Looking back at Allen Iverson’s dominant 2001 playoff run for Sixers
The 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers were a scrappy bunch led by one dominant little man in the form of Allen Iverson. The 6-foot guard from Georgetown was one of the best players in the league and the Sixers were able to build a title contender around him.
Iverson, after a summer of discontent between he and coach Larry Brown where trade rumors were swirling, dominated for Philadelphia. He led the league in scoring at 31.1 points per game and he led the league in steals at 2.5 per game while averaging 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds. That allowed him to win the MVP award and gave way to a dominant playoff run.
Considering coach Brown’s comments that Iverson could have been the GOAT, here is a look back at how dominant “The Answer” was in the 2001 playoffs:
Round 1 vs. Indiana Pacers
After a dominant 56-26 season, the Sixers entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were the No. 8 seed, but they had just reached the finals in 2000 so they have that experience. They were also led by Reggie Miller and they gave the Sixers trouble during the season.
After Indiana took Game 1 on the road and held Iverson to just 16 points on 7-for-19 shooting, the Sixers roared back. Iverson had 45 points and nine assists in Game 2 and he averaged 31.5 points and 6.5 assists for the series as Philadelphia took the series 3-1 including two wins on the road.
Round 2 vs. Toronto Raptors
This series was the definition of a battle. The Raptors had a dynamic scorer of their own in the form of Vince Carter and Toronto went into Philadelphia and took Game 1 from the Sixers just as Indiana did. Iverson had 36 points in that contest, but it wasn’t enough.
After Toronto took a 2-1 lead after Carter scored 50 in Game 3, Iverson and the Sixers bounced back by taking Game 4 and Game 5. The Answer had 52 points for Philadelphia in Game 5. The Raptors took Game 6 at home, but Philadelphia survived 88-87 in Game 7 at home. Iverson averaged 33.7 points and 6.9 assists in the series.
Eastern Conference finals vs. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks were an extremely tough team led by Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, and Glenn Robinson. They took Game 2 from the Sixers in this series forcing Philadelphia to pick up a road win after Milwaukee took a 2-1 series lead.
Iverson had 28 points in Game 4 on the road to lead the Sixers to a win and tie the series 2-2. With a chance to close the series out in Game 6, Iverson scored 46, but the Bucks came out on top. Philadelphia closed out Milwaukee at home in Game 7 after Iverson dropped 44 points and lead the Sixers to the finals.
Finals vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Iverson and the Sixers had a tall task on their hands. The Lakers, led by the dominant Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, had not lost a single playoff game on their run to the finals. Iverson changed that by dropping 48 points and leading Philadelphia to a shocking 107-101 overtime win in Game 1 on the road. It was an electric performance by Iverson.
However, it was the only win Philadelphia could muster up. The Lakers then flexed their muscles as O’Neal and Bryant were unstoppable. Iverson averaged 35.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in the series, but O’Neal averaged 33.0 points while Bryant averaged 24.6 and LA won the title 4-1.
