Sun 20 Apr 2008
To Be Or Not To Be: The Era of Iverson’s Nuggets
Posted by Gregory Dix under NBA PLAYOFFS
It’s been a while since I kicked out an article. But I couldn’t resist with one of my all time greats suiting up Sunday. Allen Iverson is the greatest player at his size to ever play the game. In 2001 he led an improbable Sixers team to face off against the Lakers in the finals. In game one he was nothing short of spectacular which is what propelled them to victory. But the Shaq/Kobe combo was too much as they lost the next 4 games. Nonetheless this left A.I.’s desire burning for a championship. He is facing off against Kobe in the first round andI am sure he has not forgotten what happened to him in 2001. The difference is that A.I. has added another element to his repertoire. He realizes there is talent around him and he works hard to involve them in the game. This enables “The Answer” to have gas in his tank at the end of the game. The improved AI will come to play on game one. He will set the tone for a fast paced offensive tempo that will force the Lakers to adapt.
The difference between 2001 and 2008 is dramatic. The 2001 Sixers team offensively was completely Allen. Their defense however was the best in the East. Larry Brown made one of his best decisions- create a team that was ALL DEFENSE and Allen as the sole offensive weapon. George Karl is the antithesis of defense. He has done what Larry Brown could not do. Create a team that could play offensively with Iverson. Iverson’s production has not dropped (26 PPG, 42 MIN, 82GP). AI and Melo are 3rd and 4th in the league in scoring. Martin has benefited from becoming the receiver of AI and Melo’s sloppy seconds. Martin’s numbers are eerily similar to his 05-06 campaign. This year his numbers are 12.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 71 GP. Compare those numbers to 12.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 56 GP in the 05-06 season.
The key to this Nuggets run is to have an explosive third option Martin is the cleanup master but he is not a focal point of the offensive. JR Smith is the explosion. A week ago he came off the bench to score 23 ptsagainst Houston. If he can continue to provide that kind of lift he will enable the Nuggets to have a chance. To win the Nuggets MUST have a trio of offensive weapons. It is common knowledge that the only form of defense they have is Camby. The Nuggets are a scoring first team. They finished 2nd in the league in that category. My advice to George Karl is not to change your philosophy- “Score first, score often, and score last”. With Allen Iverson on the floor anything is possible. Nuggets win in 7 and shock the nation.
Stumble it!
April 21st, 2008 at 5:28 am
It’s true that iverson has learned better how to incorporate his teamates and also take higher percentage shots in the half court than in his early sixers days.
It’s also true that he’s not the unstoppable physical and basketball force of nature that he once was. I don’t foresee iverson taking over too many playoff games in the 4th quarter like in the old days. Not only do the nuggets lose the series, but i think they might have been swept if bynum were healthy.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:48 am
AI the answer??? Not in this series. The Answer is DEFFENSE!! You should be glad you wrote this prior to yesterday’s game then after it. This was the 2nd time in NBA playoff history that there were four 30 point scorers in the same game. The last time was 1995 Rockets versus Magic. Why did I mention this? Nuggets don’t play deffense. Yeah, they can beat any team at any time, but this is the playoffs. You play seven game series, and the teams left have all got good coaching (especially the Lakers). So by saying this, the Lakers will make better adjustments to the Nuggests offense, then Nuggets deffense can make to the Lakers. In the end, the Lakers take it in five games. Wishful thinking on your part sir, wishful thinking.