Is Iverson the ‘Answer’ for Sixers?

(This is the seventh of a series leading to the opening of the National Basketball Association on Oct. 29. The NBA, through The STAR, will give away prizes to five lucky winners who answer the question correctly at the end of each story. Send in your entries to The STAR, NBA Sweepstakes, 13th and Railroad Streets, Port Area, Metro Manila. Write your name, address, telephone number and answer. Mark the question number–today is No. 6–on your entry. Deadline to submit entries is Nov. 5. Winners will be announced on Nov. 7. The prizes are 10 replica jerseys–two each of Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, and Allen Iverson–15 T-shirts and 15 caps.)

Allen Iverson would rather forget what happened to the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) last season. But the memory haunts him like a recurring nightmare. It refuses to go away.

Iverson, Aaron McKie, and Eric Snow–who often play as a threesome in coach Larry Brown’s triple guard setup–opened the campaign on the injured list. No wonder the Sixers got off to a woeful 0-5 start. There was also a seven-game losing streak that made the once mighty franchise look so fragile. In the end, Philadelphia posted 43 wins, 13 less than the previous season, and barely squeezed into the playoffs.

To his credit, Brown brought the Sixers to the postseason despite a slew of health problems. No starter played in more than 61 games. McKie sat out 34, Derrick Coleman 24, Iverson 22 and Eric Snow 21. It was difficult to expect any kind of consistency from the Sixers with so many key players in and out of the lineup.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Sixers took the Boston Celtics to the limit before succumbing. What a letdown for Iverson’s fans who prayed for a repeat of the Sixers’ Finals appearance against Los Angeles in 2001. The loyalists turned out at a rate of 20,560 a game at the First Union Center as the Sixers finished third in home attendance. The road figures were as healthy–an average of 18,720 to also rank third.

Clearly, the fans bought tickets to watch Iverson play. The six-foot spitfire is a certified box office draw. He’s an exciting player who gives 100 percent night in, night out. Whatever happens to Iverson off the court just embellishes his image. Iverson likes to be controversial–he thrives in the heat of dispute.

Defense was Brown’s trump card last year. The Sixers were one of only two clubs to limit opponents to an average of less than 90 points a game. Center Dikembe Mutombo had a lot to do with that. Snow and McKie, when they were healthy, put out defensively, too. Iverson? He wasn’t as prominent in the defensive equation as in the offensive.

While the Sixers shone brightly in the defensive stats, they didn’t go far in the race to the title. So Brown retooled in the offseason, shipping out Mutombo and dealing for a three-point kickout option when Iverson is bottled up. Keith Van Horn, once labelled the second coming of Larry Bird, slipped in from Philadelphia to fit the bill. Brown also recruited Todd MacCullough from New Jersey to take over Mutombo’s spot in the middle. MacCullough isn’t a defensive intimidator like Mutombo but he’s more of a scorer.

Brown didn’t stop there. He fished out versatile 6-8 forward Monty Williams from Orlando, 6-9 Mark Bryant from San Antonio and 6-4 Greg Buckner from Dallas for bench depth. Also being tested are former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Art Long, Olden Polynice, and Brian Skinner. The rookies include 6-11 Efthimios Rentzias of Greece and 6-7 guard John Salmons, a hometown kid.

In effect, Brown has transformed the Sixers from a defensive unit dominated by a one-man scoring freak to an offensive machine that has several weapons in its arsenal.

The other night, Philadelphia scored a 118-89 win over New Jersey in a preseason game that saw Van Horn torch his former club for 21 points. McKie netted 15 and Iverson 14 in a balanced attack. Could it be a portent of things to come? The Nets went to the Finals last season as the East contenders. The Sixers, who were there the year before, are looking to return to the Last Dance with a revamped roster and a redirected philosophy.

But how reliable is Iverson? Although Brown must like his depth, the Answer remains his barometer of success. Iverson is still Philadelphia’s golden boy.

Last summer, Iverson was back in the dark side. He was slapped a total of 14 charges in connection with a domestic dispute involving his 26-year-old wife Tawanna. Iverson allegedly threw Tawanna, mother of their two children Tiaura, 7, and Allen II or Duece, 4, out of their $2.4 million mansion without a stitch on at the height of a heated quarrel. Then, Iverson searched for his wife in a relative’s house with a semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. The charges were eventually dropped.

Coleman had his own brush with the law for drunken driving and overspeeding at 125 mph on a Detroit freeway. D, incidentally, underwent knee surgery last June and won’t be ready to play until next month. Coleman, 35, is expected to start at power forward and perhaps, finish at center, depending on how MacCullough fares, once he’s cleared to suit up.

At least, Iverson’s love-hate relationship with Brown seems to be less guided by mood swings lately. Maybe, they finally realized that for the Sixers to achieve, they’ve got to be on the same page. Both are singing a similar tune entering the season. They’re both upbeat about the Sixers’ new hires and they’re determined to challenge the Lakers with a firmer resolve.

"They brought in what I need to win," said Iverson, referring to the recruits. "I can adjust (to new teammates). It just looks bright for us. I’m looking forward to shutting a whole lot of people up." Brown, for his part, gushed, "I’m juiced." He said Iverson has "a whole new attitude" and "he’s worked on his game, you can tell."

If the accent is on offense, Brown said the Sixers are geared for it. "We’re going to find it easier to score," he explained. "If Allen is willing to take 20 shots instead of 30, there will be a lot of shots for other people with the potential to score and I think he’s willing to do that. We have Eric whom I think does a great job in getting other people the ball and it’s going to help Allen to have somebody else to throw the ball to in crucial situations. It’s a matter of us accepting the things that those guys can do and a matter of some of our players sacrificing a little bit to help our team get better."

The outlook is bright for the Sixers. Iverson might just get over his nightmare.

NBA SWEEPSTAKES QUESTION NO. 7: How many games did Philadelphia win in the last regular season?