Allisha Gray & Chelsea Gray Go In-Depth on the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament

Summary

Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird
Episode: Allisha Gray & Chelsea Gray Go In-Depth on the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament
Date: February 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Bird’s Eye View dives into an electrifying topic: the behind-the-scenes details, strategies, and emotions of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament’s final showdown, known as the "Battle of the Grays," featuring Allisha Gray and Chelsea Gray. Hall-of-Famer Sue Bird hosts exclusive, candid conversations with each finalist and then brings them together for an honest, engaging look at how the tournament unfolded, what went into their chess-like approaches, the physical and mental fatigue, and what this high-stakes showcase says about women’s basketball.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tournament Background and Structure (03:40–04:37)

• The Final Stretch: The season is wrapping up with playoffs set to begin February 28th; six teams make the playoffs, with the top two seeds receiving byes.
• Importance of Format: This year’s 1-on-1 tournament separated guards and posts in the brackets, preventing size mismatches and increasing competitiveness.

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2. Allisha Gray's Path to the Finals (04:38–23:01)

Mindset and Strategy (04:38–07:24)

• Pressure as Top Seed:
  • "Definitely it's pressure being the number one seed because, I mean, at any point, you lose, it's like an upset." (Allisha Gray, 04:38)
• Adjustments from Last Year: In light of a previous loss to a post player (Aaliyah Edwards), Allisha studied film, contacted other guards for advice, and planned differently for big matchups.

Facing Post Players (05:59–07:47)

• Her Approach:
  • “Have more ball pressure, meet the post as soon as the ref checks the ball… stay on offense as much as possible.” (Allisha Gray, 05:59)
  • “All three-point shots, and if I get stuck, try to pump fake and take a shot...stay on offense.” (06:18)
• Brackets Matter: Allisha credits the new pod system for making the tournament more competitive for guards.

Tournament Run Game-by-Game

• First Round Comeback vs. Saniyah Rivers (08:31–10:58):
  • Down 9–3 as the number one seed:
    • “I'm like, oh snap. Like I'm about to get upset in the first round… Once I got offense, I had to stay on offense 'cause if I was going defense, I was going home for sure.” (Allisha Gray, 09:21)
• Vs. Ray Burrell (10:58–13:59):
  • Strategy: Play more aggressively from the start and keep pressuring the ball.
  • Insights on use of timeouts to manage fatigue.
    • “I try to call timeout when I'm on offense. It gives the opponent rest on defense, but I'd rather that than them on offense and get that extra burst of energy.” (13:59)
• Vs. Aaliyah Boston (14:23–19:10):
  • Aggressive three-point shooting; jumped out to a 9–0 lead.
    • “My plan A was literally just shoot threes...I had no plans of going to the basket.” (15:09)
  • Used fouls strategically to avoid giving up easy baskets but “didn’t want to give her the free throw.”
  • Clutch game-winner at 10–10 tie, then joked:
    • “Thank God I’m not a post player…So glad I’m a guard. They can have that.” (18:04, 18:14)

What 1-on-1 Means to Her & The Game (19:36–22:07)

• “We’re not losing to average people on the street. We’re losing to top players in the league.” (20:46)
• 1-on-1 play showcases individual skills and gives the world a deeper look into WNBA players’ talents.

Post-Tournament Reflection & $50K Plans

• “It’s going to go into savings. I want to get a nice house.” (22:44)

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3. Chelsea Gray’s Path to the Championship (25:35–42:51)

Approach to the Tournament (25:35–28:44)

• Cool being ranked #2 seed (“Two is good. One was Paige. I'm good.” 25:38)
• Walkout song, Lil Wayne's "A Milli": “It's like…I'm here type of moment and feel that you have with the song.” (26:00)
• Focused only on the first round after early exits in prior years.

Game-by-Game Journey

• Vs. Natasha Cloud:
  • Down 8–5 in a game to 11:
    • “Here we go again, Chels, get it together…” (29:05)
  • “I just gotta get out of the first round.” (27:05)
• Vs. Jackie Young:
  • Battle between close teammates.
    • “We know each other and we played each other's strengths all the time.” (30:17)
  • “Now you’ve got bragging rights!” (31:33, Sue)
• Vs. Paige Bueckers:
  • Managed tense refereeing; discussed how defending and fouling can act as tactical breathers (33:12–34:59)
• Vs. Kelsey Plum:
  • Down 8–0 but storms back, playing to size advantage and attacking inside.
    • “I couldn't take a...I was down 8–0 and she shoots the ball way too good to give her the ball back. I had to take efficient shots… I was exhausted after that one too.” (37:09–38:14)

1-on-1 as a Pure Point Guard (39:41–40:57)

• Relief in not having to set up teammates:
  • “Going into it, I was like, nah, I'm getting to my spots, I'm going to score. That's all I have to focus on.” (39:41)
  • “Playing one on one...it’s simplified. It’s simple.” (40:57)

Prize Money Plans

• “We went to a nice dinner in Miami…Right now, I'm just kind of chilling, not even touching it. That's in the savings.” (42:14)

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4. The Battle of the Grays: Finals Breakdown (45:07–63:31)

Chemistry and Fun Facts (45:16–46:07)

• Revealed fun nicknames—“Ketchup”—because Allisha eats ketchup on her steak.
  • “She called me ketchup because I like to eat ketchup with my steak.” (45:34)

Finals – Strategy and Execution

• Allisha’s Game Plan:
  • “Ball pressure. She makes difficult shots, but I guess, like, try to force into difficult shots.” (46:33)
  • “My whole strategy is hoping that she missed shots. I mean, she's such a great shot maker.” (47:01)
• Chelsea’s Game Plan:
  • Avoid giving Allisha open threes, try to force her off the line, “gotta at least put the ball on the ground.” (47:40)

Game-by-Game Finals Recap

• Game One: Allisha jumps to 7–0 shutout—unique for such a close matchup.
  • “I won the first game 7–0, but for me it was like still staying humble… it's the best of three, so anything can happen.” (49:18)
• Game Two: Chelsea bounces back, drills consecutive threes, forces a Game 3.
  • “I was okay...I was even keel. I was fine. I got back on the court with two minutes left just to see some go through the net because I had missed some.” (50:17)
• Game Three:
  • Allisha takes a 6–0 lead in a race to 7.
    • “I was feeling good…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think I had it in the bag…The biggest thing was to stay on offense…” (52:31)
  • Chelsea battles back to 6–4, with both players visibly exhausted.
    • “Oh shit, I’m about to get 7–0’d for game three…Just get one on the board, just start there.” (53:11)

Fatigue Sets In

• Both describe a “point of no return” with exhaustion:
  • Allisha: “I got in the paint and I ain’t even jumping around. I just started turning around and shooting off. Flat foot. I had no more legs.” (54:50)
  • Chelsea: “There was an O-board and she rushed to it. I looked and said, ‘Just pray she don’t make this.’” (55:10)
  • On their hunched-over moment: “I was like, you got a timeout? I ain’t got no—OK, we’re not gonna go to half court till you ready…Ok, let's go.” (55:59)
• Strategy to buy time between check-ups, especially for Chels:
  • “I wanted my seven seconds to start as soon as I catch the ball…that was definitely my strategy, a time to catch my breath.” (56:21)

The Final Play

• Allisha slips, Chelsea recovers for an open shot and clinches the $200,000.
  • Allisha: “Once I tried going for the ball and I slipped, she was wide open. I was like oh yeah, that's GG’s. That’s game.” (60:06)
  • Chelsea: “The first thing in my mind…wasn’t like ‘200K’—that came like 10 seconds later. I was like, ‘this is over.’ I was so exhausted, I couldn't move.” (61:30)

