Allen Iverson: News, Features, Live Blog

Nuggets guard Allen Iverson looking to bounce back in post-season

2008-04-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

DENVER — Allen Iverson wasn't "The Answer" in the short-term for the Denver Nuggets.

He joined them midway through last season, hailed as the saviour who would help the Nuggets win a playoff series for the first time since 1994.

But trades, suspensions and injuries, including his own severely sprained ankle, precluded the team from developing any chemistry or cohesion, and A.I. was smothered by the San Antonio Spurs, averaging a career-worst 22.8 points in the post-season.

Iverson didn't look anything like the wizard who almost single-handedly drove Philadelphia in the playoffs, and the Nuggets were finished in five games for the fourth straight year.

Why will it be any different this time around when the eighth-seeded Nuggets face top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers starting Sunday?

Because, Iverson said, he's healthy again, the Nuggets have meshed after spending a training camp and a full season together and he and fellow all-star Carmelo Anthony have proven that two superstars can indeed succeed side-by-side.

"I think they've learned how to coexist with each other and play off each other," Marcus Camby said. "They're Nos. 3 and 4 in the league in scoring, they had a lot of balance out there, and they never let egos get in the way. They're both talented superstars."

The Lakers have their own dominant duo in newcomer Pau Gasol and MVP hopeful Kobe Bryant, who will be matched aplenty with Iverson.

"Let's go. This is what it's all about for me. You can't draw it up any better," Iverson said. "People say he's the best basketball player on the planet, so I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge. Especially with me believing that about myself, so let's go.

"This is what it's about. If you're scared, get a dog. If you're scared, go to church."

The Nuggets certainly aren't shy about having to face Bryant, Gasol, Derek Fisher or Lamar Odom.

"I'd be lying if I said it's the same thing if I was playing New Orleans or if we were playing L.A.," Iverson said. "Everybody know how big that stage is. I relish the moment. This is what I play basketball for. This is why I love it so much."

Although they're facing the top team in the power-packed Western Conference once again, only seven wins separated the two uptempo teams in the standings. The Nuggets feel it's anybody's series.

"The last couple of years we've been unfortunate enough to play against the top team in the Western Conference. Our work was always cut out for us," Camby said. "This year, we're coming in relatively healthy. ... We're a more balanced team, a more together team. We're playing pretty good basketball of late, we're playing great basketball here at home. Hopefully we can steal a few on the road."

Although forward Nene missed most of the season with an assortment of ailments and is still working his way back into shape after testicular cancer surgery, and Chucky Atkins missed most of the year with a sports hernia, for once the Nuggets enter the playoffs relatively healthy.

Kenyon Martin has returned with a vengeance from microfracture surgeries on both knees and he teams with Camby, the reigning NBA defensive player of the year, to provide plenty of muscle inside.

Denver's bench is a lot better than it was a year ago, when Linas Kleiza was lost in the playoff's bright lights and J.R. Smith made so many boneheaded moves that he ended up getting benched.

Kleiza has become an offensive force and Smith worked his way out of coach George Karl's doghouse this year and sparked the Nuggets' late-season surge to their first 50-win season in two decades. Karl even nixed any notion of trading for Ron Artest at the deadline in part because he didn't want to stunt Smith's progress. And Eduardo Najera has added a 3-point prowess to his energy game.

"J.R., L.K. and Eddie have been great for us in this stretch of games, the survivor games," Karl said. "Now when we're on the Broadway, they're going to have to step up further."

The Nuggets are thankful they're not facing the Spurs in the first round again.

"It'll be more up and down as opposed to San Antonio sitting there and running halfcourt sets the whole game," Smith said.

Therefore, the Nuggets shouldn't have to abandon their high-flying game this time around.

"No one in this locker room has won a championship, and that's all what we're pretty much striving to do," Camby said. "I think we're all tired of getting bounced out in the first round. I know myself, Kenyon and A.I. have been to Finals but we have nothing to show for it. I know that's what's driving us."

Get a Zune With Your Allen Iverson Reebok Shoe

2008-04-21T07:07:00.001-07:00

Even though Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets are in the midst of a heated playoff series with the L.A. Lakers, Reebok won't stop from pumping up the crossover king's new shoe. Reebok's decent-looking Answer XI signature shoe dropped back in November, but the shoe company announced a partnership with Microsoft to release a limited edition Iverson shoe: The Answer XI Zune.

For the hardcore shoe collector, Reebok is only making 60 pairs of the shoe and making them available in only five stores nationwide. The special version of the shoe comes with a new design featuring the Zune logo and includes an 8GB Zune MP3 player etched with AI graphics on the back and is loaded with special AI content including his Reebok commercials, playlists and interview footage of other Reebok athletes talking about the first time they played against AI in the league.

The Answer XI Zune will become available in June and cost a cool $300. The only places you'll be able to get them is Complex/Training Day Store (NYC), Major Commonwealth (DC), Commonwealth (VA), Wish (ATL), and The 400 (Denver). Check them out:

Denver falls short but not into despair

2008-04-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Nuggets say they will bounce back from a 128-114 loss to L.A. in playoff series opener.

Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson did their dynamic duo part. The Denver Nuggets' bench was there, when needed, to prop them with added support. Their defense, for a long while at least, harassed Kobe Bryant into missing shot after shot.

The blueprint for a Nuggets' victory was in place.

Yet, they still didn't come close in Sunday's 128-114 opening-round loss to the Lakers.

Disheartening? Maybe.

Mildly depressing? Sure.

But the Nuggets were not quite in down-in-the-dumps despair.

Instead, there were a lot of nots coming out of their locker room, as in what will and will not happen as the series progresses.

"I'm pretty sure they won't break it open like that again," Anthony said. "I'm pretty sure we aren't going to come out and play the way we did in that third quarter and lay down the way we did for a couple minutes. I don't think that's really going to happen."

It did really happen Sunday, with Denver's pass-go defense from the regular season seeping into the playoffs.

Kenyon Martin did a decent job of stifling Bryant through much of the game until he started flirting with foul trouble, allowing Bryant to catch a groove. Pau Gasol waltzed his way through, past and beyond Nuggets defenders. And Luke Walton took advantage of smaller players guarding him.

It all left Nuggets Coach George Karl to quip, "I think Coby Karl could have scored the baskets."

For Anthony and Iverson it was a journey, if unsteady path, to their 30 points apiece. And one that ultimately ended in frustration.

Anthony took 26 shots to get there and Iverson took 24, making only seven of his 13 free throws.

Iverson was tossed at 2 minutes 10 seconds of the fourth quarter by official Ken Mauer after receiving two technical fouls in place of the foul call he sought.

"[He] made the right decision about throwing me out," Iverson said. "I deserved to get thrown out at that point. Obviously, I thought I got fouled on a hand check on that play, and I felt he was right on that play and didn't make the call."

At this point, it would probably be more prudent for the Nuggets to locate a defensive stopper, but Linas Kleiza came off the bench for 23 points. He played as Marcus Camby, the league's reigning defensive player of the year, curiously watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench.

"Marcus, I didn't think, played poorly," Karl said. "I just thought at the time, the rhythm of the game was play fast and be aggressive to the rim and continue to try to score points in the faster mode."

They were in the game, even taking an eight-point lead in the second quarter. But these are the playoffs, where play toughens and tempers shorten.

Five technical fouls and one flagrant foul were called. All but one, a technical on Bryant, went against the Nuggets.

They were particularly peeved at Anthony Carter's technical foul on Bryant as he went to the rim in the third quarter. Carter pushed Bryant to receive the call, but before that, Karl said, Bryant hit Carter in the eye as he tried to hold him from falling.

"His eye was swelling in front of us, as he was being given the technical foul," Karl said. "I think it was a bad call."

All in all, it wasn't the start the Nuggets were looking for to the series or the game.

Their bus started spewing smoke on the way to Staples Center, an ominous sign. No one was injured, but it delayed their arrival.

They returned to the Mile High City after the game, with perhaps some of that fresh air and high altitude a remedy to clear some minds before Wednesday's Game 2.

Allen Iverson and the Nuggets are battling for 8 seed on the west vs Golden State Warriors

2008-04-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Nuggets and Warriors will be fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night. With the Dallas Mavericks suddenly looking like last years’ version, it’s the Warriors and Nuggets who will be fighting for that final seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Both Denver and Golden State are 47 and 31. Against the BetUS spread neither team is all that good. Denver has gone 6 and 4 in their last 10 games, but only 2 and 4 in their last 6 games.

The Golden State Warriors are up one moment and down the next. They’ve gone 5 and 5 in their last 10 games. Against the Sacramento Kings the other night the Warriors scored 140 points. Here are more trends.

The Denver Nuggets are 9 and 2 against the spread in their last 11 games on a Thursday night.

The Golden State Warriors are 6 and 15 against the spread in their last 21 games at home.

The Over is 4 and 1 in the Golden State Warriors last 5 games at home.

The Over is 5 and 1 in the Denver Nuggets last 6 games as an underdog.

The Over is 10 and 4 in the last 14 meetings between these two teams.

The BetUS over/under in this game is 240 points. That equates to 120 points from each team. Man, it’s tempting to take the under isn’t it? I mean 120 from each team? Is that possible?

Actually, it’s definitely possible. I do believe that this game has a terrific chance of going over. The trends say so and the Warriors are playing at home where they love to run up and down the court and take wild shots.

But I have more faith in the Nuggets, actually. To me this comes down to each teams’ star player - - Allen Iverson for the Nuggets and Barron Davis for the Warriors. In that match-up I like Iverson because of his experience. Well, it also helps that he can pass the ball to both Marcus Camby and Carmelo Anthony if he can’t score himself.

The Nuggets are a veteran team with a veteran coach. These are the types of games where they should thrive.

I’ll be wagering that they do.

The BetUS basketball betting line is Denver Nuggets + 5 against the spread on the road versus the Golden State Warriors.

I’m taking the Nuggets and the points in this game.

Iverson lifts Nuggets to crucial win over Suns

2008-04-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Lying in his bed, well past midnight, Allen Iverson didn't have to shut his eyes to experience a nightmare.

After Monday's embarrassing loss at Phoenix, Iverson couldn't get the images out of his head. He thought about watching television, but feared seeing the highlights in living color.

But in Tuesday's 126-120 win, Iverson used his frustration as motivation, defeating the same Suns, this time at the Pepsi Center.

"You want to make sure you don't have that same nightmare," said Iverson, who scored a game-high 31 points. "Honestly, it's just wanting it more than the other team."

This win was huge. Denver (46-29) is now all alone in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Golden State (45-29), which lost Tuesday to San Antonio.

The Nuggets also are just a half-game behind seventh-place Dallas (46-28), which was idle Tuesday. Sure enough, Dallas hosts Golden State tonight.

The win also showed Denver's recent mental toughness, especially against a stacked team such as Phoenix (50-25). After losing a series of first-quarter blowouts and fourth-quarter flops in March, the Nuggets have established themselves as gritty winners. They won five out of six games to close out the month, including statement victories against Dallas and Golden State. And after blowing a 22-point lead on Monday at Phoenix, they clamped down the Suns in the final minutes Tuesday, and this was after Phoenix took its first lead with 3:11 left.

"Tonight was a strong example of the way we fight going down the stretch," forward Carmelo Anthony said. "There were a lot of things being thrown at us, so we stuck together and won the game."

Or, as J.R. Smith put it: "When we want to play, we can play."

Iverson, as usual, was the heart of the Nuggets, shooting 9-for-18 from the field, while hitting all 11 free-throw attempts. And fellow guard Anthony Carter scored eight points with a team-high 10 assists and a career-high six
steals. And after all those accomplishments, it was Carter's defense that earned the highest praise from coach George Karl: "In a short period of time, he has become one of my favorite defenders."

Carter was responsible for disrupting Steve Nash's shot attempts — after three quarters, Nash had just three points and Denver led by six. To Nash's credit, the former MVP was able to find guys who could get shots off. Nash finished the night with 18 assists, four from tying a career high.

"Steve Nash is such a treat to watch," Karl said.

Karl's Nuggets have now won nine straight games at Pepsi Center, as well as 19 of their past 21. With a 31-7 home record, Denver's best since 1988-89, Iverson was asked if Denver is one of the best home teams in the NBA.

"Honestly, I think so," said Iverson, who suggested the crowd of 18,870 had guzzled Red Bull all night. "The energy is always in this building. People think the crowd doesn't help you, but the fans help you so much. They give you that added confidence. They give you hope."
Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed

The Nuggets shot 37-for-47 from the free-throw line. Not only did the Suns get to the line just 26 times, but they made only 14 shots (53.8 percent). Denver's Marcus Camby scored only six points, but he did hit a clutch jumper from the top of the key with 37.7 seconds left.

Final thought

The Nuggets lost the lead in the final four minutes, and a lesser team might have folded against the likes of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. But Denver buckled down defensively, hit key shots and free throws and won a big game.

Up next

vs. Sacramento, 7 p.m., Saturday.

Source: Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294

Defense is big part of George Karl's demands

2007-10-04T08:10:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning, Nuggets coach George Karl made good on a preseason promise: Defense was the name of the game.

The Nuggets kicked off training camp to the yells and whistles of defensive concepts because that's how Karl wants it to be, and because the Nuggets' spotty play on the defensive end last season dictates this is how it should be.

"The camp is going to be underlined, capital letters, defense first," Karl said. "If we're going to be a championship-caliber team, statistically defense is where we can improve and where we have to improve."

Denver ranked 26th in the NBA in average points allowed (103.7) and tied for 15th in field-goal percentage allowed (.460). Both numbers were comparable to what Denver averaged on offense, which kept opponents in games and allowed many to steal wins when they shouldn't have.

"The things that come to my mind are basically layups in transition and statistically we can't let guys shoot a high percentage on us," Karl said. "You're going to see a lot of individual challenge."

In the defensive categories of rebounds, steals and blocked shots, the Nuggets were among the league's best, thanks in large part to center Marcus Camby, who led the NBA in blocks (3.3) and was fifth in rebounds (11.7).

As a team, the Nuggets ranked third in the NBA in rebounds (43.4), eighth in blocked shots (5.3) and second in steals (8.26).

Nuggets guard Allen Iverson always has been known as a defender who plays the passing lanes, swiping lackluster and errant passes and taking them the length of the court for layups.

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony showed improved intensity and competence on the defensive end during his run with Team USA this summer. His defensive effort was so good, it prompted Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski to tell Karl he believed Anthony had the potential to be an all-NBA defensive player.

Anthony didn't disagree.

"That's my goal," Anthony said. "I've showed bits and pieces of me playing defense. But I think this year I'm going to put a little more effort and focus into playing defense and becoming a better defensive player. Once my teammates see me doing that, that will give the opportunity to step up and motivate them to play 'D,' too."

The addition of guard Anthony Carter should help the Nuggets' perimeter defense, as will the acquisition of shot-blocking center Steven Hunter. The team already has the reigning NBA defensive player of the year in Camby, who downplays defending that crown.

"I mean, if it happens it happens," Camby said. "That's not something I'm going to really push for. I'm just going to try to let my play do the talking for me."

That fits the team concept.

"I think last season, toward the end of the season we showed that we could be a good defensive team," Anthony said. "So if we can start off like we ended last season, I think we'll be pretty good."

Footnotes: As expected, Nene (calf) did not participate in practice. He did some light shooting and stretching on the side. ... Karl was satisfied with his team's first morning practice of the 2007-08 season. "Guys had great attitudes," he said. "The maturity team very much was on the court." ... Nuggets single-game season tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $10 to $110 per seat. Tickets can be bought a variety of ways, including at Ticketmaster locations and at the Pepsi Center box office.

Defense: Is the Key to Nuggets open camp

2007-10-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

With an emphasis on defense first, the Nuggets opening training camp today at the Pepsi Center.

Coach George Karl, who this season is focusing on improving the team's defense from the start of camp, was satisfied with the first morning practice of the 2007-08 season.

"Guys had great attitudes," he said. "The maturity team very much was on the court."

Denver ranked 26th in average points allowed (103.73) and tied for 15th in field-goal percentage allowed (.460).

"The things that come to my mind are basically layups in transition and statistically we can't let guys shoot a high percentage on us," Karl said. "You're going to see a lot of individual challenge."

Said Carmelo Anthony: "I think last season, toward the end of the season we showed that we could be a good defensive team. So if we can start off like we ended last season, I think we'll be pretty good."

Footnotes

Nuggets single-game season tickets go on sale on Saturday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $10-$110 per seat. Tickets can be bought a variety of ways, including at Ticketmaster locations and the Pepsi Center box office. ...

As expected, Nene (calf) did not participate in practice. He did do some light shooting on and stretching on the side.

Chucky Atkins excited to backup Allen Iverson

2007-10-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

DENVER — Chucky Atkins is used to playing behind All-Star point guards. That's just the way he likes it.

Atkins was signed by the Denver Nuggets in July to back up perennial MVP candidate Allen Iverson but he doesn't mind not starting. In fact, the primary reason he came to Denver is to play with A.I.

"The same thing that burns inside him, burns inside me," Atkins said. "The will to win, the will to leave it all out on the court. If it kills me, that's just the way it is."

Playing for his seventh NBA team and entering his ninth season, Atkins has played with All-Stars Chauncey Billups and Gilbert Arenas and he has has been a starter — but it's the sixth man role he seems to relish.

He finished eighth for the Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 13.2 points and 4.6 assists per game even though Memphis had the league's worst record. He also played on the best team in 2003-04 with the Detroit Pistons, though he just missed a championship when he was traded to Boston midseason.

Atkins said coming off the bench is easy for him. "You come off the bench, you don't have any pressure," he said. "If you've got it going, you've got it. If you don't, you go back and sit."

The veteran player said he has never seen a team as intense as the Nuggets are early in the preseason.

"Just seeing 12-year veterans like Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson working as hard as they are working in training camp, shows me these are guys that really and truly want to win," he said.

Even Kenyon Martin, who has played in just 58 games over the past two seasons because of a knee injury, has been working out with his surgically repaired right knee wrapped tight and occasionally iced.

