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Diana Taurasi · As celebrated a legend as the WNBA’s history has to offer, Diana Taurasi — in a well-spirited show of faith to the potential longevity of the L.A. Sparks’ new No. 2 pick — came bearing upbuilding advice on June 2, 2024: “You’ll be dealing with this for 20 more years.” With two full decades worth of excellence bulleted to her résumé, one could argue that few are more qualified in that assessment. Busy at work in generating a bucket that fittingly pushed the Phoenix Mercury’s lead to 20, Taurasi works a perfectly-timed screen curl before balancing into an underhand rainbow over Cameron Brink’s wide reach in the second quarter. With 11 points by halftime, Taurasi appeared positioned for another brilliant-yet-expected performance by her Hall of Fame-bound standards. That is, until a 15-point third quarter eruption set the pace for her highest-scoring game since August 2023. In a victorious showing that helped encourage an All-Star appearance in Year 20, Taurasi unleashed a 31-point outing, complemented with red-hot efficiency from the field (9-of-14), from 3-point range (7-of-9), and from the charity stripe (6-of-6). · State of Mint