3 Key Themes of Social Chatter from Team USA's FIBA World Cup Success

If you're a basketball lover, you were probably very happy watching the FIBA World Cup over the last three weeks.

If you're a basketball lover who's a fan of USA Basketball in particular, you had to be over the moon watching the United States win the gold medal Sunday.

In the final of the FIBA World Cup, Team USA defeated Serbia 129-92 in Madrid to win the title and an automatic berth to the 2016 Olympic Games. Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and was named the FIBA Tournament MVP.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets added 23 points for Team USA. The Americans were on fire in the first half as they shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from three-point range. During Team USA's blowout win, fans and analysts shared their thoughts on Twitter.

Team USA Has Restored Its Global Dominance

Not only did Team USA win the gold medal, but they also dominated the FIBA World Cup without many household names on its team.

Irving, Harden, Kenneth Faried, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins probably won't make anyone's list of top-10 NBA players. But all of them played well and dominated.

Team USA won all of its games by at least 20 points, which was the first time that has happened in the FIBA World Cup. They are also the first USA team to have four straight victories at major international tournaments: the 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Championship, 2012 Olympics and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

If Team USA was able to dominate without its top stars, just imagine how great they will be in 2016 when LeBron James and Kevin Durant are expected to return to the roster.

Kyrie Irving Has Elevated His Game to a New Level

During his three seasons in the NBA, Irving has shown a lot of potential but has failed to stay healthy. He has missed 65 games in the last three years. During the FIBA World Cup, Irving showed the entire world that he is ready to take his game to the next level.

Irving averaged 12.1 points and 3.6 assists per game during the tournament. The point guard was the most consistent player during the FIBA World Cup as he shot 56.2 percent from the floor and 60.9 percent from three-point land.

Everyone already knew Irving could score. But during the FIBA World Cup, he also showed that he has the ability to become a pure point guard. The two-time All-Star showed good decision-making, getting the ball to other stars while he was in the game.

Irving will have to become more of a distributor since LeBron and Kevin Love are now his teammates on the Cavaliers. Irving definitely showed he is capable of becoming the best point guard in the NBA.

James Harden Still Does Not Play Defense

While Team USA dominated during the FIBA World Cup, the lack of defensive effort from Harden was a hot topic on Twitter. There were many instances where the two-time All-Star just stood on the court and let defenders blow right by him.

On Sunday, Nikola Kalina was wide open under the basket. Harden didn't have any idea where Kalina was, and Serbia was able to score an easy two points.

Harden is likely never going to be a great defender, but he must at least focus and give better effort on the defensive end. Maybe Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson's comparison to the Dallas Cowboys defense was accurate.

Now that Team USA has won the gold medal in the FIBA World Cup, the attention can now turn to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Americans will certainly be the favorites to capture another gold medal after their performance in the FIBA World Cup. And just maybe, with all the possibilities of the 2014-2015 NBA season, we’ll see Irving become the best point guard in the NBA and Harden finally playing solid defense in the backcourt.