It was, for Allen Iverson, 47 of those minutes into which he packed 55 points and eight assists, and it will be remembered as more than a 98-90 victory over New Orleans in their NBA playoff opener.

It will be remembered as legend.

There were 19,711 fans in the First Union Center last night, witnessing Iverson's career playoff high. Years from now, there will multiples of that attendance insisting that they had been there, that they had seen it all.

This is what was there to be seen:

Iverson scored the most points in a playoff game by any Sixer in history, and the second-most by a Philadelphia player; Wilt Chamberlain put up 56 for the old Warriors against Syracuse on March 22, 1962.

Only four players in league history have scored more: Elgin Baylor, with 61 for the Los Angeles Lakers against Boston on April 14, 1962, had been the most in a regulation game; Chicago's Michael Jordan had 63 in a double-overtime performance against Boston on April 20, 1986.

"I think I just caught a rhythm," Iverson said after knocking down 21 of 32 shots from the floor. "I just got in one of those rhythms where the basket looked like an ocean. I was throwing rocks in it."

For six long seasons, Sixers coach Larry Brown has asked, begged, pleaded, demanded that his players take responsibility on the court. On this magical, mystical night, Iverson took every ounce of responsibility he could squeeze from his barely 6-foot, (maybe) 160-pound frame. By the end, he had - with his eight assists - accounted for 71 of his team's points. He accounted for all of his team's points in the first quarter, and was involved directly in 15 of its 16 field goals in the first half.

Most of all, he accounted for the mayhem that the Sixers created on a night when they needed him the most.

"This is the best ever, by far," Brown said. "We had nobody else but Aaron [McKie] looking to shoot the ball, and [the Hornets] probably have as good team defense as anyone. Under those circumstances, this is by far the best he's ever played."

How critical was Iverson's explosion? Keith Van Horn shot 1-for-8, Kenny Thomas 2-for-4, Derrick Coleman 1-for-4 and Eric Snow 3-for-13. Fortunately, McKie contributed 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and Snow finished with 15 points and 10 assists.

"He [Iverson] played as good as anybody can play," Brown said. "This was a big game. I looked out there, and it looked like we had two guys willing to shoot the ball...We've got to get it inside a little; we can't put pressure on him to shoot 21-for-32. I don't care if it's scoring, we've got to look like we want to score.

"If I'm a fan sitting, watching what he did I'd be pretty excited. [Iverson] took it upon himself, did extraordinary things. I don't know how he could get much better than that."

From where Hornets coach Paul Silas was sitting, if Iverson was going to light up the night he was going to do it against standard coverage; no double-teams, no "junk" defenses. Silas, a fierce rebounder and competitor in his playing days, comes from an old school that says if one opponent is sizzling, just don't allow the rest of his teammates to beat you.

"That's always been my philosophy, not trying gimmicky defenses, double-teams," Silas said. "If you do that, it just opens the door for others to get off. We caught a guy on a very hot night. Great players make great plays."

On many nights, Silas might have been ecstatic with the 28 points he got from Jamal Mashburn, but on this night he was despondent about giving up 24 points on 21 turnovers.

"We were not very good tonight," Silas said. "The disturbing thing is the 21 turnovers. If we had taken care of the ball, we would have done better. I'm not concerned with what [the Sixers] did, I'm concerned we didn't take care of the ball."

History says the team that wins the opener in a best-of-seven series, advances to the next round 78.8 percent of the time. Game 2 of what promises to be a long, hard series will be played Wednesday night in Philadelphia, with Games 3 and 4 next Saturday and Monday in New Orleans.

Even then, people still will be talking about Game 1, when Iverson scored 30 points in the second half on 12-for-19 shooting.

"The second half was when I knew I was in a rhythm," Iverson said. "It's just all about what we need to get over the hump. I wouldn't want to have to shoot like that or try to score like that night after night. That's what a team is about."

He said he simply did what he would expect his teammates to try and do on a night when he struggles.

As for Silas' straight-up defense philosophy, Iverson said:

"Good. That's perfect."

This was a bruising evening in which 59 personal fouls were called, and a total of nine players finished with four or more. And even though the Hornets held just a 37-32 advantage off the glass, Brown knew the visitors had won the battle inside.

"[The physical aspect] is something I always look forward to," Iverson said. "I like it when guys think they can beat me up."

But he did not come out in search of a huge point total. And he wasn't motivated by the news that Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki had put up 46, Orlando's Tracy McGrady had scored 43, the Celtics' Paul Pierce 40 and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant 39 in playoff openers during the weekend.

"All I wanted to do was contribute," Iverson said. "I didn't know what it would take to win. I knew it would take a great effort. That's all I think about before every game. I don't put pressure on myself to try to do great things every night."

But, more often than not, he does exactly that. Ask anyone who was there last night. Or wait a few years. By then, the number of witnesses, in their own minds, will have multiplied mightily.