Allen Iverson - Bittersweet Philadelphia
http://www.e-sports.com/articles/2123/1/Allen-Iverson---Bittersweet-Philadelphia/Page1.html
Freddy Cohen
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By Freddy Cohen
Published on 03/24/2008
Once "The Franchise," Allen Iverson returned to face his old 76ers team last week, now as a member of the Denver Nuggets. While Iverson came back to Philly, can he really come home?
Easy to like, easy to dislike, he was the heart of the 76ers for a decade.
Once "The Franchise," Allen Iverson returned to face his old 76ers team last week, now as a member of the Denver Nuggets. The 76ers fans gave Iverson a standing ovation, in appreciation of a career given to the 76ers Nation.
Iverson is small of stature by NBA standards, standing six-feet tall and weighing a mere 165 pounds. His frame has been dropped, poked, tripped and shoved all over Philadelphia. One thing that could always be counted on, however, was that Iverson would always bounce up off the floor, pull himself together, and hit big shots for the 76ers.
The Philadelphia fans can be difficult, but they are fair and they are knowledgeable. They definitely love effort, and if nothing else, Iverson is all effort on the court. He gave it all to the 76ers in a decade of on-court excellence.
His 76ers career statistics are staggering. Rookie-of-the-Year, MVP, All-Star game MVP, 27.8 scoring average, a cool 30 points-per-game in the playoffs, 2.3 steals a game to go with over six assists per game. The stats are amazing, but his heart is what sells to the 76ers faithful.
He was a pain in the butt off the court, too hip-hop for the faithful, didn’t like to practice, it is all true. In this day and age, you have to take it all if you want to take it at all. That is reality, and that too, is Iverson. His return to Philadelphia to face what were his 76ers, seemed bittersweet. A cocktail of what was and what will no longer be.