Aftermath

• Both truly spent, Allisha: “I went to locker room and just laid out on the floor. Flatlined.” (62:31)
• Chelsea: “I couldn’t move for like two days after.” (62:39)
• “Who knew that one on one weight is fre… My body done for.” (Chelsea, 62:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sue Bird (Host):
  • “Every basketball player watching knew what you guys were feeling.” (13:04, 59:16)
• Allisha Gray:
  • “Thank God I’m not a post player…So glad I’m a guard. They can have that.” (18:04, 18:14)
  • “My whole strategy is hoping that she missed shots.” (47:01)
  • “Like I said, I lost to the point God. Like, I didn’t just lose to an average Joe on the street. I lost to a great player.” (60:06)
• Chelsea Gray:
  • “Guards rule the world anyways. That’s just my opinion.” (28:09)
  • “You just go into your stuff, you have seven seconds, go get a bucket. ... It’s simplified. It’s simple.” (40:57)
  • “We both were kind of going for it… I shot it and it felt great.” (61:30)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Unrivaled Playoff Structure: 03:41–04:37
• Allisha Gray’s First Round Strategy: 04:38–10:58
• Game Plan against post players: 05:59–07:47, 14:23–19:10
• Timeout/Fatigue Strategy: 13:59, 33:54, 54:50
• Chelsea Gray's Tournament Reflection: 25:35–28:44
• Chelsea on Playing 1-on-1 as a PG: 39:41–40:57
• Finals Strategy, Game 3, Fatigue and Closing: 45:16–63:31

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The Episode’s Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is casual, honest, and playful, featuring banter, strategic insights, and a real look into the physical and mental grind of high-level 1-on-1 basketball. Sue Bird draws out both competitors’ personalities and respect for each other, unwrapping not only their approaches but also the entertainment and growth of the women's game.

This episode is a must for anyone interested in what makes WNBA stars elite, both as athletes and as thinkers of the game. You don’t just get highlights—you get the context, inner battles, chess matches, and raw exhaustion that happen behind the scenes.

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Summary Table

| Segment | Allisha Gray Key Point | Chelsea Gray Key Point | Notable Quotes/Stage | |------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------| | Mindset & Pressure | Studied past matchups, focused on threes, film study | Just wanted to get out of round one, "Guards rule the world" | 04:38–07:24, 28:09 | | Combating Post Players | Neutralized size with pressure & shooting | Grateful for pod system, easier guard matchups | 05:59–07:47, 28:09 | | Game-by-game Run | Survived comeback, focused on staying on offense | Fought back from multiple deficits, attacked paint when down | 09:21, 37:09–38:14 | | Finals Strategy | Force Chelsea into tough shots, “Hope she misses” | Deny Allisha the three-point line, force inside | 46:33–48:10 | | Finals Fatigue | “Had no legs, had to rest whenever possible” | “We played four games back to back, no downtime to recover” | 54:50, 59:00 | | Final Play & Aftermath | Slipped, gave up open shot, accepted loss with respect | Relief it was over, couldn’t move for two days after | 60:06, 62:39 |

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For fans and newcomers alike, this episode is an inside look at the psyche, skillset, and soul of elite women's basketball.

Transcript

[A]

Hey everybody. Welcome back to Bird's Eye View. Today's guest gave us an absolute show in the unrivaled one on one tournament dubbed the Battle of the Grays. Pure hoops at its finest. On one side, one of the most consistent buckets in the game, Alicia Gray showed off her versatility big time. On the other, the point God herself, Chelsea Gray shot for shot, pride and money on the line. No help, defense in sight, a little bit of fatigue and trust me, you're going to want to hear all about it. But before we get into the show, you already know what time it is. It's time for Sue's View. Support for this show comes from TNT Sports. We're down to the home stretch of the Unrivaled season where anything can happen. See who will get the chance to call themselves champions as the regular season comes to a close and make sure to lock in on the unrivaled playoffs starting Saturday, February 28th. Catch all the action on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. For more information and to stay up to date with league news, Visit Unrivaled on tntsports.com, follow nrivaled basketball and rwsports on social platforms and subscribe to the league's newsletter found at Unrivaled Basketball Newsletter it's true that some things change as we get older. But if you're a woman over 40 and you're dealing with insomnia, brain fog, moodiness and weight gain, you don't have to accept it as just another part of aging. And with MITI Health, you can get help and stop pushing through it alone. The experts at MITI understand that all these symptoms can be connected to the hormonal changes that happen around menopause. And MITI can help you feel more like yourself again. Many healthcare providers aren't trained to treat or even recognize menopause symptoms. MIDI clinicians are menopause experts. They're dedicated to providing safe, effective, FDA approved solutions for dozens of hormonal symptoms, not just hot flashes. Most importantly, they're covered by insurance. 91% of MITI patients get relief from symptoms within just two months. You deserve to feel great. Book your virtual visit [e-mail] that's joinmidi.com all right, so this week for Sue's view, we're just going to do like a little State of the Union. Unrivaled is reaching its final stretch of the 2026 season. After a slight break from the one on one tournament, they're back in action and they're trying to solidify their playoff positioning. So real quick, playoffs start February 28th. The first round's on the 28th. Then we got the semifinals. As you know, it was announced those are going to take place at Barclays in New York City on March 2, and then the finals will be back in Miami on March 4th. Another quick reminder on the playoff structure. Six teams make the playoffs. The top two seeds get a bye. So that's really important in terms of who finishes first and second. And then you've got single elimination from there. First round, semis, finals. Yeah, it's going to be intense. So let's take a deeper look at where it stands right now and maybe, maybe some games to look for this weekend. The Laces, the Phantom and the Mist have all clinched. They can still jockey for position, though. And the Breeze, the Rose, and the Vinyl are in the hunt. Um, like I said, everybody's looking to solidify their position. Pretty much three games left for everyone. And I think for this weekend, you could keep your eye. On Friday, the Phantom have a chance to catch the Laces, get into that top spot. That would really solidify things in terms of that buy. Um, then on Saturday, you can keep your eye on the Vinyl and the Breeze. They're sixth and fourth currently, so, you know, things are. Things are starting to move and shake up. And these are the types of games that you really want to watch because they get intense, so make sure you check them out. Speaking of intensity, if you watched the unrivaled one on one tournament, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So without further ado, let's just get to it. The two that were left standing, we're going to do this a little different. I'm going to talk to Alicia, I'm going to talk to Chelsea, and then I'm going to talk to them together. So enjoy. All right, Alicia Gray, thank you for joining us. Let's start from the beginning. You were the number one seed in your bracket. Can you, like, walk me through what your mindset was coming into the one on one tournament, did you feel any pressure being the top seed? You did do well last year until you met Aaliyah Edwards. So, like, did you have any strategies coming in? Like, what was going on for you?

[B]

Definitely it's fresher than the number one seed because, I mean, any point life, you lose, it's like upset in the early, early stages. But I. I definitely strategize different this year than last year. I actually, like, thought the game because I knew from a guard standpoint that I was going to be okay. It was more so battling the post because I knew last year with the Lia Edwards, like, she just straight dominated me, and it was just nothing I could do. So with my Aaliyah Boston matchup the night before, like, I was watching my matchup against Aaliyah Edwards from last year, like, what I was doing wrong. And then I watched Stewie one on one versus Aaliyah Boston. And then I was, like, texting people, like, guards that played against post players and, like, won their one on one matchup from last year. So I just had, like, a whole strategy. And when it was time to play, it was just like, either I win or I lose. But I know I went out doing what I wanted to do.

[A]

Wait. I mean, we're getting ahead of ourselves, but I love it. I was gonna ask you. So you kind of brought up two things. So first, what was your strategy against post players? Because that is, like, a big storyline when you look at last year's tournament, this year's tournament, and kind of how it played out different. So what was your strategy?

