With six Olympic first-timers — including four in the backcourt — the Nigeria game showed that Bird’s work is far from done. Although Bird went 0-for-6 from the floor and finished with zero points, she dished out 13 of the U.S’s 25 assists, a personal Olympic high, and just two turnovers. At her best, she was carving out the Nigerian defense, finding teammates in transition or around the rim. While the U.S. looked shaky at times, the Americans outscored Nigeria by 20 points when Bird was on the court, the second-best mark behind Taurasi (28).
