In the 2000-01 season, Allen Iverson won the lone MVP of his storied career.
When it was all said and done for Allen Iverson's NBA career, he amassed quite the list of accomplishments. From scoring (24,368 points, 25th all-time) to his place in Philadelphia 76ers lore (where he is among the all-time leader in several categories) to playoff runs (guiding the Sixers to a 2001 Finals berth) and more, Iverson left a legacy in crafting his Hall of Fame career.
As he traveled his NBA path, though, perhaps no season was more emblematic of Iverson's ways than the 2000-01 campaign. On May 15, 2001, Allen Iverson became the first 76ers player to win MVP honors since Moses Malone in 1983. Iverson totaled 1,121 points and received 93 of a possible 124 first-place votes. Tim Duncan of the Spurs (706 points, 18 first-place votes) and Shaquille O’Neal of the Lakers (578 votes, five first-place votes) trailed him in the final voting.
Listed at 6 feet and 165 pounds, Iverson is one of the smallest players to ever win MVP honors. During that 2000-01 season, Iverson led the NBA in scoring (31.1 ppg) while helping Philadelphia to an Eastern Conference-best 56 victories, the most for the franchise since 1985, and their first Atlantic Division title since 1990.
He lead the NBA in steals (2.51 a game) and minutes played (42.0 a game), becoming the first player since Michael Jordan in 1992-93 to lead the league in points and steals per game.
“I had no space for error. But I never stopped and worked on all the things people said I couldn't do and now I'm the MVP of the league. It's something I always wanted," Iverson said after receiving the award.
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Through All-Star games, an MVP award and a trip to the NBA Finals, there was something missing in Allen Iverson's career. A perfect ending.
Iverson sank the first buzzer-beating shot of his nine-year career, a 14-footer in overtime, and scored 15 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 106-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
"It's a great feeling to hit a shot with no time on the clock," said Iverson, who sank a halfcourt winner for the U.S. Olympic team against Germany in an exhibition game.
Iverson is getting used to dramatic shots.
He sent a game into overtime in the final seconds earlier this week, then didn't lose confidence against the Pacers even as he struggled with his shot. He played 44 minutes, but went just 5-for-23 from the floor.
"I just couldn't get in no type of rhythm," Iverson said. "I couldn't get warm. I couldn't feel my hands the whole game."
He was hot when it mattered, though, as Iverson took the ball the length of the court and beat the short-handed Pacers with a shot from just above the free throw line over Eddie Gill.
"His shots didn't fall until the last one, and who cares about the others?" coach Jim O'Brien said.
Kyle Korver made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points, Marc Jackson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and John Salmons and Corliss Williamson each scored 15 points for the Sixers.
Korver capped Philadelphia's furious fourth-quarter comeback with a 3 from the top of the key with 3.6 seconds left, tying it 100-all.
"I knew we needed a 3, so I just backed up and took it," Korver said.
The win spoiled the return of Indiana's Ron Artest, benched for two games for asking for time off because of his busy schedule -- including producing an R&B album and working on his side career as a rapper. Coach Rick Carlisle said Artest "compromised the integrity of the team."
Artest scored 29 points and had a flagrant foul late in the fourth quarter, Jermaine O'Neal had a career-high 39 points, and Stephen Jackson 17 for Indiana. Artest and O'Neal combined for a 24-for-38 effort.
"If you try to do the right things, good things happen to you," Artest said. "I think everything happens for a reason. Nobody got hurt. There's a bunch of good people on this team."
Artest's return helped offset the absences of center Scot Pollard (sore back), forward Jonathan Bender (viral infection), guard Fred Jones (quad strain) and center John Edwards (personal reasons).
With Reggie Miller (hand), Anthony Johnson (hand) and Jeff Foster (hip) also out, the Pacers only had eight players available.
In overtime, they were down to five.
The Pacers lost O'Neal, who gave the Pacers a 102-100 lead on the first play of OT, when he fouled out after reaching in on Iverson on the next possession. Jamaal Tinsley (10 assists) and David Harrison also fouled out in overtime.
Four Pacers starters played at least 40 minutes through regulation while Iverson was the only Sixer to do so. Korver hit three contested 3s and scored 11 points in the fourth to rally Philadelphia from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter.
Seldom-used James Jones took the last shot for Indiana in OT, but Artest said he should have had the ball.
"We have confidence in all our teammates," Artest said. "If JJ was open, he would have knocked that shot down. I should have took that last shot."
While Artest was gone, the Pacers suffered a 102-68 loss Wednesday to the Clippers, the worst home loss in franchise history.
