How Can that Be?

The Sixers traded Allen Iverson in December 2006, so how can this be the FIRST time Iverson has played in Philadelphia since the deal? A year and a half?

 

The fans’ thundering ovation of him last night is not surprising. The sub 6 foot Iverson is a warrior on the court (though not much inclined to practice), and Philadelphia fans have a very special, lasting affection for their athletes who spill their blood and guts in the ring -- doubly so if they’re scrappers with chips on their shoulders. Thus, Philadelphia appreciates players of such immense talent like Mike Schmidt and Randall Cunningham but still fawns over players like Lenny Dykstra and AI. (I think this dynamic is also part of the reason fans hate Kobe Bryant, who’s gone so Hollywood he can’t even spell Lower Merion anymore, and are cool to McNabb, he makes it look to easy and doesn’t show his competitive fire enough to the public.) The love even extends to coaches, which is why you still see Dick “emotions on his sleeve” Vermeil pitching products in the Philadelphia area twenty years after he last coached here.

 

The defining Iverson memory for me will be the 2001 NBA finals, and two plays in particular. Iverson dropping a three on and then stepping over Tyronne Lue, who had been hounding him most of the game, in overtime. The second is of the thunderous chants of “M-V-P” and Iverson cupping his hear to the crowd as he ran along the sideline during game 3 when it looked like he could almost single handedly pull out a miracle win for the Sixers at home against the vastly more talented Lakers and actually make a series of it.