Out of the 24 competing national teams in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, only two now remains.

On September 12, 2010 2:30 PM ET / 18:30 GMT at the Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul, Turkey, USA and Turkey will meet in the Finals for the honor and glory of being crowned the best basketball team in the world.

For USA (8-0), this will be the first time since 1994 that it have reached the FIBA World Championship Finals. It would be noteworthy to mention that it was also the last time that USA won the gold medal.

Turkey (8-0) meanwhile as the host country, is the favorite to win aside from Team USA. This is the first time that they have reached the Finals with only 6th place in 2006 as their previous best placing.

USA will have to rely on Kevin Durant’s scoring, the playmaking of Chauncey Billups and Derrick Rose and rebounding and defense of Lamar Odom and Andre Iguodala.

The host Turks are known for their vaunted zone defensive schemes. There’s also the presence of Hedo Turkoglu, a walking match-up nightmare with the ability to handle the ball, lead the team’s offense and shoot. Meanwhile, Ersan Ilyasova possesses the athleticism needed to test defenders, while seven-footer Omer Asik provides size up front.

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UPDATE: The United States won its first world championship since 1994 on Sunday, beating Turkey 81-64 behind another sensational performance from tournament MVP Kevin Durant. Durant had 28 points, setting a record along the way for most in the tournament by a U.S. player.

Watch USA vs Turkey replay highlights below:

USA finally re-stake its claim as the best basketball nation in the world.

Turkey failed to make history but actually over-achieved as this is their best place finish ever.

Check out also the Serbia and Lithuania replay highlights of their 2010 FIBA World Championship battle for third place game.

Please read my related posts:

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Tags: 2010 FIBA world championship, team USA 2010, turkey