The Knicks, one of the few teams seemingly too far gone (23-39) to make a run for even a modest No. 8 finish, raced through the first half as if they were true contenders. You could say they simply faded, but it would be more accurate to say the Sixers sucked the life out of them, then drove them to their knees.

In a third-quarter explosion that will become part of Philadelphia basketball lore, the Sixers unleashed a 25-5 run that took them from being down, 65-45, to a 70-70 tie. And they were far from finished; they left the Knicks with a total of nine points in their last 26 possessions of the third quarter.

The Sixers completed their improbable performance by shooting 50 percent from the floor, building their record to 9-0 when they shoot at least that well.

They also improved to 14-0 when they crack 100, and left the shattered Knicks gurgling helplessly at 3-20 when they allow 100 or more. But the Sixers had great interest in issues other than whether opponents thought they had emerged as the team to beat.

"I know it sends a message to us,'' Allen Iverson said after a 35-point effort that included dropping in all 11 of his free throws, handing out seven assists and making four steals. "We needed this game. It shows us, once we get down like that, no deficit is impossible to overcome. We proved it to ourselves. That's the most important thing; once we believe and know we can do it, the sky's the limit.''