But with O'Neal and Artest getting along on the court -- after getting into a locker room shouting match last week -- the Pacers hardly needed anyone else. Artest instantly put the distractions of the past week behind him, tuning out the taunts of the fans to score 16 points in the first half.
Korver had the oddest play of the game in the first quarter when he attempted to pass the ball -- it looked like an alley-oop -- to Kenny Thomas, but the pass went in for a 3-pointer.
Game notes
Sixers G Aaron McKie was placed on the injured list with a strained left rotator cuff. He is expected to miss seven to 10 days. The 76ers also activated guards Kevin Ollie and John Salmons and placed guard Kendrick Brown (low back strain) on injured reserve. F Glenn Robinson remained on the injured list and is in Chicago tending to a family matter. C Samuel Dalembert (hamstring) missed his fourth straight game ... Harrison's dad, Dennis, was a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles. ... The Sixers won consecutive overtime games for the first time since 1993.
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Allen Iverson turned the boos to cheers and the Philadelphia 76ers turned back the Utah Jazz.
Iverson returned from a one-game suspension to score 24 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with two minutes to go, as the 76ers pulled away for a 99-97 victory over the Jazz, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
Iverson missed a shootaround and was suspended by 76ers coach Larry Brown for Thursday's 92-77 loss at Miami. Iverson called the team and said he had a headache, but Brown suspended him anyway for an accumulation of trangressions.
Upset that he was not trusted by management, the NBA's scoring leader received a smattering of boos when he was introduced before tonight's game.
"That's the way life is. You can't satisfy everybody," Iverson said. "There is going to be a billion fans out here that love Allen Iverson and a billion that hate him. Once you start worrying about the ones that hate you, that's when you start to lose focus."
"That was the worst thing that could happen," Brown said. "It had to be hard. I didn't particularly listen but Randy (assistant coach Randy Ayers) mentioned it. ... You hope there is closure to it and it's over. And the way he played, I didn't hear anybody complaining."
Iverson won over the crowd with an excellent floor game that included 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and a season-high nine assists.
"He played his best all-around game, to be perfectly honest with you," Brown said. "He made the other people better. He made big shots and I think it's a tribute to him that he could play under those circumstances."
"I was real ready to play this game," said Iverson, who was 8-of-20 from the field. "We've never beat Utah since I've been here."
Iverson helped the 76ers beat the Jazz at their own game -- offensive execution down the stretch. Philadelphia answered nearly every basket by Utah with one of its own and ended a five-game losing streak in the series.
"We did a really great job," said Brown, who tied Jazz coach Jerry Sloan on the all-time list with 718 victories. "They are as good as anybody in the league in execution and they made plays. I did a hell of a job in late-game situations with substituting offense-defense. They scored on our defensive team every trip but we got it done. I didn't think it would be easy."
"They deserved to win. They outplayed us and outworked us," Sloan said. "We didn't do the things down the stretch that give you a chance to win. We played like winning wasn't important to us."
The Jazz had a chance to cut the deficit to three points but Karl Malone missed a pair of free throws. Utah appeared to have Iverson trapped, but he spun through two defenders and drove before firing a behind-the-back pass to Theo Ratliff, who dunked for an 88-81 lead with 3:40 remaining.
A 3-pointer by John Stockton cut the deficit to 90-85 with 2:37 to play but Iverson answered with a 3-pointer and put his hand to his ear, calling for cheers from the First Union Center crowd.
Iverson added another basket for a 97-89 lead with 59 seconds to go and the Sixers withstood eight points from sharpshooting Jeff Hornacek to improve to 15-7 in games decided by three points or less.
"I told him that everybody in that locker room respects him for the way he competes every night so we have to go from here and all make a commitment to get this thing over with," Brown said. "Every time I've ever been involved with him in a situation like this, he's responded really favorably. You're going to have slippage that happens. He's 24 years old, you have to remember that. I don't know many 24-year-olds that are in a position he is with so much scrutiny."
Philadelphia's Toni Kukoc scored 14 points and led a bench that outscored Utah's reserves, 33-17. Tyrone Hill and Theo Ratliff scored 12 points apiece for the Sixers, who shot 50 percent (41-of-82) and made 11-of-12 free throws.
Malone had 31 points and 13 rebounds and Hornacek scored 16 points for the Jazz, who had not lost since February 27 at Portland and fell to 3-1 on their five-game road trip. Utah shot 45 percent (34-of-76) and held a 43-36 rebounding edge.
"We lose by two points and I miss six free throws (out of 15)," Malone said. "That's what I'll think about. They did a lot of things down the stretch to win this ballgame. They got the offensive rebounds and made big shots."