WNBA game will just be her size and potentially lack of athleticism. Smaller guards have two problems in the WNBA, on each end of the court. They can have issues getting their shots off against taller defenses. And they can be taken advantage of when they are on defense. It's why a player like Crystal Dangerfield (5' 5") can win rookie of the year because she does have talent offensively but struggles to stop when she has to go up against much taller guards.
I do believe HVL will get drafted but more likely in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft. And I'm not certain she'll be able to earn a roster spot but with new expansion teams coming, she'll have a better shot. And since she is a WA state native, I'll be rooting for her.
I had similar thoughts about the crowd. Almost felt like watching the wubble games. Well, not quite that bad. Anyway, I think I read or heard somewhere that they might do some traveling around starting next year. That could help with the situation you describe if they play different venues. Anyone else see that or am I imagining it?
I THINK I might have seen that as well. That they might travel a little more in future years. They would likely need to treat it like the NCAA March Madness tournament. Where tickets would be for at least two games if not 3 or 4 games. But it definitely is similar to the Wubble just with some fans.
Hi Pearl, yes I'm happy to explain. If a player scores a basket but is also fouled, it's treated as a standard AND1 opportunity where they are fouled, get one free throw and that free throw is worth 1 extra point. That's the same as we have in the NBA and WNBA. The different rules happen with a shooting foul where the player doesn't make the basket. If it's a two-point shot inside the arc, the player gets one free throw but it is worth 2 points. If a player is fouled beyond the three-point line and is shooting, they get one free throw that is worth 3 points. I believe, if a team has 5 fouls in a single period, then the team that is fouled gets 1 free throw worth 2 points even if they weren't shooting. Similar to the NBA/WNBA where a team gets into the Bonus.
The main change is that it reduces the time the game is spent at the free throw line. Instead of getting fouled on a three-point shot and taking 3 free throw attempts, the player just gets one attempt but if they make it, it's worth 3 points.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first night. I had chosen the Lunar Owls to root for before the season started. So SDS getting the win that way was really exciting, especially since it was a comeback. Love the target score rule. It sets an actual goal for the down team to reach for. Also enjoyed all the 1 on 1 isolations with no help. Especially when there's a mismatch. Did you see when Dolson posted up against Cloud? What a battle that was. That's something you'd never get to see in the regular game. Looking forward to watching the rest of the short season.
I don't have cable so I signed up with Sling to watch TNT and TruTV broadcasts. Had to DVR it for Saturday's games since I was out. Unfortunately, the games ran late and their DVR function wasn't smart enough. So, it cut off the second half of the Owls game. Also they're supposed to have a function that auto records all sports so you don't have to remember. But it doesn't seem to recognize Unrivaled as sports. Anyone use Max? I'm curious if it has on demand for past games similar to the WNBA League Pass.
On the first day, I watched via YouTube TV which is my primary "cable" service now. I switched to it from Comcast back in early 2024. It should be pretty similar to how Sling TV works as well. I watched Saturday's games on Max.
I just booted up Max streaming to verify how it works. From what I can tell, it looks like it has Saturday's games still available to watch but does not have the first games that were played on Friday. I bet it's a similar setup to how the Seattle Kraken and Amazon Prime Video work. You can watch Kraken games live on Prime Video or you can watch the game either 24 or possibly 48 hours after the game. However, after that, it goes away.
Thanks for the info on Max. I might have to switch over. Probably cheaper anyway since I have no need for all the other cable channels on Sling.
SDS! Yeah, baby!
Big Shot Skylar.
I really enjoyed the games. The rules about free throws and the fourth quarter are really creative and make the game more intense. I wondered about having a "full court" 3x3 making the game too spread, but the shorter court seems like an excellent solution.
I liked how all the players had similar messages about the league, clearly people are invested in making the succeed and have a "rising tide lifts all boats" attitude.
Unrelated to the games... I wish they had a dedicated app so I could get stats in real time. The Athletic kinda does that.
I thought players used "give-and-go" more than in 5x5 games. Any idea if that's true, or just my subjective impression? I could see that in a game where you'd expect less defensive help g-n-g might be more successful than in 5x5. I noticed that from the Laces.
Do you think players will be even more thoroughly scouted in the W by other teams due to this league? Many more opportunities to see how play X does against player Y in something closer to isolation. Or are there so many opportunities to get that information already?
Anyway, I just loved the games and I hope the league is successful. Go Stewie and Mrs. & Mr. Phee!
I 100% agree that the "rising tide lifts all boats" and that the more teams that move in that direction the more the other owners are pressured into stepping up their game to treat these amazing athletes with respect and all the proper and necessary amenities. Cheap owners can be so damaging to a franchise. Unfortunately, Seattle fans have experienced that with the Seattle Mariners over the years.
I wonder if the Bleacher Report app would have all the stats in real-time. I noticed the ESPN app did not show or support Unrivaled (at least not yet). Bleacher Report is owned by Turner Sports/Warner Bros Discovery, so their app would be the most likely to support Unrivaled. I'll have to look into that and get back to you.
Regarding "give-and-go", I'll have to watch the games a little more closely. They definitely run a ton of pick-and-roll where the post player screens for the guard with the ball and then receives the ball as they roll to the basket. It reminded me a lot of the last youth basketball team I coached as I taught them to run Pick and Roll a lot and they found success with that. With 3 x 3, there are only so many actions a team can run. There is going to be a lot more isolation (1-on-1) because of all the open court space and less help defense with four fewer players (total) on the court. The teams basically can run a ball screen, often pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop for the jump shot. They can screen away, the two players without the ball, one goes and screens the other to get open usually near the rim. Or they go iso 1-on-1. Those types of plays and fast breaks will be most of the action. But it will be interesting to keep watching and see if that holds true.