Martin is only able to practice for about 45 minutes each day but it's a testament to the team's dedication, Atkins said. "Kenyon's not able to go for the whole time, but guys see Kenyon and he's on one-and-a-half legs, but he's coming out there and giving us everything. There ain't no slacking," Atkins said.

On paper, the Nuggets are one of the league's most talented teams. Carmelo Anthony and A.I. finished second and eighth in the NBA scoring race last year; Marcus Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year award and Nene averaged career highs in points and rebounds. Atkins is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro.

But it's still a team that was bounced rather unceremoniously from the playoffs, beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round.

What's the key to avoiding a fifth straight early exit?

"Getting off to a good start," Camby said. "Solidifying our home court. The last couple of years we always talked about playing here in Denver should be to our advantage. But we haven't been getting the job done at our home court, especially last year."

Augmon signed

The Nuggets signed veteran forward Stacey Augmon on Wednesday. Augmon, 6-8, 213, has played 15 NBA seasons with Atlanta, Detroit, Portland, Charlotte/New Orleans and Orlando. Most recently, he averaged 2.0 ppg and 1.5 rpg in 36 games with Orlando during the 2005-06 season.

Iverson sued

A lawsuit has been filed in Douglas County (Neb.) District Court against Iverson, claiming he did not show up at a weekend of booked appearances in Omaha in early August.

Kermit Brashear, the lawyer for the promotion company that booked Iverson for the events, said Wednesday they know nothing more than what Iverson's representatives told HYB Entertainment promoter Dave Chambers: that Iverson had a family emergency.

The lawsuit seeks $44,000 in damages.

Iverson was unavailable to comment Wednesday after the Nuggets' morning practice. A call to his manager, Gary Moore, by The Associated Press was not immediately returned. Moore is also the president of Crossover Promotions, Iverson's promotions company.

The company's Web site still listed the three Omaha events on its schedule.

Iverson: Spurs' missed layups add up in loss

2007-04-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

As basketball shots go, the layup is the equivalent of golf's "gimme" putt: So short and simple a successful result seems a given.

How, then, to explain the six layups the Spurs missed in their 95-89 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at the AT&T Center on Sunday night?

"Great question," said Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who missed two of the easy shots and three more from such close range he said he considered them layups, no matter what the official play-by-play sheet read. "I don't know. I haven't missed that many layups for a long time. Just one of those days."

Parker could not even get one of his signature shots, the tear-drop runner, to fall on a night when the "big three" of Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined to make only 19 of 52 shots.

Each of the three Spurs stars missed two layups, according to the official play-by-play accounting.

It only seemed like more.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said it seemed unlikely any of his teams had missed more layups in a playoff game.

"Probably not," Popovich said.

Parker's rise to All-Star status the past two seasons has been characterized by his ability to get to the rim and finish shots often much harder than the simple layin. But on Sunday he missed an uncontested layup with 1:22 remaining that could have sliced Denver's lead to four points and given Spurs fans reason to believe a comeback might be possible.

"I don't think I've ever missed that easy a shot," Parker said. "I think it's the first time I've missed that many layups in the same game. I missed five or six layups I usually make all the time with my eyes closed. It's just one of those games you have to forget. Hit the delete button and go to the next game."

Forgetting won't be easy, Parker said, because the Spurs know their defensive effort Sunday could have produced a victory had they not shot so poorly, especially from such close range.

"It's hard," Parker said, "because I thought we played pretty good defense, but we couldn't hit anything tonight.

"We had a chance to win, even though we played bad. So we just have to go back and give them credit, because they did play well. It's our turn now to try to react and play with better energy. Hopefully, we will shoot the ball better and have a better result on Wednesday (in Game 2)."

Parker often found himself involved Sunday in one of the most intriguing matchups of the series, going head-to-head against Allen Iverson. Iverson survived an 0-for-6 start to score 31 points.

"I can't get into a one-on-one thing," Parker said. "Allen is going to play good. We're going to try and slow him down, but I can't take as many shots as he is going to take. I just have to try to run my team and when I get a chance, try to go back at him."

Iverson and Anthony combine for 61 points to lead Nuggets over Spurs 95-89

2007-04-23T07:47:00.002-07:00

The Spurs won the season series with Denver, 2-1, but that was hardly a good gauge of how this series would go. The Nuggets were without Anthony in the first matchup and Iverson had just returned from an injury for the second. Their third meeting was the last regular season game and Denver won a meaningless 100-77 rout.

With their stars now aligned, the Nuggets got the road victory they'll need to pull off the upset and win their first playoff series since 1994 - when they beat Seattle in a best-of-five to become the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1.

Nene's dunk off a pass from the driving Iverson made it 80-77. Anthony's three and a basket by Iverson were followed by another Iverson-to-Nene combination to close an 11-0 Denver run and give the Nuggets a 10-point lead - their biggest of the game - with 3:27 left.

After Denver failed to get the ball over the half court line in time with under a minute to play, Parker hit a layup for the Spurs to bring them within 91-87 with 43.9 left.

Iverson missed his next shot, and Parker's under the basket pass to Duncan for a dunk made it 91-89 Nuggets with 17.9 to go.

But Anthony and Nene hit two free throws a piece after each was fouled by Duncan to extend the lead to 95-89 with 11.6 seconds left and seal the game for the Nuggets.

The Nuggets had the lead for most of the first half as Duncan, Parker and Ginobili struggled from the field. They combined for 15 points and shot 7-of-33 from the field in the first half, one fewer than Anthony scored for Denver as he went 7-of-9. Iverson missed his first six shots, then hit four straight.

It was Finley who kept the Spurs within striking distance of Denver. He hit two of the Spurs' first-half three pointers.

Anthony's fast-break dunk off a long pass from Camby with 4.9 seconds on the clock gave Denver a 44-42 lead heading into the third quarter.

Iverson's 11 points in the third, including a three with 2:39 left in the quarter, gave the Nuggets a slight edge going into the fourth.

2007 first round playoff, Iverson and Anthony combine for 61 points to lead Nuggets over Spurs 95-89

2007-04-23T07:47:00.001-07:00

The Denver Nuggets have been here before, and this time around, they're not going to get too excited about it.

In 2005 the Nuggets beat the Spurs in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs on the road before losing the next four to a San Antonio team that went on to win the NBA championship. The Nuggets did it again Sunday night, beating the Spurs 95-89 in the first game of their Western Conference playoff series with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony leading the way.

"The guys who were here two years ago know we were in the same situation last time," Denver centre Marcus Camby said. "They ran off and won four straight. That's why no one is really happy. We came out to get Game 1, but we also want to get Game 2."

If Iverson and Anthony play this well again, the Nuggets have a good shot. Anthony scored 30 points and Iverson added 31, including 29 after a sluggish first quarter.

"Two years ago we probably were just happy to be in the playoffs," Anthony said. "Now we ain't just happy to be in the playoffs. We know we're a good team and when we play good we can play with the best of them."

And the Nuggets played tough defence, too, which is not usually their forte.

"They stopped us, doing the things we wanted to do and we couldn't stop their two stars," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's really the bottom line. Their defence outplayed us."

Nene added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Marcus Camby grabbed 10 boards for sixth-seeded Denver, which entered the playoffs having won 10 of 11. The big guys also made things difficult for Tim Duncan, who scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs.

Tony Parker led third-seeded San Antonio with 19 points, followed by Michael Finley with 15 and Robert Horry with 14.

The Spurs' Manu Ginobili isn't putting much stock in the 2005 series, either.

"I still hate it. It's not that I'm going to get confident because I've done it before," he said. "We are very upset. We really wanted to take this one home and we didn't."

Game 2 is Wednesday in San Antonio.

"So now we really got to step up. Now we know we have to go to Denver and take one or two games," said Ginobili, who then added, not wanting to get ahead of himself: "First of all we have to focus on the next one because it's going to be a huge one for us."

Denver traded for Iverson in December, hoping the former MVP would combine with Anthony to form an unstoppable 1-2 punch and make the Nuggets a legitimate title contender. The two averaged 55 points a game, but not until late in the season did Denver start to win consistently.

"It was important to come out and play defence," Iverson said. "We understand that we can score points, we've been saying that all year long. We can score points, that's not our problem. We've got to be able to stop people. When we needed the stops, we got it."

Iverson, Anthony lead Nuggets over Spurs 95-89

2007-04-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Allen Iverson looked a lot like, well, Allen Iverson on Sunday night as the Denver Nuggets took a one-game lead in the Western Conference NBA playoff by defeating the San Antonio Spurs on their home hardwood 95-89.

Iverson scored 31 points and Carmelo Anthony checked in with 30 points. Center/forward Hilario Nene added 13 points and 12 rebounds and center Marcus Camby grabbed 10 boards for sixth-seeded Denver, which entered the playoffs having won 10 of 11. The big guys also made things difficult for Tim Duncan, who scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs.

The Nuggets also beat the Spurs in the first game of the 2005 playoffs.

"The guys who were here two years ago know we were in the same situation last time," Camby said. "They ran off and won four straight. That's why no one is really happy. We came out to get Game 1 but we also want to get Game 2."

"Two years ago we probably were just happy to be in the playoffs," Anthony said. "Now we ain't just happy to be in the playoffs. We know we're a good team and when we play good we can play with the best of them."

Tony Parker led third-seeded San Antonio with 19 points, followed by Michael Finley with 15 and Robert Horry with 14.

"They stopped us, doing the things we wanted to do and we couldn't stop their two stars," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's really the bottom line. Their defense outplayed us."

"It was important to come out and play defense," Iverson said. "We understand that we can score points, we've been saying that all year long. We can score points, that's not our problem. We've got to be able to stop people. When we needed the stops, we got it."

The Spurs won the season series with Denver, 2-1, but that was hardly a good indication of how this series would go. The Nuggets were without Anthony in the first matchup and Iverson had just returned from an injury for the second. Their third meeting was the last regular season game and Denver won a meaningless 100-77 rout.

A.I. No Longer Has to Carry the Team by Himself

2007-04-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

He's no longer The Man in Philly. Now, he's the Wingman in Denver.

As such, Allen Iverson doesn't have to carry his team on his shoulders in the playoffs like he did all those years in Philadelphia.

He doesn't expect to dial down his intensity when the Nuggets open the playoffs at San Antonio on Sunday just because sharing the superstardom has suited A.I. so well since his trade from the Sixers.

"It's a better mind-set,'' Iverson said of having another elite scorer alongside him in Carmelo Anthony. "It feels that much more easier. Not saying that things are going to be easy for me because I'm going to play just as hard as I played when I didn't have 'Melo, even harder. But I think he just helps a lot.''

Anthony averaged 28.9 points in the regular season and Iverson averaged 26.3.

"He takes a lot of attention off of me - not saying that I'm not going to have that attention because I know they're going to double me, they're going to shadow me all over the floor, they're going to make sure every time I touch the ball I see a crowd of people,'' Iverson said. "But I just think it will make it easier on me.

"When he gets double-teamed, I'm going to have guys running out at me off the pass and I get a chance to penetrate and make plays for my teammates and make plays for myself.''

Iverson's career playoff scoring average of 30.6 is second in history to Michael Jordan's 33.4 average.

'Melo was the star of the American team at the world championships last summer but he has yet to make a name for himself in the NBA playoffs, where his scoring average is 18.6.

After Minnesota's Trenton Hassell helped limit Anthony to 15 points a game in 2004, San Antonio's Bruce Bowen shut down the baby-faced 'Melo in '05, helping hold him to 19.2 points on 42 percent shooting in the Spurs' 4-1 series win.

Last year, Anthony averaged 21 points against the Los Angeles Clippers but again the Nuggets were bounced in five games.

"I think it's important for him to get that monkey off his back, to win a playoff series and just have confidence in himself and his team,'' Iverson said.

Anthony has since learned how to handle Hassell and is confident he can counter Bowen this time, too.

"I'm much more mature than I was then,'' Anthony said. "I know what I have to do for us to win, which is not scoring 30, 35 points a game, especially not in the playoffs. I was young, playing against a veteran guy like Bruce Bowen.''

There wasn't much of a preview to the big matchup during the regular season as Anthony sat out two of the three games between the teams. The Spurs held him to 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting in a 95-80 loss on Feb. 20, a performance Anthony shrugs off because it came right after the All-Star game and featured Iverson's return after a two-week absence with a sprained ankle.

"I think they took advantage of us being tired, enjoying Las Vegas too much,'' Anthony said.

Nuggets center Marcus Camby is counting on Anthony deciphering the Spurs' defensive specialist, thanks to the addition of Iverson.

"A.I. makes a big difference. He's a guy who's been to the Finals, has a lot of playoff experience, been in the league 11 years, so he gives us another element out there on the court,'' Camby said. "Usually teams will double- and sometimes triple-team 'Melo. But now you're going to have to pick your poison.

"If you're going to double 'Melo, you're going to free up A.I. And he's probably the best 1-on-1 player in this league.''

Coach George Karl said the Nuggets have never had better chemistry in his 2+ seasons in Denver and he credits Iverson.

"Before we were more like professional misfits at times with our like for one another,'' Karl said. "Is that chemistry? Yeah, that's chemistry. Is that a little bit of character and experience and passion that A.I. brings? I think yeah, that's a little bit of it, too.''

Two years ago, the Nuggets were coming off a 32-8 run under Karl and upset San Antonio in Game 1 before dropping four straight. Iverson gives Karl confidence that things will be different this time around.

"Two years ago it was a honeymoon and an exuberance. There was an enthusiasm that didn't have a foundation or substance,'' Karl said. "I think this team, with A.I.'s presence, and 'Melo being older and Nene giving us a bigger presence, I just think there's more soul and more substance to who we are.

"Two years ago we were in dream land. We were in fantasy land. Now, I don't think we're in fantasy land. We fought through a tough year and feel good about ourselves.''

Time for Nuggets to respond

2007-04-20T08:31:00.001-07:00

The Nuggets have been drummed out of the playoffs three years running by 4-1 opening-series mismatches. Will this year be different? NBA writer Marc J. Spears breaks down the key questions the Nuggets need to answer to surprise the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs starting in Game 1 on Sunday in San Antonio.

KEY QUESTIONS

Iverson, Anthony await answers

Denver Post staff writer Marc J. Spears breaks down the big questions surrounding the Nuggets heading into their playoff series against San Antonio.

1. Can Nuggets guard Allen Iverson take his game to another level in the postseason?

When the Nuggets acquired Iverson on Dec. 19, it gave the franchise hope it could become a championship-caliber team. Coming down the stretch, "The Answer" delivered, helping Denver gain a playoff berth. Iverson has been money in the postseason, averaging 30.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 62 games for Philadelphia. He led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson also is rested going into this series.

2. Will the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony fare better this time around against the Spurs' Bruce Bowen?

Bowen hassled Anthony two years ago in the playoffs, holding him to 42.2 percent shooting from the field. Anthony is more confident and more polished this time. He averaged 28.9 points during the regular season, the third-highest average by a Nuggets player since Denver entered the NBA in 1976. However, in his lone appearance against the Spurs, on Jan. 10, he was held to 15 points. Bowen is a three-time all-NBA defensive first-team selection, who again will get strong consideration for the league's defensive player of the year award.

3. Can Nuggets forward-center Nene slow down Spurs star Tim Duncan?

Can anyone except referee Joey Crawford? Duncan again is a strong MVP candidate, having averaged 20 points and 10.6 rebounds. He's even
Fans will see A.I. at his best. (Post / Karl Gehring)
better in the postseason, in which he has averaged 25.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 118 games. The 6-foot-11, 260-pound Nene has played well in the second half of the season, but dealing with Duncan is another matter altogether. Why Nene over NBA defensive player of the year candidate Marcus Camby? Because he has the bulk to help him better deal with Duncan and has at times showed he can hold his own against the league's best, including the likes of MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas. Camby also can roam a little more when not guarding Duncan.

4. Will the fast-breaking Nuggets be able to run against the stingy Spurs?

Probably not, based on regular-season statistics. Going into the teams' season finale, San Antonio led the league in allowing just 90 points per game, and 44.2 percent field-goal shooting. The Spurs were 24-3 this season when holding teams between 80 and 89 points, which figures to be where they'll try to keep the Nuggets. San Antonio knows how much the Nuggets struggle when they don't score 100 or more points. Discounting Wednesday's meaningless finale, San Antonio clamped down in two regular-season wins over Denver, holding the Nuggets to an average of 81.5 points.

5. Can the Nuggets keep Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili from driving to the lane?

The Spurs have manhandled the Nuggets in part because Parker and Ginobili seem to be able to get into the lane any time they want. Doing so allows them to get easy shots or set up their teammates. Denver's best bet to stop the drives could be using more zone sets to help out Nuggets guards Allen Iverson and Steve Blake with difficult matchups. If the Nuggets stay in a man defense, will seldom-used defensive specialist guard Yakhouba Diawara get more playing time?

Road awaits Denver's warriors

2007-04-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

DENVER - The Denver Nuggets are opening the playoffs on the road for the fourth straight season, and this time they swear things will be different.

‘‘I don’t really think anybody has us going past the first round,’’ Carmelo Anthony said. ‘‘That’s motivation for me. I’m pretty sure that’s motivation for my teammates also.’’

The Nuggets have been bounced from the playoffs in five games in each of the last three seasons, by San Antonio, Minnesota and the Clippers. They haven’t won a playoff series since 1994.

Why might it be different now?

For one, they have Allen Iverson to bring along this time when they open the playoffs at San Antonio on Sunday.

The main reason the Nuggets acquired A.I. from Philadelphia was for his postseason intensity they believe will put them over the hump and help them win their first playoff series since 1994.

And at 22-19, they just posted their first winning road record in franchise history.

‘‘It does build a little bit of confidence,’’ center Marcus Camby said. ‘‘Ever since I’ve been here, it’s been the opposite: we’ve been a great home team and dismal on the road. But for some reason it has been different.’’

The Nuggets are at a loss to explain their middling 23-18 home mark and their relative dearth of losses away from the Mile High City.

‘‘I really can’t pinpoint it,’’ Camby said. ‘‘Everybody said we have the advantage of playing in the altitude but it just seems like on the road we just take that togetherness of us against the world and that’s how we’ve been approaching it.’’

