When action tipped off at the 2014 FIBA World Cup final, USA Basketball looked like they were destined for another slow start. Key players were in foul trouble and their challengers from Serbia were executing to a tee. Fortunately for the Americans, DeMarcus Cousins and Kyrie Irving had other ideas.
The Sacramento Kings center came in early in the first period to spell a foul-plagued Anthony Davis and proceeded to control the boards. Meanwhile, Irving caught fire from beyond the 3-point line and USA steamrolled Serbia en route to a 129-92 victory in the FIBA World Cup championship.
The win earns USA its second-consecutive World Cup title. The Americans last won gold by defeating host country Turkey in the 2010 FIBA World Cup. Team USA is the first country to win back-to-back World Cup championships since the former nation of Yugoslavia in 1998 and 2002.
Notes and Analysis
- Serbia took control of the game in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The Serbians started a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and at one point led the Americans 15-7.
- The tide turned for USA midway through the opening period when they proceeded to score 14-unanswered points. Irving, Cousins and James Harden led the charge in the turnaround run.
- Cousins entered the game at the 7:38 mark of the first quarter after Davis picked up two quick fouls. It took the Sacramento Kings center and USA to find their footing on defense, but there was no looking back for the Americans once they did. Cousins did a stand-out job defending the Serbians’ spread pick and roll and his defense led him to dominate the glass in that opening quarter. The Sacramento Kings starting center grabbed six of his nine rebounds in the first period.
- Cousins also held his ground while protecting the rim. The Sacramento Kings big man showed excellent timing, picking up two blocks in the win against Serbia.
- Irving was a man possessed in that opening quarter. With Team USA’s offense stagnant, Irving took over and lit up the Serbians, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and scored 15 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard went on to finish with a team-high 26 points for the Americans.
- Harden was also excellent in USA’s rout of the Serbians. He got going early by attacking the rim against Serbia’s defense, which led to a few and-one scoring opportunities for the Houston Rockets guard. Harden played his best game of the tournament, finishing as the second-leading scorer behind Irving with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
- The big-man trio of Davis, Cousins and Kenneth Faried carried the Americans throughout the tournament. But on Sunday, it was the shooting of the guards that finally shined for Team USA. The Americans finished 15-of-30 from 3-point distance in the gold medal game, a stunning turnaround for a team that shot below 40 percent for most of the World Cup.
- Did you know that USA has become the first country to win gold at four-consecutive major tournaments? They’ve accomplished this feat by claiming victory at the last two Olympics and the previous two World Cups.
- Team USA also joins Yugoslavia and Brazil as the only nations to win back-to-back World Cup championships.
- Since losing in the 2006 World Championships in Japan, the Americans have now won 63-consecutive games in international play.
Tweet of the Game
And when I said USA would score 91, I forgot to convert from Euros. That’s 117.9 points in USA dollars.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) September 14, 2014
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