[B]

I know for this year it was more. So have more ball pressure, meet the post, like, soon as the ref checks the ball, meet the post early, and just have them, like, literally just like, back me down, down the whole game to make them tired of me. That was like. Yeah. And then from an offense standpoint, it was just me just shooting threes. I mean, that was the. I figured that's the only way that I could win was from the three point line, because I know me driving to the basket, like, I'm not going to outpower Aaliyah Boston. Like, let's just be real. So I just know for me, it was just like, all three point shots, and if I get stuck, try to pump, fake and take a shot, but it was to stay on offense as much as possible. Okay.

[A]

So the other question is, like, I don't know if this was by design because I know the way the brackets got set up eventually. Like, fans voted for the seating. But it does feel like the difference from last year to this year was guards got to go against guards more and posts got to go against posts more. And the reality, like you said, at the end of the day, post just have a size advantage. And if they back you down, they back you down. There's not much you can do. So do you think that the way the tournament was set up this year made for a better tournament and not just leaned in to one category, the post category? Like, one category's Advantage.

[B]

Yeah, I think it was a lot better this year than last year. Cause last year was just like bracket based and like 4 posts could all make it like to the final. It's like nothing you can do. So I do like the fact that they had the pots and all the posters in one pod and it's just like I literally had to play only one post player, so that made things a lot easier than last year for sure.

[A]

Yeah. Well, two guards obviously got to the finals, so I mean, listen, I'm guard biased, so I think it worked out. I loved it.

[C]

I loved it.

[A]

Okay, before we get into some of the details of each game, you guys get to choose your own walkout song. We all know you're a huge fan of TI you chose you don't know me. There is. I mean, I know that song well. I'm a TI fan too. Why that one?

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

That's always been like one of my favorite TI songs growing up. Just that whole album, it's just a fire album to me. So last year I chose asap and this year I chose you don't know me.

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

He's a great lyrical, so it spoke volumes to me.

[A]

I know because I had a moment where I was like, man, this is someone who in the WNBA skills contest you swept one year. Like, clearly people know her, but you might just have to walk in like, you don't know me. Like take a minute here. You don't know me. All right, I loved it. I thought it was a good pick. All right, so first round comes, you get Saniyah Rivers. Um, man, so you won that game 12 to 9, but that's actually a little misleading because you were down nine to three. I have to like in that moment, what are you thinking? You're like, are you serious? In game one, I'm down nine three. So what was happening for you during the course of that game against Saniyah?

[B]

I was like, oh snap. Like I'm about to get upset in the first round as the number one seed. But like Saniyah is just such like a great player. So it's just like the seedings were all misleading. Like a lot of people, like just cause they were the ac, like that didn't mean anything. Like everybody here in our rival can hoop. So when she went up 9:3, I'm like, oh snap. Like, am I about to go home? But I knew like just like any other guys, like once I got offense, it was like I had to stay on offense because if I was going defense, like I was going home for sure. Cause she was hitting everything.

[A]

Yeah, she was. You actually just reminded me, it's like. So the way it works is the higher seed at the start of the game gets to choose who they want to shoot for ball. Do you think there's an. Do you think there's any scenario where you're not choosing yourself?

[B]

No, I want to put my fate in my hands because I don't want to get beat 11 to 0 and I don't touch the ball. So at least if I was to beat 11 to 0, it was in my hand because I didn't make the first shot.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Fair.

[B]

Fair.

[A]

Yeah, I know. Because it's actually, when you think about it, who starts on offense really does matter right from the jump. There's just a lot of pressure in this tournament, which I think is great. It's obviously what brings out the best in everybody. And I think for you, I'm actually curious, like, so for you having that tough game in round one, how do you think that prepared you and got you kind of like ready for the next round? You met up with Ray Burrell. So like, how did that first game impact your next game?

[B]

Just attacking from the get go. I feel like in the first game, not that I started lax, but I was kind of holding myself back and not really being as of aggressive. So I knew playing against Ray and her being a very aggressive guard, like I didn't want to be in that same predicament that I was in the first game because just okay, now like my body's starting to get tired. Just certain shots that I'm not going to be continue to make. So I just knew like with Rayla, I just had to really play aggressive and gameplay. I literally gameplay each. Each person I played in and trying to take advantages and the disadvantages that I had against them as well.

[A]

What do you. What were they for against Ray?

[B]

I just knew with Ray I had to stay down. She's a great. She has great counter moves. So I know if I was to jump, like she'll hit me up and under. I kind of tried to watching her first game, just knowing that she liked to get to the basket a lot. So I kind of wanted her to like shoot more jump shots, but she still was going to the basket. So for me it was just. I just had to press the ball and not go by her counters because he's such a strong and athletic guard.

[A]

Got you. Got you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's interesting. I do. I wouldn't have known that. And it's not really a surprise, but it is interesting to hear you talk about just how much strategizing, film watching, paying attention, asking other people that you did. I know that at times, you know, during a timeout, which I'm gonna get to, in terms of strategy, you had people talking to you. Who was, like, on that sideline helping you the most throughout the course of

[B]

the tournament, Ra Ra was over there, and then in the final was Ryan Reek. So it was Rye Ra for the majority of rounds. And then in the final game, Ryan Rick was over there with me.

[A]

Okay. Just giving you little tidbits. Yeah.

[B]

Of what to do, like, what they're seeing and how to take advantages or like, if I have the shot in certain spots. Just stuff like that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. You brought up how fatigue plays a role. I mean, we're gonna get to that when I talk to both of you guys in the finals. Cause that was. I feel like that took me back to, like, so many different moments, like college, when they just, like, you know, you gotta get stops before you can get out of a drill, and you're just literally dead. You can barely walk. So I feel like every basketball player watching, like, knew what you guys were feeling. But fatigue does play a big role in this. I don't think people really understand. So I'm actually gonna go back to the Ray Burrell game. You were up 90 against her, so you had. Your strategy was working, but then you actually called timeout at that point. So when you think about fatigue, when you think about your approach to the tournament in general, and you think about a moment like that where you strategically call timeout even though you're up, like, how were you using your timeouts?

[B]

When I got tired, I try not to call. I try not to call timeout. Like, when I'm on defense, I don't give my opponent time to rest on offense. So I try to call timeout when I'm on offense. I mean, it gives the opponent the rest on defense. But I'd rather call the timeout while I'm on offense than them on offense and get that extra burst of energy to score and stuff.

[A]

Oh, no, for sure. That makes total sense. Yeah. It's like, you had to be. It was interesting. I think through the course of the tournament, a lot of people went on offense and they had a chance at the game, like, to hit a game winner. They were calling timeout, which I thought was smart. It's like, yeah, might as well get as much rest as possible. Okay. So that Takes us to Aaliyah. Boston. You meet up with Aaliyah. You knew going in what it was gonna be like. You talked already about watching film and strategy and just, like, talking to people. She obviously has the size advantage, but. But you jump out. You jump out to a 9, 0 lead. So, like, was it. Was. Were you like, oh, my strategy's clicking. I got this. What are you thinking when. When you look up and you see 9 to 0?

[B]

I actually was like, oh, thank goodness. Cause my shot was falling. Cause if my shot wasn't falling, then I had no plan B. Like, my plan A was literally just shoot three. Shoot three, Shoot threes. Shoot deep threes. Just take advantage of any open window to shoot the three light. I had no plans of going to the basket, Nothing. It was literally just shoot threes.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And it worked. And it worked. Sadly for you, she did go on a little bit of her own. And eventually, you guys are tied up. Yeah, you guys are tied. 10, 10. Now, at this point, watching it, it looked like you started to foul, like, very strategically. Right? Like, and just. Just for those listening, a quick reminder. Any foul that was a shooting foul that didn't go in, obviously there was three point plays, but any foul that was a shooting foul, they. The player got to shoot one free throw for two points. So that's like, that's a lot. But then also, you guys could foul on the floor, but if you did it two times in a row, it resulted in actually. How many points did it result in?