Eduardo Najera thinks he has the answer, and it’s ... The Answer.

‘‘Well, obviously Iverson brings a lot of mental toughness,’’ Najera said. ‘‘He’s a very confident man and I think that’s rubbing off on everybody and we believe just by having him on the court that we are a more complete team now that we have him. And obviously we have Carmelo playing better than last year and now we know each other a little better. So, I think that’s the difference.’’
Anthony had his own explanation following Thursday’s practice.

‘‘Well, we can breathe,’’ he said. ‘‘We can’t breathe out here, man.’’

Seriously, though, it has more to do with attitude than altitude, Anthony suggested.

‘‘When we go out there, the crowd is against us,’’ he said. ‘‘The 13 of us out there on the bench and out there on the court is all we’ve got on the road. So, we know we’ve got to stick together and we know we’ve got to keep our mistakes to a minimum.’’

Najera said he believes the Nuggets’ confidence away from the Pepsi Center will carry over into the playoffs.

‘‘We feel comfortable going on the road and winning a game or two,’’ he said. ‘‘So, I think that’s going to be a key. Obviously, we haven’t played well at home, so we’ve got to take advantage of the road games.’’

That’s the rub. The Nuggets only recently started to reward their home fans with the play they’ve displayed away from home almost all season.

‘‘I’ve said it, I think we focus more on the road,’’ coach George Karl said. ‘‘We’re more professional on the road than we are at home. I’m not a sociologist but it probably has to do with distraction, focus and commitment.’’

The Nuggets went a franchise-best 10-1 in April, when ’Melo won Western Conference player of the month. Iverson said it’s that rhythm that will help Denver win in the playoffs regardless of venue.

‘‘You don’t want to go into the playoffs playing bad basketball because nine times out of 10, it’s going to continue to carry on. You can’t just turn the switch on and off. But if you’ve been playing with some type of rhythm and some type of confidence, then that helps,’’ Iverson said.

‘‘I think that’s going to be the most important thing. Just us having that confidence, having that swagger, knowing that we can win basketball games if we play the right way. We are going to be in a tough environment. It’s not going to be easy on us, but it’s something that we feel confident that we can overcome.’’
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NUGGETS vs. SPURS

Game 1, Sunday: Denver at San Antonio, 5 p.m., TNT
Game 2, Wednesday: Denver at San Antonio, 5 p.m., TNT
Game 3, April 28: San Antonio at Denver, 6 p.m., ESPN
Game 4, April 30: San Antonio at Denver, TBD
Game 5, May 2: Denver at San Antonio, TBD, if necessary
Game 6, May 4: San Antonio at Denver, TBD, if necessary
Game 7, May 6: Denver at San Antonio, TBD, if necessary

No. 3 San Antonio vs. No. 6 Denver

2007-04-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Nuts and bolts: Playoff-tested powerhouse encounters dangerous team that hits its stride late.

Opening game huge: Considering the momentum they've gained through wins in 10 of their last 11, the Nuggets are going to come into San Antonio expecting to win Game 1. They did it two years ago, which is something Gregg Popovich won't need to remind his team about. The Spurs went on to win the championship, but are well aware that the road started off rocky. They'll look to avoid that this time around.

Iverson's new role: It's going to be strange to see Iverson not trying to put a team on his back come playoff time, but that's not his role in Denver. You won't see him putting up 30 shots or isolating on every possession, in part because a sore left elbow has limited his effectiveness. He seems to be adjusting well with being more of a distributor, though, and the Nuggets have flourished as a result.

Need for speed: Iverson's quickness was a novelty when he came into the league a decade ago, and even at 30, he remains one of the fastest players. So it's got to be strange when he runs into someone faster, like San Antonio's Tony Parker. That matchup will be crucial, because both teams excel in transition. The last time they met, Iverson was still nursing a bum ankle and Parker took him apart.

Can Karl get to a Game 6?: George Karl has had a decent run as the Nuggets head coach, but hasn't been able to last more than five games in a playoff series. San Antonio ousted the 2005 squad he excelled with following his mid-season hire, and the L.A. Clippers did Denver in last year.

Immovable object, irresistible force: Bruce Bowen vs. 'Melo. The Spurs stopper has had his way with Anthony in the past, but an improved Anthony expects to do better.

"I'm much more mature than I was then," Anthony told the Rocky Mountain News. "I know what I have to do for us to win, which is not scoring 30, 35 points a game, especially not in the playoffs. I was young (in 2005) playing against a veteran guy like Bruce Bowen. Hopefully, I can go get my mental on right now."

The x-factor: With Tim Duncan and Marcus Camby patrolling around the rim, there's going to be little available at the basket outside of a few putbacks. That's going to put a lot of emphasis on jump shooting, an area where Denver struggles and San Antonio excels. That will make the difference.

How good is this series going to be?: The individual matchups alone make this series compelling. There are great defenders, scorers and coaches everywhere you look.

The selection: San Antonio in six. A healthy Duncan is not going to let his team lose a first-round series. Impossible.

Iverson, Nuggets pan for NBA gold

2007-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Goal of perfect match is to bring a basketball title to Denver

If Allen Iverson ever needs to be reminded why he's in Denver, a shiny, half-foot-tall hint sits in his locker stall.

It's a miniature replica of the Larry O'Brien Trophy, handed annually to the NBA champion.

"It's motivation," Iverson said. "I got it when I first got here."

That would be Dec. 19, when the Nuggets pulled off the biggest deal of the NBA season. Iverson, figuring he wasn't going to contend for a title any time soon in Philadelphia, didn't mind being dealt and has considered the Nuggets the perfect landing spot.

The feeling is mutual. Those on the Nuggets had heard the stories about Iverson's antics in Philadelphia, but they now wonder if this wily veteran is really the same guy.

Now, about that championship. Iverson, whose 76ers fell in the Finals to the Lakers in 2001, knows that's why he was summoned to Denver.

"I feel like that's why I was brought here, to help us become a better team, to have an impact on this team," the 6-foot guard said. "It's just been a great ride so far. But, to end the story, what better way to do it than to win a championship? That's what my mind is set on."

It won't be easy in his first Nuggets playoff go-round, with his sixth-seeded team in the Western Conference opening against No. 3 San Antonio, the NBA's hottest team after the All-Star break.

But Iverson, 31, has two years remaining on his contract and has said he wants to re-sign with the Nuggets after that.

"I've had fun," Iverson said. "It's been exciting, just being on a team where I can play my game."

For years, many believed Iverson's game mostly was hoisting shots. In 10-plus seasons with the 76ers, he averaged 28.1 points, winning four scoring titles.

But Iverson, who said he wasn't surrounded by much talent with the 76ers and was unfairly pigeonholed, has become content in Denver to step aside and let forward Carmelo Anthony be the big scorer.

After averaging 31.2 points in 15 Philadelphia games, Iverson averaged 24.8 in 50 Denver games for a seasonal mark of 26.3.

"A.I. gets a bad rap for being selfish," Hornets coach Byron Scott said of Iverson, whose Nuggets have won 11 straight games when he gets 10 or more assists. "But he wants to win. That's the bottom line. . . . He felt he had to score more (in Philadelphia), but now he's got a group of guys around him."

Iverson, though, arrived in Denver with plenty of baggage. His time with the 76ers was marred by squabbles with coaches. He didn't always show up on time, and his rant about "practice" remains a favorite highlight on sports stations.

But the only thing bordering on negative for Iverson in his Nuggets tenure has been a $25,000 NBA fine for being critical of referee Steve Javie. Iverson then apologized on three consecutive days.

"My first thought when I think of A.I., all the negative stuff out there, he's the exact opposite," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I think A.I. has great leadership skills and has been a strong teammate in every way."

During the process before the trade, Karl said some observers believed Iverson would be well served just to get out of Philadelphia, where many negatives had surrounded him. Iverson agrees.

"I made mistakes," he said of his time there. "I did a lot of dumb things. I'm 31 years old (now). I was in Philadelphia 11 years. I did some young, dumb mistakes. I had to grow to be able to get to this point here. I'm a father of four, so I can't set no bad examples for them.

"I'm not the same person I was when I was 21, 22 years old. I'd be foolish if I was doing the same things I was doing then."

Iverson, though, said he doesn't "regret anything" from his 76ers years and has "learned from all the mistakes."

Now he seems content to dispense his wisdom to the Nuggets' many young players.

Iverson has become a mentor to Anthony, 22. With Anthony serving a 15-game suspension for fighting when Iverson arrived - and with Iverson missing eight games because of a sprained right ankle shortly after Anthony returned - it took time to mesh.

But it came together during the homestretch of the season. The Nuggets won 10 of their final 11 games.

"It took about 14 or 15 games for us to get it right," Anthony said. "It finally came this month. It couldn't have come at a better time."

Iverson also has taken under his wing Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, 21. Smith, in his third season, has had growing pains, including squabbles with coaches and serving a 10-game suspension for fighting in the Dec. 16 brawl that also cost Anthony.

"He's talking to me so much about my character and my attitude toward the game," Smith said. "He's just taught me a lot more than I've ever been taught. How to get steals and how to read the offensive player's mind. Just how to get open shots, and another thing, just root for the team when I'm not in there.

"He's totally different from what people perceive him to be. A lot of people think he's a bad guy. He's not that at all. He's a great teacher and just overall a genuine, great person."

Put it all together, and the Nuggets look to be in good shape. Vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said the team has been "heading north" after an adjustment period after the Iverson deal.

The Nuggets have gone north in the standings. Iverson's reputation has gone north.

But what Iverson is concerned with most is trying to get through the rugged West, then claim the NBA title he long has sought.

Nuggets' buddy system working

2007-04-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Nuggets stars Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony enter playoffs hitting stride as double trouble for opponents.

Given a chance to gloat, Allen Iverson instead laughed off an opportunity to say "I told you so."

"You can say that," he said.

The laugh and smile faded.

Denver's trade for Iverson in December was one of the biggest stories in the NBA this season. Everyone had an opinion about how it would work and whether A.I. and Melo would share the ball. The evidence is in heading into the first-round playoff series against San Antonio. The Anthony-Iverson combo has hit its stride.

"That was a big deal for myself and (Carmelo), to be able to say that," Iverson continued. "And it just shows what type of players we are, to put our egos aside and try to accomplish the same goal. Both of us have the same goal, and that's to win a championship. The only way you're going to be able to do it is together."

Anthony said, "We knew it would work out."

Fast friends off the court, the two have given the Nuggets the look of a dangerous team on it, combining to average 55.2 of the Nuggets' 105.4 points per game.

"You've got two great scorers," Los Angeles Clippers forward Tim Thomas said. "They are going to cause problems for any team."

The Clippers ousted the Nuggets from the playoffs a year ago in part by smothering Anthony, who had little help at the offensive end.

"Last year, it was easy to send two guys at Carmelo to get the ball out of his hands, but this year it's a different team," Thomas said.

Said Nuggets center Marcus Camby: "On nights where they double- and triple-team Carmelo, it's good to have another scorer like A.I."

Iverson made his name and built his Hall of Fame résumé by keeping the Philadelphia 76ers afloat for 10-plus seasons, and doing it with flair. In Denver he has been happy to blend in, deferring when necessary or taking charge if needed.

"I'm trying to win a championship," Iverson said. "Anything less would be disappointing to me. I want to win a championship. That's it."

Getting it together

Only in the past month has Anthony openly admitted to "lying to myself" about the speed in which he and Iverson could perfect their on-court chemistry.

Nuggets coach George Karl never pretended the union would be a finished product from Day One.

"A comfort zone doesn't come in 2 1/2 months in the NBA," Karl said. "It usually comes in 2 1/2 years. But that doesn't mean you can't win games; it doesn't mean you can't figure it out in a short period of time."

After a rocky start, the duo inched over the .500 mark again after the 19th game that they were both in the lineup. The victory March 20 over New Jersey put Denver at 10-9 when both were on the court. A 9-1 finish leading up to the regular-season finale, when both sat out, pushed Denver to 20-15 with the Melo-A.I. combination.

"We knew it would take some time," Anthony said. "It took a couple of games, but once it started, it started."

Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he never doubted the Nuggets' tandem would produce.

"It looks good to me," Bryant said. "You got one guy penetrating on the perimeter doing his thing and another guy on the low post. It's a serious threat. We couldn't do anything with it. That's why we had to go to a zone."

Both sacrificed parts of their offensive game to make it work. When Anthony returned from his 15-game suspension in January, he was leading the league in scoring with a 31.6-point average. Iverson came to Denver averaging 31.2 points, second best in the league.

Both since have fallen, with Anthony finishing second to Bryant at 28.9 points per game while Iverson finished eighth overall, at 26.3. And while they are taking fewer shots than before, they have raised their efficiency level. Iverson was shooting 41.3 percent in Philadelphia compared to 45.4 percent in Denver's free-wheeling, fast-breaking system.

"He plays with a lot of heart, a lot of energy," Bryant said of Iverson. "What I like about him is he's extremely creative."

Different playoff dynamic

Anthony is better off now. He knows that.

In each of the past three postseasons he has had an "S" on his chest and therefore a target on his back. The Spurs in 2005 and the Clippers last season made it clear their objective was to get the ball out of Anthony's hands and force someone else - anyone else - to try to beat them. The Nuggets didn't have anybody else.

"It's going to be hard for them to say it now," Anthony said.

Iverson is the reason. A longtime Western Conference scout viewed the Anthony-Iverson combo through a lens similar to the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, who won the NBA title as a No. 6 seed with the combination of Hakeem Olajuwon (27.8 points per game) and Clyde Drexler (21.4).

"When you have two guys that can go for 40 points each, that's scary," the scout said.

Iverson averages 30.6 points for his career in the playoffs, and some of his triumphs have grown into legend. At the top of the list is his 48-point performance in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals, leading Philadelphia to an upset victory in overtime; the 76ers lost the series in five games to Bryant's Lakers.

"The last couple of years in the playoffs, we had a lot of teams just load up on Melo and make it tough for the other guys out there," Camby said. "But now you have to sort of pick your poison. If you try to take Melo away, it's going to free up A.I., and he just relishes that moment.

"He's a big-time scorer and probably one of the best clutch players ever to go down in history."

Anthony said he is relieved not to bear the burden of carrying the team alone. He dismisses the idea that he and Iverson would fight over the basketball during the playoff spotlight. And Anthony has a lot to prove with a career playoff average of 18.6 points - nearly six points less than his regular-season average - and a shooting percentage of .362.

"It's going to work," Anthony said. "We've got seven games. One night he might win a game by himself; one night I might win one; one night the rest of the team might win one. But we're going to go out there and compete, I can tell you that."

Equal Opportunity:
A look at games in which Nuggets stars Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony have shared the floor this season.
http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=1499158

Blending into a dangerous mix

2007-04-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are blending into a dangerous duo. This was always a sure thing.

The question was if the duo would be dangerous to the Denver Nuggets or to their opponents. So far, it’s the opponents who are getting blitzed.

A fresh optimism permeates the Nuggets, long one of the NBA’s losing franchises. Denver has won nine of its past 10. The team is healthy. Best of all, Anthony and Iverson have declined to squabble.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson offered one of his usual half-smiles.

“They’re both talented and they both want to win and they’re both sharing the basketball,” Jackson said.

Here’s the problem. Yes, the Nuggets have been powerful and wonderful in recent weeks, but the San Antonio Spurs are more powerful and wonderful.

It’s the Nuggets extreme bad fortune to begin battle with the Spurs on Sunday in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Only a clueless optimist expects the Nuggets to survive this series.

I don’t usually embrace moral victories, but this series is different. If Denver can push the Spurs to seven games, the Nuggets can walk happily and hopefully into the offseason.

Futile is the best way to describe the Nuggets playoff history. The franchise has won a total of nine playoff games since 1988, and the Nuggets have suffered three consecutive 4-1 playoff ousters. Each was swift and lacking in drama.

The Anthony-Iverson duo offers Nuggets fans hope. Not for a series victory, but at least for a touch of excitement. Anthony and Iverson both adore a big stage and the chance it offers to show off their talents.

The NBA playoffs offer that stage. Expect the duo to combine for more than 60 points at least once.

Iverson has shown surprising maturity and restraint since arriving in Denver. In Philadelphia, it was always about Allen. He was a basketball anarchist who left a franchise in shreds.

At first, Iverson didn’t blend with Anthony and the Nuggets. He seemed too eager to serve his teammates.

Iverson lost the best part of his old act.

Anthony scrunched his face when he remembered the first few tense weeks.

“I was lying to myself, but I had to tell myself it would work right away,” Anthony said.

Slowly, Iverson grew into a new persona. He still shows flashes of Allen the Anarchist. He still launches ridiculous shots.

But he’s committed to team, to winning, to finishing his career the right way.

And he still can score. He humiliated Steve Nash in March, dropping 44 points on the two-time MVP. The Spurs won’t be able to follow recent playoff strategy by surrounding Anthony while ignoring all others.

The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant shook his head when he considered the offensive punch Iverson brings to the Nuggets.

“They have a weapon they can go to when they really need it,” Bryant said. “It’s not like when he was at Philadelphia, when he had to score 30 points a game. He can wait for an
opportune time.”

Iverson’s new generosity means the Nuggets should be mighty next season. With a healthy Nene and a wiser J.R. Smith and, of course, the Anthony-Iverson duo, Denver could fly among the NBA’s top teams with a realistic ambition to travel to the Western Conference Finals.

But that’s next season. This season, the Nuggets must refuse to make a quick exit.

Toppling the Spurs? Highly unlikely, but delivering an emotional, physical seven-game challenge should be the expectation.

Nuggets Mine Gold At Season’s End

2007-04-13T17:26:00.001-07:00

There's only one week remaining in the 2006-07 season and two teams in particular are gearing up for a playoff run, playing their best basketball of the year to date. The Spurs and Nuggets are on a collision course to meet in the first round again, and one of them will have to go home after the introductory best-of-seven. Unlike what we would have said a month ago, it's no longer a foregone conclusion the Spurs will win such a series; any team on a roll with players named Iverson and Anthony on its roster has to be considered a serious threat.

Iverson and Anthony going for 8 wins in a row.

2007-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, so this is what the Denver front office had in mind when it paired Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson.

