Breaking Down Team USA's Dominance in Group Play by the Numbers

Team USA was expected to dominate at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, and dominate it did in the first week of action. 

If the group stage proved anything, it was that the 5-0 Americans were on a different level than the rest of the Group C field. The Dominican Republic, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey and Ukraine all had memorable moments, but each of them ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard when they squared off with the United States. 

But how dominant were the Americans? 

First, let's take a gander at their margin of victory in the quintet of successful outings: 

Both ends of that chart are undeniably impressive. 

Not only did Team USA manage to destroy Finland in a 114-55 opener, one in which the Finns scored just two points (with no made field goals) during the second quarter, but the worst game featured a 21-point victory over Turkey. 

Yikes. 

Over the course of those five games, the United States outscored its opponents by 166 points, giving the team an average victory of 33.2 points. Take a look at how that stacks up against the other largest group-stage margins in the World Cup field: 

Other than Spain, a dominant team in its own right, no one has come close to touching that overall advantage. Not even Greece and Brazil, impressive as they each were in the group stage. Plus, 63 points of Brazil's margin came in one game against Egypt.

How did this happen for the States?

It wasn't just a dominant offense, one led by the many capable guards and a frontcourt that absolutely thrived against the overmatched Group C bigs. It was also due to the swarming defense that pressured ball-handlers at all times, cut off virtually every passing lane, rejected shot after shot and contested what seemed like each and every attempt. 

It's not easy to rank near the top on both ends of the court, but that's exactly what the Americans did while playing in Bilbao: 

Also notable is how the scoring came about for Team USA. 

Though no one on this squad has come close to leading the tournament in points, that hasn't been necessary. Four players averaged double figures through the first five contests, and virtually everyone contributed.

And efficiently at that.

There are so many takeaways from that graphic. 

First, Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried have been absolutely marvelous, the latter coming at the surprise of just about everyone. Even the most optimistic Denver Nuggets fans couldn't have expected Faried—who was a surprise inclusion at camp in Las Vegas, much less a shocking piece of the final roster—to be this good game in and game out. 

After Team USA feasted on Turkey, the Denver big man told the assembled masses, via NBA.com's Sekou Smith, "Every time I step on the basketball court, you never know it could be your last game, so I like to play my hardest in every game. When you love the game like that it tends to reward you back."

David Dow/Getty Images

Think about those numbers. He's averaged 13.8 points per game, more than anyone on the roster outside of a unibrowed big man, and he's done so while shooting 79.1 percent from the field. 

But look at the chart again. 

Team USA has been this dominant even with Stephen Curry and Derrick Rose struggling to find the bottom of the net on a consistent basis. If they get going, the field won't stand a chance during elimination play. After all, the backcourt was always supposed to be the strength of this team.

Not so far, even looking beyond points: 

Efficiency is a box score metric that takes everything into account, whether it's blocks or missed shots. There are certainly major flaws (including weighting everything with no coefficients), but it's still useful for capturing production in a one-number-represents-everything snapshot.

Above, you can see the efficiency scores for each Team USA player, though it's also worth noting you can manipulate that graphic to view each type of major box score stat. 

Who would have guessed that the two most efficient players would be big men? How about three of the top five? 

"With a little help from big men Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried, the United States looks to have forgotten it's playing without a handful of the NBA's top superstars," wrote Bleacher Report's Stephen Babb, and that sentiment really isn't hyperbolic. But did anyone expect Faried to be one of the two names seen in this light, especially at the expense of an All-Star backcourt member?

As Team USA heads toward a seemingly inevitable showdown with Spain, that's a great sign. 

The group stage was filled with dominance by the Americans. Now it's time to see if that continues when one loss can knock a team out of the running.  

Editor's Note: With these graphics, scrollover technology will not work on mobile devices.