Chelsea Grey started Unmatched with questions surrounding her standing within the WNBA as one of many league’s elite gamers.
The Las Vegas Aces star finishes a champion — because of a dominant month of basketball that noticed her explode for a league-record 39 factors within the semifinals and comply with that up with an 18-point, 8-assist efficiency within the championship recreation.
And, after discussions round whether or not the veteran guard’s greatest days are behind her, it’s plain that there are only a few guards, if any, who’re higher than Grey in all of girls’s basketball.
Grey was in a position to overcome some first-half taking pictures struggles to attain 15 second-half factors, headlined by a halfcourt heave that got here on the finish of the third-quarter buzzer and gave the Rose a slight benefit heading into the ultimate interval.
Largely because of the veteran guard’s play, the Rose defeated the Vinyl 62-52 to win the inaugural Unmatched championship. She was in the end named the Unmatched Finals MVP, averaging 29.5 factors within the playoffs and taking pictures 44% from three.
“Only a testomony to my work that I’ve been placing on this complete 12 months,” Grey stated in TNT’s postgame celebration. “And a testomony to my crew, man.”
First-time head coach Nola Henry profusely praised the Las Vegas Aces guard.
“Chelsea carried us on her again all season lengthy,” she stated.
2022 WNBA Finals MVP First ever Unmatched Finals MVP.
Chelsea Grey with one other reminder she heard the noise as she labored again from harm with the Aces final season:
“Hold that very same power… I acquired the receipts who’s speaking s—”
pic.twitter.com/hJKeiZ0aeH— Callie Fin (@CallieJLaw) March 18, 2025
How Chelsea Grey and the Rose Membership acquired it performed
It wasn’t simply Chelsea Grey who excelled for the Rose membership within the championship recreation. Brittney Sykes exploded for 21 factors, sealing the take care of an and-one drive to win in any respect. Azura Stevens added 19 factors and 16 rebounds, and the Rose have been in a position to overcome the absence of All-Stars Kahleah Copper and newly-crowned Defensive Participant of the Yr Angel Reese to win all of it.
“Clearly, Angel’s not right here,” Stevens stated in TNT’s championship presentation. “So, being the opposite massive, I simply needed to step up… so comfortable and happy with my crew.”
The squad was in the end in a position to overcome a 2-4 begin to the season, ending the season 8-6 and securing the second-best report within the league. That positioned them to face the Laces within the first spherical of the playoffs, who they defeated on Sunday earlier than advancing to the championship.
“Only a crew filled with relentless dawgs that refuse to be denied,” Henry stated.
The Vinyl fell wanting a championship
On the opposite facet of the bracket, the Vinyl accomplished the most important upset of the 12 months on Sunday evening once they beat the Lunar Owls, who have been 13-1 within the common season. The Vinyl completed the season with a 5-9 report, however utilized a balanced assault spearheaded by Dearica Hamby, Jordin Canada, and Rhyne Howard to punch their ticket to the championship.
However Hamby was restricted to simply 8 factors within the championship, Howard shot 8-22 from the sphere en path to 22 factors, and Canada wasn’t in a position to recreate her scorching taking pictures from the semifinals, sinking simply 3 of 12 photographs.
In flip, the Rose come out victorious.
On the conclusion of their championship celebration, Chelsea Grey held up a shirt that listed out the preseason rankings, which predicted that the Rose would end sixth total within the standings, final in a pool of six groups.
Grey wasn’t stunned on the consequence.
“I put within the work,” she stated. “I do know it’s going to return to fruition.”
