AP

Bird, Taurasi go for 5th Olympic gold vs host nation Japan

Aug 6, 2021, 11:24 AM | Updated: Aug 7, 2021, 12:57 am

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Sue Bird’s 17-year Olympic journey will come to an end Sunday.

She hopes it will be with an unprecedented fifth consecutive gold medal when the U.S. plays Japan in the women’s basketball championship game. Bird and her backcourt mate Diana Taurasi have been a huge part of the Americans’ dominant run over the past five Olympics.

Taurasi hasn’t officially said she’s finished playing with USA Basketball, but it would be hard to imagine the 39-year-old guard competing on the world’s biggest stage without Bird.

The pair stand together as the most decorated women’s basketball players in Olympic history. They have surpassed former U.S. player Teresa Edwards, who won four golds and a bronze medal. Bird and Taurasi have never lost an Olympic game, going 37-0.

“It ends an incredible legacy here at the Games,” said U.S. coach Dawn Staley, who was part of the 1996 team that began the program’s current streak of six straight golds.

She was teammates with Bird and Taurasi in the 2004 Athens Games.

Bird has been “the top point guard in the world for a very long time. To see that end, it’s hard for us as her teammates, her coaches,” Staley said. “And it’s extremely hard for the game of basketball, because she’s played it unlike any other guard across the world.

“To see that come to an end, you’re saddened by it. But at the same time, you had a chance to witness her greatness for a very long time.”

Bird, 40, and Taurasi first played together at UConn, winning an NCAA title in Bird’s senior year. Taurasi won two more after Bird graduated.

“It’s rare to see two players linked like that for this long,” said their college coach Geno Auriemma, who also coached them in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. “It’s a testament to them and their longevity to keep their bodies and minds as sharp as they have. The level of respect the two of them have for each other is unmatched by any other two players.”

They have deflected any talk about this Olympics being about them, but know with the history they are potentially making that it is tough to avoid the conversation. While they both are a step or two slower than their first few Olympics in 2004, the leadership they show on and off the court is unparalleled and most likely will never be matched.

“They’re doing a great job at keeping everything in check because the main thing is winning a gold medal,” Staley said. “I know they want to win their fifth and we want to win help them win their fifth. I think the cool thing about it is we’re treating it like any other Olympic games where we take one game at a time.”

Now there’s just one game left against a team they beat by 17 in the preliminary round games. Japan coach Tom Hovasse said when he was hired 4 1/2 years ago that his team would be playing against the U.S. for the gold at the Tokyo Games — and would beat them.

He’s completed the first part of the task, and he knows finishing it off won’t be easy.

“It’s going to take the best game we ever played in our lives,” he said after his team routed France in the semifinals. “Obviously a lucky bounce here or there. We need to be cooking on all cylinders from the jump to the end of the game. We have a shooter’s chance.”

The U.S. has Bird and Taurasi.

The pair have a sister-like relationship. They both admit they’ve had a few arguments over the years with Bird saying they were usually about silly things.

“We may be mad for a bit, but a day or two later someone says sorry and we move on,” Bird said. “For the most part our arguing, we definitely disagree, but it’s for the fun of it.”

There’s no disagreements on the court, where they have a lot of fun together.

“I think everybody here wants to win gold for them, for us, for everybody that’s started this streak that got us here,” said U.S. center Brittney Griner. “You know there’s a lot of different reasons why we want to win this gold medal. So I think you’re going to see some really good basketball in the gold medal game.”

___

More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Bird, Taurasi go for 5th Olympic gold vs host nation Japan