Serbia vs. Puerto Rico: Score, Reaction from 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Final

A dazzling first quarter by Serbia led to a blowout 108-77 win over Puerto Rico in the 2016 FIBA Olympic qualifying finals.   

The win marks Serbia's first appearance in the Olympics since an 11th-place finish in 2004. The country has steadily been emerging as a basketball power, going from 14th at EuroBasket in 2007 to second at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. 

Serbia left no doubt that this would be its moment in the spotlight. It jumped out to a 37-11 lead after the first quarter, and the team seemingly toyed with Puerto Rico late in the opening period on this dunk by Marko Simonovic, via FIBA:

It's fashionable to compare any good offensive team to the Golden State Warriors, but Serbia's fast-paced attack and ball movement do bear a resemblance to the Western Conference champions, via FIBA:

An overpowering offense has been Serbia's path to victory throughout the tournament. It averaged 93.5 points in the four games, including a robust 204 combined in the semifinals and finals. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic led the offensive barrage with 26 points and eight assists; in the previous game against the Czech Republic, he had 21 points and eight rebounds. 

Nikola Jokic was right behind his Serbian teammate with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. 

Paul Garcia of Project Spurs likes what he sees from the Serbian team heading into Rio de Janeiro next month:

There's not much to dislike right now. Playing 10-minute periods makes it difficult to put up big scoring totals, yet Serbia's worst game in this tournament was an 83-point output against Angola in a game it won by 23.

In a losing effort, J.J. Barea led Puerto Rico with 22 points. He did struggle to find his shot, going 7-of-19 from the field, though he did make four of his eight attempts from three-point range. 

Carlos Arroyo also had a strong game with 14 points and six rebounds, but he also had six turnovers. It was going to be hard enough keeping pace with Serbia's offense, but Puerto Rico had 24 turnovers as a team to seal its fate. 

There is a wealth of talent on the Serbian roster, starting with Jokic and Bogdanovic. Milos Teodosic leads the team in assists, and Serbia averages nine steals per game. The team constantly pressures opponents on both sides of the ball. 

The competition will amp up in the Olympics, but Serbia is no longer hiding in the shadows. This is a team capable of competing for a medal, with a gold firmly in sight.