In the second half, Li Fei dominated the Philadelphia 76ers! Four more points went on the board, and the gap was cut straight to 10-8.
Van Gundy frowned slightly and raised a hand from the sideline, signaling his team to steady their offensive pace.
But the Knicks' perimeter players had clearly been rattled by Iverson's ferocious momentum.
Another half-court possession ended in a shot-clock violation, and the ball went back to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iverson held the ball at the top of the arc, his eyes locked on Jordan in front of him.
Everyone in the arena knew he was going to keep taking the God of Basketball one-on-one.
A crossover into a step-back—he forced up a three right over Jordan's defense.
The ball sliced through the air on a sharp arc and drilled cleanly through the hoop.
10-10!
In just three minutes and twenty seconds, Iverson, entirely on his own and without a shred of help, had answered the Knicks with a 10-0 run.
The entire arena erupted in shock, with waves of astonishment replacing the earlier cheers.
The TNT broadcast booth was in a frenzy. Kevin Harlan leaned forward sharply and shouted.
"Unbelievable! I simply cannot believe what I'm seeing!"
"The Knicks opened with a perfect 10-0 run, and then Iverson answered with a 10-0 run all by himself!"
"Five straight possessions, every single one was Iverson taking on Jordan in isolation!"
"Every basket was a tough shot! No screens from teammates, no tactical support whatsoever!"
Marv Albert stared at the replay, his voice full of regret and helplessness.
"We have to acknowledge a harsh reality."
"Today's Michael Jordan can no longer keep up with peak Iverson's speed on the defensive end."
"Jordan's lateral quickness, explosiveness, and ability to handle contact have all declined visibly."
"Time has ultimately