Irving building on Spain 2014 MVP performance

CLEVELAND (NBA/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The best players make their presence felt in the most important moments of games. By stepping up their play and being able to keep their cool in those tense moments, they usually find ways to help their team succeed.

After some steady individual performances in the Group Phase of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, USA guard Kyrie Irving stepped up his play in the Final Phase, particularly in the Semi-Final win over Lithuania and the defeat of Serbia in the title game.

The 22-year-old guard was simply unstoppable in the Final. He made all six of his three-point attempts as part of a 10-of-13 shooting display on his way to a game-high 26 points and handed out four assists as the USA cruised to a 129-92 victory to successfully defend their title as world champions.

Through those performances and after being named the MVP of FIBA's flagship event - as well as receiving the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Award for 2014 - Irving has proven he's one of world basketball's rising stars and a player to follow for the years to come.

Now in his fourth NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers playmaker wants to get his team to the top of the league.

Teaming up with LeBron James and Kevin Love to make up the most exciting trio in the world's biggest league, Irving has averaged 19.7 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in helping the Cavs get off to a 16-10 start in the 2014-15 season.

FIBA.com caught up with Irving to talk about his season and Spain 2014. 

FIBA: You're off to a great start to the season. Do you feel that you are playing the best basketball of your career so far?
Irving: I don't know if I am playing the best basketball of my career but I am pretty satisfied with the way I have been playing so far. I have been improving in every aspect of the game, including on the defensive end and I feel in great shape. It's important to make consistent efforts game after game in order to be a threat on the offensive end and (be) a solid player on the defensive one. Things have been going well so far, but I also know that I have more room for improvement.

FIBA: The team got off to a slow start but you seem to be getting into a flow now. What's been the key?
Irving: We are improving game after game. We had some difficult games at the start of the season but now we feel that we are playing better. The roster changed a lot and a new coach was named so we need a bit of time to find our best chemistry. A lot of people are focused on LeBron James, Kevin Love and myself, but to be honest we kind of threw that 'Big Three' notion out of the window. We are a group of 15 players that are working hard and care about each other. We have confidence in one another and we are growing in order to be a very competitive team.

I will never forget the moment we received the trophy. - Irving

FIBA: You played in your first international competition at senior level at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain last summer. What did you learn from that experience?
Irving: It was unbelievable. It was a good opportunity to grow as a player and have a great experience with a group of players that I didn't really know so well. I am a competitor so I really enjoy new challenges because you learn a lot from them. I had the opportunity to play against some of the best players and teams of the world and I was happy to do so. It was also great to spend time in Spain and have so many fans supporting us throughout the tournament.

FIBA: Can you talk about the process of helping the USA retain the title of world champions won in 2010?
Irving: Keeping the world title was our main goal since day one of training camp. The roster was young but we played at our highest level throughout the tournament. We stayed focused game after game and we had a very good performance in the Final against Serbia. Winning the world title is incredible.

FIBA: You had an outstanding performance in the Final and were named the tournament's MVP. Was this something you had targeted to achieve?
Irving: No. I was just focused on helping the team reach the gold. I was feeling well during the tournament and I had my best game in the Final. I was very happy to be named MVP but it was a team effort, not an individual effort. Every player of our roster did very well in the tournament.

FIBA