Regarding the scouting, I certainly think Unrivaled will make it easier in some regards. Because the players stay stateside it would be easier to travel to Florida and watch them play in person. It also could show off certain players who may have more opportunities to expand their role beyond what they've done in the WNBA or their foreign clubs. Probably one thing that wouldn't be as ideal is certain players may be better at 3 x 3 compared to 5 x 5 and if that's the case, General Managers could start over-valuing certain players. But I do think it's a good chance to scout players and since the league is comprised of all WNBA players, that also allows them to have a good understanding of how each player performs in the WNBA.
I feel maybe a player like Kate Martin or even someone like Azurá Stevens could showcase more thanks to Unrivaled. Obviously, we know who Napheesa Collier, Stewie, Jewell Loyd, Sabrina Ionescu, Arike Ogunbowale, etc. are and what they're capable of. But I do feel Unrivaled can offer some new opportunities for certain players.
I do feel this league probably would have been more beneficial in the early 2000s or early 2010s. When I spoke with Talisa Rhea last year, it sounded like the scouting has come a long way and is a lot more advanced now. Organizations can get their hands on lots of game tape even if it's from different countries, etc. I can't say for certain, but I do feel some of the scouting was a lot more limited 10 years ago.
Oh man, mentioning the Mariners really harshed my mellow. ;-) It seemed like a week after I bought my Flex pass last year Jerry Dipoto dropped his "we aim to play .540 for a decade" comment. I was not happy. I definitely didn't renew this season. I got tickets to see them when the Dodgers and Yankees come to town and I'll probably see another few games. But they won't get my money up front like before.
It will be fun to see how the strategies evolve with this version of 3x3.
As I understand it, the cameras are pointed at the less populated side of the court. 867 people isn't a huge audience, but the way they have the broadcasts situated makes it look like a game in a small high school. I understand that the cameras need to face the benches, you want to see what the coaches are doing. I wonder if they'll change that up over time.
Your comment about GMs maybe overvaluing some players led me in a different direction. I wonder if we will see 3x3 specialists. I'm a fairly new WNBA/Women's NCAA viewer, so I recognize I may be poorly calibrated. But I look at Hailey Van Lith and how she did at FIBA 3x3 and the Olympics.. I wonder if she may be "more elite" at 3x3 than 5x5. Don't know. Thoughts? Of course, Unrivaled 3x3 is pretty different from FIBA 3x3.
I believe the way the arena, court, stage is set up. There are only fans on one side. I might be wrong, I'd have to go back and double-check but I don't think they have any fans behind either basket and I know they don't have fans behind the player benches. As many have said, it is more like high school basketball where there is bleachers all on one side and the players and coaches only on the opposite side.
I think one tricky thing with the audience is that they are playing all the games at a neutral site. No one really has homecourt advantage. And I don't really hear any "Here we go, Owls! Here we go!" *clap* *clap*.
It did sound like after Day 1, there was a PA guy trying to get the crowd to be louder and make more noise. But it was all neutral stuff like "Un-Riv-aled! Un-Riv-aled!"
Regarding Hailey Van Lith, I think her biggest issue when it comes to possibly transition to the 5x5 WNBA game will just be her size and potentially lack of athleticism. Smaller guards have two problems in the WNBA, on each end of the court. They can have issues getting their shots off against taller defenses. And they can be taken advantage of when they are on defense. It's why a player like Crystal Dangerfield (5' 5") can win rookie of the year because she does have talent offensively but struggles to stop when she has to go up against much taller guards.
I do believe HVL will get drafted but more likely in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft. And I'm not certain she'll be able to earn a roster spot but with new expansion teams coming, she'll have a better shot. And since she is a WA state native, I'll be rooting for her.
I had similar thoughts about the crowd. Almost felt like watching the wubble games. Well, not quite that bad. Anyway, I think I read or heard somewhere that they might do some traveling around starting next year. That could help with the situation you describe if they play different venues. Anyone else see that or am I imagining it?
I THINK I might have seen that as well. That they might travel a little more in future years. They would likely need to treat it like the NCAA March Madness tournament. Where tickets would be for at least two games if not 3 or 4 games. But it definitely is similar to the Wubble just with some fans.
I liked the one free throw attempt but was confused about how points were awarded. Pls. explain.
Hi Pearl, yes I'm happy to explain. If a player scores a basket but is also fouled, it's treated as a standard AND1 opportunity where they are fouled, get one free throw and that free throw is worth 1 extra point. That's the same as we have in the NBA and WNBA. The different rules happen with a shooting foul where the player doesn't make the basket. If it's a two-point shot inside the arc, the player gets one free throw but it is worth 2 points. If a player is fouled beyond the three-point line and is shooting, they get one free throw that is worth 3 points. I believe, if a team has 5 fouls in a single period, then the team that is fouled gets 1 free throw worth 2 points even if they weren't shooting. Similar to the NBA/WNBA where a team gets into the Bonus.
The main change is that it reduces the time the game is spent at the free throw line. Instead of getting fouled on a three-point shot and taking 3 free throw attempts, the player just gets one attempt but if they make it, it's worth 3 points.
thanks.