[B]

One. I think it was one year. One.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. So fouling back to back on the floor, that was gonna penalize you. So now it's 10, 10 games to 11. Aaliyah has the ball, and you're using your foul strategically. So I want you to kind of talk about, like, that moment. And was that conscious, but also just like, overall, did you always have the fact that you could foul at different points in your back pocket, like, just in case?

[B]

Yeah, but, like, I didn't. I didn't try to, like, use the files, because normally, what type of player. If I fight once, then I knew the disadvantage. If I filed you twice, and I'm bound to do that. So guess what?

[A]

Just with you're like, I know myself.

[B]

Yeah, I know myself. And I was gonna give her that free throw. So I just know, like, in that moment, her backing me down just like, okay, like, if I'm gonna foul, foul early, not as she's doing a shot attempt. And then on this second offensive defensive position, like, it is what it Is like, if I get the ball back, I gotta go for the three, because if I don't go for the win, then I'm gonna lose. So that. That was my strategy. Just press her as much as possible. She did get on the rhythm of making all kind of shots, and I kind of looked to the sideline around. I just started laughing because I'm like, yeah, I'm cooked.

[A]

What do I do? What do I do?

[B]

She backed me down. She kind of, like, bobbled the ball. So when she bobbled it, I pressed her up more where she had to, like, go into a shot, and she missed. Then I threw it out, and I kind of, like, jabbed to see, like, what she was doing, and she didn't step up. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna have to shoot over and go for a game.

[A]

And you did, and you hit, and then you famously said, I don't want to be a post player. Thank God I'm not a post player.

[B]

So glad I'm a guard. They can have that.

[A]

I agree. They can have it. They can have it. Oh, my God. I was cracking up at that. That was funny, man. But, yeah, I think. I think your strategy was. Was right on point. The way to kind of counteract the size advantage and the fact that she was going to back you down, you had to shoot well from the outside. And I feel like in that moment, you shooting that three, it definitely, like, for those watching, for me, it was kind of like. Like, you know, like, you're going for it, but you. You were in a position where you had to, and. And it worked out. So when you. Absolutely. So when you think back on that game, really, all three games that you played, but that game, like, what kind of confidence did you have heading into the finals? Like, you survived really a variety of different games. Like, people ha. Going up on you, people making comebacks on you. So how did. How did that raise your confidence head into the finals?

[B]

I actually was happy because I'm like, finally I get to play against, like, a guard in the finals. Because I knew if I had to see another post flare in the finals, like, it was GGS for me. Like, I don't know if I could hit those. Those shots again. So I think it was more of a sigh relief, because it's just like, okay, like, now I have more of a fair game in the finals, actually. Playing against a guard.

[A]

Yeah. All right. So you obviously get to the finals. You're going up against a really, really. I mean, let's call it great guard. Right so it's going to be tough and we're going to talk about that strategy when I talk to both of you. But just when you look at the one on one tournament in general, what do you like about it? Do you think it gives like the viewer, people who maybe never watched women's basketball before, like a look into just how skilled you guys all are? Like, what do you think is achieved with this one on one tournament?

[B]

Just, just letting people see very competitive basketball. I feel like in this format of one on one, I mean it's such a competitive game, like you'll see certain players lose and you'll see certain players like be other players. And it's just like you can't discredit that player because they lost to a great player. Like we're all top athletes here in the world. So it's just like you losing, it's like, okay, like you're upset that we lost the game. But like I said in my press conference, like, we're not losing to like average people like on the street. Like, we're actually hooping losing, like to

[C]

top players in the league.

[B]

So it's just like, it sucks that you lose, but like you lost to like great, a great player. So it's just like you hold your head high and keep it moving, but it's just like, it's great competitive basketball and I think that's what we give the fans a show because it just like gives a different look of just individual individuals and just watching their skill. You get to see why players are so great at what they do.

[A]

Do you think that the world got to see something different in you?

[B]

Yeah, I, I think. Well, I feel like the people that knew knew that like I was a great player because obviously like I was voted as the number one seed. But I just feel like, yeah, I think I showed a lot of people like different parts of my game because obviously like in a one on one game you're doing moves that you wouldn't do in like five on five or three on three because of the. What am I trying to say? Like the setting and like, I don't know a word I'm looking for, but

[A]

like, I don't think it's a word, but I think what you're trying to say is when it's one on one, it's just you. So you have to pull things out of your game in order to get things done. Whereas when there's others, there's spacing. You gotta run plays. You might not get the opportunity.

[B]

Exactly. So now I can do more moves and like, I can do more counters and basically do whatever I want to do on the court because it's literally just me. And the goal is to get a bookie.

[A]

Absolutely. Well, you did that system. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. No, the system is you. One on one. The system is you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, congratulations. You know, $50,000 is amazing. From what I understand in your, in some of your other interviews and past victories, you like to put that in savings. Did the 50k go savings? Are we doing something with it?

[B]

It's going to go into savings. I'm looking to, you know, make a. I'm looking to get a house, so I want to get a. Get a nice house. So I'm starting to save my money, invest my money so. So I can have a nice house.

[A]

I love that. I love that. Well, congrats. Support for this show comes from TNT Sports. Winning is the only thing that matters in Unrivaled, and now we're getting closer and closer to crowning a champion. That's right. The unrivaled playoffs are almost here and the battles are just getting started. See the best of the best jockey for playoff positioning as the regular season comes to a close. The Laces and the Phantom have already clinched their tickets to the playoffs and the Mist and Breeze are looking to hold onto their playoff positions as the season comes to a close. But watch out as the Rose look to secure a playoff spot with the help of WNBA All Star Angel Reese joining the squad for the final stretch. Make sure to check out all the action in anticipation for the unrivaled playoffs starting Saturday, February 28th. Catch all of the action on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. For more information and to stay up to date with League news, visit unrivaledontsports.com follow nrivaled basketball and RW sports on social platforms and subscribe to the league's newsletter Found at Unrivaled Basketball Newsletter. Support for the show comes from Shopify. Every worthwhile journey starts with a handful of what ifs, but one day you'll be able to look back and realize that all those what ifs were small steps towards turning your dream into a thriving business. Shopify can help you get there. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US. Join them and turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com Vox Business go to shopify.com VoxBusiness Business that's shopify.com Vox Business, Toogood Co. Coffee creamers are made with farm fresh cream real milk and contain 3 grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the 5 grams per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers for a rich, delicious experience. Whether you enjoy your coffee hot, cold, bold, or frothy, two good coffee cream creamers make every sip a good one. Two good coffee creamers, real goodness in every sip. Find them at your local Kroger in the creamer aisle. Chelsea, thanks so much for, for coming on. Okay, let's just get right into it. One on one tournament. You finished the winner, but obviously it's a climb you got to go through a lot. You were the number two seed in your bracket. I'm like, are we cool with the number two? Do we feel away about it? We're good.

[C]

No, I'm cool. I'm cool with the two.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Rank me, whatever. I'm cool with it. I'm cool. Two is good. Two is good. One was Paige. I'm like, okay. She got some stuff to her. I'm good.

[A]

I mean, you met up with her. We're gonna get to that. You met up with her, so it all worked out. But yeah, you had an insane run through the whole thing. First, I'm gonna start off with your walkout song. Lil Wayne, Amelie. Why'd you pick that?

[C]

It got, if you remember the music video, like, he's walking through the whole thing. Like, just. He just doing his thing. Like, he's just rapping and he's doing his thing. It's kind of like it's a bigger picture. Probably put more thought into it than I probably needed to, but I was like, let me just walk out and, you know, go do my thing. And Lil Wayne's one of my favorite artists of all time and one of the greatest of all time. And there's like an intensity with it. Like, I don't know, I could rap the whole song. It's like I'm here type of. Type of moment and like, feel that you have with the song.

