Feb
12, 2001
NBA
BASKETBALLNews Article - - - - -
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The
Sixers Do It Their Way By
JERRY MITTLEMAN
They
don’t bowl people over or dominate other teams. They are a congregation
of role players and one “go to” guy, in an era when two is considered the
minimum. They don’t strike fear in the hearts of the opposition. They just
win, win again and then win some more.
In
more then 45 years of watching the NBA, I’ve never seen a team play .750
ball, getting it done the way the Philadelphia 76ers are doing it.
The
Sixers are far and away the best team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference this
season. Despite doubts about the level of their competition, I’m sure the
Sixers will more than hold their own against the best of the West,
if they should make it to the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia
has a 21-6 road record, and if they continue on their current pace, will
finish the season with one of the best road records in the history of the
NBA. Winning like that on the road in the NBA, isn’t a fluke, it’s the
Real Deal.
The
Sixers metamorphosis from mid-level playoff team to title contender can
be explained in terms of character and improved defense. A more mature
Allen Iverson is focused and creating less distractions for the team. As
a unit, they are mentally tough and have learned to believe in themselves.
They currently have the fourth best defense in the league (last season
they were seventh), allowing 89 points a game and are especially tough
in crunch time situations.
The
swizzle that stirs the Sixers own unique potion, of course, is Iverson.
I watched him against the Knicks the other night, and a recently viewed
highlight reel of the retired running back Barry Sanders, came to mind.
Both seemed to be in perpetual motion, with no one, including themselves,
knowing where or how things would end up.
Sanders’
rushing attempts could end in spectacular long gains, big losses, or often,
40 yards of magnificent running culminating in a one yard gain.
Iverson,
with basketball in hand, is like a dazzling halfback. He darts, he bobs
and weaves, and does it with great agility and quickness. He creates numerous
opportunities for his teammates and himself. He also misses a lot and turns
over the ball. He remains a very streaky shooter. Prolonged cold snaps
are interspersed with spurts where he’ll take over the game.
Iverson’s
supporting cast of Aaron McKie, Theo Ratliff, Tyrone Hill, George Lynch
and
the currently injured Eric Snow, are players any coach would love to have
coming off their bench. All start for the Sixers, though most of them couldn’t
crack the starting lineup of half the team’s in the league. Each, in his
own right, is a superb role player. As a unit, they have proven more then
capable of carrying the team when
Iverson
is misfiring.
Iverson
is justifiably being mentioned as a strong MVP candidate this season, though
the difference between his actions on the court this season and last are
only slightly discernible. A close look at his statistics reveal them to
be almost the same as in years past. He has basically the same scoring
average, low field goal percentage, number of field goal attempts per game,
assists and turnovers a game, etc., etc., but there also is a sense that
Iverson is playing more within the framework of his team’s offense. Despite
the stats, he does seem to be looking for teammates more often, has more
confidence in them and maybe senses he doesn’t have to get it done by himself.
A
typical Sixers game has its own characteristic rhythm to it. They are close,
hard-fought, then at some point in the second half, Iverson will have a
spurt that gives the Sixers an advantage. At crunch time the defense will
activate the after-burners. The Sixers may be fourth in the league in points
allowed but I’m sure that if statistics were available, we’d find them
tops in least-points allowed in the final two minutes of play. When the
game is on the line, the Sixers become the Baltimore Ravens of the NBA.
More
then anyone else, coach Larry Brown is responsible for making the
Sixers a whole much greater then the sum of its parts. Brown is the NBA’s
“Man of La Mancha,” except he succeeds in turning dreams into reality.
He made the Nets a playoff team in the early 1980s. He turned around the
San Antonio Spurs and made the Indiana Pacers one of the powers of the
East. This is no ordinary coach. We are talking about the only man to take
the Clippers to the playoffs since the Stone Age.
The
Sixers used to harbor a fantasy that one more consistent scorer, to go
along with Iverson, would take them to the top. So last year they acquired
Chicago’s Toni Kukoc at the trading deadline. In Philly, Kukoc has been
his usual inconsistent self, spectacular one game, disappearing the next.
Kukoc hasn’t played a significant role in the Sixers success this season
but he has taught them they can shelve that fantasy. The Sixers are doing
just fine the way they are.