The two All-Stars are both playing their best basketball of the season and, as expected, the Nuggets are rolling.

When Iverson was traded from Philadelphia in December, the meshing of Melo and A.I. was seen as some type of wild experiment by mad scientists.

And the cynics couldn't wait to weigh in.

"They both dominate the ball, this will never work."

"They will be fighting over who gets to take the shots at crunch time."

"Neither one of them is going to be willing to accept a lesser role."

As it turns out, none of the concerns voiced through the media have been a problem.

Anthony and Iverson have both put up their numbers and, equally as important, they get along both on and off the court.

Further proof that head coach George Karl and Co. knew exactly what they were doing is the fact that Denver currently has a league-best six-game winning streak.

The Nuggets (41-36), who have won seven of their past 10, have passed the Lakers for the sixth spot in the Western Conference.

In a season where they have struggled because of suspensions, trades and injuries, the Nuggets are building confidence at the right time.

Anthony is scoring 29 points per game while Iverson is averaging 26.6. They are the highest scoring duo in the NBA and capable of giving a scare to, but not beat, the Suns or Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

Their best showing of the season was March 17 when they blew out the Suns, 131-107. In that contest, Iverson had 44 points and 15 assists, while Anthony scored 29.

The two biggest reasons why the Anthony-Iverson combination has worked is becoming more and more clear.

For starters, Denver is playing better defense now than it has all season.

Secondly, despite the scoring titles, despite averaging more points per game besides everyone in NBA history except Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan and despite being the league MVP in 2001, Iverson has been willing to defer slightly to Anthony.

The former Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star Game MVP is scoring a little less and allowing Melo to attempt the big shots.

And right now, it is working.

Nuggets Move Into Sixth Place Thanks to A.I., Kleiza

2007-04-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

The Denver Nuggets needed a big defensive stop near the end of the game as much as they did Allen Iverson's 17 fourth-quarter points. And the eight-time All-Star provided that, too.

Iverson made a critical steal that set up his clinching free throws after Linas Kleiza hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds to play, and the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 96-93 Saturday night.

Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, helping Denver win its fifth straight.

"It's a good thing that at the end of the season we're concentrating on defense, because that's going to win basketball games for us going into the playoffs,'' said Iverson, who finished with 34 points. "We understand that we can score points, but our whole thing right now is stopping people on the defensive end and letting the offense come to us.''

There was plenty at stake for both clubs, who are among four teams that came in separated by three games in the race for the last three Western Conference playoff berths. The victory helped Denver tie the Lakers for sixth place and gave the Nuggets the advantage over the Clippers in any scenario in which the teams finish tied.

"I think the sky's the limit for us,'' said Iverson, who has four NBA scoring titles but no championship rings. "We can keep that sixth spot if we just concentrate on one game at a time and not look past any teams. These games that we've been winning, we just have to leave them behind, take the positive things and try to carry them over to the next game.''

Corey Maggette scored 24 points and Elton Brand had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who squandered a 15-point second-quarter lead - and a chance to go over the .500 mark for the first time since Feb. 5. Forward Tim Thomas left the game with 5:47 left in the second quarter after spraining his right wrist.

"It is a setback,'' Brand said. "It's definitely disappointing, especially when you had a game like this, leading the majority of the game. Now we have to go on the road and do what we have to do.''

The Clippers held a 74-66 edge after three quarters. Quinton Ross converted a layup into a three-point play 33 seconds into the fourth, but Los Angeles didn't make another field goal until Jason Hart's layup with 6:56 to play.

The Nuggets, coming off their best defensive effort of the season in a 75-71 win over the league-leading Dallas Mavericks, pulled even at 83-all with 11 points from Iverson in a 5:22 stretch - including a 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining.

"I just kept hitting shots, and after a while it just felt like everything was going in,'' Iverson said. "I was running the pick-and-roll with Melo, and they're so scared of him that they were just showing out on me and I was able to turn the corner getting to the lane.''

Los Angeles went back in front by four on Chris Kaman's hook shot with 1:43 left, but Iverson made a layup and added a 16-footer after a shot clock violation by the Clippers, tying the score at 91. Brand's layup regained the lead for Los Angeles with 44 seconds to go, but Kleiza responded with his clutch shot from in front of the Clippers' bench.

Coach Mike Dunleavycalled his final timeout at that point. On the ensuing inbounds play, Maggette turned at the free throw line to drive past Anthony, but Iverson stripped him of the ball and converted two free throws at the other end for a three-point lead with 4.5 seconds left.

"Melo did a good job of sending him (Maggette) to all the help, and I was over there on the weak side,'' Iverson said. "He came my way, and I just stuck my hand in there and got a piece of the ball to knock it away.''

Maggette said, "The play was not executed the right way. It was something I did wrong. Turnovers killed us tonight. I put that one on myself, because I had seven.''

Out of timeouts, Maggette was forced to throw a Hail Mary pass downcourt from the other baseline. Hart outleaped Iverson for the ball in front of the Denver bench, but missed a tying 3-pointer from the left corner as time expired.

The Nuggets pulled ahead 63-62 with 4:43 left in the third as Iverson drained a fadeaway 3-pointer from the left sideline that left him lying on his back and the Clippers' 11th sellout crowd of the season groaning.

Iverson's heroics help Nuggets earn key victory

2007-04-08T22:41:00.001-07:00

Allen Iverson scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and Linas Kleiza hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 15.8 seconds to play, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 96-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Iverson made a crucial steal that set up his clinching free throws after Kleiza's shot. Carmelo Anthony had 23 points, helping Denver win its fifth consecutive game.

"It's a good thing that at the end of the season we're concentrating on defense, because that's going to win basketball games for us going into the playoffs," Iverson said. "We understand that we can score points, but our whole thing right now is stopping people on the defensive end and letting the offense come to us."

There was plenty at stake for both clubs, who are among four teams that came in separated by three games in the race for the last three Western Conference playoff berths. The victory helped Denver tie the Los Angeles Lakers for sixth place and gave the Nuggets the advantage over the Clippers in any scenario in which the teams finish tied.

The Clippers are one game ahead of the Warriors for the final spot.

"I think the sky's the limit for us," said Iverson, who has four NBA scoring titles but no championship rings. "We can keep that sixth spot if we just concentrate on one game at a time and not look past any teams."

Corey Maggette scored 24 points and Elton Brand had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who squandered 15-point second-quarter lead - and a chance to go over the .500 mark for the first time since Feb. 5. Forward Tim Thomas left the game with 5:47 left in the second quarter after spraining his right wrist.

"It is a setback," Brand said. "It's definitely disappointing, especially when you had a game like this, leading the majority of the game. Now we have to go on the road and do what we have to do."

The Clippers held a 74-66 edge after three quarters. The Nuggets, coming off their best defensive effort of the season in a 75-71 win over the league-leading Dallas Mavericks, pulled even at 83-all with 11 points from Iverson in a 5:22 stretch - including a three-pointer with 3:58 remaining.

Brand's layup regained the lead for Los Angeles with 44 seconds to go, but Kleiza responded with his clutch shot near the Clippers' bench.

Iverson: Making His Teammates Better

2007-04-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when the MVP race really heats up. Pundits can be heard debating the merits of various candidates from one coast to the other. The most common phrase that seems to uttered in such debates is, "(Insert superstar name here) makes his teammates better." While such a phrase can be hard to quantify simply because numbers often lie (for example, just because a guy's assist numbers are up doesn't mean he always make his teammates better) things like overall team chemistry, continuity and wins are usually a pretty good indicator.

For the Denver Nuggets, they do not have a legitimate MVP candidate this season. However, they do have a guy who appears to be showing the first signs of making his teammates significantly better, a guy named Allen Iverson.

Such rhetoric might seem ludicrous given Iverson's reputation as a guy who is only concerned about scoring titles, but if you look at how the Nuggets have played in the last month or so, a definite pattern seems to be emerging.

Linas Kleiza is playing the best basketball of his career and his teammates are starting to trust him down the stretch as evidenced by his game clinching three last night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. In fact, he played so well in the month of March that he ended the month as the NBA's highest three-point percentage shooter.

Nene looks like an All-Star caliber player on the block and has teams around the league who could have acquired him in a trade for Iverson regretting they did not pull the trigger. Talking to opposing players and coaches, it's clear that Nene is a player they now fear, so much so that one scout recently told me that Nene's play will be the deciding factor in how far this team goes come playoff time.

And beyond the individual rise of certain players, the team is playing a more cohesive style of play on both ends of the court.

So why is it that Iverson seems to get little credit for these changes, and why are people insisting on perpetuating the story that he doesn't make his teammates better?

"How many games has he had 10-assists?" Nuggets' head coach George Karl asked on Friday. "How many games have we won when we had 10-assists? How about the development and balance of Nene and someone off our bench contributing every night and shooting a good percentage. Those don't matter? Those don't fall in the point-guard's category of help? He's still capable of getting 40 any night he plays. He's an explosive kid that understands that it comes in different packages at different moments.

"I think A.I. and Steve Blake, you have to give them a tremendous amount of credit to fight through the bad times, the frustrating times, the times when our team doesn't play well because other than me and the coaches they're the next guys who kind of feel responsible for it as much as anybody. They're the ones we talk to the next day. They're the ones that get kind of get crucified for not having ball movement, or what happened to the execution, or what the hell happened here? I think A.I is very much into trying to develop winning. He's said that the day he got here, and I don't think it's changed."

Right now, Iverson is helping the Nuggets win as opposed to just talking about it. Of late, he's found a nice balance between getting teammates involved early and then making big shots when the Nuggets need them in the fourth period. This approach has helped the team believe they can be successful as a whole, especially when the game is on the line. A sense of trust in one another not before seen at any point this season is starting to develop, and with it, the true identity the team has been searching for seems to be emerging.

"There's no championship team that doesn't do it without six or seven good players, and I think we've moved very quickly in a very good direction," Karl explained. "The beginning of the year we didn't know who those players were, but at the end of the year we look at Nene, L.K., J.R. and even Steve Blake as quality players who can help us play at a high level."

Each of those players Karl cited deserves credit for the level of individual responsibility it takes to improve in the NBA. That said, if they were playing with Steve Nash, Nash would be praised as the guy who helped each one of them have career-years. With Iverson, though, you rarely hear anybody mention that he is even somewhat responsible for their improvement. Anyone who has been paying attention knows differently.

While it might be hard for the doubters to acknowledge, Iverson is making his teammates better -- significantly better. Maybe someday soon it will become as en-vogue to say Iverson makes his teammates better as it is to say the same about Nash, Kobe Bryant and some of the other big name players around the league.

Free-Throw Woes

Despite how well A.I. has played of late overall, he's had his struggles from the foul-line. When asked if plans to say anything to Iverson, Karl replied: "I don't go there right now. I think it's a slump, kind of a spell. I know A.I.'s (injured) elbow is not the easiest thing for him. I don't know if that gets in his way on free-throws or not, but his elbow is still fairly sore."

Team MVP?

Karl recently gave some insight into who he believes is Denver's team MVP . . . with a small caveat.

"MVP? Most Valuable Player? That's an interesting question. I'd probably have to give it to Melo. The power early in the season when we played well. It would be tough if you took it from the last 25-games because a lot of guys have played well."

Iverson Reaches 20,000 pts Milestone as Nuggets Defeat Sonics

2007-01-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

An equipment manager informed Allen Iverson that he was going to deflate the game ball and stuff it into the star guard's bag to commemorate his 20,000th NBA point.

"Thanks, buddy. Appreciate that, buddy,'' Iverson said late Tuesday night, using his nickname for the many folks he doesn't yet know after four weeks with the Denver Nuggets.

"Just get me a ball for every win. That's all I want a ball for.''

Act II of the Iverson-Carmelo Anthony experiment showed there might be many of those in store for Denver.

A "rusty'' Anthony scored 34 points in his second game back from suspension, Iverson added 21 and the Nuggets used two crucial 3-pointers from previously quiet Steve Blake to beat the Seattle SuperSonics 117-112 on Tuesday night.

It was Denver's fifth consecutive win, and second in two nights with its two superstars together at last.

"It's dangerous,'' Seattle's Damien Wilkins said.

Anthony, the NBA's leading scorer at 31.5 points per game entering Tuesday, scored 30 for the fourth time in five games spanning his just-completed 15-game suspension for fighting during a December melee in New York.

"Having fun again,'' Anthony said after denying Seattle its fourth consecutive victory. "I'm a little rusty, trying to work that off.''

Anthony had 28 points against Memphis in his first game back Monday, then shot 12-for-26 on Tuesday - when Iverson became the 30th NBA player to reach 20,000 points.

"I'm a long way from that, bro,'' said Anthony, who has 6,163 career points.

Ray Allen scored 44 points - 22 in a frantic final period - and Chris Wilcox added 25 for Seattle. Allen broke a tie at 101 with his third 3-pointer of the final period, a fallaway 27-footer with 3:45 remaining. He was 1-for-9 from long range entering the fourth quarter but finished 6-for-17.

Allen's missed 3-pointer in the last 20 seconds denied the Sonics their final chance at a wild win. He also lost track of Blake twice in the final 2:23.

Blake, whom Allen left open because he was 0-for-4 to that point, swished a 3 to tie the game for the final time at 106. Denver went back ahead on two free throws from Nene, then Blake upped the lead to 111-106 with another 3 with 1:28 left.

"We were trying to keep Allen (Iverson) from getting to the paint and we were trying to keep Carmelo double-teamed,'' Allen said, summarizing the Denver dilemma that the entire NBA now faces. "So (Blake) was the one guy out there that we wanted to shoot the ball.''

As Seattle coach Bob Hill said, "There was a reason he was open. But we didn't want him to be that open.''

Blake came to Denver in a trade from Milwaukee on Jan. 11 for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge. But he's not so new that he doesn't realize that next to Anthony and Iverson, no one except his wife is going to give Blake more than a glance.

"I know I am going to get open shots because of them,'' Blake said. "At the same time, I'm still going to try to get them the ball as much as I can.''

Iverson had just six points on 3-for-10 shooting in the first half, which ended with Denver down 60-53. He seemed in danger of falling short of his season low of 16 points.

But he made his first three shots after halftime - including a leaning, baseline prayer on which he was hoping to draw a foul that never came. Iverson followed that with a 3-pointer over Seattle's zone defense that gave the Nuggets their first lead, 63-62, four minutes into the second half.

Then Anthony joined in. His answer to the zone was a snazzy stutter-step and crossover dribble past a stupefied Luke Ridnour for a driving layup. That was the best of Denver's 10-0 run, which put the Nuggets up 77-70.

Anthony had 10 points in the third quarter, allowing Denver to maintain its seven-point lead entering the final period. Then Allen went wild.

Seattle's franchise player scored 11 of his team's first 12 points in the quarter to bring the Sonics back to 92-89. Seattle then tied the score at 99 on Wilcox's thunderous dunk with 5:10 left - before Blake rallied Denver.

Allen had 18 points in the first half, including a fadeaway 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that left him hopping off the court and the KeyArena crowd roaring.

Iverson Reaches 20,000-Point Plateau

2007-01-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Allen Iverson's driving layup with 2:04 left in the second quarter of the Nuggets' 117-112 win at the Sonics on Jan. 23, 2007 made him the 30th NBA player to reach the 20,000-point plateau. He finished the game with 21 points and 10 assists. His 28.1 career scoring average ranks behind just Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time list.
Iverson is one of just three active players in the club, joining a pair of Heat: Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton. The Nets' Clifford Robinson (19,471 career points) is the only other current player with a realistic chance to join their elite company this season.

Now in his 11th season, Iverson needed just 713 regular-season games to score his 20,015 points - that's the sixth fewest of those 30 players. Only Chamberlain, Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor accomplished the feat faster.

Quickest to 20,000 Points
Player Games : Average : Overall Rank
1 Wilt Chamberlain 499 : 40.1 : 4
2 Michael Jordan 620 : 32.3 : 3
3 Oscar Robertson 671 : 29.8 : 8
4 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 684 : 29.2 : 1
5 Elgin Baylor 711 : 28.1 : 19
6 Allen Iverson : 713 28.1 30

The Complete 20,000-Point Club

Player Years Games Points Average
1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20 1560 38,387 24.6
2 Karl Malone 19 1476 36,928 25.0
3 Michael Jordan 15 1072 32,292 30.1
4 Wilt Chamberlain 14 1045 31,419 30.1
5 Moses Malone 19 1329 27,409 20.6
6 Elvin Hayes 16 1303 27,313 21.0
7 Hakeem Olajuwon 18 1238 26,946 21.8
8 Oscar Robertson 14 1040 26,710 25.7
9 Dominique Wilkins 15 1074 26,668 24.8
10 John Havlicek 16 1270 26,395 20.8
11 Alex English 15 1193 25,613 21.5
12 Reggie Miller 18 1389 25,279 18.2
13 Jerry West 14 932 25,192 27.0
14 Shaquille O'Neal 15 945 24,820 26.3
15 Patrick Ewing 17 1183 24,815 21.0
16 Charles Barkley 16 1073 23,757 22.1
17 Robert Parish 21 1611 23,334 14.5
18 Adrian Dantley 15 955 23,177 24.3
19 Elgin Bayl Clide 755

Videos: Watch Allen Iverson's 20,000th Point
Videos: Allen Iverson's Scoring Milestones
Videos: Allen Iverson's Career Highlights
Videos: Allen Iverson's Top 10 Moments as a Sixer
Videos: Iverson - Anthony Tandem win again in Seattle

Iverson six points more to becoming the 30th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points.

2007-01-23T07:45:00.001-08:00

Allen Iverson raced downcourt and floated an alley-oop lob that Carmelo Anthony shoved one-handed through the hoop for an arena-rattling jam, one that seemed to holler to all their doubters, "Take that!''

"We just wanted to show the whole world we could play together,'' Anthony said after the duo's triumphant debut Monday night. "We know there's a lot of doubt about that.''

Anthony scored 28 points in his return from a 15-game suspension for fighting and Iverson added 23 in the Denver Nuggets' 115-98 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The two are out to prove two superstars can coexist.

So far, so very, very good.

