INDIANAPOLIS -- That wide divide that exists between the U.S. and the rest of the world appeared to be on the verge of closing considerably Friday night.

	Paul Pierce's scoring burst at the end of the third quarter ignited the U.S.

Led by NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, Germany took advantage of a lackluster U.S. defensive effort and actually took the lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter. Germany led 67-65 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

Asked after the game whether he was worried, coach George Karl danced around the question a bit.

"I'm getting too old to worry in the third quarter. I usually wait until there's five minutes to go in the fourth quarter before I start worrying. Let's just say I was concerned, not worried."

With Team USA seemingly on the ropes, coach George Karl handed the ball to his best player and let him take over the game. Three minutes later, it was clear Team USA had found its go-to guy.

The "Truth" had set them free.

Paul Pierce went off for 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in the third, including a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, putting the United States ahead by 10. Team USA never looked back on its way to a 104-87 victory.

"Coming out of halftime I was frustrated," Pierce said. "I just wanted to be more aggressive in the second half. During the first half I settled for the 3 instead of driving to the basket. I just adjusted my game."

Karl was impressed. "I'm not sure we have a "go-to" guy . . . with a team this deep, you don't know exactly who your hot button is on a given night. But, I've got a lot of hot buttons I can push . . . Paul is by far the most explosive offensively."

For a while, however, things looked pretty ugly.

Team USA played a lackluster first half and went into halftime leading just 52-51. The team was beset by fouls and their defense was non-existent. Germany, paced by Nowitzki's 22 first-half points, shot 54 percent from the field.

"Coach Karl said we needed to come back out and play with some juice," Pierce said. "I'm sorry it took us so long to get it."

Fueled by Pierce's offense and Ben Wallace's tough defense on Nowitzki, Team USA held the Dallas Mavericks' star to just one field goal in the second half.

Germany's head coach, Henrick Dettmann, said it was Germany, not the United States, that froze with the game on the line.

"We got the lead and developed pressure on ourselves instead of enjoying it," Dettman said.

Shouldn't Team USA be the one that's worried about pressure?

"There is a lot of pressure," Elton Brand said after the game. "We're representing our country and a lot of people are waiting for us to fall. But I was never worried tonight. When we were down in the third quarter I was just laughing. It was fun. It's good to have a challenge."

Pierce agreed. "There's a lot on the line. We're not just representing our teams, we're representing the whole U.S. . . . that's the way I'm approaching these games."

That's good, because Karl said he expects more close games like this one.

"I have a feeling we're going to have two, three or four more of these types of games.''

Yugoslavia not so lucky
Spain pulled the upset of the day, stunning Yugoslavia 71-69. Led by an active and vocal Pau Gasol, Spain jumped out to a big 26-10 first quarter lead and then hung on as Yugoslavia put on a furious fourth-quarter rally.

Gasol questioned Yugoslavia's focus after the game. "It's true that we're no longer afraid of the Americans, but that doesn't mean you can overlook the other teams in the tournament. Yugoslavia isn't the only team that's dangerous."

Peja Stojakovic, who led Yugoslavia with 16 points, claimed that the team didn't take Spain, or anyone else lightly. "We weren't overconfident. We knew Spain is a good team. Our approach wasn't good. We relaxed early and could never get back. This will make us more focused."

The Yugoslavians were plagued by fouls and afterward, Vlade Divac, who fouled out with 6:42 remaining, was sounding a familiar refrain. The team lost, he asserted, because of the officiating -- shades of Kings' Game 6 Western Conference post-game news conference.

Yao watch
As for the nightly Yao Ming watch, let's just say this: If we had a team like Algeria in the NBA (even the Warriors don't qualify), Yao would average 38 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocked shots a game his rookie season.

Of course, Algeria's tallest player is just 6-foot-9. We'll see what Yao might average in the NBA on Saturday night when China squares off against the U.S. team for real.

Will Ben Wallace really break him in two this time?

"Nah, but he's not going to go crazy on us," Wallace asserted.

Chad Ford writes the daily NBA Insider column for ESPN Insider. To get a free 30-day trial, click here.