SAN ANTONIO (NBA/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - After a long and exhausting club season, some players can be a bit reluctant to join their national team and participate in an international competition. But for the most part, most of them see it as an honour and an opportunity to shine for their country.

San Antonio Spurs guard Patrick Mills is a perfect example of players that can be included in the second category.

The 25-years-old has been a regular fixture for Australia's men's team in recent years.

Mills made his senior debut for the Boomers at the 2007 FIBA Oceania Championship - just a month after helping the country to a fifth-place finish at that year's FIBA U19 World Championship - and has since been a pillar for the national side as well its best offensive weapon.

Through great individual performances for Australia - including leading all scorers (21.2 points per game) at the 2012 Olympics - the former Australian Institute of Sport product proved he has the potential to make it in the NBA.

After spending two years (2007-2009) at Saint Mary's College of California, the 1.83m entered the best league in the world but struggled through his first four years.

Mills is having a breakout season in 2013-14, posting career-high averages of 10.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.9 minutes.

Currently focused on an NBA Finals re-match against the Miami Heat, he expects a busy summer ahead as he looks to help the FIBA Oceania champions have a great campaign at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

FIBA.com caught up with Mills to talk about his best NBA season to date and look ahead to Spain 2014.

FIBA: You've been having a great season so far after struggling in your first few years in the NBA. What do you see as the main reason for this change?
Mills: I think I grew up and I'm a more mature player. I also had the opportunity to spend more time on the court this year than last season and I've been doing well. When you have more playing time, you have more confidence and with confidence comes efficiency. Also, I'm in the best shape of my career and that helps me be productive every time I'm on the court. I'm happy with my season, but I am not going to stop working hard. I still have a lot to learn in order to be the best player I can be.

FIBA: The Spurs are back in the NBA Finals against the Heat for the second year in a row. What are your thoughts heading into the series?
Mills: It is incredible to reach the NBA finals for a second year in a row and I think that we deserve to be competing for the title again this season. The team has been playing extremely well and we are ready to do our best to bring home the ring after failing last season. The Miami Heat is a great team but I think that we are better than last season. We don't want to lose the Finals again.

FIBA: The FIBA Basketball World Cup is less than three month away. Is it already on your mind?
Mills: I think about it sometimes, but I am more focused on the NBA finals for now. We talk about the competition with (Spurs and Australia team-mate) Aron Baynes and we are really looking forward to joining our teammates and start the training camp. Everybody is excited also because it is going to happen in Spain, a country with a long tradition of basketball. The crowds are going to be great for sure.

FIBA: Australia is in Gran Canaria's Group D alongside Angola, South Korea, Lithuania, Mexico and Slovenia.
Mills: The group is balanced. Everybody can fight for a spot for the second round. I think that we have a solid team and that we can have a great campaign at Spain 2014. Our team has been improving a lot over the last few years and we still have much room for improvement. There are a lot of young players and we have the potential to be a very competitive team. In Spain, we would like to do something that never happened with Australia's men national team: win a medal. I want to help Australia reach another level.

FIBA: Do you think that Australia can be the surprise of the tournament?
Mills: Yes definitely. I think that we are going to be a tough opponent. We can play at a very high level and we can compete against almost every team in the world. We know that we can go far in the tournament.

FIBA