Their pairing not only benefited each other but created open looks for everybody else. Their signature moment came with 6:39 left when Anthony soared for the alley-oop dunk that made it 103-82.

"I wanted to throw it up high so he could make SportsCenter,'' Iverson cracked. "No, it was a bad pass, honestly. He just showed what type of athlete he is, he went up there and got it.''

Anthony said he didn't even think he could reach it.

"No, I think it was my adrenalin pumping,'' he said.

After the basket, Iverson sauntered back downcourt, holding his right hand to his ear as the crowd roared.

"That's what it's all about. It's about the kids, and about the fans that love the game and the excitement of the greatest game in the world,'' Iverson said. "I'm enjoying myself. I know it's my 11th season, but this is a fresh start for me, and it feels like my first. I am having a great time and I love my situation here.''

After receiving a resounding ovation during introductions, Anthony took the microphone and thanked fans, teammates and Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke for supporting him during his 36-day layoff.

"It's like a new beginning for us,'' Anthony said. "And we're going to give y'all something to cheer for.''

The Nuggets delivered, jumping out to a 20-point first-quarter lead, never trailing and turning it on in the fourth quarter.

"They play well together,'' said Pau Gasol, who led Memphis with 23 points. "They had a chemistry from the first moment. They have fun together and help each other out. I'm interested to see how they play together the rest of the year. They will be a very dangerous couple.

"It's tough to have to guard one of them. It's worse to have to worry about two great players.''

More than five weeks after clocking the New York Knicks' Mardy Collins in a melee at Madison Square Garden that led to 10 ejections and seven suspensions, Anthony returned to a Denver lineup he hardly recognized.

On the day after NBA commissioner David Stern banned Anthony for 15 games, the Nuggets acquired Iverson, a seven-time All-Star, from the Philadelphia 76ers.

That begged the question: Was there enough room in this town for two superstars who are used to having the ball in their hands when victory is in their grasp?

Anthony came in with a league-leading 31.6-point average with Iverson third at 29.5.

Iverson swears he's had his fill of carrying the load during his 11 NBA seasons and is eager to serve as wingman to the 22-year-old Anthony - and he showed it the first chance he got.

With 7:30 left in the first quarter, Iverson had a breakaway for an easy basket but flipped the ball instead to Anthony running alongside him for a finger-roll that rocked the Pepsi Center, the first of many big moments for them.

Anthony's biggest ovation came when he took a seat with 4:11 left after totaling 28 points, five rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes.

Marcus Camby had 17 points and 17 boards and J.R. Smith scored 19 points for the energized Nuggets, who raced to a 38-18 lead after one quarter and led 59-47 at the half.

The Nuggets, who went 7-8 during Anthony's absence, parted with Andre Miller to get Iverson, then dealt Earl Boykins to Milwaukee for Steve Blake, a pass-first point guard, perfect for the new dynamite duo.

Anthony said in an open letter of apology to fans and the team on Sunday that he'll return a better player and a better person. He also returned to a lineup that looked little like the one he last saw on Dec. 16, when he struck Collins for collaring Smith on the way to the basket.

Anthony made all his baskets on drives and jams, missing all eight of his jump shots.

"It shows what an incredible work ethic he has,'' Grizzlies coach Tony Barone said. "Coming onto the court and what does he do to try to win the game? He tries to go to the offensive glass, he runs the court and finished the break and does tries to be a pig. To me that's the mark of a good player.

"They will be a very good team as the season progresses with Allen, who was very unselfish tonight.''

Iverson said he's out for much more than just showing the world he and Anthony can get along without butting heads.

"If I didn't feel like I could win a championship, I would retire,'' Iverson insisted. "If I didn't think we had a shot to win it, then I would hang my sneakers up. Obviously, I believe we can win it. Get us in a seven-game series, and you have to beat us four times.''

And with Anthony by his side, he likes his chances.

Notes: Iverson is six points shy of becoming the 30th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. ... Smith is averaging 17.5 points in the last four games, all as a reserve.

Denver win 3 in a row

2007-01-22T10:12:00.001-08:00

The Denver Nuggets have survived long enough without Carmelo Anthony. Now, they can't wait to see how their risky "experiment'' works.
Allen Iverson banked in a running 3-pointer in overtime and scored 36 points to rally Denver to a 121-113 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in the Nuggets' final game without Anthony.
Iverson also had 10 assists, finding Steve Blake in the corner for a 3-pointer with 1:36 left in overtime.
Marcus Camby also had a basket in overtime, scored 12 points and grabbed 22 rebounds for the Nuggets, who went 7-8 in the 15 games Anthony was suspended after an incident in a Dec. 16 game against New York.
"We've survived the 15-game suspension,'' coach George Karl said. "Now, we've got a 15-game experiment before the All-Star break. And I think everyone's excited about it.''
Anthony, who was leading the NBA with 31.6 points per game before his suspension, would've returned for Saturday's game until a snowstorm postponed the Nuggets' Dec. 20 game against Phoenix. He'll be available for Monday's game against Memphis.
"Monday, I get to wake up and it's Christmas,'' Iverson said with a smile. "Obviously, it's going to be a fun day.''
The four-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star wanted to leave Philadelphia and play for a contender. With Anthony and J.R. Smith back from suspensions, the newly acquired Blake contributing already and Camby playing well, Iverson thinks the Nuggets can make a deep playoff run.
"For me, at this stage of my career, it's just championships. That's all I think about,'' Iverson said. "Regardless of where we're seeded, we get in a seven-game series with somebody, it's going to be hard for somebody to beat us four times.''
Smith, who was suspended 10 games for his role in the New York incident, scored 24 for Denver. He hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after the Rockets had taken a 90-77 lead.
Blake, acquired a week ago in a trade with Milwaukee, had 12 points, four assists and five rebounds.
"'Melo will add a different dimension to our team and take us to another level,'' Blake said. "It's about time. We are glad he's coming back.''
With Anthony returning, it's up to Karl to figure out how all the pieces fit together.
"We have 15 games before the All-Star break,'' Karl said. "I have a very good feeling that toward the end of those 15 games, you're going to see us playing pretty special basketball.''
The Rockets had won their previous eight home games this season when they reach 100 points.
But Iverson was fouled on a 3-pointer with 2:37 left and hit all three free throws to pull the Nuggets to within 108-103. Camby scored before Iverson swished a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:02 to go to tie the game.
Iverson and Tracy McGrady both missed potential game winners in the final minute. The Nuggets had a chance to win it in the closing seconds of regulation, but Camby missed an unlikely 3-pointer at the buzzer. Camby is 0-for-2 from 3-point range this season.
Both teams struggled at the start of overtime, but Iverson scooped up a loose ball near midcourt, ran to the 3-point line and banked in a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to give Denver the lead for good.
"That was a momentum shot,'' Iverson said. "A lot of times, you want to hit that first basket to see how the other teams respond.''
McGrady scored 24 and Juwan Howard added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who've lost three in a row since winning nine of their previous 10.
"We need to get back to doing what got us playing well the last couple of weeks, when we went on that great winning streak,'' McGrady said. "It was just a game where, if we wanted to play like this, we should have stayed at home.''
The Rockets lead the league in scoring defense, but they've allowed at least 100 points in their last four games.
"The last four games defensively, we're not willing to do what it takes to win,'' said Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy. "We got exactly what we deserved. They got what they deserved because they worked. And we got what we deserved because we didn't.''
Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who dropped to 9-5 since Yao Ming broke a bone under his right knee.
The Nuggets are 6-8 since acquiring Iverson on Dec. 22. Despite the absence of Anthony - and thanks mostly to Iverson - Denver is still in second place in the Northwest Division.
Iverson had eight points in the first quarter, but the Nuggets trailed 31-25. He came out for a short rest early in the second quarter and Rafer Alston, the man he was guarding, promptly sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push Houston's lead past 10.
Denver trailed 46-33 when Iverson returned with 7:53 left in the half. He was 5-of-6 in the second quarter and had 20 points at the break, but the Rockets led 58-53.
The Rockets led by 13 early in the fourth quarter, but went 11-for-30 in the period to lose for only the fourth time in 43 home games under Van Gundy when they hit 100 points.

A Letter From Carmelo Anthony

2007-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

Nuggets forward addresses his fans and teammates prior to his return
Dear Nuggets Fans, Teammates, Stan Kroenke & the Nuggets Organization:The day is finally here. It has been a very long wait for my first game back. Before the game tomorrow, I wanted to take the time to thank all of you for your support of our team and your support of me. I greatly appreciate the emails and letters from those of you who wrote to me expressing your support. I also wanted to let you know how excited I am to get back on the court and play with my new and old teammates. I have been going crazy for 36 days waiting to return. All my life playing basketball has come easy to me, but not being able to play has been the most difficult thing I have ever experienced as a player.
I've spent this time off working on my game and reflecting on who I am. And who I want to be. I want all of you to know that I plan to be better, stronger and smarter on the court than I've ever been before. I've never been more dedicated to becoming the best player and teammate that I can be. It has been very tough watching the team play without me, knowing that my mistake has made it very difficult for my teammates, the franchise and the fans. I've spent the time working extremely hard, and I plan to come back better than ever.
I've also spent time thinking about the huge responsibilities I have as the captain of the Denver Nuggets, the captain of Team USA, a face of the NBA, and a role model to young people. I'm aware that a great deal is expected of me, and not just as a player. I'm expected to make the right decisions, lead by example and to be a professional.
Once again THANK YOU for your support. I hope to express my appreciation by continuing to develop as a player and as a person. I can't wait to get out there and show everyone what the Denver Nuggets are capable of. I'll see you at the Pepsi Center on Monday night. I'll be the first one there.
Sincerely,
MELO

Iverson, Anthony Among NBA’s Most Popular Jerseys

2007-01-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Iverson, Anthony Among NBA’s Most Popular Jerseys

The duo rank fourth and fifth in sales at the official NBA Store and on NBAStore.com

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets rank fourth and fifth on the NBA's Most Popular Jersey List. The rankings are based on jersey sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2006-07 NBA season through Dec. 31, 2006. Following the Dec. 19 trade to the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers, Iverson moved up three spots on the list from his No. 7 rank before the trade.

The Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers ranks as the most popular jersey in the NBA, moving up three spots from the end of last season. Bryant, who had the most popular jersey during the 2002-03 season, regained the lead from Miami's Dwyane Wade who held the top spot since May 2005. Wade drops to No. 2 on the list and Cleveland’s LeBron James comes in at No. 3, followed by Iverson and Anthony rounding out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Iverson and Anthony join Miami's Wade and Shaquille O'Neal as the only teammates to appear in this year's Top 15. O'Neal ranks ninth, while Wade sits at No. 2.

The Los Angeles Lakers remained No. 1 on the league’s Most Popular Team Merchandise List for the fifth consecutive season, while the NBA Champion Miami Heat moved up one spot to second. The New York Knicks rank third and the Chicago Bulls are fourth. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the largest jump on the list this year, moving up to No. 5 from No. 8 last year. The Denver Nuggets currently rank seventh overall.

The Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas and 2006 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Chris Paul from the New Orleans/OK City Hornets make their debut in the Top 15, coming in at No. 8 and No. 14, respectively.

The NBA Store had its strongest sales quarter in history in the fourth quarter of 2006 including the best November sales ever and the largest single sales month ever during December 2006. This season marks the first with adidas as the official on-court uniform and apparel provider for the NBA.

The NBA’s Most Popular Jersey List and the Most Popular Team Merchandise List are listed below:

TOP 15 PLAYERS
1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
2. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat
3. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Allen Iverson – Denver Nuggets
5. Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets
6. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
7. Vince Carter – New Jersey Nets
8. Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards
9. Shaquille O’Neal – Miami Heat
10. Stephon Marbury – New York Knicks
11. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks
12. Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets
13. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
14. Chris Paul – New Orleans/OK City Hornets
15. Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs

TOP 10 TEAMS
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Miami Heat
3. New York Knicks
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Boston Celtics
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. New Jersey Nets
10. San Antonio Spurs

2007 NBA All-Star Balloting Fourth Returns

2007-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

2007 NBA All-Star Balloting Fourth Returns

Allen Iverson third among guards, Carmelo Anthony fourth among forwards, Marcus Camby fifth among centers

Click Here to Cast Your Ballot

In the fourth and final update before the All-Star starters are announced on Jan. 25, Nuggets guard Allen Iverson ranks third among Western Conference guards, while Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony ranks fourth among Western Conference forwards and Nuggets center Marcus Camby ranks fifth among Western Conference centers returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. So far Anthony and Camby have received 870,465 votes and 201,177 votes, respectively. Iverson, who was acquired by the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 19, has received 1,300,248 votes as a member of both the Eastern and Western Conferences. His Eastern Conference votes will be applied to the conference in which he now plays.

The 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program continues through Jan. 15 for paper balloting and Jan. 21 for online balloting. The 2007 All-Star starters will be announced on Thursday Jan. 25 prior to a TNT doubleheader. Following the completion of fan voting and the starting line-up announcement, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, which will be announced Thursday, Feb. 1 prior to a TNT doubleheader.

Through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program, NBA fans worldwide are responsible for voting in the starters for the 56th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The game will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Tight races for starting spots exist in both conferences. Nuggets guard Iverson trails the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (1,331,511) by 31,263 votes among Western Conference guards. In the East, the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh (684,620) and the Indiana Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal (621,476) are separated by just 63,144 votes for a starting forward position.

Yao leads all players with 1,775,413 votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett leads all Western Conference forwards with 1,068,168 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (1,025,812). The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (1,536,556) and McGrady lead all Western Conference guards. James leads all Eastern Conference players with 1,774,281 votes, followed by the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (1,371,850). Bosh is second among Eastern Conference forwards. The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter (1,002,709) is second to Wade among Eastern Conference guards. Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal leads all Eastern Conference centers with 1,143,904 votes, followed by the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (978,007).

Fans have the opportunity to vote at all NBA arenas, in 20 languages on NBA.com, on AOL.com/nba, at 1,250 T-Mobile-owned retail locations and at t-zones using T-Mobile service or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans will be able to vote at several locations in Las Vegas, the host city of NBA All-Star 2007, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Fremont Street and the Thomas & Mack Center. For the first time, 13 NBA team arenas will also carry a Spanish-language version of the ballot. T-Mobile is the presenting partner of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program. This year’s other All-Star Balloting partners include 2K Sports, AOL.com, XBOX, GameStop & EB Games.

NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

In conjunction with All-Star Balloting, 2K Sports will give fans the chance to live out their Las Vegas hoop dreams by entering the Official Balloting NBA 2K7 All-Star Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2007 and play 2K Sports NBA 2K7 on XBOX 360 against an NBA player. In addition, T-Mobile will promote their Fave 5 Sweepstakes by offering fans a chance to bring their favorite five friends to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the fourth and final returns of the 2007 NBA All-Star voting program are below:

2007 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) 1,068,168; Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 1,025,812; Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) 884,160; Carmelo Anthony (Denver) 870,465; Shane Battier (Houston) 640,238; Shawn Marion (Phoenix) 332,106; Lamar Odom (L.A. Lakers) 311,845; Josh Howard (Dallas) 288,539; Carlos Boozer (Utah) 251,889; Pau Gasol (Memphis) 237,828.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) 1,536,556; Tracy McGrady (Houston) 1,331,511; Allen Iverson (Denver) 1,300,248*; Steve Nash (Phoenix) 992,885; Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) 376,185; Tony Parker (San Antonio) 350,257; Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City) 316,142; Jason Terry (Dallas) 306,123; Ray Allen (Seattle) 267,253; Jerry Stackhouse (Dallas) 252,254.

Centers: Yao Ming (Houston) 1,775,413; Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix) 727,298; Erick Dampier (Dallas) 283,103; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 232,174; Marcus Camby (Denver) 201,177; Francisco Elson (San Antonio) 171,180; Brad Miller (Sacramento) 109,715; Chris Kaman (L.A. Clippers) 107,065; Tyson Chandler (New Orleans/Oklahoma City) 98,541; Chris Mihm (L.A. Lakers) 97,636.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: LeBron James (Cleveland) 1,774,281; Chris Bosh (Toronto) 684,620; Jermaine O’Neal (Indiana) 621,476; Grant Hill (Orlando) 455,018; Paul Pierce (Boston) 442,393; Rasheed Wallace (Detroit) 358,998; Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) 316,491; Tayshaun Prince (Detroit) 252,295; Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando) 236,846; Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) 234,542.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Miami) 1,371,850; Vince Carter (New Jersey) 1,002,709; Gilbert Arenas (Washington) 788,249; Jason Kidd (New Jersey) 573,104; Stephon Marbury (New York) 383,204; Chauncey Billups (Detroit) 298,770; Michael Redd (Milwaukee) 233,038; Steve Francis (New York) 201,736; Joe Johnson (Atlanta) 198,918; Ben Gordon (Chicago) 177,866.

Centers: Shaquille O'Neal (Miami) 1,143,904; Dwight Howard (Orlando) 978,007; Ben Wallace (Chicago) 519,871; Alonzo Mourning (Miami) 205,832; Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta) 165,178; Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee) 146,027; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland) 123,176; Nazr Mohammed (Detroit) 119,888; Eddy Curry (New York) 113,133; Nenad Krstic (New Jersey) 92,832.

4th Returns: Allen Iverson trails 31,000 votes with Tracy McGrady on guard starter for the NBA AllStar 2007

2007-01-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Lets vote more on Allen Iverson in order for him to become a starter on this coming AllStar in Las Vegas.

Tight races for starting spots exist in both conferences. The Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson (1,300,248) trails the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (1,331,511) by 31,263 votes among Western Conference guards. In the East, the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh (684,620) and the Indiana Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal (621,476) are separated by just 63,144 votes for a starting forward position.

fourth and final update before the All-Star starters are announced on Jan. 25, Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets leads the Western Conference and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers leads the Eastern Conference in returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile.

The 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program continues through Jan. 15 for paper balloting and Jan. 21 for online balloting. The 2007 All-Star starters will be announced on Thursday Jan. 25 prior to a TNT doubleheader. Following the completion of fan voting and the starting line-up announcement, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, which will be announced Thursday, Feb. 1 prior to a TNT doubleheader.

