USA vs. Serbia: 2014 FIBA Gold-Medal Game Score and Twitter Reaction

There was never a doubt for the red, white and blue.

Team USA destroyed Serbia in the 2014 FIBA World Cup final to the tune of 129-92. Kyrie Irving led the way with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from downtown, while James Harden added 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Irving was named the MVP for the World Cup, while NBA on ESPN shared the entire all-tournament team:

Nikola Kalinic and Nemanja Bjelica each scored 18 points for Serbia. 

The blowout victory in the championship game completed a World Cup in which the Americans were never challenged. In fact, their closest winning margin in nine games was 21 points over Turkey in the group stage.

Kenneth Faried commented on the notion that there was some doubt about this team heading into the World Cup, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

It kind of was, again, a smack to our face, saying the U.S. was sending the B-team to go play in the World Cup. Just because LeBron [James]'s not here, Kobe [Bryant]'s not here, [Kevin] Durant's not here, doesn't mean anything. We can step up and win the gold, too. That's what we did tonight.

"

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

The entire 2014 FIBA World Cup was supposed to be all about a showdown between the United States and Spain in the championship game. France ruined that by shocking Spain in the quarterfinals, and then Serbia knocked out France in the semis.

The Americans would have none of the upset bug.

However, it was Serbia that jumped out to an early eight-point lead in the first quarter. Perhaps Team USA expected to simply roll over Serbia just by showing up, which would explain the slow start. Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press noted that the early deficit was uncharted territory for Mike Krzyzewski's team:

Grantland's Zach Lowe and Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk described just how Serbia took an early lead:

Irving then decided to take matters into his own hands. The Cavaliers point guard scored 15 early points and started 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from behind the three-point line. NBA on ESPN and Duke Basketball gave him a shoutout:

Behind Irving's efforts, the Americans seized a 35-21 lead after the first quarter.

Team USA extended its lead in the second quarter, but not without some concern. Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried both picked up three fouls in the first half, which meant it was DeMarcus Cousins' time to shine.

NBA on ESPN shared a highlight, while Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders noted how critical Cousins' defense was:

While the interior play was certainly impressive, it was the three-point shooting for the Americans that completely put the game away before halftime. In fact, Irving hit four treys, Harden connected on three from distance, Klay Thompson had two from long range and Rudy Gay and Stephen Curry each hit one.

In all, Team USA shot 11-of-16 from three-point range in the first half.

Duncan offered up some solid advice for Serbia:

Thanks to the barrage of perimeter shooting, Krzyzewski's squad had an overwhelming 67-41 lead at the half.

Things didn't look much different in the third quarter. The United States' NBA superstars were hitting on all cylinders with their shots. It really wasn't even a fair matchup on paper.

The Americans do deserve credit for coming out of the locker room with some intensity. Duncan suggested as much, while ESPN's Marc Stein pointed out that the coaching staff was matching the energy: 

Things simply got out of hand for Serbia in the third quarter. The United States stretched its lead to more than 30 points midway through the third and eviscerated the Serbian defense. Zach Harper of CBS Sports thought Serbia should maybe change its defensive look:

While it was easy to criticize Serbia's defense, ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla told Bleacher Report before the game that Krzyzewski deserved plenty of credit: "I'd be very surprised if Team USA, because of Coach K's influence, takes their eyes off the prize. There's less of a sense of entitlement among these NBA stars than there was eight or nine years ago. To beat this team, you have to play an A+ game."

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

The only team playing an A+ game Sunday was the United States. It took a commanding 105-67 lead into the fourth quarter.

Harper summarized how many were feeling, while John Schumann of NBA.com pointed out just how ridiculous the Americans' effort really was:

"

USA wins 105-67 to win the 2014 FIBA World… there’s another quarter left?!

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) September 14, 2014"

With the game well in hand, it was time to watch individual players. Duncan provided some encouraging news for Chicago Bulls fans:

However, Derrick Rose was among the few Americans who hadn't cracked the scoreboard, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com pointed out:

Fortunately for the United States, plenty of players were stuffing the stat sheet. As NBA on ESPN noted, seven players were in double figures as the game entered its final minutes:

Thanks to a blistering shooting performance from the majority of the team, the fourth quarter was simply a formality. In fact, Serbia outscored Krzyzewski's team 25-24 in the final frame, but Team USA still won the game by 37 points.

It was yet another dominating performance for Team USA, which hardly had to bat an eye on its way to gold.

What’s Next

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

While the Americans were clearly more impressive than any other team by a wide margin at the World Cup, some may view the triumph with hesitation because it didn't come against Spain. 

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated commented on that idea:

From an NBA perspective, this experience should prove beneficial for the superstars who played for Team USA. Players like Irving, Davis, Faried and Cousins, who were excellent for much of the tournament, will likely be more confident in their own abilities, while Derrick Rose's knees passed an extended test.

The Chicago Sun-Times suggested as much during the game:

While NBA fans are certainly looking forward to that, Team USA has some time to revel in its World Cup title.

*Quote from Fraschilla obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.