[A]

All right, next time you come on. I might have to. I might have to ask. I might have to ask to see that. You might have to prove that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

A millionaire, I'm a young. Okay, so all right. So, like, it felt like each game just had different challenges. Obviously you're playing against different players with different skill sets. But just on a zoomed out version heading into it this year, you took an early exit last go around. But against a post player And I'm gonna circle back on that. What was like your zoomed out approach and strategy heading in this year?

[C]

Get out the first round for real. I was just like, it was like very, very, it was very, very small. Like I had tash cloud the first one. I was just like, you gotta just go every round and anything can happen with one on one. I'm just like, you know, somebody can go on a heater and make a crazy shot and like that's how they ended. So my like, I guess strategy from the beginning was just like, just focus on the first round. Like don't get it too, don't get too ahead of yourself because you like right off the gate you're playing somebody really, really tough and one of the best defenders in this league. So it was like start off with the first one.

[A]

Well, that's interesting because she got off to a great start. But hold that thought. Last year, yeah, last year you lost in the first round to Shakira Austin, post player. Obviously there's a size advantage. The size advantage plays a big role in this tournament. So this year they definitely had guards in post split a little bit. Is that your preference? Like how are you looking at it? Do you think it made for a better one on one tournament or just a better one on one tournament for guards?

[C]

It definitely like, you know, guards I feel like rule the world anyways. So that's just my opinion. You feel me? And I know you would agree, but I definitely think that it makes sense. It makes a lot more sense to do it by the pods system and like the way they grouped it is smaller guards and like my group and our height and then like the bigger wings and like the way they kind of split it up made a lot of sense. Like it made a lot of sense and it wasn't until the end, like the end where you would like, well, those worlds would kind of collide. So it just made sense.

[A]

Yeah, no, I hear you and I agree. Okay. But Natasha Cloud, you start out, you're talking about, you're telling yourself, I just gotta get outta the first round. And yeah, she hits back to back threes. She goes up 8 5. These games are 211, 85 with the ball. Tell me that moment right there.

[C]

Here we go again, Chels, like get it together. Like get it together. You know, at the same time I wanted her like if she was gonna take a three to try to end it, like, and I had a hand up and I'm in her face and I'm making it difficult. Like you Know, you kind of live with it. And some of the shots that I missed, it was right in my pocket. It was right. It was the right shot. It was what we had practiced on and talked about, so it made sense. But in my head I was like, come on, not again, Chelse. Like, at least you know how to get out the first round. Come on.

[A]

Well, you did. You ended up winning 11:10. So you move on in the second round. You meet up with a WNBA teammate. All right, so that teammate is Jackie Young. This is a player, I think like outside looking in. I talked about it on, on the podcast like a week prior. That's somebody who you're like, okay, like there. This is someone who is going to be tough in this tournament. She's a two way player and she's like high level on both ends. Two way player. And now she's meeting. You're meeting up with her, your teammates, so you know each other. So first off, do you think knowing each other in the way that you do, like, helped? Did it hurt? Like, how do you, how did you look at it?

[C]

I think it helps. There were some moments where she was on me and then back up and then come back and I'm just like, wait a minute, one second. Should I get it to my three? Like, you know that that's what we've been working on. And then defensively, for me, like, I knew there, like when she got in the pain, there were some times like she has like, I don't know anybody that has a better slow step than her. Like her slow step finishes are really, really tough and she's so strong. So I was like, I was trying to time that and then she obviously, she knows my pull up game and like she was going to try to time that. So I knew either, like both of us had to hit tough shots knowing that they were going to be right there in our face, whether it was the three ball or it was in the paint or my step back and jumpers. So yeah, we know each other and we played each other's strengths all the time. So it made sense that that's how it would be in one on one.

[A]

Yeah. Do you guys play ones ever, like in Vegas or whatever?

[C]

A little bit. Like, a little bit in practice or like when we're doing a drill, like, we'll go from the elbow, but usually like we're playing ones against the practice guys and talking about it and like, oh, you had that. I thought you was going to finish this way or finish that way, like, not necessarily always. Competing against each other.

[A]

Right, Right man. Well now you got bragging rights. Cause you took her down 12 to 6. It was one of those games where it was like the score doesn't really indicate like it was. There was like you guys were like battling a little bit, but you did take her down 12 to 6. Which moves you on to meet the number one seed in Paige Beckers. I would say like that game you had control, you won 11 2. But it did finish like a little spicy for Paige. So actually maybe this is a conversation just in general about the refereeing of the one on one tournament. The spiciness is obviously a little bit of a joke here. Guys like Paige thought the foul was on the floor. They gave you a shooting foul. Honestly at that point you were up so much it probably wouldn't have mattered anyways. But what's actually just your take on the refereeing because it looked like they were letting you guys play.

[C]

Yeah, they were letting us play. But when it's repeatedly the same kind of foul like in that possession, like you gotta call it because sometimes people were playing to their strengths and it's like they're trying to take that away because they know they're not going to call it. So. And you can say that with anything and anybody any given time on the defensive end. Like there was probably times that I fouled when they're coming like full force in my face and I'm just like, well let me slow them down a little bit. Like, you know, they let some stuff go. But that foul, like she did try to foul me on the floor, they didn't call it. And then I went into my shot and she still like tried to get the foul and then they called it. So the timing in which the refs called foul, like it was a shooting foul when she fouled. But she tried to do it earlier, right?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, I saw the same thing. Totally. Did you have any kind of strategies around like really? I think the two things that you could really be strategic about outside of, you know, walking slow to the three point line to get a breath, which, you know, we'll get to later. But I think you could really be strategic going into a game. Like when do I want to foul, what situations am I in where I want to take some fouls depending on who you're playing. But also when do I want to take my timeouts? Because in this game with Paige, you went up before the spiciness of the foul or not. You went up nine two. And in that moment you took a Timeout. So did you have any thoughts around fouling and timeouts?

[C]

Yeah. So fouling, if they got a full head of steam and there's just no, like, way that I can really get back, I would foul. I would foul on the floor. If they're, like, right around the elbow kind of area below that they. Into their upwards motion, and then it's an N1 or whatever the case may be. So I knew I wanted to foul a little bit sooner, especially, like, going back to Jackie, like, when she gets a full head of steam and she's by the elbow, I wanted to foul a little bit sooner, make her check it back up. And it was an opportunity, me to kind of catch my breath or something so I can foul, and I'll stay right there and be ready for her to walk back and check it up. So it gave extra time. And then with timeouts, if I was like, I wasn't super tired and just the way things kind of flowed, but I wanted a timeout, catch my breath, and go back to kind of my bench and be like, what are you seeing? Like, should I, you know, attack the pain? Am I thinking this correctly? But also just an opportunity to, like, catch my thoughts and just go all in for this last game point and end it.

[A]

Yeah. Who. Who was on the sideline for you?

[C]

So on the sideline for the whole entire time? Nola was on the sideline the whole time. Our assistants were on the sideline for some of it, if they were there or not. And then after. After I played Jackie, obviously, Jackie was on the sideline the entire time. When I played Paige, and then KP and then Lee, she was on there and talking to me the whole time. And so you would. You would see people there. Brittany Sykes and her girlfriend and son were there for kind of. I got to remember which games. But it was interesting, too. That was another dynamic of who was on each other's benches and, like, cheering people on, who was talking to them, who was helping. But I remember going into a timeout against Paige, and they were just like, you. You hitting the step back. You hitting the step back, and you're shooting it. Maybe hit the step back and pump fake. Maybe she'll fly. And then you can foul or end it. And so when I came out and I did it and they fouled, I was like, all right, all right. That was. That was smart. So I was like, salute to y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Exactly. And then.