Through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program, NBA fans worldwide are responsible for voting in the starters for the 56th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The game will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Yao leads all players with 1,775,413 votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett leads all Western Conference forwards with 1,068,168 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (1,025,812). The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant(1,536,556) and McGrady lead all Western Conference guards. James leads all Eastern Conference players with 1,774,281 votes, followed by the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (1,371,850). Bosh is second among Eastern Conference forwards. The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter (1,002,709) is second to Wade among Eastern Conference guards. Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal leads all Eastern Conference centers with 1,143,904 votes, followed by the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (978,007).

Fans have the opportunity to vote at all NBA arenas, in 20 languages on NBA.com, on AOL.com/nba, at 1,250 T-Mobile-owned retail locations and at t-zones using T-Mobile service or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans will be able to vote at several locations in Las Vegas, the host city of NBA All-Star 2007, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Fremont Street and the Thomas & Mack Center. For the first time, 13 NBA team arenas will also carry a Spanish-language version of the ballot. T-Mobile is the presenting partner of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program. This year’s other All-Star Balloting partners include 2K Sports, AOL.com, XBOX, GameStop & EB Games.

NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

In conjunction with All-Star Balloting, 2K Sports will give fans the chance to live out their Las Vegas hoop dreams by entering the Official Balloting NBA 2K7 All-Star Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2007 and play 2K Sports NBA 2K7 on XBOX 360 against an NBA player. In addition, T-Mobile will promote their Fave 5 Sweepstakes by offering fans a chance to bring their favorite five friends to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the fourth returns of the 2007 NBA All-Star voting program are attached:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Clev) 1,774,281; Chris Bosh (Tor) 684,620; Jermaine O’Neal (Ind) 621,476; Grant Hill (Orl) 455,018; Paul Pierce (Bos) 442,393; Rasheed Wallace (Det) 358,998; Andre Iguodala (Phi) 316,491; Tayshaun Prince (Det) 252, 295; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 236,846; Emeka Okafor (Char) 234,542;

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,371,850; Vince Carter (NJ) 1,002,709; Gilbert Arenas (Wash) 788,249; Jason Kidd (NJ) 573,104; Stephon Marbury (NY) 383,204; Chauncey Billups (Det) 298,770; Michael Redd (Mil) 233,038; Steve Francis (NY) 201,736; Joe Johnson (Atl) 198,918; Ben Gordon (Chi) 177,866.

Centers: Shaquille O'Neal (Mia) 1,143,904; Dwight Howard (Orl) 978,007; Ben Wallace (Chi) 519,871; Alonzo Mourning (Mia) 205,832; Zaza Pachulia (Atl) 165,178; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 146,027; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Clev) 123,176; Nazr Mohammed (Det) 119,888; Eddy Curry (NY) 113,133; Nenad Krstic (NJ) 92,832.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Minn) 1,068,168; Tim Duncan (SA) 1,025,812; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 884,160; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 870,465; Shane Battier (Hou) 640,238; Shawn Marion (Pho) 332,106; Lamar Odom (LAL) 311,845; Josh Howard (Dal) 288,539; Carlos Boozer (Utah) 251,889; Pau Gasol (Mem) 237,828.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,536,556; Tracy McGrady (Hou) 1,331,511; Allen Iverson (Den) 1,300,248*; Steve Nash (Pho) 992,885; Manu Ginobili (SA) 376,185; Tony Parker (SA) 350,257; Chris Paul (NOK) 316,142; Jason Terry (Dal) 306,123; Ray Allen (Sea) 267,253; Jerry Stackhouse (Dal) 252,254.

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 1,775,413; Amaré Stoudemire (Pho) 727,298; Erick Dampier (Dal) 283,103; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 232,174; Marcus Camby (Den) 201,177; Francisco Elson (SA) 171,180; Brad Miller (Sac) 109,715; Chris Kaman (LAC) 107,065; Tyson Chandler (NOK) 98,541; Chris Mihm (LAL) 97,636.

2007 Ballot Breakdown: West Guards

2007-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Vegas baby! Balloting for NBA All-Star 2007 is under way and to keep you abreast of who you might want to send to Vegas in February, NBA.com will break down all six positions -- West guards, forwards and centers, and East guards, forwards and centers -- over the coming weeks.

Today's Ballot Breakdown covers the Western Conference guards, ranked statistically (by the sum total of their scoring, rebounding and assist averages). Despite the Allen Iverson trade to Denver, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady still lead the pack after the third round of ballot returns. But A.I. is not far behind and things can certainly change, so vote daily to select the starters for the 2007 All-Star Game on Feb. 18. (Note: All statistics are through games played on Jan. 3.).

Allen Iverson, DenverAverages: 30.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 7.7 APGBreakdown: The Answer is averaging 30-plus for the third straight season and he has stepped it up with the move out West. He's shooting .473 from the field and dishing out 8.8 assists in his six games with the Nuggets. Those numbers are both higher than anything he's ever put up in his career.

Kobe Bryant, LA LakersAverages: 28.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.2 APGBreakdown: Is the Mamba the best player in the league? Well, he's the only one that can do some of the things that he does. He has already had three 50-plus games and he has kept the Lakers near the top of the West with Lamar Odom out.

Baron Davis, Golden StateAverages: 21.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 8.6 APGBreakdown: Back in October, this author put B-Diddy On the Spot. So far, he has responded by having one of the best seasons of his career, shooting a career high from the field while leading the Warriors to a solid start in the West.

Steve Nash, PhoenixAverages: 20.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 11.3 APGBreakdown: He's making a run at a third straight MVP award, leading the Suns to a 24-8 record while averaging a career-high in points and leading the league in assists once again. And if you want the All-Star game to be as entertaining as it can be, you want Steve Nash in Las Vegas.

Ray Allen, SeattleAverages: 24.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.3 APGBreakdown: Jesus Shuttlesworth missed 10 games with a bruised ankle, but he's back in the Seattle lineup and leading the team in scoring at 24.7 points per game, the second highest average of his career.

Tracy McGrady, HoustonAverages: 20.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.9 APGBreakdown: Along with Yao Ming, T-Mac has the Rockets back as one of the best teams. With Yao out for several weeks, McGrady is now carrying the load and he's led them to four straight wins.

Chris Paul, NO/Oklahoma CityAverages: 18.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.0 APGBreakdown: Paul is out for another few weeks with a sprained ankle, but he should be ready for All-Star Weekend, where he could possibly see action on all three nights.

Tony Parker, San AntonioAverages: 19.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.9 APGBreakdown: The Spurs are once again near the top of the standings and Parker is putting up career highs in scoring and three point percentage, while shooting an incredible (for a point guard) .530 from the field. There's no place like Vegas to get married.

Deron Williams, UtahAverages: 16.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.7 APGBreakdown: Leading the Jazz to one of the best records in the league has Williams right there with Paul in the discussion of the best second-year players in the league. Not so many people are questioning that No. 3 pick these days.

Kevin Martin, SacramentoAverages: 21.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APGBreakdown: Not on the ballot, Martin may be the most deserving write-in candidate in the league and one of the leaders for the Most Improved Player award.

The Next Five

Mike Bibby, SacramentoAverages: 17.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 6.0 APG
Jason Terry, DallasAverages: 16.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.8 APG
Luke Ridnour, SeattleAverages: 14.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 6.4 APG
Monta Ellis, Golden State (Write-in)Averages: 17.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.1 APG
Leandro Barbosa, PhoenixAverages: 16.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.3 APG

2007 NBA All-Star Balloting Third Returns Announced

2007-01-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Western Conference, while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference in votes received after the third returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. Through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program, NBA fans from around the globe are responsible for voting in the starters for the 56th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The game will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Yao leads all players with 1,629,832 votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett leads all Western Conference forwards with 947,040 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (852,827). Bryant (1,386,477) and the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (1,205,510) lead all Western Conference guards. Currently in third place among Western Conference guards is Allen Iverson (1,157,031), who was acquired by the Denver Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 19. Since Iverson was traded to a Western Conference team after the All-Star ballot was unveiled, his Eastern Conference votes will be applied to the conference in which he now plays.
James leads all Eastern Conference players with 1,587,738 votes, followed by Wade (1,191,403).

The Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh (589,829) is second to James among Eastern Conference forwards. The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter (867,437) is second to Wade among Eastern Conference guards. Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal leads all Eastern Conference centers with 1,013,747 votes, followed by the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (789,950).

Fans have the opportunity to vote at all NBA arenas, in 20 languages on NBA.com, on AOL.com/nba, at 1,250 T-Mobile-owned retail locations and at t-zones using T-Mobile service or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans will be able to vote at several locations in Las Vegas, the host city of NBA All-Star 2007, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Fremont Street and the Thomas & Mack Center. For the first time, 13 NBA team arenas will also carry a Spanish-language version of the ballot. T-Mobile is the presenting partner of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program. This year’s other All-Star Balloting partners include 2K Sports, AOL.com, XBOX, GameStop & EB Games.

NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session.

The 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program continues through Jan. 15, 2007 for paper balloting and Jan. 21, 2007 for online balloting. Updated results for the Eastern and Western Conferences will be issued regularly leading up to the announcement of the All-Star starters on Thursday Jan. 25 prior to a TNT doubleheader. Following the completion of fan voting and the starting line-up announcement, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, which will be announced Thursday, Feb. 1 prior to a TNT doubleheader.

In conjunction with All-Star Balloting, 2K Sports will give fans the chance to live out their Las Vegas hoop dreams by entering the Official Balloting NBA 2K7 All-Star Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2007 and play 2K Sports NBA 2K7 on XBOX 360 against an NBA player. In addition, T-Mobile will promote their Fave 5 Sweepstakes by offering fans a chance to bring their favorite five friends to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.
The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the third returns of the 2007 NBA All-Star voting program are attached:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Cleveland) 1,587,738; Chris Bosh (Toronto) 589,829; Jermaine O’Neal (Indiana) 531,531; Paul Pierce (Boston) 382,287; Grant Hill (Orlando) 331,931; Rasheed Wallace (Detroit) 299,296; Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) 260,993; Tayshaun Prince (Detroit) 200,065; Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) 186,445; Chris Webber (Philadelphia) 173,572. Guards: Dwyane Wade (Miami) 1,191,403; Vince Carter (New Jersey) 867,437; Gilbert Arenas (Washington) 647,281; Jason Kidd (New Jersey) 490,622; Stephon Marbury (New York) 347,994; Chauncey Billups (Detroit) 244,236; Michael Redd (Milwaukee) 192,280; Joe Johnson (Atlanta) 160,280; Steve Francis (New York) 155,676; Richard Hamilton (Detroit) 136,946.
Centers: Shaquille O'Neal (Miami) 1,013,747; Dwight Howard (Orlando) 789,950; Ben Wallace (Chicago) 451,575; Alonzo Mourning (Miami) 155,605; Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta) 103,301; Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee) 103,321; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland) 88,979; Nazr Mohammed (Detroit) 73,139; Eddy Curry (New York) 68,445; Nenad Krstic (New Jersey) 62,550.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) 947,040; Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 852,827; Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) 794,581; Carmelo Anthony (Denver) 769,491; Shane Battier (Houston) 539,714; Shawn Marion (Phoenix) 283,766; Lamar Odom (L.A. Lakers) 275,327; Josh Howard (Dallas) 256,409; Carlos Boozer (Utah) 217,872; Pau Gasol (Memphis) 198,075. Guards: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) 1,386,477; Tracy McGrady (Houston) 1,205,510; Allen Iverson (Denver) 1,157,031*; Steve Nash (Phoenix) 869,645; Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City) 276,477; Jason Terry (Dallas) 267,698; Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) 256,362; Tony Parker (San Antonio) 242,929; Ray Allen (Seattle) 221,003; Jerry Stackhouse (Dallas) 220,385.
Centers: Yao Ming (Houston) 1,629,832; Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix) 610,444; Erick Dampier (Dallas) 246,918; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 189,778; Marcus Camby (Denver) 154,712; Brad Miller (Sacramento) 81,424; Francisco Elson (San Antonio) 71,114; Tyson Chandler (New Orleans/Oklahoma City) 69,851; Chris Mihm (L.A. Lakers) 69,840; Chris Kaman (L.A. Clippers) 67,430.

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony: 62 ppg

2006-12-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ok. It’s finally happening. Allen Iverson is going to play alongside Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets gave up their starting point guard in the process, and I highly doubt they will have a starting backcourt of Boykins and A.I. This means Allen is the point guard, and they have two guys that need the ball in their hands to do what they do.

Iverson has a long track record of 30 ppg seasons, and Carmelo has been basically unstoppable when not suspended or ejected this season, raising his average a full 5 ppg over last year. The last time there were two 30 ppg scorers on an NBA team was when I tried to pull that off with Latrell Sprewell and Alan Houston in NBA Live ‘98.

Melo and A.I. will each have to make concessions to their game for this to work. Either that, or the Nuggets are going to start scoring more than Phoenix, while they still have a premier shot blocker in Marcus Camby. As of this moment, they rank #1 and #2 in FG attempts with roughly 24 per game each. Allen shoots more free throws, Melo shoots a better percentage from the field. They’re not exactly an inside-outside combo like Kobe-Shaq, KJ-Barkley, or any of the great ones you can think of. They’re both volume scorers, although A.I. is a great passer when he chooses. Defensively… yeah they should just run as much they can on offense.

Carmelo has never made an All-Star game. A.I. is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Is Melo cool with taking a back seat? He’s been shooting 4 or 5 more shots per game than last season. In my opinion he was having a better season than anyone from his draft class, featuring the anointed twosome of Wade and LeBron. It was Carmelo’s time to be celebrated, as per his SLAM cover. The suspension complicates things, but he’s still been an amazing player this year. Will he be able to scale back to say 18 to 20 shots per game (which is still a crazy amount)?

Allen Iverson is ready to start winning again. But don’t think that means he will automatically defer like Shaq did in Miami. A.I. is as great as he ever was, and he has still never changed himself for anyone. He is the dominant personality on the team, even moreso than the coach. What makes this whole thing really weird is that he gets 14 games of making the team HIS, while Carmelo can only practice with him. Don’t make me say practice, we’re talking about practice?!? Ahhhh…. damn you! You made me say it, and A.I. is involved. It’s kind of like having someone watch your apartment for you while you’re on vacation, and when you come home, he’s bought all new furniture and now you are roommates. We’ll see how this works out.

I’m excited for this pairing, and I hope they can co-exist. Will they battle each other for the scoring title? Who gets the ball in crunch time? Melo has been one of the top clutch players in the league the past few years, but Iverson will have the ball in his hands and he’s pretty clutch himself. Here’s one train of thought: the last time Carmelo played with a guy known for jacking up shots whenever was with Gerry McNamara. How did that work out for them? I’d say pretty effing well. Iverson has never had a teammate like this. Webber was too far past his prime and was never the scorer that Melo is and wil be.

Allen Iverson Traded to Nuggets in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first round draft picks

2006-12-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

The Denver Nuggets have acquired G Allen Iverson and F Ivan McFarlin from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for G Andre Miller, F Joe Smith and two first round draft picks, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.“This is an exciting day for the Denver Nuggets,” said Warkentien. “It’s not often that you have a chance to acquire a talent like Allen Iverson. No one plays with more passion, desire and a will to win than A.I. We want to thank our owner and leader, Stan Kroenke, for once again showing his commitment to bringing an NBA championship contender to Denver. We think this move takes us one step closer to that ultimate goal. We want to thank Andre and Joe for everything they’ve done for the Nuggets. Andre is playing at an All-Star level right now and Joe is the consummate professional. It’s tough to see guys like that go.”

Iverson, 6-0, 165, has averaged 31.2 ppg in 15 games this season - second in the NBA only to new teammate Carmelo Anthony (31.6). He has averaged 28.1 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.9 rpg and 2.33 spg in 697 games during his 11-year career – all with the 76ers. He has led the NBA in scoring four times (2004-05, 2001-02, 2000-01, 1998-99), joining Michael Jordan (10), Wilt Chamberlain (seven) and George Gervin (four) as the only players in NBA history to capture four or more scoring titles.

Iverson has averaged more than 30 ppg in a season four times, including a career-best 33.0 ppg in 2005-06. His career scoring average is the third-highest in NBA history and he ranks 32nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 19,583 points. He has appeared in 62 career playoff games, averaging 30.6 ppg, 6.1 apg, 4.2 rpg and 2.19 spg. He helped the 76ers reach the 2001 NBA Finals, where they fell to the L.A. Lakers in five games.

Iverson’s list of accolades is long and distinguished. He was named 2001 NBA MVP and has been named All-NBA seven times (three First Team: 1999, 2001, 2005; three Second Team: 2000, 2002, 2003; one Third Team: 2006). He has appeared in seven All-Star Games (starting each one) and was twice named All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005).

In addition, he holds 19 NBA Player of the Week honors and was a co-captain for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

McFarlin, 6-8, 240, has averaged 1.4 ppg in 11 games as a rookie with the 76ers this season.
Miller signed with the Nuggets as a free agent on Aug. 1, 2003. He averaged 13.0 ppg, 9.1 apg, 4.5 rpg and 1.61 spg in 23 games for the Nuggets this season. In three-plus seasons in Denver, Miller averaged 14.0 ppg, 7.3 apg and 4.3 rpg. He has played in all 269 possible games with the Nuggets and his consecutive games played streak of 309 ranks as the second-longest active streak in the NBA. He has averaged 14.1 ppg, 7.6 apg and 4.2 rpg in 594 career games with the Nuggets, L.A. Clippers and Cavaliers.

Smith was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee on Aug. 10, 2006. He has averaged 5.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 11 games with the Nuggets this season. The 12-year veteran has averaged 12.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg in 762 career games with six different teams.

Allen Iverson might stick around Philadelphia a while longer.

2006-12-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia 76ers team president Billy King told The Associated Press on Sunday night he would not rush to deal Iverson, the former MVP who has drawn heavy trade interest from around the league.

``We never put a timetable on this,'' King said. ``The only timetable I'll put on this is to make the best decision for this franchise for the long haul. We've got to be very methodical as we go through this and do our due diligence. This is not something we're going to rush into.''

