They were only up by one-point with 14 minutes left. A few minutes later, Charles Barkley fouled out.
Maybe it was fear of the greatest upset and embarrassment in Olympic history that finally motivated the Dream Team.The United States got a scare from Yugoslavia in the gold medal men's basketball game Saturday night before pulling away for a 95-69 victory.
For a while, Yugoslavia controlled the tempo and avoided giving up the big run the U.S. team thrived on throughout the Olympics.
The game turned, however, after center Vlade Divac drew his fifth foul. Trailing 51-50, Yugoslavia was unable to protect the inside and gave up four straight dunks in a three-minute span as David Robinson took charge against smaller defenders.
Just like that, the Americans opened a double-digit lead. And for the rest of the game, it was showtime, to the delight - and relief - of the largest crowd in Olympic basketball history.
"We won the gold medal and that is what matters," Karl Malone said.
Although it won all eight of its games, this team never had the luster the first Dream Team did in the 1992 Barcelona Games. That team, led by Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, not only blew out all opponents but commanded the attention of a worldwide audience.
In almost every game of this tournament, the U.S. team struggled early and needed a second-half surge to put away far less talented opponents.
When the end came Saturday, and John Stockton dribbled out the final 25 seconds, the Dream Team gathered at center court for a quiet celebration.
Robinson, who scored nine straight points for the United States when it was pulling away, surpassed Jordan to become the career scoring leader for the United States.
Robinson finished with 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting, leading to a standing ovation with 1:08 left and the Americans ahead by 24. Reggie Miller had nine of his 20 points in the final 9:24.
Those two made up for ineffectual nights by Scottie Pippen and Barkley - two of the holdovers from the 1992 team that cast such a large shadow over the '96 team.
"We were a little bit tight in the first and I could tell we needed a spark," Robinson said, "and I just tried to come off the bench and give us that."
The Americans led only 51-50 with about 14 minutes left and still were up by just five points with 11 minutes left as Yugoslavia played the same patient game many of the Dream Team's opponents used all tournament.
But the United States scored 35 of the last 49 points, and 10 of the Americans' last 20 points came on dunks.
The final two points of the game for the U.S. team came on an alley-oop dunk by Miller on a pass from Anfernee Hardaway. The 26-point victory was the third-lowest margin in the eight games.
Unlike four years ago, these American players found the Olympics taxing. After being cooped up in a downtown hotel for 21/2 weeks and barely being challenged as they beat eight opponents by an average of 31.8 points, several were ready to leave Atlanta immediately after receiving their gold medals.
Part of it had to do with a simmering resentment among the players, who were angered by criticism that their average margin of victory had dropped 12 points since 1992.
Yugoslavia stayed tied or ahead for the first 17 minutes, and the United States didn't take its first lead until Hardaway made a 3-pointer with 2:35 left for a 39-36 lead.
The United States missed its first six shots and 12 of its first 17 in falling behind 16-12. A corner jumper by Zarko Paspalj, who made his first eight shots, gave Yugoslavia its largest lead, 21-14, with 10:20 left in the half.
Paspalj led Yugoslavia with 19 points. Divac, of the Charlotte Hornets, had just four points before fouling out and Predrag Danilovic of the Miami Heat scored just nine.
Hardaway finished with 17 points for the United States, which shot 15-of-24 over the final 20 minutes.