[C]

But Jackie was like, if she doesn't jump, just like. And you. And you get her, and you have super space. Like, you been getting into your spot, so just shoot it. So it was like a read and react kind of thing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. No, I love that. Sometimes all it takes is that one little tidbit and it can, like, crack the code for a moment and you get to like, steal a possession. So that's really valuable. I love that. It was Jackie, too. That's so great. Okay, so you take down Paige, you move on. You're seeing Plum, another former teammate, somebody you've won championships with, probably somebody that you know just as well as you know Jackie. So that dynamic's at play, you know, you know, you know Plum is coming out swinging. This is Plum, like, you know this. And she does, she does. She comes out, she goes up 8, 0. All right, so this is another example of you in a moment where you're gonna have to make a comeback. So I, I do wanna hear this particular moment, knowing you're going against Kelsey, which is like, now you're in a position where if she hits one more three. But also, like, what it is about these moments for you that you flip a switch and you just, you find a way.

[C]

For me, I. I knew I wanted to get into the paint, right? There was a size advantage there.

[A]

I think we all saw, we all, we all saw that. I was like, I wanted to get into the poor kp.

[C]

I had to. It was like I couldn't take a. I was down 8, 0, and she shoots the ball way too, way too, like, way too good to be able to, like, give her the ball back. Like, I needed to take efficient shots and, like, live with it. If it bounced out, well, I gotta go on the defensive end. But in my mind, I was just like, you can't, you can't leave it up to chance. If you want to take a pull up jumper. Like, you need a more efficient shot. So even if I had to work the entire, like, I was exhausted after that one too, because I knew I was going in, she was going to hit me every single time. And they let some stuff go because she is. It was disadvantage on her end. And so I had to get layups and in the paint, I needed to get in the paint. I knew I did, like a mini fade away and I missed it. I was just like, I can't take a chance like that anymore. Like, I had to get super efficient.

[A]

Yeah, that makes sense. No, you could. I mean, we're joking about it, but the reality is, and this is kind of whether. Talking to you, talking to Alicia, I will talk to both of you like, it's, everybody's good. This isn't like, if you lost, it doesn't mean anything if you win. What it means is on that day, like, you got that shit done, and that's where the PAT on the back comes. But it's like, you're playing against such great players. Really, anything can happen. And so especially in a situation where you're down eight, you just gotta go to your advantages. Like, you can't waste a possession not doing that. And that's what you did. You go on a 12, 0 run, you, you, you, you take that game. And now you're moving on to the finals. And we're gonna break that down with both of you guys. That's gonna be fun. But I do have one question around. Just like one on one in general as a point guard. Because as a point guard, a lot of your job, honestly, five on five, for sure. But even in three on three, it's like you gotta manage. You're balancing, you're managing, you know, you know, at times you have to be selfish because that is actually being unselfish. But then you also know you gotta get your teammates involved constantly. So it's just a juggle. Right? And now in one on one, I'm curious if there's like a relief to that. You're just like, this is me. It's. I only, I only got me. And I can just. It's almost easier for a point guard. Cause you're like, oh, my God, I only have to do one thing. Ah, what a relief. So I'm curious how that plays out for you.

[C]

Yeah, I was just having this conversation with my wife. I'm like, a lot of people didn't pick me for whatever reason. Like, they didn't pick me to win, to win it. And I think it's like layered and whatever their favorite. They're who they like or whatever. But also a lot of my job and what I've been able to do in my career is passing. Like, it's always been that and like, facilitating it. But she's able to take over when she's like, that's always the thing. And so going into it, I was like, nah, I'm going into, like, I'm doing, I'm getting to my spots, I'm going to score. Like, that's all I have to focus on. And like, you ever shoot a three ball and you know you have to shoot it, but you think there's one more open, that's, that's more wide open and you miss it. Because of that, like, it gets in there.

[A]

It gets in there.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You have to just shoot it. And so to that point, I agree, because there's so many times where I know I'm missing a shot, and I know if I just concentrated on shooting, shooting and not seeing, like, the two other people that were open to get a better shot, I would have made the three. And so doing, like, playing one on one is just, you go into your stuff, you have seven seconds, go get a bucket. It doesn't matter. There's no help side. There's no, like, hey, set up your cut, Nothing. And it's simplified. It's simple.

[A]

It's almost a gift and a curse, right? The fact that you have a little voice in your head that's always seeing things, always telling you things like, ooh, that player might be open, or, ooh, look for that cut. It's that same voice that might distract you in a moment of shooting in a moment where maybe you could have done something different. And then at the same time, in the same time, it's like, you can make clutch plays when it's clear. And that's what this one on one was, you know? And that's what it is. I think in late game scenarios, when you know your team's down one and there's five seconds and you just gotta go, you have that to you too. So it's interesting because I feel like I face the exact same thing. The exact same thing. Every now and then, that little voice would, I loved her and I needed her, but every now and then I'd be like, shut the fuck up. You just messed that up for me, you know? But that's. That's. It'll be there next time.

[C]

Just shoot it.

[A]

Exactly. But also, clearly, in your whole career, you have found that balance in so many ways. But it was fun to watch. You just be able to go out there, play one on one, not have to think about anything else but, you know, getting in your bag. And that led to winning 200,000. What are you doing with it? I heard you talk a little bit on tv. Has that changed? What are we doing with it?

[C]

No, we went to a nice dinner in Miami, you know, like, celebrated me and my wife. So that was really cool. Nah, I think I'm just using it on, like, vacation, buying some new stuff for my boy. I don't know, saving it, you know, we'll see what happens. Right now, I'm just. I'm kind of just chilling and, like, not even, like, touching it right now. I just like that's there. That's in the savings. Not really touching it.

[A]

Chels, congratulations. Thank you so much for coming on. And let's get to the duo. Let's get to these finals. My dad taught me a lot, including how easy it is to forget to cancel things. So I downloaded Experian, my bff. Big financial friend Experian could help me cancel my unused subscriptions and lower my bills, saving me hundreds a year. Get started with the Experian app today. Your big financial friends here to help you save smarter. Results will vary. Not all bills are subscriptions eligible. Savings not guaranteed $631 a year average savings with one plus negotiations and one plus cancellations paid membership with connected payment account required. See experian.com for details. Experian it's time to level the up. I'm Robin Archison and I light buyers. I'm an executive founder, best selling author, ultra marathoner, mother proud Latina, and I'm not done yet. Announcing Project Swagger, my new weekly podcast, your Transformation Toolkit.

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[B]

Before Minnesota, Illinois basically wrote a playbook

[C]

on how to fight back against Trump's ICE crackdown. Governor J.B. pritzker told everyone in the state to take action when ICE came to town. Pull out your phones, film everything. They're shooting moms in the face. Yeah, so peaceful protest seems like the

[B]

least you could do and what we

[A]

should be encouraging people to do.

[B]

They've shot somebody here in Chicago five

[C]

times for just observing from her car. Illinois created an accountability commission, took ICE agents to court, and when Trump sent in the National Guard, they blocked them

[B]

from the streets and they won.

[C]

A model for Trump resistance on the state level today explained drops every weekday and now Saturdays too.

[A]

I'm actually going to start by saying, have you guys seen each other since the one on one matchup

[C]

that night? I came down the elevator, I said, what's up? I call it ketchup. And I Said, what's up, ketchup? And then we hugged and embraced. We had been. We had texted anyways, though.

[A]

Okay, wait, what's up with the ketchup?

[C]

Your viewers might be a little upset. Go ahead.

[B]

She called me ketchup because I like to eat ketchup with my steak.

[A]

Oof. O. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Oh, I first heard that.

[B]

I was like, no, lately, for years.

[A]

Wait, how old are you?

[B]

I'm 31.

[A]

Oh, man. Like 21. I would have been like, okay, we gotta. We gotta get there.

[B]

That's why I was like, I found

[C]

like five years ago. I was like, no.

