To nobody’s surprise, the United States is on top of the world’s basketball pedestal. Any doubts about Team USA’s talent was put to rest after defeating Serbia in the International Basketball Federation (or FIBA) world championship game 129-92 to claim the gold medal.
Team USA cruised through the Group Stage by defeating New Zealand, Turkey, and Finland respectively. In the Knockout Stage, it did not get much harder for them as they beat Mexico, Ukraine, and Lithuania to advance to the final.
In the final, point guard Kyrie Irving won the tournament MVP after scoring 26 points and making all six of his three-point attempts while shooting guard James Harden also put up 23 points to assist Team USA in capturing the gold.
To only say that Team USA won this tournament would be an understatement. In the nine games that they played, Team USA averaged a 33-point margin of victory throughout the tournament.
The United States did not play host nation Spain, whom many fans thought were the second best team on paper going into the tournament.
However, Spain was upset by France in the quarterfinal round by a final score of 65-52. Regardless, Team USA put their foot on the gas when it mattered most.
The irony in Team USA’s dominance is they didn’t even put their best team on the court.
This year’s team is considered the weakest national team since the 1992 “Dream Team” and still won every game by at least 25 points.
Fans were referring to the national team as the “B-Team,” since NBA icons LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and other superstars decided not to be on the roster.
Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski had more team oriented players on his roster like phenoms Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Kenneth Faried.
What makes Team USA so dominant on the world stage is the influx of young talent and how the coaches develop it.
For example, players start at a young age by competing on AAU travel teams before moving up to the high school level and are then recruited to play in colleges against the best basketball schools in the country.
If a player dominates against the top amateur competition in the nation then they can get drafted into the NBA.
The NBA is the most popular league in a sport where professional leagues internationally cannot compete. Players with great talent migrate to the NBA because that is where the spotlight shines the most.
Even International stars have and are still coming to the United States to get experience against top American talent. Although more international players are playing in the NBA, the United States is developing youth players at a phenomenal rate.
Winning the FIBA gold medal solidifies that Team USA has sustained its talent over time. The Michael Jordans and the Patrick Ewings of the 90’s are now the Kevin Durants and the LeBron James’ of today.
Unless if these other nations can develop their professional leagues like the United States has done with the NBA, then the U.S will continue to reign supreme on the world stage.
What basketball fans are wondering are who the new faces of tomorrow are going to be? From what it looks like now, those faces are going to be wearing the red, white, and blue.
Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@theminaretonline.com