Iverson was sent home by the Sixers and has been inactive for six straight games after he asked to be traded nearly two weeks ago. King would not say when he expected a trade for Iverson would be completed. It's a transaction that's likely to be complicated because of the nearly $60 million left on Iverson's contract, his frosty relationship with the Sixers, and the fact he's sitting at home.

King said he's received calls from all but two other teams in the league, and they're each interested in either acquiring Iverson or acting as a facilitator for a deal. King said it could take three or four teams to make a trade for Iverson and his 31.2 points per game.

``We've had some great dialogue,'' King said. ``I think the teams out there that we're talking with know exactly what it will take to get it done. We'll keep talking. This is a process where you make a lot of conversation.''

Only Memphis has a worse record than the Sixers, who have lost 11 straight games. While the Sixers weren't going to be a playoff team this season, having Iverson around might have at least helped them win a few games during their most wretched stretch since he was a rookie.
King stuck by the Sixers' decision to send Iverson home (with pay) while they actively shopped him.

``Once it was there and out that we were going to trade him, and he had asked to be traded, I felt it was best to keep him out and let the team focus on playing,'' King said. ``It gives me the chance to evaluate our team as we're talking to people. What pieces would fit best to go with the pieces that we have.''

The Sixers not only banished Iverson from the team, they took down his nameplate, cleaned out his locker and left his pregame highlight reel on the cutting room floor. King said he would not be pressured to make a trade, even as rumors and possible destinations swirl every hour.
``I'm going to do whatever I can to help this franchise for the long haul,'' King said.
Deals, he said, ``just materialize as you talk and talk.''

The Sixers can only hope one appears soon. Playing without their leading scorer and weary of the daily Iverson questions, they've lost 18 of their last 20 games and attendance is plummeting at the Wachovia Center.

``I do believe our guys are competing and playing hard,'' King said. ``I think any time you take a major player that your offense is designed around out of the team, it takes a while for them to adjust.''

King said he has not talked to Iverson since the bitter parting, dealing only with agent Leon Rose. And if King could say something to Iverson?

``I'd tell him I'm doing what I think is best for the franchise,'' King said. ``I thank you for everything you've done for us and you'll always be a friend to me.''

10 players were rejected and got fined from brawl

2006-12-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Carmelo Anthony's Denver has the NBA's leading scorer. Sometime Monday, the Nuggets should learn how long they have to make do without him.

And the New York Knicks were expected to be told of their penalties as well from Saturday's brawl -- including if the league thinks coach Isiah Thomas had any role in triggering it.

The NBA's policy is to announce suspensions before a team plays its next game, and both Denver and New York are in action Monday night. The Nuggets host Washington, and the Knicks are back at Madison Square Garden to face Utah.

And with the league still working to repair its image after the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans two years ago, it could come down hard on many of the 10 players who were ejected after the melee at the Garden.

"I'm saddened to see it happen, but it will be dealt with and there will be some severe penalties," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's unfortunate when things like that happen." It could be especially tough for the Nuggets, who could be facing at least five games without

Anthony and his 31.6-point scoring average. He and J.R. Smith, who combine for 48.3 per game, joined New York's Nate Robinson in taking part in the most disturbing images of the brawl.

Anthony, who dropped Mardy Collins with a punch, said Sunday he was sorry his emotions got the best of him.

"Last night's altercation with the Knicks escalated further than it should have. I take full responsibility for my actions in the matter," Anthony said in a statement. He apologized to fans, the Nuggets, the NBA, his own family -- and to Collins and his family.

"My actions were inexcusable, and I am sorry for making this an even more embarrassing situation," Anthony said.

Thomas said he told Anthony that he and Marcus Camby shouldn't have been in the game after it was decided. A source in the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation into the brawl, said that Thomas also advised Anthony not to go near the basket shortly before the hard foul occurred.

It the league believes that, it sets up another embarrassment for the Knicks, who already came off looking childish by blaming the Nuggets for still having their starters in with a 19-point lead and only 1:15 to play.

What caused the meltdown? It seems to come down to this: The Knicks felt dissed.
"The score, period, and the guys that they had in," Robinson said after the game.
The Knicks (9-17) didn't practice Sunday and weren't commenting further. Another starter, Andre Miller, was also on the floor when Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to the floor.

Smith rose and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson away, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into the front row while fighting.

Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored Collins, and New York's Jared Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.

By the time security had finally contained Smith, they were nearly at the opposite end of the court from where the altercation started, making it the NBA's scariest scene since the brawl at Auburn Hills, Mich.

"Without being there, I can tell you the power of emotions can be an underrated thing in our game," Carlisle said.

Nuggets coach George Karl had just dispatched three players to the scorer's table to check in while the Knicks brought the ball up the floor. But before play stopped so they could check in, New York turned it over, starting Smith's fast break.

Three minutes earlier, Smith had thrown down a reverse dunk on the break, as both he and Anthony seemed to be trying to impress their group of fans. Smith is from New Jersey, and Anthony, who scored 23 points in the second half, is a New York native.

The Knicks weren't enjoying the show.

Robinson said the Knicks were "just trying to fight, come back from the deficit and they got their star players still in. It's a slap in the face to us as a franchise."

One of many this year.

It's been a miserable season for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, where they have been routinely booed while compiling a 4-10 record. And they were in the midst of their second straight beating -- Collins, in fact, committed a flagrant foul at the tail end of a 112-96 loss at Indiana on Friday night. The final score on Saturday was 123-100, Nuggets.

But while there is no excuse for their actions Saturday, nor is there any reason why Anthony should have had such a prominent role. Before the game, Karl was talking about his maturation as a player and a person, and Anthony was one of the captains of the U.S. team in the world championships.

The NBA has taken numerous steps to clean up its image after the fiasco in Detroit, implementing a dress code and its community relations initiative NBA Cares last season, and trying to eliminate excessive complaints to officials this season.

With Anthony appearing in marketing campaigns to promote the NBA, the league can't have him participating in an incident that's sure to trigger more discussions about all that is still wrong with its players.

"I'm sure there's going to be some pretty stiff suspensions," said Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, suspended for his role in the Detroit brawl.

"That's the negative, too, because they're going to start comparing it ... to our fight, so you'll hear about our brawl a little bit more. But it's bad. I hope they suspend all the guys."

Nuggets, Knicks await penalties from brawl

2006-12-18T05:26:00.000-08:00

The NBA could wait until Monday before ruling on penalties resulting from the brawl between the Nuggets and Knicks.

All 10 players on the court, including league scoring leader Carmelo Anthony, were ejected after the melee Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The mayhem began when New York's

Mardy Collins flagrantly fouled the Nuggets' J.R. Smith with 1:15 left in Denver's 123-100 victory. Anthony faces an automatic suspension for throwing a punch, and Smith and New York's Nate Robinson will be penalized for their fight that spilled into the stands.
With so much footage to review and players, coaches and officials to interview, the league probably will need time to make its ruling.

"We don't have timetable for when the decision will be reached," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Sunday.

Still, it might well come Monday since both teams play that night. The league's policy has been to rule on any suspensions before the teams involved play their next game.
The Knicks host Utah on Monday; the Nuggets are home against Washington.

Anthony could receive one of the harshest penalties. He twice escalated actions, shoving Robinson in the neck and throwing a hard punch that dropped Collins just when things seemed to be calming down.

Last season, Orlando's Keyon Dooling was suspended five games without pay and Seattle's Ray Allen three for their fight, which also spilled into the crowd. Dooling threw a punch that did not connect.

Exiling Iverson before trading him is unfathomable

2006-12-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

In the hierarchy of professional sports franchises, perhaps the only thing more beautiful than being absolutely correct all the time is giving the impression that you are, well, correct all the time.

You can point the finger at a mercurial talent like Allen Iverson, blame his penchant for turmoil as the sole reason for the 76ers' demise, then have the team chairman, Ed Snider, hold an impromptu news conference in the hallway of a sparsely crowded arena, swearing that "we're going to trade him" and leaving us with this incredible notion:

That somehow, some way, the Sixers are showing everyone they're moving in the right direction.

Please.

Wake up, Mr. Snider. The same for you, Billy King. And while we're at it, throw coach Maurice Cheeks and the players on this roster into the equation.

There's too much intelligence in this town for anyone to get hoodwinked by this Iverson's-the-problem-and-nothing-else chorus at the Wachovia Center.

Go ahead and say Iverson's departure is a good thing. One question, though:

Will what the Sixers receive in return match up to Iverson himself?

Thank goodness history doesn't necessarily provide all the answers.

If it did, it would not be any kinder to the Sixers than they have been to Iverson thus far. Truth be told, what has transpired with Iverson has been nothing short of shameful over the last few days.

"Everybody knows Allen has had his issues, his troubles," former Sixers president Pat Croce said yesterday. "He's Allen. Certain things come with the territory. But you know what this kid is like when he's in uniform, when he's on that court, in front of that crowd, for those 48 minutes a night. For him not to be in uniform, having his locker cleaned out, exiled from the team without a trade yet, is unfathomable. It's unbelievable."

Especially considering the circumstances from Iverson's point of view.

According to those close to Iverson, most of the problems surrounding this latest fiasco involved the player approaching Cheeks and King in a quest to get the coach to change his offense. Purportedly, he did not like the offense, feeling it hindered his capabilities and those of his teammates. That's just one of the things that led to Iverson's having a falling out with his coach.

Although he wanted to be traded, he never asked for a trade - which King confirmed days ago. But Iverson did feel that he should be listened to. Once he felt that wasn't happening, he took it as the proverbial handwriting being on the wall.

Expect for Iverson to say a lot more than that once he's traded. For now, he's not saying another word.

He is leaving the Sixers alone, allowing them the luxury of resuscitating a once-respectable reputation, and we'll see how that works out.

In the past, right here, it has been said the Sixers don't need Iverson to miss the playoffs again. If you're watching the entire postseason from home for two of the last three seasons, if you're playing for a team that's struggling just to remain relevant, why bother having a franchise player making $17 million this year and more than $39 million over the next two seasons?

It makes no sense and just serves to build the level of hostility already aimed in the Sixers' direction.

So making the choice to move Iverson is not only plausible but understandable. Especially if you've determined his style of play is not conducive to uplifting a franchise rife with young talent in desperate need of development.

Still, that doesn't justify several things the Sixers have done.

It doesn't justify telling Iverson not to show up for a shoot-around. Or telling him to stay home and not show up at the arena. Or embarrassing him by telling the world he couldn't travel with the team - and certainly not by acting like he's done something lately that was so different, so much more catastrophic, than anything that has transpired with him for years.

It served no purpose.

All it did was diminish Iverson's value, provide an abundance of question marks, only serving to provoke shabby offers from opposing team executives looking to commit highway robbery.

"If Iverson is such a problem, why on earth should I give up anything significant for him?" said one Eastern Conference GM, speaking about the approach other executives undoubtedly have when they call Billy King. "Sure, trade the kid. But let him average his 30 points until you do."

Obviously, the Sixers didn't think about that. And that's the problem.

After all these seasons, all the ups and downs, they've allowed it to come down to this.

That brings up one final question: Who's more juvenile in all of this?

Nuggets trying to secure the deal of Iverson

2006-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

As the front-runner to acquire Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nuggets are pushing hard to complete a trade for the 31-year-old point guard as early as today.

According to league sources, the Nuggets are leading the race for Iverson by working aggressively to meet the demands of Philadelphia, which seeks the salary-cap flexibility provided by expiring contracts of veteran players and the draft picks required to rebuild its roster.

With two first-round picks in the 2007 draft, the Nuggets have positioned themselves in "the driver's seat" and are "leading the pack" against league rivals also looking to acquire Iverson, according to a source familiar with negotiations.

It's a complicated trade, however, that would involve at least five players, three teams and two draft choices, plus the approval of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke and Sixers chairman Ed Snider.

From all indications, Philadelphia is more concerned with financial freedom than the raw ability of the players it receives in return for Iverson and his $17.1 million salary.

Key to completing the deal is Denver's ability to persuade a third team to get involved in the trade, with the Nuggets working on at least two fronts Thursday, holding discussions with Dallas and Portland.

For Philadelphia's purposes, the most desirable trade bait on Denver's roster is Joe Smith, not for his 5.6 scoring average, but because the veteran big man is earning $6.8 million in the final year of his contract.

With the exception of Smith and two draft picks, however, Denver's end of the deal remains fluid, and could include forward Eduardo Najera, according to an NBA source.

To satisfy the 76ers' desire for as many expiring contracts as possible, league sources said Denver has held trade talks with Dallas regarding forward Austin Croshere ($7.3 million salary) and Portland for Jamaal Magloire ($8.4 million), both role players in the final year of what would be considered bad contracts except in this situation.

Frustrated by earlier attempts to pry Magloire from Portland by offering Nene, the Nuggets have heard from other less-than-benevolent potential trade partners, including Chicago. The Bulls, however, had their sights set on center Marcus Camby, whom Denver has no interest in moving.

The hefty financial weight of Nene's new, long-term contract has diminished chances he will be included in the trade.

With the seventh-best record in the Western Conference this season and not so much as a single playoff series won since 1994, Denver is willing to take a chance on Iverson's history of off-court drama to obtain his 28.1 career scoring average and a fierce competitiveness that makes the skinny guard the most intimidating player on the court.

"He's unstoppable," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said of Iverson, currently the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference guards in balloting for the NBA All-Star Game. "That pretty much explains what he can do on the court."

Although guard J.R. Smith's name has been floated in discussions, the Nuggets hope to retain him, sources indicated, because this deal will depend more on the fine print of contracts than talent.

Other reported suitors for Iverson include the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota, Boston and Miami. Although Philadelphia has indicated interest in getting a deal done quickly, if the Sixers decide to wait, the list of competitors against Denver could grow. That's why the Nuggets are in a hurry to end the competition.

Iverson Falling Off Celts' Radar

2006-12-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Celtics appeared to be falling out of the running for Allen Iverson [stats] yesterday, but new information leaves open to question how deeply they were ever truly in it.

According to sources, the Celts and 76ers did have discussions on a potential trade, but, contrary to published reports, at no time did the Celtics make a specific offer or did the Sixers make a specific request.

Philadelphia was exploring other options yesterday, including multiple-team transactions, leading the Celtics to believe Iverson will not wind up in Green - especially when the club did not hear back from the 76ers by yesterday morning.

But even if the Celts, said to be one of five teams still in the running as of yesterday, do not land Iverson, they are willing to help facilitate his move elsewhere if they can gain an asset in return.

More than one league source confirmed that the Sixers’ wish list from the Celtics included some combination of Al Jefferson [stats], Delonte West, Ryan Gomes and Theo Ratliff [stats], with the latter being an expiring (after next season) contract to make the salary numbers work. Ratliff could be even more valuable financially if his back problems keep him from playing again and his contract insurance kicks in.

Note that Philadelphia has not sought Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair [stats], Tony Allen or Rajon Rondo [stats], names that appeared in different public speculation. Regarding Green, the 76ers would seem to be set at that position with Andre Iguodala.

Though the Celts would clearly like to keep Jefferson, they have apparently been willing to discuss him, but not in combination with Gomes.

The talks between the Celtics and Philadelphia actually were rekindled from about a month ago, meaning that the 76ers have not just been reacting to Iverson’s recent actions.

League sources say that even if the Celtics’ staff is able to reach an agreement on an Iverson deal, the team’s ownership, which has sought answers to questions about The Answer, still could choose to prevent the move.

Danny Ainge had no comment on the specifics yesterday.

“There’s nothing going on with us right now,” he said. “It’s really not any different than it’s been the last few days for us.”

If you’re looking for a trigger point on the Celtics’ just-completed 3-0 road trip, the following score will suffice: 22-2.

For many on this suddenly buoyed team, that deficit at the start of last Saturday’s win in New Jersey was akin to someone lighting a king-sized Bunsen burner under the Celtics bench.

Jefferson responded with the best game of his career. West inched a little closer to the capable, all-aspects performer people remembered from last season. Paul Pierce [stats] was no longer bearing the load alone.

Against the Nets, Pierce was able to hit the winning shot after Jefferson pulled the Celtics through all of the important junctures. Wednesday night against the 76ers, Pierce could settle back and become one of the guys, while West and Wally Szczerbiak came off the bench with big performances.

That 22-2 gap appears to have branded itself in a lot of short-term memories.

“It was great,” said Doc Rivers. “When you look on the schedule and see three games on the road, you usually don’t write in three wins.”cw0cw0

Even when those three games are limited to teams from the weak Atlantic Division.

“The Nets game was tough,” said the Celtics [team stats] coach. “But coming back from 22-2 is the reason that we got off on this trip.”

Lakers interested with the Answer

2006-12-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

While the Philadelphia 76ers continue to look for a destination for Allen Iverson, the Los Angeles Lakers have publicly expressed interest in the former MVP. Coach Phil Jackson has been very clear that he believes the backcourt pairing of Kobe Bryant and Iverson would indeed be a successful one.

Unfortunately the Lakers seem out of the running. They don't have the right combination of 1-2 year contracts, young talent (that they are willing to part with) and seemingly no lottery pick in the 2007 draft.

For the Lakers to acquire Iverson, they'd have to be willing to part with at least one of the following players: Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar and/or Kwame Brown. Considering the team's strong start and signals from the team, the Lakers are not willing to do so.

The remaining players carry contracts too small to add up comfortably to the $13.67 million needed to acquire Iverson. The Lakers are not willing to give up their depth to acquire a player they would love to have . . . but don't necessarily need. The Sixers only have so much roster space to take in players. They are not willing to take on lengthy, expensive contracts.

In theory, the list of movable players for Iverson would include Smush Parker, Aaron McKie, Chris Mihm, Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Shammond Williams, Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. That's not to suggest LA would like to part with any of the players listed, especially Evans who has been one of the team's best trade acquisitions in years.

Due to a technicality, LA cannot send Aaron McKie to the Sixers as he was Philadelphia's amnesty waiver two summers ago.

Though the Lakers technically may be able to make a package that would work under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, there is essentially no chance of finding one that would be approved by both teams.

If the Lakers were willing to part with Brown or Bynum, perhaps a deal could be worked . . . but that's not a consideration at this time for the Lakers.

