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Allen Iverson Shack The Answer
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By Phil Jasner NEW YORK - He is as unpredictable as a lightning bolt. As bright when he lights up the court. As dangerous. As fierce. In his own way, a force of nature, all 6-feet and 165 pounds of him. In a league of sensational, talented athletes who play above the rim, Allen Iverson comes from the ground up, squeezing and squirming through mazes of bodies. He comes from impossible angles, leaving himself vulnerable to dizzying hits. That doesn't stop him. The New York Knicks didn't stop him. It is questionable whether any opponent really does. This is Iverson, the NBA's Player of the Month for a sensational January, better than he ever was. This was Iverson, facing as dedicated a defense as he has encountered in this dazzling 35-11 Sixers season, shooting just 11-for-30 from the floor, committing seven turnovers. And scoring 31 points in an 87-80 victory in Madison Square Garden, giving the Sixers their 14th road victory in their last 15 games away from home and their 21st road victory, already one more than all last season. And playing all 48 minutes. Every single one. And not being fazed a bit by the controversy that had swirled all week after having had trouble with some fans Sunday in Indianapolis. He was caught on an NBC microphone calling a fan a derisive name, then later explaining that - even though he shouldn't have done it - it had been in response to a series of racial and vulgar epithets directed at him all day. "I have to [put that aside]," Iverson said. "The most comfortable time I have is when I'm with my family, when I'm with my kids. Besides that, it's on the basketball court. . .I have to put that aside. I owe that to my teammates, I owe it to the coaching staff, I owe it to the fans of Philadelphia." The Sixers, who went into the season having won only two of their previous 22 games in New York, won there for the second time in succession. And in what has become a growing characteristic, Iverson didn't have to do it alone. Not even close. Aaron McKie was there with 16 points and eight assists, Theo Ratliff swept 13 rebounds and George Lynch took nine to give the Sixers a 44-35 advantage off the glass. Tyrone Hill found himself in perfect spots for open baseline jumpers while Iverson was shadowed constantly, contributing 12 points. And the Sixers' bench, outscored Tuesday by Toronto's reserves, 40-2, outscored the Knicks' backups, 15-8. "I love playing here," Iverson said. "It's one of the greatest places in the world to play in. It's a basketball city, it's a great city, they have great people here. A lot better than a lot of other places. It's just fun to play here. "[To have 21 road wins] says a lot about about our team, about the coaching staff, after everything we've been through this summer, problems with myself and coach [Larry Brown]. It's us becoming a tighter family than we were, working together to achieve one goal. "We put egos aside, just coming out, playing basketball every night, coach doing everything right as far as putting people in spots, preparing us, my teammates playing every game like it's their last." The best record in the league includes 21 victories in 28 games since starting point guard Eric Snow went down with a stress fracture in his right ankle. It includes a 17-5 record with McKie starting. It includes Ratliff leading the league in blocks and joining Iverson as an Eastern Conference All-Star. "We've been together for so long," Iverson said. "We're deep. It's time for us to learn how to close out games, tough games, tough games in other people's buildings. "We're just learning. We're becoming a team. This is the first real team that I've ever been on in my life. Nobody has egos, nobody cares who's shooting the ball, who has a name, who's an All-Star, who's not. We have one common goal, to win a championship." But Hill pointed out that, to take last night's step, they had to overcome a gritty, prideful Knicks team. And, in his eyes, more than that. "They're the only team in our division that plays harder than we do," Hill said. "They play our style. Before we can beat [them], we have to match their intensity." The Knicks' Latrell Sprewell, named an East All-Star on Wednesday by commissioner David Stern, desperately tried to drain that intensity out of the Sixers. He went literally everywhere Iverson went, and the end result was still 31 points. "He can contain Allen, he can't stop him," Hill said. "He did a good job, but it shows how great a player [Iverson] is. You put any great defensive player against a great scorer, he can't stop him. And Allen has another level to go to. He's still not in his prime. He's got two more levels. What I've seen the last two years, the upside in him is very amazing. He wants to win, he wants to play." So did the Knicks. Sprewell finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Allan Houston scored 27 points, but no other Knick was able to generate consistent offense. Brown was as proud of his defense as any aspect of the performance. "These two teams are very similar in terms of being defensive-minded, with a lot of guys who are unselfish, who think team first," he said. "We have a super player that can make big scores late in games, getting his own shot and other people shots as well. "The success of our team all year has been our unselfish play and our defense. I think that's the only reason we won tonight. They did a very good job on Allen - he got bumped an awful lot going to the goal, but he managed to keep his head in the game and make big plays. "Spree did a great job on him, but [Iverson] doesn't get discouraged. He was pretty upset at halftime because he had 16 shots and no foul shots. But he just kept playing. He's growing up in that respect. The defense they put against him, the defensive intensity makes his role even more significant." And when the Sixers needed him the most, he delivered. After having led by as many as 15 points, the Knicks were within 79-78 late in the fourth quarter. Iverson drained a jumper from the top of the key, then a step-back jumper with 1:52 left. Now it was 83-78, and even though the Knicks kept scrambling they were out of answers. Ratliff and McKie nailed the game down by dropping in four free throws. "Allen is Allen," Ratliff said. "Every time he steps on the floor, he's coming to play. Through all the adversity. It might bother him a little here and there, but he goes out and gets it done. "We have aggressive guys. Nobody who's passive. When we have an opportunity to make plays, we make plays. That's the key to our success." |