3 days left until the 2010-11 NBA season tips off.
Brought to you by Allen Iverson, the pound-for-pound greatest scorer in NBA history.
A.I. was supposed to be the answer to the question; “Who’s next?”
As Jordan’s career came to a close everyone wondered who was next. It took no more than two crossovers against for us to realize the answer was The Answer. Standing at an overstated 6’ and 165 pounds, the #1 overall pick quickly became everyones favorite player.
Hip-hop was A.I. and A.I. was hip-hop. The tattoos, the cornrows, the wardrobe, and that swagger. No one had swag like Al. It would ooze off of him as he stepped on the court. You could see it and you could feel it. The man knew he was the best player on the court, even when he wasn’t. Always playing with a chip on his shoulder, no one could tell him what to do. That’s what made Allen who we loved and would later on make him who we hate.
In 2001, Iverson was selected to the All-NBA 1st team, he won the All-Star MVP, the NBA MVP, the NBA Scoring Title, and he took the 76ers, a band of defensive role players, to the NBA Finals. It seemed like this was it, A.I. had arrived, beat everyone in everything and was going to walk away a champion. Unfourtunatly, his team ran into the juggernaut that we call the Kobe & Shaq era Lakers. The 6ers had no chance against the Lakers. The Lakers lost one game to Philly (their only playoff loss that year) and took the series 4-1 to secure their second title in as many years. They would go on to win a third title the following year.
For Allen, that was the pinnacle of his career. He would go on to win a few more scoring titles (4 total for his career) countless All-NBA and All-Star teams but he would never return to the finals.
In 2002, a year removed from his MVP season, we were all “talkin’ ‘bout practice.” The rant came after the team lost in the opening round and coach Larry Brown criticized Allen for missing countless practices. Larry Brown would coach A.I. one more year before moving on to the Pistons and winning a title in 2004.
In 2007, the world was shocked. Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets. This would team up two of the top scorers in the NBA in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Although both maintained healthy scoring averages, things just didn’t work out. In two consecutive years the Nuggets lost in the first round. For Allen, this was merely a pit stop. 3 games into the 2008-09 season, Iverson was dealt again, this time to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Chauncey Billups.
Billups immediately changed the chemistry of the team, helping them lock up the #2 seed in the west and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, in motor city, the Pistons were struggling. They finished 4 games under .500 and were swept out of the first round.
Through all of this, A.I. went through his own issues with playing times, coming off the bench, injuries, and pseudo-injuries. By the end of the season Allen was seen as the problem with the Pistons and he was blamed for all of Denver’s previous struggles. The next season was nothing but a disaster in Memphis followed by a failed homecoming party in Philly. Questions about his healthy, finances, and personal issues arose. He did nothing to help the situation when he went out to Turkey, seeking a European contract.
We all wanted to see him win, but it never happened and by the end of his career we all wanted him to just retire and save us and himself the pain and agony. It was a disastrous ending to a storied career. Allen captured our hearts as he played through countless injuries. In the end A.I. had left us with more questions than answers and that’s something none of us ever asked for.
