Unrivaled takes NYC for semifinal showdowns

The GIST: It’s a new soundtrack for the Unrivaled postseason — tonight’s semifinals will be played away from the 3v3 league’s home in Miami and hosted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. As for the stakes? They’ve never been higher with $600K up for grabs in Wednesday’s championship, which will take place back in Miami.

• Tonight’s first semifinal tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET, featuring No. 1 Phantom BC vs. No. 6 Vinyl BC, who stunned Laces BC in Saturday’s first round, while the 8:45 p.m. ET showdown should be a high-scoring affair between No. 2 Mist BC and No. 5 Breeze BC. Let’s hoop to it.

👻 Phantom superstar Aliyah Boston sidelined: The Ghost Gang will be shorthanded after the newly-named Defensive Player of the Year sustained a season-ending right lower extremity injury. And it’s an astronomical loss for Phantom: The 24-year-old is averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game this season. Talk about big sneakers to fill.

• Enter: a dynamic Kiki Iriafen, the perfect candidate to step up in Boston’s absence. Vinyl, meanwhile, will look to build on Saturday’s upset, carried by leading scorer Dearica Hamby and a blossoming Rae Burrell, who’s averaging 25.6 points per game in her last three starts.

🔥 Old dogs vs. new tricks in second semi: Turns out millennials and Gen Z have more in common than you might think. The veteran-laden Mist and youthful Breeze are first and second in the league in rebounds and can score in bunches. That’s a recipe for success, whether it’s Mist’s Breanna Stewart or Breeze’s Paige Bueckers doing the cooking.

• Plus, both squads have a trifecta of talent: Alongside Stewie, Mist boast two bona fide scorers in Allisha Gray and Arike Ogunbowale, while Bueckers is flanked by Rickea Jackson and Dominique “Dunk Queen” Malonga. Expect a generational battle for the ages.