Post by jailblazer2352 on Mar 15, 2008 19:29:23 GMT -5
Time: Game 1 2001 NBA Finals, Overtime. Place: Staples Center, Los Angeles California. Allen Iverson, the league MVP and Sixers superstar drains a three in the face of his phony Laker counterpart, Tyronne Lue. To top it off, the Answer takes an emphatic, symbolic step over Lue's floor bound body. The moment, secured Game 1 of those Finals in what would turn out to be a four games to one Sixer defeat. Thinking beyond a literal sense, that moment has come to define the career of one of the game's great underdogs. For a decade, Allen Iverson was the face of the Sixers franchise. Through thick and thin, he was always entertaining. From stepping over Lue, to staring down Jordan (which Iverson did as a rookie), to attending practice, Iverson never failed as a showman and put everything he had into his work. This coming Wednesday, Iverson returns to Philly for the first time since his December 2006 trade to Denver. The question stands: what kind of ovation will he recieve from the Philly faithful? It shouldn't take a long search to find the answer.
Perhaps no athlete has overcome more obstacles. He's hardly six feet tall and hardly 160 pounds, making him a proverbial pinball for opposing defenses. My grandfather once remarked that Iverson had legs as skinny as he did. Such a petite physique made for injury city, injuries Iverson routinely played through. He was born to a single mother, a ghetto black women merely 15 years old at the time. Despite his hardships, Iverson has a distinct pride for his background. His strong pride often got him in trouble. Everyone remembers the infamous "practice" press conference as well as the often frosty relationship with his basketball purist coach, Larry Brown. Brown and Iverson defined the term "odd couple." One was a hip-hop, corn rosed, tattoo loving superstar. The other, a consistently successful, hard nosed, defensive minded coach. Such a marriage made for turbulent times in Sixerland. Brown always referring to Iverson as "the little kid" with Iverson always referring to his coach as "Coach Brown" in that distinct, hard to understand voice. Brown resented the lifestyle of Iverson and his posse. In the end, "Coach Brown" ranked up there with the legendary Georgetown Hoyas coach, John Thompson as the primary influences in Iverson's basketball life. Brown forced his superstar to grow up. If Thompson presented a segway from prep to pro, Brown represented the segway from boy to man.
Regardless of his off the court incidents, no one played with more of a chip on their shoulder than "the answer." It's a shame the Sixers were never able to put a championship caliber team around him. They tried, on numerous occasions to find a sidekick. Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, Toni Kukoc, Glenn Robinson, and Chris Webber all failed in this role. The best Iverson era team was the one that featured a single superstar (Iverson) surrounded by a rough, defensive minded cast of role players. Guys like Tyrone Hill, d**embe Mutombo, George Lynch, Eric Snow, and Aaron McKie made up the core of a perennial Eastern contender. These guys played Larry Brown basketball for a Larry Brown team. When Iverson and Brown got along, everything clicked. Who could forget the classic moment at that year's all-star game when Iverson, after winning MVP, turned and shouted "Where's my coach, where's coach Brown?!!!!" The 2001 season was a magical one for Iverson and the Sixers. The Tyrone Lue moment stands frozen in time as a never ending symbol. It was the following off-season, when the Sixers broke up that nucleus that marked the beginning of the end. Iverson's lone flaw is, the inability to make his teamates better, is a primar reason why he still lacks that elusive championship ring. With the Western Conference in such a strong state, it appears Iverson will never get that ring. This is a shame because as a Sixer fan, I've witnessed him give it his all night in, night out, a rarity in the NBA these days. So how should Sixers fans welcome back their onetime superstar? With open arms. In the wake of a dedicated, decade-long partnership, he's earned it.
Perhaps no athlete has overcome more obstacles. He's hardly six feet tall and hardly 160 pounds, making him a proverbial pinball for opposing defenses. My grandfather once remarked that Iverson had legs as skinny as he did. Such a petite physique made for injury city, injuries Iverson routinely played through. He was born to a single mother, a ghetto black women merely 15 years old at the time. Despite his hardships, Iverson has a distinct pride for his background. His strong pride often got him in trouble. Everyone remembers the infamous "practice" press conference as well as the often frosty relationship with his basketball purist coach, Larry Brown. Brown and Iverson defined the term "odd couple." One was a hip-hop, corn rosed, tattoo loving superstar. The other, a consistently successful, hard nosed, defensive minded coach. Such a marriage made for turbulent times in Sixerland. Brown always referring to Iverson as "the little kid" with Iverson always referring to his coach as "Coach Brown" in that distinct, hard to understand voice. Brown resented the lifestyle of Iverson and his posse. In the end, "Coach Brown" ranked up there with the legendary Georgetown Hoyas coach, John Thompson as the primary influences in Iverson's basketball life. Brown forced his superstar to grow up. If Thompson presented a segway from prep to pro, Brown represented the segway from boy to man.
Regardless of his off the court incidents, no one played with more of a chip on their shoulder than "the answer." It's a shame the Sixers were never able to put a championship caliber team around him. They tried, on numerous occasions to find a sidekick. Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, Toni Kukoc, Glenn Robinson, and Chris Webber all failed in this role. The best Iverson era team was the one that featured a single superstar (Iverson) surrounded by a rough, defensive minded cast of role players. Guys like Tyrone Hill, d**embe Mutombo, George Lynch, Eric Snow, and Aaron McKie made up the core of a perennial Eastern contender. These guys played Larry Brown basketball for a Larry Brown team. When Iverson and Brown got along, everything clicked. Who could forget the classic moment at that year's all-star game when Iverson, after winning MVP, turned and shouted "Where's my coach, where's coach Brown?!!!!" The 2001 season was a magical one for Iverson and the Sixers. The Tyrone Lue moment stands frozen in time as a never ending symbol. It was the following off-season, when the Sixers broke up that nucleus that marked the beginning of the end. Iverson's lone flaw is, the inability to make his teamates better, is a primar reason why he still lacks that elusive championship ring. With the Western Conference in such a strong state, it appears Iverson will never get that ring. This is a shame because as a Sixer fan, I've witnessed him give it his all night in, night out, a rarity in the NBA these days. So how should Sixers fans welcome back their onetime superstar? With open arms. In the wake of a dedicated, decade-long partnership, he's earned it.