As old times pass and the new year approaches, along with resolutions, remember Allen Iverson. Remember Aaron McKie. Remember the 76ers' gut-wrenching performance last night against the Sacramento Kings. It's the right thing to do.
Playing spectacularly, with the kind of star-quality effort reserved for players of his stature, Iverson erupted for a game-high 46 points on national television. That, combined with a sensational 19-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound performance by McKie lifted the Sixers to a thrilling 107-104 overtime win over Sacramento at Arco Arena.
The victory gave the Sixers the best record in the NBA at 21-8. The Kings fell to 20-8. The 76ers had not won at Arco Arena since March 1, 1989, when Charles Barkley had a triple-double.
McKie's clutch three-point basket with 39.3 seconds left virtually sealed the win, which completed a perfect 3-0 road trip for the Sixers, who started the West Coast swing with triumphs over Utah on Tuesday and Golden State on Wednesday.
But Iverson's heroics throughout was the story. He added nine rebounds and nine assists.
He scored from three-point range. From 15 feet. With finger rolls. On driving layups. Iverson scorched Jason Williams with such ease, it forced the flashy Kings' guard to the bench for the game's final 17 minutes.
Ultimately, it also negated a career-high 33-point effort from guard Predrag Stojakovic and a 29-point, 10-rebound effort from Chris Webber. Before the game, Webber, who was battling the stomach flu, conceded that he had had nightmares about an Iverson explosion.
The Sixers improved to 10-0 in games in which they have scored more than 100 points, despite surrendering more than 100 points to an opponent for only the fourth time this season.
The best part? Not one person departed Arco Arena unentertained.
Once the fourth quarter began, nothing else mattered. Not Sacramento's unwillingness to use its size advantage. Not the Kings' inability to hit jump shots. Not even Iverson's 16-point third-quarter explosion.
All that mattered was the last 12 minutes and the overtime session, which turned a romp into a basketball matchup that took on epic proportions.
The Kings roared out to a 7-0 start in the final stanza, closing an 83-66 deficit to 83-73. By the time 7 minutes, 39 seconds remained, that run had escalated to 15-4, pulling the Kings within 87-81. A three-pointer by Stojakovic made the run 18-4, forcing a Sixers' time-out.
Then, with 58.8 seconds left, a 17-point Sixers' lead had evaporated as Sacramento tied the score, 98-98. That came courtesy of a barrage the Sixers had not seen at any time this season. Overall, it amounted to a 32-15 run that endangered the most spectacular effort by Iverson this season.
Following a miss from three-point range by Sixers' forward George Lynch, the ball - and the game - was in the Kings' hands.
But Webber missed a jumper over Theo Ratliff. Guard Bobby Jackson tried for a tip, but that did not fall, either.
The Sixers had the ball with 2.7 seconds left in regulation and were looking - like the crowd was - for Iverson.
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