[A]

Oh, my God. That's funny. Well, clearly there's like, just like a great chemistry between you guys. Obviously a ton of respect. You could see it when you were playing. You could see it in your comments after. It literally could have gone either way in the finals. Best of three, it went to game three. So, Alicia, I'm going to start with you. What was your strategy heading into the finals knowing you were going to play against Chelsea?

[B]

Pretty much just like, ball pressure. She makes difficult shots, but I guess, like, try to force into difficult shots. I mean, she's a great shot maker, so I don't know if she has any difficult shots, but I think the biggest thing is just playing defense on her and hoping that she missed.

[A]

That's a good strategy. Did. Was there something that worked and something that didn't? Like, very quickly you figured that out?

[B]

I think what worked was she started getting fatigued. Like me. I don't know. I think just. Yeah, my whole strategy is hoping that she missed shots. I mean, she's such. Such a great shot maker. Can make shots from anywhere. Any shot she shoot up, I think is going in because, I mean, she could throw a shot backwards over her head and I think she gonna make it. That's how great of a shot maker she is. So I think the biggest thing, hoping that she missed and then I had to make shots.

[A]

Yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. All right, Chelsea, what about you? Like, what was your game plan, if any, coming into the finals?

[C]

Oh, dynamic score, man. I don't want her to get too many open threes. Like when she just set up and, like, get too many open threes, I was like, she gotta at least put the ball on the paint, like on the ground. And then she was able to get into the paint and, like, she's a bigger guard so she can score over me. Um, she had. She spins. She spins. And then she got a little bit of a face. So I was Just like, you know, let's try to force her into, inside the three point line because if she just, she can just knock those down all day long.

[A]

Yeah, listen, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna call it out. I feel like at some point, Chelsea, you realize I can't keep letting her go left and you were just really giving her the right. I'm just gonna say it. We, Alicia, we all know the scour report on you, bro.

[C]

I was giving her the right and she juked to go right and went right back left. I was like, okay, like you don't wanna go this way. I'm giving it to you right here. And then like she took it a couple times and then like she kind of spin back or she like hesitated, which helped me out, like recover a little bit. But I was like, okay, I'm forcing you. Right? And then she was like, ah. I was like, all right. And then, yeah, that was definitely part of the sky report. My bad, my bad. People were yelling at me.

[A]

You gotta do it. Exactly. Okay, so in game one, Alicia, you did, you went, you got like that quick in and out. You go left, then you hit it right. You basically go out and you shut out Chelsea. It's 7 0, it's over. So I actually gonna skip ahead. How are you feeling going into game two knowing like you just had like success, like major success in game one?

[B]

Honestly, I knew I wasn't gonna seven over again. Chelsea, Chelsea is known, I was like, Chelsea's known as like the, the comeback player. I mean she's very close, like one of the clutchest players in our game. So I just knew like, okay, like I won the first game 7 0, but for me it was like still staying humble, still staying modest because I knew she, she just wasn't going to drop and just let me, let me win. So I just knew like I just had to stay locked in and I wasn't too giddy about the win, honestly, because like is the best of three, so anything can happen, right?

[A]

And then for you, Chelsea, it's like you are the comeback queen, especially in this tournament. You showed that like over and over again. But I mean you lose game one, you get shut out. I imagine it's one of those moments where you know you're getting ready for game two, you don't want to overthink it, but you're also having to learn on the fly because you're not trying to get swept either. So what was happening like in between game one and game two for you?

[C]

So she hit Like a three, like, basically out of the gate. And I was like, I gotta force her into the pain. Whether it is left or right, I gotta force her in a little bit. I was okay, though. Like, some of the shots that she made were a bit difficult. I needed to knock down some shots and not settle too much, but I was okay. I was even keel. I was fine. I got back on the court with like two minutes left to just see some go through the. Go through the net because I had missed some. So I just wanted to have like a flow offense a little bit more and get to my spots a little bit better. But I was okay, Caught my breath. I was fine. Game one and two, we were cool with our breath. That was a lot.

[A]

Oh, yeah, we're going. We're going to get there. We're going to get there. I need to know, like, we're going to get there. We're going to get there. Okay, so game two, the way game two works out, like, Chelsea, you hit like back to back threes. It goes like fairly quickly or whatever. So now I'm going to go back to you, Alicia. Now, between game two and game three, same thing. It's like you had success. Game one, it worked out. Game two, not the same. You don't want to overthink it, but you have to learn on the fly. So how are you? What are you processing in between game two and game three? Headed into what is like, you know, winner go home kind of vibes.

[B]

After game two, I lost. I was just okay. Like, game three, like, I really gotta, like, lock in more. But like I said, like, it. You can't read chills. Because she hits, like such difficult shots. Like, I have a Hannah face. She still makes it, but it's just like those shots, like, you just gotta live with because that's what type of player she's like, she's a playmaker. So I just, for me, it's like, just stick to the. The same game plan. And when I lost, it just like, I went out losing how like, I wanted to lose. Like, I have no regrets on how I lost. Like, no regrets on the court. So it's just, I went out how I wanted to go out.

[A]

Yeah. Well, game three. So now we're here, we've arrived. Game three, you jump out six zero. So it's six zero, games to seven. For just a quick reminder, games to seven. How are you feeling in that moment, Alicia?

[B]

I was feeling good, I ain't gonna lie. I lie here and say, I ain't think I Had it in the bag, you know? Cause I'm up 6, so. But I think my biggest thing was like, okay, I could have shot another three, but I didn't want to settle because like I said, the biggest thing was to stay on offense. Because I knew based on seeing Chels play even in the three on three and one on one format, like, she's a comeback player. So it's just like staying on offense as much as possible. Because I knew when she got back on offense, like, it was gonna be a long game. And that's exactly what happened. It was a long game.

[A]

Okay, so Chelsea, you're down six zero games to seven. What are you thinking in that moment?

[C]

Oh, shit, I'm about to get seven, I'm about to get seven, eight, nine, zero for game three. You come this far to get swept like that in game three? I was like, oh, my goodness, no way. And so I got the ball back on, off, and I was like, at least get one on the board to like, just start there. Like, just get one on the board. Like, you can't. You had these people pay for these things. You just went two out of three games in the finals. Like, what is happening? So that was what's going through my mind at first. And then like, I kind of settled in and was just like, you just gotta make your first one, make your first one and then go from there.

[A]

Yeah. Isn't it crazy how much can actually go through your head in like 30 seconds? Just like. Because I bet all that happened.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So you do score four straight. So now we're kind of at that moment. Right. The score is 6, 4. So for you, Chelsea, a 3 wins you the game. You could see that you were trying to look for it, but also, you know, you could score two, get the ball back, whatever. For Alicia, it's like any basketball, it's game over. You guys got to this score. Yeah, you guys got to this score, like, pretty fast. It was like in the first two minutes, and then it took another six minutes for the game to actually end. You were both exhausted. I need to know what was the actual moment where you were like, oh, fuck, I can't even. Like, where are my legs? Like, they feel like a thousand pounds. Like, what was that moment for each of you where the fatigue just really set in?

[B]

I know for me, when I got in the paint and I ain't even jumping around, I just started turning around and just shooting off. Flat foot. Like I didn't have no more legs. I'm missing when the balls were Rimming in and out. At this point, I was like, yeah, reality about to set in soon.

[C]

Mine was like, I think there was like an old board or something happened and she rushed to it and I saw her get the ball, three point line. And I looked at her and I said, like, I didn't get. Remember that. It was. I was like this for like a close out. I was like, if she make it, just pray, just pray that she don't make this. This one. Just not this one. And she missed. I was like, oh, thank you. And I look back and Jackie's looking at me like, like, you not gonna get up? I'm like, I know, but I'm exhausted. And then probably the second layer to that for the, for both of us, we were both like this, you know that picture. Everybody sees it and talking about it. It's when we're both like this and we're like having a mini conversation. We're just like. I was like, you got a timeout? I ain't got no. I took mine right now.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

I took mine already too. Ok. We not gonna go to half court until you ready. Okay. You ready? Okay, let's go.

