Winning in basketball is and will always be a function of the team and great players within that team function. As has been mentioned, far too much is made of the three championship teams on which Ms Taurasi played, the last two with, supposedly, leass than steallar talent as her claim to being the GOAT at UConn. yes, compared tot he 2002 team the 2003 and 2004 teams do not match up. But Ms Taurasi did not win those championships by herself. There were rebounds that had to be grabbed, picks that had t be set, offenses and players that had to be defended. Ms Taurasi was blessed to have very good teammates in 2003 and 2004.
Why then, if Ms Taurasi's individual talents are so transcendant did it take her Phoenix Mercury team four years to even make the playoffs? However, as the team around her got better(read: when Cappie Pondexter joined the team), Taurasi and the Mercury became champions. Pondexter leaves the Mercury and Phoenix slides until Brittney Griner joins the team; A Phoenix team that is obviously darn good without her considering last season's success.
Does Ms Taurasi have a defensive play in her UConn archive that comes close to the sequence Maya had against Seton Hall her freshman year, the sequence of which was so mind boggling it is hard to keep the exact sequnce straight, but in it she blocked a shot, chased a ball out of bounds, saved it falling into the stands which led to a Ketia Swanier layup, then on the very next play, Maya did something on the defensive end that led to an and one on the other end of the floor.
Does Ms Taurasi have a hustle play in her archive coming anywhere close to the plays Maya Moore made against DePaul and against Texas in the second round of the 2008 tournament.
IMO, Maya Moore was better offensively than Diana Taurasi, but will allow that it is a debatable point. But defense, hustle, and influence on the game is where Maya separates herself from the pack.
It is OK to like Ms Taurasi more, but to say she was a better player at UConn than Maya Moore. Where? At what aspect of the game? Points, rebounds, shooting percentage, games won, winning percentage, strength of schedule. My goodness, where does it end? The four losses UConn sustained in the Maya era, not a bad one among them: Rutgers, Stanford, Stanford, and Notre Dame. Two losses in the tournament and two on the road; All to outstanding teams with outstanding players.
Basketball is a team game. Championships are won by teams with very good players. UConn 2003 and UConn 2004 had some very good players in addition to Diana Taurasi. For those who still want to use the ring count as the separator, IMO, suggests that it was Maya Moore's fault that UConn did not win three championships while she was here. We all remember the Notre Dame game. Anyone here willing to lay that loss solely at Maya's feet?