Serbia’s Miroslav Raduljica guards Team USA center DeMarcus Cousins. (GETTY IMAGES)

Serbia and the United States faced off in the championship game of the 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball for the first time, but there is a long history between the two nations.

If you follow Serbia’s FIBA lineage stretches back to the 1950s when it was still part of Yugoslavia.

Up until 1990 when war tore the country apart and divided it into six republics — Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia — Yugoslavia was the most successful basketball nation in the world; even better than the U.S., which was fielding college players at the time. Yugoslavia won three FIBA world titles from 1970-90, winning in ’70 as the host nation and won two more times in 1978 and 1990.

During that stretch, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union were the two biggest rivals of the United States. While the Americans and Russians collected most of the medals at the Olympics, Yugoslavia was piling up the FIBA World Cup titles. They won three as the former Yugoslavia and two as Serbia.

After an eight-year break because of conflict, Yugoslavia returned to the World Cup stage in 1998 and won the FIBA title for the fourth time in Greece. Four years later, the Serbians had their crowning achievement when they claimed their fifth world title in Indianapolis, Indiana. That team — led by Serbian legends Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and Dejan Bodiroga — may have been Yugoslavia’s best post-war squad. It was one of three countries (along with Argentina and Spain) to beat a U.S. squad made up of NBA players. It was the first losses for Team USA since the 1992 Olympics when the Dream Team was formed.

The 2002 FIBA World Cup was the last time Yugoslavia (now Serbia) reached the final, until the 12-year drought was broken in when Serbia reached the final against the U.S. in Spain 2014.

The Americans dominated the game, winning 129-92, behind 26 points from Kyrie Irving and 23 points from James Harden. Klay Thompson and Kenneth Faried both had 12 points; Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins each had 11. Cousins also had a game-high nine rebounds in just 16 minutes.

Irving and Faried were named to the all-tournament team, along with Spain’s Pau Gasol, Serbia’s Milos Teodosic and France’s Nic Batum. Irving was named tournament MVP.

The U.S. completed a perfect 9-0 record at the World Cup, and became the third nation to win back-to-back FIBA World Cup titles. The other two countries to pull off the feat are Yugoslavia and Brazil.

Team USA now has a record five FIBA world titles.

Faried said he was a little disappointed that Spain didn’t reach the final because he and his teammates wanted to beat the Spaniards on their home soil before their home crowd.

The much-anticipated showdown between the top-ranked Americans versus the No. 2-ranked Spaniards never materialized, as France ousted Spain in the quarterfinals. A France-USA matchup in the championship would have been a delight as well, but the French fell to Serbia in the semifinals.

Imagine if Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia were still part of Yugoslavia. Slovenia’s Goran Dragic could be in the backcourt with Teodosic. Crotian big men Ante Tomic and Dario Saric could be paired with Serbia’s Nenad Krstic. And the squad will field not one but two Bogdanovics — Bojan and Bogdan. Both are sharpshooters and natural-born scorers.

Now that group could give Team USA a run for its money. Unfortunately, the world won’t be able to see it.

Kenneth Faried is shooting over 70 percent from the field at the World Cup. (FIBA)

Form held at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain up until the quarterfinals when the host nation — one of basketball’s superpowers — was knocked off by a depleted French team.

Spain picked a terrible time for a shooting slump as the No. 2-rated team in the world fell to eighth-ranked France, 65-52. The team everyone had pegged in the final against the United States had been vanquished from the tournament by a squad that was missing arguably its two best players in San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah.

France faces 11th-ranked Serbia, which routed Brazil in the quarterfinals, in the semifinals in Madrid. It’s the rematch of the Aug. 31 group-play game won by France, 74-73. The other half of the semifinals pits the U.S. against Lithuania.

Team USA, ranked No. 1 in the world, has yet to be tested in the tournament, breezing through group play and barely broke a sweat in dispatching Mexico and Slovenia in the knockout round.