[A]

Let's go. Yeah. I'm so glad you brought that up. Well, first of all, Chelsea, I feel like part of your strategy really the whole tournament, but definitely was when you would not the checkup on a dead ball, when you would get a rebound or whatever it was and you would outlet it. I feel like you slow rolled it to be on the three point line. Was that like always your way of getting just like a couple seconds?

[C]

Yeah, it was just my way of like regrouping and remembering. Like in the matter it's only really five seconds, but it seems so long because one on one goes so quickly. But it was just like, I need five seconds to readjust, see how she's playing me and play off of like a live drip, play off the like a catch. Like I needed to be a triple threat to see if they back off of me so I can shoot the three or if I can get to my pull up or go to the lane. And I wanted my seven seconds to start like as soon as I catch the ball. Like, I didn't want it to be like, okay, I'm dribbling, I'm beyond. And now I gotta turn and it's like six, five in between five to six seconds. So I was trying to take my time there. Remember how I just scored? Remember, like all that is happening so quickly in my head, but that was definitely my Strategy. It was a time to catch my breath.

[A]

Yeah, this isn't really a question. It's more just like observation. As I was watching it, it was interesting because that means you have. You might not even realize you're portraying this or like putting this out there, but that means you have so much confidence in your one on one game to be like, I'm okay if they're right up on me. I don't need to rush out. I'll be honest. I would be outletting that thing. I'd be running to the three point line. Cause I'm trying to get a closeout. Like, my advantage would be someone closing out and then playing off that. And you're like, nah, you can be close. It's okay. And that really came through, like, in your strategy, like, you were okay. I feel like that was a choice to, like, get some rest, regroup, and like, I'm okay if they're closer to me, that's fine. So it was just kind of interesting for me to watch that. And then you guys have already brought it up. Like, I got actually, Alicia, this one's. Alicia, this one's for you. Like, every time there was that moment where there was a checkup and you guys were just standing there hunched over, hands on your knees, it felt like every time it was when Chelsea was on offense. Like, I would have been like, no, no, no, no, no, we gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go. But were you just that tired?

[B]

Yeah, I hadn't. Like, I had no legs. Like, I could not breathe. Like, I had to take advantage of every little window of rest that I had. Like, when I tell you, like, I had nothing left in the tank. It was nothing.

[C]

And like we talk about, we talk about like the. The finals, but imagine like the lead up we had. We had a game before that. Like, I had KP where I was running. Like, she. She was running out quick, and I was like, who gotta get there really fast? And then she had Aaliyah Boston, so she's getting hit every single time, like, offensively and defensively. So it just. It wasn't just our series. I feel like it was like the lead up to it too. Like, it was a long, like, span. It only happened in a span of like 45 minutes. Like, we didn't have a ton of time to recover. It might have even been shorter than that.

[B]

For real? Yeah. Because if you look at, we really played four games back to back to back to back, and we only had, like, between each game to, like, catch our breath. And it Was check up again. So it's just like we had no downtime or nothing. So.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, it's true. No, it looked. I think I was telling Alicia this before. It's like any basketball player who was watching that knew exactly what was happening, why it was happening, what was happening, and that feeling. And you guys did manage, you did manage to fight through it. Um, before I let, I let you go, I do want to just talk about the last play. It just felt like at some point someone was gonna score and it was gonna have to probably come not. Cause you know, Alicia, you slipped, right? You kind of went for the ball, but you slipped. So I don't want to call it like a mistake in terms of like something you did that was just kind of unlucky, but it felt like something was gonna have to give and then it finally did. So I'll start with you, Alicia. Like what happened on the last play?

[B]

Oh, after I slipped and she had an overshot game, I knew Gabe was over with. Like she just was too open, had too much time. Like I just knew, like I said, one of the clutchest players in the league. So she wasn't gonna miss too many times. Like you can't give Chels too many opportunities. Like she ain't gonna miss that many times. So once I tried going for the ball, I slipped. She was wide open. I was, oh yeah, that's GG's. That's game. Like I knew she wasn't gonna miss. So in that moment, it's just like just watching the ball and I was like, Bye, bye. 200,000. Bye bye. Take my 50K. So my 200 in that moment, just like, like I said, it's just like I lost to the point guard. Like I didn't just lose to a average Joe like on the street. Like I lost to a great player. Like, like I said, like nobody likes losing. But it's like if I had to lose to anybody, like I'd rather the point guy.

[A]

Absolutely. And Chelsea, just real quick, like I think it was on a O board for you, like a, like a loose ball. Ish moment. She slips, you finally, you finally get like some space. Cause neither one of you, let's be honest, was creating space on your own at this point. You were too tired. See, you finally get a moment. Are you just like you have to fucking make this?

[C]

Yeah. So like I had did a step back. She had tipped it. I was. The miss was perfect in a way for me only because it clanked so bad at the top of the Key and went to the wing and I got like. We both were kind of going for it. Cause, like, okay, this is our last little. Like, try to. Try to do something. And I got it. And I thought about taking it to the basket, but I was like, okay, I gotta end it or try to end it. Like, And I shot it and it felt great. Like, it felt amazing. And I was. And I looked and it kind of moved to the left. I was like. And I went in a little bit and it went in. I said, oh, finally, like, the first thing in my mind, it wasn't like 200k came, like 10 seconds later. I was like, this is over. Finally, this is over. I was so exhausted, I couldn't move. I just stood there and they rushed to me. Like, the people on my bench rushed to me and I'm hugging everybody. And all of a sudden I was like, I need to sit down. I sat right there on the court.

[B]

I went to the locker room and I just laid out on the floor.

[C]

For real?

[B]

Yeah. I went to locker room.

[C]

I was just like this starfish.

[B]

I was just flatlined on the floor.

[C]

Like, nothing you could do.

[B]

Exhausting.

[C]

I couldn't move, and I couldn't move for, like, two days after.

[B]

Me either.

[A]

You.

[C]

I felt so sore everywhere. My back, like, I feel like today, like, a little bit yesterday. Like, today I felt back.

[B]

I did a hyperbaric chamber two days in a row.

[C]

Who knew that one on one weight is fre. Like, it was so bad. Like, my body done for. I just like, we have a game tomorrow, and I'm just now feeling back like, normal.

[A]

That's crazy. That's crazy. Well, that makes sense, you guys. You already said it. You had to go back to back to back to back on the final day after a whole tournament of one on one. But you guys killed it. You put on a great show. It was so entertaining. So thank you as a fan and congrats to. Honestly, both of you. I know one of you got a bigger check and a trophy, but. But congrats to both of you and thanks for coming on.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

I don't know about you guys, but that was so much fun. I love getting the inside scoop on how people approach the game, how they play the game, what they're thinking during the game. We just literally pulled back the curtains on all of that. So much strategy, a lot of fatigue, a lot of tired talk. But that's part of the game too. Definitely want to thank Chelsea and Alicia for coming on and giving us a glimpse. That was Just like I said, so much fun and I hope you guys enjoyed. See you next time. This episode is a co production of two GetHer and Vox Media. Our producers are Tommy Alter, Jason Gallagher, Richie Bozek, Jess Clarendon and Melanie Carter. Support for this show comes from TNT Sports. We're down to the home stretch of the unrivaled season where anything can happen. See who'll get the chance to to call themselves champions as the regular season comes to a close and make sure to lock in on the unrivaled playoffs starting Saturday, February 28th. Catch all of the action on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. For more information and to stay up to date with league news, Visit Unrivaled on tntsports.com, follow nrivaledbasketball and rwsports on social platforms and subscribe to the league's newsletter found at Unrivaled Basketball Newsletter.