FIBA World Cup: Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving named MVP

Competing against Serbia in the FIBA World Cup finals, Team USA won the gold medal thanks in large part to the efforts of point guard Kyrie Irving.

Irving, who finished with 26 points and four assists, was named MVP of the FIBA World Cup after leading Team USA to a 129-92 victory.

Irving got out to a hot start, hitting seven of his nine shots and all four of his three-pointers for 18 points in the first half. He finished 10-of-13 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc.

His domination helped set the tone for the Americans, who became the third team to win back-to-back FIBA titles and won their fifth overall FIBA World Cup gold medal. The win means they automatically qualify for the Olympics in 2016.

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Irving joins Kenneth Faried on the all-tournament team. His performance along a team of All Stars will surely have Cleveland Cavaliers fans excited about how Irving will play along LeBron James and Kevin Love.

Irving typically steps up when playing with other All-Pro guys. In addition to take the FIBA World Cup MVP, Irving won the 2014 NBA All-Star Game MVP earlier this year when he had 31 points and 14 assists to give the Eastern Conference a 163-155 win in New Orleans.

The performance should give him momentum heading into the hopeful 2014-15 season.

The Cavaliers figure to be in the mix for the Eastern Conference and NBA finals, and Irving’s experience on the world stage should help him deal with expectations his team will face in a couple of months.