Team USA vs Serbia FIBA World Cup Final: Game Grades, Analysis for Orlovi vs USA

In case anyone had doubts about the United States' dominance in international basketball, Team USA pummeled Serbia by a final score of 129-92 in the gold-medal game of the 2014 FIBA World Cup Sunday in Madrid, Spain.

After finding themselves in an early 15-7 first-quarter hole, the Americans dialed up the intensity on defense and unleashed an onslaught of threes on the other end. They finished the game 15-of-30 from downtown.

Kyrie Irving led the team with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a scorching 6-of-6 from three-point range. James Harden pitched in with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Six other U.S. players reached double figures.

Serbia was led by Nemanja Bjelica and Nikola Kalinic, who scored 18 points each. The problem was the team's inability to do anything defensively to disrupt USA.

USA Grades

Anthony Davis: D+
Kenneth Faried: B
Stephen Curry: C-
James Harden: A
Kyrie Irving: A+
Rest of Team: A

Orlovi Grades

Milos Teodosic: B+
Miroslav Raduljica: C+
Bogdan Bogdanovic: C
Nemanja Bjelica: B+
Rest of Team: C

USA Player Analysis

Anthony Davis: D+

Davis was arguably USA's best player early in the tournament, but he struggled to get any kind of rhythm thanks to foul trouble in the first quarter of the final.

After DeMarcus Cousins replaced him and helped spark USA's response to Serbia's hot start, there wasn't much of a need to work Davis back into the game.

He finished with seven points on 2-of-4 shooting, to go along with four rebounds.

Kenneth Faried: B

We heard about it all tournament long, but it bears mentioning one more time, the energy and effort of Kenneth Faried was unmatched by anyone in the tournament. That was recognized, as he was named to the All World Cup Team.

He had one of his worst games of the tournament from the field, shooting just 5-of-12, but he still made an impact inside by attacking every loose ball as if securing it would seal the game.

Stephen Curry: C-

Stephen Curry's shooting has seemed just a bit off throughout the tournament. That was the case in the final, as he hit just 2-of-7 from the field.

He still managed to get to double figures by virtue of the fact that both his buckets were threes, and he hit all four of his attempts from the free-throw line.

James Harden: A

Along with Irving and Cousins, Harden was a huge part of USA snuffing out Serbia's early momentum. After watching Milos Teodosic make a couple plays early, Harden aggressively attacked the rim and put the Serbian defense on its heels.

He scored at will, as there wasn't a single Serbian player who could stay in front of his drives.

Kyrie Irving: A+

After days of building hype around Teodosic, Irving absolutely dominated his individual matchup with the Serbian point guard.

Teodosic made a few sharp plays on offense but couldn't do anything to slow down Irving on the other.

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard was particularly impressive behind the arc, bombing away on the ill-advised 2-3 zone set up by Serbia.

His huge shooting performance capped a great tournament that helped seal MVP honors for the 22-year-old point guard.

Rest of Team: A

As previously mentioned, Cousins' energy inside was a critical component of USA's dramatic first-quarter turnaround. He was a willing defender, rebounder and finisher around the rim, and the Serbian bigs were powerless to prevent him from doing any of those things.

The Sacramento Kings center finished the game with 11 points on 2-of-3 shooting to go with a team-high nine rebounds.

Klay Thompson played an important role off the bench as well. He scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was tasked with defending Teodosic for much of his time on the floor.

Rudy Gay also hit double figures with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Orlovi Player Analysis

Milos Teodosic: B+

"

All-World Cup Team: Kenneth Faried, Pau Gasol, Nicolas Batum, Kyrie Irving (MVP), Milos Teodosic pic.twitter.com/Tz4qzQUnsf

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 14, 2014"

After he scored 47 points in his team's previous two games, Teodosic came into the gold-medal game surrounded by hype and questions about his NBA future.

He was instrumental in Serbia's early lead, but his and his team's prospects fizzled quickly after he got into foul trouble.

He finished with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go along with seven assists.

It wasn't a performance that will stand out next to Irving's, but he acquitted himself quite well against some of the best guards in the world and could still get his shot at the NBA.

Miroslav Raduljica: C+

Serbia's center, who managed to bully most of his matchups prior to Sunday, may have run into one of the only guys in the world tougher than him in Cousins.

He wasn't able to muscle his way to solid numbers against the Kings big man, finishing with nine points and three rebounds.

Bogdan Bogdanovic: C

Bogdan Bogdanovic has had some exciting moments in the tournament, but he really struggled with his efficiency against USA.

He finished with 15 points, but it took him 17 shots to get there. And he really didn't contribute much beyond the inefficient scoring.

Nemanja Bjelica: B+

Bjelica did a good job of picking his spots, taking good shots against a U.S. defense that wasn't allowing much in the second and third quarters.

He was also second on the team in assists. In addition to his points, he handed out four dimes.

Rest of Team: C

Kalinic took advantage of the great playmaking from Teodosic and Bjelica, converting a bunch of easy looks around the rim on the way to an 8-of-9 shooting performance.

No other Serbian player reached double figures, as the rest of the squad shot a combined 10-of-25.

Coming up Next

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

By winning the World Cup, Team USA secured the only automatic bid to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Several of the players on this year's World Cup team should get the opportunity to compete with the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul for spots on the 2016 roster.

Serbia will move forward with a boost of confidence after finishing second in a tournament that was supposed to be all about USA and host Spain.

They should be competitive for at least a few more years of international play, as 27-year-old Teodosic is the oldest of the quintet of him, Raduljica, Kalinic, Bjelica and Bogdanovic.