Allen Iverson Live

Iverson missed the game against the Orlando Magic to return back to Detroit for further examination on his back.  Meanwhile, the Pistons ended their 8-game losing streak with a 93-85 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.  Richard Hamilton had 31 points and six assists in his return to the starting lineup in place of Allen Iverson.

Detroit coach Michael Curry said Hamilton would have replaced Iverson regardless in an attempt to get the Pistons out of their rut.

Curry said Iverson is not expected to play at Boston on Sunday.

More News:

Wrong Answer: Iverson benched for first time

Pistons’ Hamilton bumps Iverson in starting lineup

With the lost from Wednesday’s game against the Hornets, the Pistons reached an eight game losing streak, their longest skid in 14 seasons.

Richard Hamilton scored a team-high 24 points, but Detroit ended the game without Allen Iverson or Rasheed Wallace.

Iverson aggravated a back strain he sustained in Tuesday night’s loss to Miami. He started and shot 1-of-4 before leaving late in the first quarter. Wallace was ejected with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul in 27 seconds.

More to come on Iverson’s injury…

The Pistons are looking less and less like Eastern Conference contenders as they lose another one to Lebron James‘ Cavaliers, 99-78.  Iverson scored 14 points, but vented his frustration about the lack of team chemistry:

We stunk the gym out,” said Allen Iverson, who led the Pistons with 14 points. “We acted like strangers out there tonight.”

The Pistons have lost their sixth straight game and are now at .500.  The Pistons continue their tough road trip against Miami Heat.

Here’s the video of Allen’s haircut just days before the All-Star game. The video was produced by Reebok. Interesting bit where Allen says, he’s just worried about what his kids think.

The new haircut didn’t help the Pistons’ first game back as they lose to the Bucks. AI had 10 points and 8 assists.

ESPN news on Allen’s new haircut

Video: ESPN Mag interviews Allen Iverson about the haircut. With the new kicks showcased.

Here’s AI’s highlight play of the All-Star Game 2009. He does a quick spin move near center court to shake off Chris Paul, drives down the lane, fakes out Tim Duncan, and lays it in over Yao Ming. Looks like AI is still quicker than the best All-Stars in the game now.

The biggest story about Allen Iverson during the All-Star Game 2009 was NOT another All-Star Game MVP or an amazing highlight, but it was his unveiling of a new haircut.

After 13 years of setting the trend in the NBA with his stylish braids, he unveiled a clean cut, reminisce of his early college/rookie days [In fact, he kinda looks like Stephon Marbury's haircut during his rookie season]  So, why did he decide to cut it off at this stage of his career?

SLAM magazine’s Lang Whitaker interviewed Allen and asked him why he wanted to cut his hair:

“I just wanted to do something different.  It’s been so long.  That’s all”

When asked, “Does it feel weird?”

“Definitely feels weird.  The biggest difference is getting in the shower and being able to get my hair wet any time I want to.”

When asked if it shaved some time off his preparation time before a game, say, half an hour:

“An hour actually <Laughs> That’s how I get my sleep!”

The video clip here:

After setting the trend for 13 years with his stylish braids, Iverson decides to try something new and gets a new haircut.

Yes, you saw it AI unveiling his new hair style over the weekend. Here’s a video clip. More to come

The Detroit Pistons haven’t been playing very well the past couple games. On Wednesday, they lost 99-95 to the Atlanta Hawks, a team they could potentially face in the first round of playoffs.  Iverson missed the loss at Chicago on Tuesday with flu-like symptoms and put up a game-high 28 points in Wednesday’s loss despite still feeling sick.

“I am still just really lightheaded,” Iverson said after the game. “That was my problem. … I was just dizzy at times. I actually threw up at a time-out, so I was struggling. I was really weak.”

Despite the recent struggles, Iverson said the team needs to stick together. With the trade deadline approaching, he was asked if he wants to continue to play with the current group of players.

“But I would love to continue to fight with these guys, especially with everything not being peaches and cream. … The type of person that I am, is when things are down, having enough character to turn things around.

We’re still seeing a positive energy from Iverson, which is a good sign.  As the Detroit Pistons enter the second half, hopefully they can turn things around.  They will likely still enter the playoffs as a 4th or 5th seed, and they’ll still be a force to reckon with.  Even if this season doesn’t pan out, then Iverson can look forward to free agency at the end of the season.  It would be the first time as a free-agent in his career.  Be sure to catch Iverson in action on Sunday’s All-Star game as the starting point guard.

A very interesting discussion between two great players (likely future hall of famers) – Allen Iverson and Lebron James.  One is “The Answer” while the other is “The King”.  This author discusses the similarities and differences between the two players.  Both have different styles of play and both are a different stages in their careers.  Who do you think is the better player?  Join the discussion.

Steve Nash scored 15 and had a season-high 21 assists, directing a balanced offense for Phoenix in a 107-97 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

Richard Hamilton scored 27 and Allen Iverson had 25 points for the Pistons, who have lost 11 of 17. Rasheed Wallace scored 16, Tayshaun Prince had 11 and Rodney Stuckey was held to just eight points for the Pistons.

Hamilton scored 38 points, Allen Iverson had 27 and the two combined for 15 of Detroit’s 17 points in overtime in a 126-121 victory over the injury-plagued Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Iverson, who also had nine assists, helped the Pistons to their second straight gritty win following a 3-9 stretch that they stopped with a win against Miami. He and Hamilton led the way when it counted.

This game came down to the wire, again.  But it’s good to see Rip and AI working off each other in the scoring department.  Both of them are still capable of putting up big numbers.  Hopefully, they can continue it consistently.

Iverson rocked the Reebok Answer XII in both colorways in last nights game.  He wore the Blue-White-Red (Pistons) colorway and the Red-White colorway in the same night.

The Pistons missed four free throws in the final 20 seconds and only picked up a 93-90 victory over Miami on Wednesday night when Heat star Dwyane Wade’s 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired.

“I was just thinking ‘Please don’t go in’,” Iverson said. “That was a hard win, but we did what we needed to do.”

Palace sellout streak ends after 5 years

• Detroit Pistons are struggling as they have lost two games in a row.  They were beaten by the Boston Celtics, despite the fact at Iverson achieved a scoring milestone.  Iverson said it didn’t mean anything to him.

“I want to get past Barkley with one other accomplishment and that’s winning a championship,” he said. “I don’t care about any of that individual stuff.”

They then crashed-and-burned against Cleveland in the fourth quarter. The Pistons haven’t felt good in a while, losing four straight home games for the first time in eight years.  Allen Iverson scored 22 points for Detroit, which has lost nine of 12 and are 21-21 with him.

“I’m surprised, but I’ve seen the flashes of how good we can be,” Iverson said. “And, I see the reasons that we lose games.”

Does Iverson think the Pistons would win more if he had the ball as much as he did in that quarter?

“Don’t do that to me. You’re opening up a can of worms,” Iverson said, playfully. “But I trust the way everything is going. I don’t have a choice. What I say don’t matter.”

• Jeff Van Gundy: Pistons are shell of their old selves

Iverson’s known for his prolific scoring ability.  Although he has sacrificed his scoring game for the team this season, he still managed to move up in the record books.

Associated Press:

Allen Iverson moved past Charles Barkley and into 16th place on the NBA’s list of all-time scorers.

Iverson had 10 points in the first half for the Detroit Pistons against the Boston Celtics, giving him 23,759 in his career. Patrick Ewing is next on the list with about 1,000 more points.

Only Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal has more points among active players. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the top scorer in league history with 38,387 points.