INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cold War is over. So is Russia's dominance over World Basketball.

	Baron Davis, left, strips the ball from Russia's Rouslan Avleev.

With only one legitimate NBA prospect, Andrei Kirilenko, the Russians have been outmatched, not only by the United States, but also by most of the field including New Zealand and Argentina.

Tonight, with Kirilenko nursing a sore left ankle, the Russians were no match as Team USA coasted to a 106-82 victory.

Once again the Americans struggled early on, especially on defense. Team USA continues to play terrible transition defense, as the Russians easily beat USA on the break several times.

"I was upset in the first half a little," USA coach George Karl said. "We played loose and didn't really respect Russia's skills. ... The first half was as flat as we've played."

The biggest excitement of the night came with 2:10 left in the second quarter. Hometown hero Reggie Miller checked into the game for the first time in the tournament to the chants of "Reg-gie!" "Reg-gie!"

He didn't disappoint. With the clock winding down to end the half, Miller hit a big 3 at the buzzer to put the U.S. up 54-44.

"We really fed off Reggie going into the second half," Andre Miller said. "We expect him to provide that kind of spark."

Karl said fans should expect a lot more Miller in the next few games. "I hope we can get him back into the personality of our team. Losing him these last few games has hurt us a bit."

Speaking of sparks, it was the Paul Pierce show in the second half. Pierce scored 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting -- including a spectacular 4-5 from beyond the arc -- in the third quarter.

"Pierce was fantastic," Karl said. "Riding a horse like that is very NBA-ish. ... I told him after the game that I like shows and that was a pretty good show."

It's a good thing too. Pierce may be the only player on this U.S. squad with the capability to take a game over all by himself. So, after leading Team USA in scoring for all four games, is Pierce the official go-to guy? Karl wouldn't go that far.

"He can score," Karl said. "He just can score a lot of points. He has a natural way of the ball going his way."

Next up for the Americans is New Zealand. For the second game in row, the U.S. may be facing a team without its only NBA star. Sean Marks, a former Heat forward, suffered an eye injury that may keep him out of the contest.

While Karl isn't overlooking New Zealand, he knows that the Team USA's biggest test to date is coming on Wednesday. "We had a lot of scouts tell us that Argentina is the team," Karl said. "They don't rely on just one guy. They have seven or eight guys who can get it done."

To Russia with love
How have times changed for Team Russia. The collapse of the Berlin Wall has signaled the collapse of Russian basketball. Russia's strength during the '70s and '80s was the huge geographical swath the Soviet Union encompassed.

Now, left with just Mother Russia, the Russians have Kirilenko and then ... Zakhar Pachoutine. Zakhar who? Exactly.

Kirilenko, whose sprained ankle likely will keep him out of the rest of the tournament, was frustrated after Russia's loss. "I can't talk about it," Kirilenko said. "It would've been better to sit in the hotel and watch the game because you know I can help this team."

Still, you have to wonder what could've been had Ronald Regan not spent Russia into oblivion. An old Soviet Union team would include players from Georgia, Ukraine and Lithuania, meaning a few more young prospects such as Nikoloz Tskitishivili and Zaur Pachulia would give Russia a little more hope for the future.

Yugoslavia falls again
The U.S. has already suffered a few close calls, but Yugoslavia is having its lunch handed to it by a few upstarts who are convinced that if they can't beat a team full of NBA stars, they can at least knock off a team with a couple of them.

Once again, the perimeter-orientated Yugoslavians had a problem with a big man. Last weekend it was Pau Gasol and Spain shocking Yugoslavia. Monday night it was an upstart Puerto Rico team led by former Suns center Daniel Santiago. Santiago absolutely dominated Vlade Divac in the post, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Overall, Puerto Rico outscored Yugoslavia in the paint 48-26. The Yugoslavians were also outscored on the fast break, 19-0.

Yugoslavia isn't the only team chock full of NBA-caliber players having difficulty here. Turkey lost for the third time in four days Monday. Turkey sports a roster that includes the Kings' Hedo Turkoglu, the Pistons' Mehmet Okur and former Rockets forward Mirsad Turkcan. Gasol's 19 points and seven boards led the way for Spain.

Overall, Latin America teams have fared well. Argentina and Brazil are 4-0. Puerto Rico is 3-1. One thing is for sure. The gap between Europe and the rest of the world is gone. "I feel like games like this shows you can have the opportunity to play in the NBA. ... We have something very special there and this is only going to get better," Santiago said.

Still, Karl thinks Yugoslavia will be the team's toughest foe. "I think Yugoslavia is the best team. But it goes to show that without playing the right way, without chemistry, it's hard to win."

Jaric talks Clippers
Yugoslavian point guard Marko Jaric is having a strong tournament for Yugoslavia. Monday night he scored 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting.

Jaric sees the tournament as another step toward preparing him for life in the NBA. "There is so much pressure here and so many good players. I know the NBA will be tough, but I think this will help."

Jaric signed a three-year, $6 million dollar contract with the Clippers this summer just weeks before they traded for point guard Andre Miller.

Asked what he thought about Miller taking all of his minutes on the Clippers this season, Jaric was upbeat. "It's OK. I believe in myself. I think if I show I am good, the minutes will come."

It won't be easy. Miller's been at the top of his game here in Indianapolis. Monday night he scored 18 points in the U.S. rout of Russia.

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