I guess i have to expose Iversons 2001 NBA Finals appearance for the fluke and sham that it was. I believe that run is what his worshipers use to define and defend his supposed greatness. Here ill take a look at Iverson during the entirety of the 2001 playoffs with some of his teammates contributions as well. Lets take at Iversons individual performances first shall we? 1st round vs Indiana Game 1(loss)- 16/7/5 on 7/19 shooting Game 2(win)- 45/9/3 on 15/27 shooting Game 3(win)- 32/7/6 on 11/28 shooting Game 4(win)- 33/4/1 on 10/31 shooting 4 game average- 31.5 PPG(26.3 FGA) on 40.9% shooting 2nd round vs Toronto Game 1(loss)- 36/8/4/7 on 11/34 shooting Game 2(win)- 54/5/4 on 21/39 shooting Game 3(loss)- 23/8/4/4 on 7/22 shooting Game 4(win)- 30/5/4/4 on 10/30 shooting Game 5(win)- 52/7/2/4 on 21/32 shooting Game 6(loss)- 20/4/4 on 6/24 shooting Game 7(win)- 21/16/4/2 on 8/27 shooting 7 game average- 33.7 PPG(29.7 FGA) on 40.9% shooting 3rd round vs Milwaukee Game 1(win)- 34/6/4 on 13/35 shooting Game 2(loss)- 16/9/3/3 on 5/26 shooting Game 4(win)- 28/8/5/2 on 10/32 shooting Game 5(win)- 15/9/8/4 on 5/27 shooting Game 6(loss)- 46/3/2 on 14/33 shooting Game 7(win)- 44/7/6/2 on 17/33 shooting 6 game average- 30.5 PPG(31 FGA) on 34.4% shooting Finals vs Los Angeles Game 1(win)- 48/6/5/5 on 18/41 shooting Game 2(loss)- 23/4/3 on 10/29 shooting Game 3(loss)- 35/12/4 on 12/30 shooting Game 4(loss)- 35/4/4 on 12/30 shooting Game 5(loss)- 37/3/2/2 on 14/32 shooting 5 game average- 35.6 PPG(32.4 FGA) on 40.7% shooting ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now lets take a look at that awful team he carried to the Finals and what they chipped in. Indiana- Mutombo( 10 PPG 14.8 RPG and 4.5 BPG), McKie(17.3 PPG/4.5 APG/4 RPG/1.3 SPG), Hill( 7 PPG 7 RPG), Snow(11.8 PPG/5.8 RPG/5.0 APG/1.0 SPG) Toronto- Mutombo ( 11 PPG 12.4 RPG and 3.4 BPG), McKie(16.1 PPG/3.7 APG/5.6 RPG), Hill(7 RPG/1 SPG), Lynch(2 SPG) Milwaukee- Mutombo( 16 PPG 15.6 RPG and 2.7 BPG), McKie(16.3 PPG/6.7 APG/5.3 RPG/2.4 SPG), Hill(8.3 RPG) Los Angeles- Mutombo( 16 PPG 12.2 RPG and 2.2 BPG) Snow (12 PPG 4 RPG and 6 APG and 1 Steal) Mckie ( 8 PPG, 5 RPG 6 APG and a steal. This was a top 5 defensive team anchored by Mutumbo and had some big performances from several of these players, most with higher FG percentages than Iverson who was hell bent on putting up 32+ shots, even when some of these guys had it going. This team averaged a solid 96 PPG and played well above average defense. He had the reigning 6th man, defensive player of the year, and coach of the year on this team people. Some other fun facts over 22 games in that postseason -Shot sub 40% from the field, 13 times -Shot sub 30% from the field, 4 times -Scored less than 30 points, 8 times -Scored less than 20 points, 3 times -The 76ers were 4-0 in games Iverson shot 50%+ from the field -The 76ers were 7-11 in games Iverson shot under 50% from the field -The 76ers were 7-6 in games Iverson shot under 40% from the field -The 76ers were 2-2 in games Iverson shot under 30% from the field So i believe all of this coupled with the fact that 2001 was one of the worst years in the history of the Eastern Conference shows that Iversons run to the Finals was not only a product of its time, but he had a better team around him than historically stated. He wasnt quite as brillant as some people like to believe either, actually he was downright awful during some of this run. I rest my case! #Dontbelievethehype
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 16:39:50 +0000
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