The NBA's Craziest Summer

"Allen actually stole a win from the Bulls!" Eddie Jones gaped in disbelief.

The Western Conference bracket had taken shape, and the results of the Eastern Conference first round were out as well.

The eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers had shockingly taken a win off the Bulls in Game 1!

Iverson had matched up against Ron Harper in the first half, hitting 11 of 19 shots for 27 points! Jordan personally guarded him in the second half, but the crazed Iverson buried four straight threes! Then he shook off Jordan, drove into the paint, and completed an unimaginable and-one. The suspense was dead.

He finished with 49 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 6 turnovers on 18-of-31 shooting and 6-of-11 from three! He had forcefully claimed the first-game victory right over the heads of the Eastern Conference powerhouse Bulls.

"Your Allen is insanely arrogant!"

"He's pretty damn strong! Even Michael couldn't shut him down in the second half."

"A small, lightning-fast player like AI is a huge counter to the Bulls' defensive system. Those old Bulls guys don't have a single player who can keep up with AI's speed."

"It was unrealistic to expect someone 1.98 meters tall to completely lock down someone who was 1.81 meters. Three-pointers were just too efficient. At the crucial moments, Allen and Odom hit several threes in a row and extinguished the Bulls' vicious comeback."

"Stackhouse also defended Michael quite well, holding him to 'just' 31 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover on 11-of-20 shooting. He really was the man who once wanted to take on Jordan one-on-one."

"Talent. This Philadelphia 76ers team's talent is simply dazzling. The Timberwolves and the 76ers should be the two young teams most likely to grow into championship-caliber squads."

Although the Philadelphia