OneManFastBreak.net breaks down the two matchups:

USA vs. Lithuania

The Lithuanians (rated No. 4) and their rabid fans powered through the knockout round, and they present the first real threat to the U.S. in the tournament. Lietuva can play inside-out or outside-in, depending on the opponent. It wore down New Zealand with size and strength, and shot lights out from 3-point range against Turkey. Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors) and Donatas Motiejunas (Houston Rockets) present a good test for the U.S. frontcourt. Team USA’s three-headed monster of Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings) and Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) have looked dominant, and should one or two of them get into foul trouble head coach Mike Krzyzewski has Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons) and Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets) waiting in the wings. Lithuania’s big men are not as athletically gifted as the Americans, so look for Davis and Faried to run the floor and look for lob passes. Renaldas Seibutis, Adas Juskevicius and Martynas Pocius are big guards but they’re not as quick, so expect Coach K to dial up ball pressure and to make Lithuania play faster. Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) enjoyed his best game of the World Cup in the quarterfinals against Slovenia, and he could explode for another big game. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) has been Team USA’s most consistent two-way player. Thompson is the ideal FIBA player: he has good size, plays great perimeter defense, and can shoot 3-pointers. If Lithuania can slow the pace and knock down half their 3-pointers, this could go down the wire. If not, expect another double-digit victory for Team USA.

France vs. Serbia

It still feels weird not being able to talk about Spain in World Cup semifinals, but give France a ton of credit for smothering the Spaniards with outstanding defense. French center Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) played a huge role in denying the paint against Spain. The 7-2 center bothered Pau and Marc Gasol with his length and activity around the basket, and expect the 22-year-old big man to do the same against Serbia. Another unsung hero, point guard Thomas Heurtel, has had the hot hand from the outside. Nobody can replace Tony Parker in the lineup, but Heurtel has done a more than adequate job as a replacement. Boris Diaw (San Antonio Spurs) will present all sorts of matchup problems for Serbia, with his ability to post up small forwards and take power forwards out in the perimeter. Nic Batum (Portland Trail Blazers) is one of the most versatile wing players in the NBA, and he may draw the assignment to guard Serbian sharp shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic (Phoenix Suns). If the Serbians have an advantage it’s in the backcourt. Point guard Milos Teodosic and shooting guard Bogdanovic are averaging a combined 23 points per game, and their ability to knock down 3-points could be the difference in the game.

Championship prediction: Regardless of which team comes out of the France-Serbia side of the bracket, the Americans will be heavily favored in the finals and they should repeat as world champs.

Kevin Durant's game-high 33 points led U.S. to 89-79 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals at the FIBA World Championship. (FIBA)

On Sept. 9, 1972, Russia shocked the United States in the controversial gold-medal game at the Olympics Games in Munich, Germany. It was a bitter loss for the Americans, who still refuse to accept their silver medals because they all believe the game was taken away from them by the officials.

It was the United States’ first loss at the Olympics and signaled the beginning of Russia’s rise to power in basketball. For the last 38 years since that infamous game in Munich, each time the United States and Russia go head to head the game holds a special meaning.

On the anniversary of the Munich game, USA and Russia met in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.  Even though the Russians are no longer considered a powerhouse on the international stage and the intensity of the rivalry has been watered down since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia still presents a threat and the Americans certainly didn’t take the contest lightly during Thursday night’s matchup.

Kevin Durant made sure Team USA didn’t walk off the court disappointed as the Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star led all players with 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting to carry the U.S. to a 89-79 victory. Team USA will face either Lithuania or Argentina in the semifinals at Istanbul, Turkey.

Durant’s Thunder teammate, Russell Westbrook, provided a spark off the bench as 10 of his 12 points came in the third quarter and the U.S. outscored Russia, 26-17, in the quarter. Lamar Odom led the U.S. on the boards with 12 rebounds, and did a solid job in containing Russian 7-footer Timofey Mozgov (13 points).