Simply put, the Lakers and Sixers aren't going to be able to do a two-team trade bringing Iverson to Los Angeles.

Charlotte Bobcats are under the salary cap, they are capable of taking on relatively significant contracts without having to send players out. The Bobcats are in fact willing to participate in a multi-team deal, but only if it serves their interest.

Currently the Cats have onlly two point guards on their roster: Brevin Knight and Raymond Felton. Charlotte recently signed Derek Anderson to fill in at both guard positions. Sadly the team has quickly learned that Anderson is not a point, averaging just one assist over his 18.3 mpg. Knight has been struggling on and off with injury and it's apparent that the team needs an additional point guard.

If the Lakers were able to acquire Iverson, they would no longer need the services of Smush Parker. Considering McKie cannot go to the Sixers, would the Bobcats be willing to take on both McKie and Parker? Perhaps the Lakers could enhance the offer with a cash payment of $3 million?

Assume for a moment they would. Unfortunately the Lakers still don't have a package that works for the Sixers.

The Lakers, Sixers and Bobcats just don't have the right combination of available players to put together a three-team swap landing Iverson in Los Angeles.

More importantly Philly sheds $7.7 million off the team's total salary, dropping the Sixers below the luxury tax limit which would save them another $4.2 million. The fiscal benefit in year two would be even more pronounced as Iverson's $19 million salary would be off the books. The tax savings could be closer to $10 million . . .

Possible Lineup when Allen Iverson in Lakers:
PG: Iverson\Farmar\Vujacic
SG: Bryant\Evans
SF: Walton
PF: Odom\Turiaf\Cook
C: Brown\Bynum

Heat shows interest on Allen Iverson Trade

2006-12-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Heat is the latest team to be included in the growing list of possible Allen Iverson destinations.

And Pat Riley isn't hiding his interest in the former league MVP.

''I would be delinquent in my responsibilities if I wasn't interested in Allen Iverson,'' Riley, the Heat's coach and president, said. ``That's all I'm going to say. Just like when Shaquile [O'Neal] came out there, I was frothing at the mouth. So my level of interest can be gauged on that comment.''

The likelihood of the Heat landing a second megastar in three years remains a long shot, however.

The Heat contacted the Sixers on Tuesday, a source said, to toss its hat into the Iverson ring.

But given what the Heat has to trade, it's unlikely the Sixers will give serious thought to any offer. A trade for Iverson, who will make about $18 million this season, would most likely have to include any two of either Antoine Walker, James Posey, Jason Williams or Udonis Haslem, and then probably include a young talent such as Dorell Wright, with a future first-round draft pick thrown in.

Riley said the Sixers are listening to several potential trade partners.

''[The 76ers] are playing the field,'' Riley said. ``That's what they should do.''

Allen Iverson: What's the best deal? Nuggets are serious

2006-12-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

It seems like the trade for Iverson until hasn't have the best deal until now?

But I think i heard a lot of rumors about the Nuggets are very much serious in dealing Allen Iverson Lottery Trade.

According to league sources, the Nuggets have quietly but steadfastly worked to close a deal for the 31-year-old star, who was put on the block last week after he demanded a trade.

With a marketable big man in Nene, a hefty expiring contract from Joe Smith that Philadelphia likes for salary-cap flexibility and the two picks Denver owns in the first round of the 2007 draft, the Nuggets have the resources to compete with Indiana, Minnesota or any other league rival to land Iverson.

"We're trying to make our roster better every day. That's our job, to find ways to make the Nuggets better," Denver vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said Wednesday. "We're sitting here today with a winning record, and I'm here to say we like our team. But here's the simple deal. You look for ways to try to get better, if you can."

Watch the TNT Insider: Aldridge on Iverson and the Nuggets Video

Denver has expressed keen interest throughout 2006 in acquiring the guard with seven appearances in the NBA All-Star Game on his résumé, only to be disappointed at the trade deadline in February and again during the summer.

The Nuggets need to get Iverson. Now. The clock is ticking.

With Iverson on paid leave from the 76ers, his locker cleaned out and his nameplate removed from the Philadelphia dressing room, the Nuggets are operating under the assumption the Sixers want to end their relationship with A.I. quickly.

Consider it a high-stakes game of poker and consider Denver ready to go all in, hoping to land the prize, according to an NBA source familiar with Sixers owner Ed Snider's desire to deal Iverson.

The price might never be lower to acquire Iverson, who has averaged 28 points per game in 11 NBA seasons. The Nuggets have no intention of including either forward Carmelo Anthony or center Marcus Camby in any trade with Philadelphia. While the names J.R. Smith and Eduardo Najera have been floated, so has a deal that would include no current member of Denver's starting five.

Why could pleasing the Sixers be so difficult? Complicating matters is the number of folks the Nuggets must deal with in Philadelphia, where Snider, franchise president Billy King and former Sixers coach Larry Brown are all involved in the decision to trade Iverson, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

The Nuggets, directed by a management team of Warkentien, player personnel executive Rex Chapman and adviser Bret Bearup, have worked nearly nonstop to determine if a trade for Iverson would make sense, even before Philadelphia sent shockwaves through the league by announcing it would part ways with the mercurial star last week, when King was publicly given orders to do a trade ASAP.

While sipping on that first cup of morning coffee on Dec. 7, my telephone rang. Warkentien was on the line. "Sorry, wrong number," he said. "I couldn't sleep and I've been working the phones since 5 a.m."

Warkentien explained he had taken a break to call his daughter, Kreigh, and had hit the wrong speed-dial button for his listings under "K" by mistake.

Days later, Warkentien remained apologetic for the error.

"No problem. I figured you were probably trying to reach King. K-I-N-G. In Philadelphia," I told Warkentien on Wednesday.

"That's an excellent comeback," said Warkentien, laughing.

The interest in Iverson, however, is dead serious.

The Nuggets have never played in the NBA Finals.

No player for Denver has ever been named MVP of the NBA. At 6-feet, A.I. has been honored as the league's best player once, same as 7-1 Shaquille O'Neal.

Iverson packs a suitcase stuffed with risk, without a doubt.

He's not going to start loving practice anytime in this lifetime. The little man dominates the ball and would have to be sold on the idea that giving up the rock to Anthony is his best ticket back to the Finals. A Denver backcourt of Andre Miller at the point and Iverson as the hired gun would be unconventional, to say the least. If insomnia were the worst thing A.I. caused George Karl, the coach should consider himself lucky. The Answer might sell oodles and gobs of tickets to the Pepsi Center upon his arrival, but drive those same fans away from the arena before he left town.

But look at it this way.

On one hand, Denver has a chance to get Iverson for 75 cents on the dollar, maybe less.

In the other hand, the local NBA team holds the credit card of Stan Kroenke, a billionaire franchise owner who wants to win a title so badly he can taste it.

The Answer? Iverson plays every game like there's no tomorrow. He would be one of the five greatest players in Nuggets history, the first time he stepped on the court.

It's time for Denver to go all in, and take a shot at greatness.

Other teams that has the interested in joining Allen Iverson Loterry Trade are:
Nuggets
Heat
Minnesota
Boston
Sacramento
Clippers

Allen Iverson still leading in All Star 2007 Eastern Conference votes in Las Vegas

2006-12-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers lead the Eastern Conference in votes received after the first returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile.

Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Western Conference, while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers lead the Eastern Conference in votes received after the first returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile.

Through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program, NBA fans from around the globe are responsible for voting in the starters for the 56th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The game will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Yao leads all players with 836,392 votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett leads all Western Conference forwards with 453,536 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (423,228). Bryant (720,375) and the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (668,130) lead all Western Conference guards.

James leads all Eastern Conference players with 808,570 votes, followed by Iverson (595,200). The Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh (304,624) is second to James among Eastern Conference forwards. Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal leads all Eastern Conference centers with 522,815 votes, followed by the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (415,708).

Fans have the opportunity to vote at all NBA arenas, in 20 languages on NBA.com, on AOL.com/nba, at 1,250 T-Mobile-owned retail locations and at t-zones using T-Mobile service or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans will be able to vote at several locations in Las Vegas, the host city of NBA All-Star 2007, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Fremont Street and the Thomas & Mack Center. For the first time, 13 NBA team arenas will also carry a Spanish-language version of the ballot.

The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the first returns of the 2007 NBA All-Star voting program are attached:

2007 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Cleveland) 808,570; Chris Bosh (Toronto) 304,624; Jermaine O’Neal (Indiana) 258,139, Paul Pierce (Boston) 187,138; Grant Hill (Orlando) 168,695; Rasheed Wallace (Detroit) 144,228; Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) 136, 785; Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) 98,502; Tayshaun Prince (Detroit) 93,514; Chris Webber (Philadelphia) 88,066.

Guards: Allen Iverson (Philadelphia) 595,200; Dwyane Wade (Miami) 586,679; Vince Carter (New Jersey) 433,363; Gilbert Arenas (Washington) 225,923; Jason Kidd (New Jersey) 190,385; Chauncey Billups (Detroit) 109,687; Stephon Marbury (New York) 107,219; Michael Redd (Milwaukee) 97,394; Joe Johnson (Atlanta) 78,680; Steve Francis (New York) 76,210.

Centers: Shaquille O'Neal (Miami) 522,815; Dwight Howard (Orlando) 415,708; Ben Wallace (Chicago) 216,443; Alonzo Mourning (Miami) 65,255; Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee) 46,178; Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta) 39,921; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland) 38,590; Nenad Krstic (New Jersey) 33,459; Samuel Dalembert (Philadelphia) 30,744; Nazr Mohammed (Detroit) 30,078.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) 453,536; Tim Duncan (San Antonio) 423,228; Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) 405,613; Carmelo Anthony (Denver) 364,419; Shane Battier (Houston) 265,340; Lamar Odom(L.A. Lakers) 155,289; Shawn Marion (Phoenix) 130,710; Josh Howard (Dallas) 118,399; Carlos Boozer (Utah) 113,289; Pau Gasol (Memphis) 100,192.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) 720,375; Tracy McGrady (Houston) 668,130; Steve Nash (Phoenix) 432,083; Chris Paul (New Orleans/OKC) 156,801; Jason Terry (Dallas) 126,648; Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) 125,076; Tony Parker (San Antonio) 118,417; Ray Allen (Seattle) 111,841; Jerry Stackhouse (Dallas) 104,308; Baron Davis (Golden State) 93,777.

Centers: Yao Ming (Houston) 836,392; Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix) 281,051; Erick Dampier (Dallas) 118,557; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 102,760; Marcus Camby (Denver) 64,082; Brad Miller (Sacramento) 33,376; Francisco Elson (San Antonio) 33,161; Chris Kaman (L.A. Clippers) 32,151; Chris Mihm (L.A. Lakers) 31,883; Tyson Chandler (New Orleans/OKC) 25,504.

Sixers still struggling without Allen Iverson.

2006-12-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

It seems like the sixers are still struggling on getting victory (5-16) getting 9 game losing streak is a disgrace to their team, not just for their team but for their fans and people in Philadelphia as well. They need to find a quick solution on how to overcome their losing streak, i think Chris Webber now steps up to be a leader on the sixers rosters and do faster transition in offense & defense and execute the plays very well. They should not also be more pressured on their situation right now with Allen Iverson and must move on. The remedy is that the sixers should develop their own team chemistry, execute transition and plays very well and no pressures.

Jordan May Have Bobcats Pursue Iverson

2006-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well, this interesting: According to this morning's Charlotte Observer, one of the worst teams in the league, the Charlotte Bobcats, are close to deciding whether or not to enter the Allen Iverson sweepstakes.

What's funny, besides the fact that the Bobcats share an identical record with the Philadelphia 76ers (both are currently sharing the basement of the Eastern Conference at 5-14), is that Iverson averages 31 points per game - which is half of what the Bobcats scored in Friday's embarrassing 92-62 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Rockets.

Why the Bobcats? Ten million. That's why. The Bobcats are $10 million under the salary cap, more than any other team in the league. What kind of package would it take to land Iverson?

The 76ers would probably ask for Charlotte's best player, Emeka Okafor, the team's No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, and one of the Bobcats two point guards (Raymond Felton or Brevin Knight). If Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff and part-owner Michael Jordan had any clue, they'd counter with super-sub Sean May, attempt to throw in wing Gerald Wallace, and tell the 76ers they can have Brevin Knight and the team's 2008 #1 pick. (The 76ers, who are in a terrible spot with no bargaining power, would probably chuckle at May the tweener, Knight and his chronicle injuries, and Wallace's poor start to the season.)

Memo to the Bobcats: Under no circumstances should you part with the 2007 #1 pick. Not even Iverson's worth missing out on Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. But coughing up the 2008 #1 pick would be fine. Heck, by that time, the Bobcats could be a force in the East, what with a potential lineup of Iverson, Morrison, Okafor, and Oden.

The Observer is running an online poll about the Bobcats going over AI - and so far, it was 58-42 in favor of attaining the difficult but outstanding player.

Trade talks heat up as Iverson sits two games

2006-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers appear headed toward a bitter parting.

Iverson is talking about bolting Philly -- and the Sixers might finally be ready to show their franchise player the door.

"We're going to trade him," Sixers chairman Ed Snider said Friday night.

"At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out and we're ready to accommodate him."

Iverson's 11-year career in Philadelphia took another tumultuous turn Friday when the former NBA MVP hinted that a trade might be best after the Sixers sent him home and ruled him out of their next two games.

"As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone," Iverson said. "I hate admitting that because I love the guys on the team and the city of Philadelphia. I truly wanted to retire a 76er."

Snider said Iverson has "probably" played his last game with the Sixers, ending a career that placed him with Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain among the team's greats.

"I think it's time for him to move on, for us to move on and find out where everything stands," Snider said. "I really didn't see it coming because Allen says all the right things."

The possibility of Iverson being traded to Minnesota boosted Kevin Garnett's spirits just minutes after a big win over Utah.

"Bring it on, I love 'The Answer," Garnett said. "We welcome A.I. with open arms. Where's Kevin McHale?"

McHale, vice president of basketball operations, would not comment on rumors that Iverson would end up in Minnesota. But his star player went so far as to look into a local television camera and make a plea to Iverson.

"Come on, boy," Garnett said. "I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to play with him."

In a pregame interview, coach Dwane Casey deflected questions about Iverson.

In a surprising turn of events, Iverson was banished by the Sixers and didn't play in Philadelphia's 113-98 loss to Washington on Friday night. Team president Billy King said the move was not a suspension and Iverson's future would be re-evaluated after Saturday night's game at Orlando.

King and coach Maurice Cheeks said Iverson was sent home because he did not practice on Thursday and left Wednesday's blowout loss at Chicago with back spasms. However, the move to bench their captain comes with Iverson's name swirling in heavy trade rumors.

King would not say before the Sixers' game against the Wizards if Iverson had asked for a trade or if he was actively trying to trade the four-time NBA scoring champion. Snider confirmed that Iverson did ask this week to be dealt.

"Allen was not able to practice yesterday because of the back and today Mo made a decision not to play him tonight or tomorrow," King said. "We told him to just take the night off and tomorrow."

However, Iverson told a different story. Iverson, whose off-court behavior and coaching clashes often overshadowed his gritty, highlight-reel play, released a statement through agent Leon Rose stating that he told the Sixers he was healthy enough to play.

Iverson said he was told not to participate in shootaround and instead watched from the sideline. He joined the Sixers in the huddle, then was told by Cheeks not to come to the Wachovia Center.

"In my entire career, even the doctors haven't been able to tell me not to play," Iverson said. "I've played through injury and illness. I think everyone knows how much I love being out on the court, competing and winning. That's why it was so disheartening to be told that I couldn't play, knowing that I was ready. It hurt even more to be told not to come at all."

Iverson, second in the league with 31.2 points per game, left Wednesday night's 121-94 loss at Chicago in the second half, complaining of the spasms, and did not practice Thursday. The Sixers are 5-13 and have lost six straight and 13 of 15 overall.

"This season has been very frustrating for everyone," Iverson said. "We've lost 12 of 14 games and nothing seems to be working. I have expressed my frustration to my teammates, however, I have continued to give 100 percent night in and night out. Apparently, it hasn't been enough to help our team win."

Even with the Sixers sinking toward another lottery-bound season, Snider said Cheeks and King's jobs were safe.

The losses and Iverson's petulance also have led to a splintered relationship with Cheeks. Iverson left a practice last week reportedly after a disagreement with Cheeks and skipped a team bowling function for season-ticket holders later that night. He apologized and was fined by the organization.

"It happens," Cheeks said. "Sometimes coaches and players disagree."

Cheeks said he expected Iverson to finish the season in Philadelphia.

The floundering Sixers missed the playoffs last season for the second time in three seasons, leaving King to proclaim at the NBA draft lottery it was time to "change the culture." It has changed, but arguably for the worse.

Iverson reportedly was nearly dealt last offseason to Boston, and complained the trade talk took a toll on him and his family. A late July visit from King finally assured Iverson he wasn't going anywhere, and Iverson repeated a familiar pledge in training camp that he wanted to end his career with the Sixers.

"I always wanted to stay here because of the loyalty, but it's all I know," he said then.

Iverson, the No. 1 pick in the 1996 draft and a seven-time All-Star, has won four scoring titles, two All-Star game MVPs and the MVP award in 2001 after taking the Sixers to the NBA finals.

"He's one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he has incredible talent, he's done a lot of great things for this organization and we wish him well," Snider said.

With his rants about practice, his run-ins with the law and former coach Larry Brown, and a failed rap career, Iverson was often a magnet for trouble off the court.

Iverson and Brown formed a turbulent combination during the six seasons they spent together in Philly. Brown criticized Iverson for taking too many shots and accused him of being selfish at times.

Iverson often arrived late for practice or missed them entirely for various reasons. In one infamous blowup at the end of the 2002 season, he repeated "talking about practice" nearly 20 times during a rambling monologue. He now pokes fun at the memorable meltdown.

Brown and Iverson eventually reconciled and Brown selected his former guard co-captain of the 2004 United States Olympic men's basketball team.

"I appreciate that in my 11 years in Philadelphia, the fans have always stood by me, supported me, and gone to bat for me," Iverson said.