SAITAMA, Japan — It was the perfect moment. As Sue Bird was recalling the cockiness Diana Taurasi had when she arrived at the University of Connecticut decades ago, Taurasi was swigging champagne directly from the bottle.
If anything had changed in 21 years, it was impossible to tell.
In public at least, Bird always says the right thing, and Taurasi, well, she can be a little sarcastic. On the court, according to Team USA coach Dawn Staley, Bird has more to say, but when Taurasi talks it’s always from the heart.