After a shaky first half that saw the Americans hold a slim 44-39 lead, Westbrook went on a 7-0 individual spurt that included one 3-pointer and two thunderous breakaway dunks off steals. Chauncey Billups scored eight of his 15 points in the third, a quarter in which the U.S. led by as many as 15 and built a 70-56 advantage entering the fourth.

Despite getting caught up in a back-and-forth verbal joust with David Blatt leading up to the game, U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski was extremely complimentary of Russia and its head coach.

“I would like to congratulate Russia for playing such a terrific game,” Krzyzewski said. “Coach Blatt has had an amazing career coaching in Russia and the way his team played today shows the high quality of coaching he gives his players. I thought we were ready and played hard. It was a very well earned win against a terrific team with a great coach.”

Krzyzewski added: “They were playing good defense and we were not hitting the shots; the Russians seemed to be in control. The main thing I told my players in that timeout is just relax, there’s a long way to go. When you play against a team that never quits, you know they are going to play every possession and Russia did that.”

Blatt, who played at Princeton for Pete Carril and runs the “Princeton Offense,” took some heat for saying the Russians were the rightful winners of the gold medal at the ’72 Games, which infuriated Krzyzewski and USA Basketball officials.

Coach K fired back and said: “You know, he coaches the Russian team, so he probably has that viewpoint, and his eyes are clearer now because there are no tears in them. So, it’s great. Whatever he thinks, he thinks.”

After the 10-point loss to the U.S. in the quarterfinals, Blatt wished the Americans the best and applauded his coaching counterpart.

“I congratulate Coach K and his great staff and their wonderful team. One of the things that I mostly appreciate about USA Basketball under Coach K is that they recognize how to play the European game and still maintain that advantage that the American game gives them. We tried hard to stop them and there were moments that we were successful, but in all honesty, the game was in the control of the USA team.”

All postgame comments were courtesy of FIBA.com

Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points for Brazil against the United States, but missed the one that could have tied the game at the buzzer. (FIBA)

Despite the absence of forwards Nene and Anderson Varejao, Brazil came within a basket of tying the United States at the end of regulation in Monday’s Group B matchup in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Fortunately for the Americans, Leandro Barbosa took the point-blank shot and – not surprisingly – missed. It was essentially a layup, and Barbosa blew it. He played well when his team was rolling, scoring eight points and making three of his five field-goal attempts in the first quarter. But when it mattered most, he crumbled under pressure. Barbosa shot just 2-for-13 the rest of the game and 3-for-13 from 3-point range.

Playing “small” in “big” games has haunted Barbosa for much of his NBA career, and it was probably the reason why he was traded this offseason from Phoenix to Toronto. During his time with the Suns when the team was out in front and playing loose, Barbosa (aka The Brazilian Blur) was at his best: penetrating, dishing, scoring. He is one of the best front-runners in the NBA.

“Leandro Barbosa is one of the best international players in the world,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski told FIBA.com.

At times, when The Brazilian Blur has it going, he’s nearly unstoppable. A career 12-point scorer in the NBA, Barbosa can score on anyone, and his first step maybe one of the quickest in the world.

But when the game gets in a halfcourt set and every possession is valued, Barbosa becomes tentative and his ball tends to get a little heavy. That’s Leandro Barbosa in a nutshell.

He had an opportunity to bail out his teammate Marcelo Huertas , who missed the first free throw and had to intentionally miss the second with time winding down. Huertas found Barbosa near the basket for the game-tying shot, but The Brazilian Blur got a little blurry and blinked. He missed a bunny!

Had he made THAT SHOT against the U.S., he could have been the hero of the tournament thus far and given his country an incredible opportunity for a monumental upset.

Had he made THAT SHOT, the Suns could rescind the trade (OK, maybe not).

But, he missed.

The United States escaped with a 70-68 victory and remained undefeated. Meanwhile, after winning its first two ballgames, the Brazilians have dropped their last two. They lost 80-77 on Wednesday to Slovenia, dropping them to third place in Group B.