Kelsey Plum came out firing in the Unrivaled finals against Mist BC. She dropped 40 points, hence setting a new playoff record for the league. The game was almost within her team’s reach, and so she never stopped pushing, hitting big shots in the fourth quarter. So, it is bound to hurt that despite all her efforts, the light blue and white confetti that filled the air belonged to the opponents.

And as Plum has now pointed out, had Aliyah Boston been available, Plum could have been the one lighting a cigar, her own brand’s for sure, instead of watching Arike Ogunbowale strike the match.

“We’re down AB,” Plum said in a post-game conversation. “It’s an All-Unrivaled player, an All-WNBA player. 
Defensive Player of the Year. There were some breakdowns. AB fills the gap. Offensively & defensively, it was tough. AB’s been our anchor defensively all year. That’s kind of like where we palm our hat on. 
 She does an incredible job of being able to guard guards, guard bigs, and rebound the ball. We missed her a lot tonight.”

According to reports, Boston was subbed out with 12.5 minutes left in the Rose BC game. But the injury prohibited her from returning to the court in the game and for the entire season. Just a day before Phantom’s matchup against Vinyl, Boston was ruled out of the rest of the playoffs due to a lower extremity injury, along with Dana Evans. The Phantom BC did manage a strong outing against Vinyl BC without Boston, but the finals against Mist BC were sure to be a tough test to crack.

Boston’s absence was bound to shift the odds in the finals. After all, Boston, the 3-on-3 league’s Defensive Player of the Year, helped Phantom secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks this season. Beyond her interior presence, Boston also improved her offensive range, knocking down more than one three-pointer per game while shooting 33.3% from deep. 

But the major area where Boston contributed to Phantom BC was defense. She led the league with 29 blocks across 14 regular-season games, finished second in defensive rebounds at 111, and thanks to that, she made it to the second-team, All-Unrivaled list. Boston also topped her team in total rebounds (136) and points generated off turnovers (39). And the improvement in her form since her first Unrivaled season was impossible to miss, since she put up just 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks last season. 

It certainly adds up now why the Phantom BC lost despite having the support of 69.7% fans. Without Boston, the team couldn’t record a single block when it mattered the most. This allowed Mist BC and Breanna Stewart to score near the rim easily and put up admirable shooting percentages to clinch the title with the $600,000 prize pool.

However, when Boston’s injury was announced, the concern wasn’t just limited to her Unrivaled team.

Aliyah Boston has several major tournaments lined up

For context, lower extremity injuries are very common (Dana Evans also suffered from one). Sports medicine research on women’s basketball finds that ~65–75% of injuries occur in the lower extremities. However, the recovery process varies depending on the level of complications. We do not have much information as of now about Boston’s injury, and that uncertainty is worrisome for fans who have their calendars marked.

Boston’s injury occurred at a time when the WNBA is just a couple of months away. While that too is shrouded in uncertainty due to CBA negotiations, an extended delay in the recovery process could see her miss the league’s initial games. The immediate concern, though, is the national team call-up.

Boston, along with other top prospects including Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, was slated to play in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. It will start from next week, between March 11 and 17. The US national team will face the likes of Senegal, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand.

But with the injury, Aliyah Boston’s participation is doubtful. For now, we’ll have to play the waiting game and be still for any updates.