Iverson scores 54(18 in 1st qtr, 14 off jumpers), eclipses 15,000 points

[Champ]

Iverson scored a league season-high 54 points - the sixth 50-point game of his career - as the Philadelphia 76ers rode their superstar to a 116-97 victory over the defenseless Bucks.

Six days ago, Iverson lit up Milwaukee for his 51st career 40-point game in a 107-101 win. This time, he was even better.
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"We come in here and we didn't have a letdown," said Iverson, who also had eight rebounds and five assists. "That is the most important thing and it shows a lot of character."

"He's our leader and he showed us that tonight," forward Kyle Korver said. "We had a tough loss last night and to come back like he did tonight ... he just led our team." Iverson surpassed the 53 points scored by Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki in an overtime win on December 2. He notched his first 50-point game since November 29, 2003 vs. Atlanta and also eclipsed 15,000 points for his career.

"Without my teammates, there's no way it could be done," said Iverson, who also acknowledged all of his coaches back to high school. "Those guys set the screens. Those guys get the rebounds. Those guys play hard for you night in and night out. So it makes me feel good."
http://www.nba.com/games/20041218/PHIMIL/recap.html
<snip>

"I called his(The Answer) play as many times as I possibly could, and it makes my job a lot easier," Philadelphia coach Jim O'Brien said.

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The Bucks tried several different defenders against the five-time All-Star, but none could slow him. He made 17 of 29 shots and 16 of 21 free throws, grabbing eight rebounds before exiting with 2:34 left and the Sixers leading 106-87.

Iverson said he did not mind sitting out the final minutes of a blowout victory instead of attempting to set a career high.

"Honestly, and I can't be any truer than this, all I wanted was for the Milwaukee Bucks to be down one point once there were all zeroes on the board," he said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=241218015

:toast: To Iverson

[lazarus]

1. It's a shame

that the Sixers organisation hasn't been able to put a team around this guy.

I think Larry Brown (second most overrated coach in the NBA, behind Jeff van Gundy) didn't help. But they've needed some talent to help this guy out for a long time.