2000-01 NBA Season

That season, Iverson led his team to wins in the first ten games of the season, and was named starter at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, where he won the game MVP. The Sixers also posted a 56-26 record, the best in the Eastern Conference that season. He also averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. Iverson won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player, and named to the All NBA First team for his accomplishments.

In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Iverson led the Sixers to their first finals since their 1983 championship. In game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson scored a playoff high 48 points and beat the heavily favored Lakers 107-101. In the game he notably stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a crucial shot.[7] Iverson would go on to score 23, 35, 35, 37 in games 2-5, all losing efforts though the Sixers were not swept like many predicted. Iverson enjoyed his most successful season as an individual and as a member of the Sixers during the 2000–01 NBA season.

Named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA’s MVP … started 71 games, missing 11 due to injury … won his second scoring title in three years by averaging 31.1 point per game … first player since Michael Jordan (30.4 per game) in 1996 to average more than 30 points per game … NBA’s steals leader with 2.51 and second in total steals (178) … in the NBA, ranked 2nd in total free throws (585), 4th in free throw attempts (719) and 1st in minutes per game (42.0) … Sixers were 12-5 when he scored 40 plus … Sixers were 6-5 without Iverson in the lineup, all due to injury … led the team in scoring in 65 of the 82 games … .scored 20 or more in 61 of the 71 games he played in … scored in double figures in 60-straight games to end the season … scored 30 or more 35 times … led the team in assists 14 times … named to the 2001 All-NBA First Team … named NBA Player of the Week twice (1/7 and 2/18) … named the NBA’s Player of the Month for January … named the All-Star Game’s MVP after leading the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a come from behind win at the MCI Center … named a starter for the second straight season to the Eastern Conference All-Star team … scored a career-high 54 points against Cleveland, the fifth best mark in franchise history and the second highest mark in the NBA this season … recorded a First Union Center floor record with 20 points in the first quarter; finished with 42 points against the Clippers (2/16) … scored all 10 of the Sixers points in overtime against Toronto (1/21) to give him 51 for the game, his second 50-point plus game of the season and the fourth in his career … playing point for the injured Eric Snow, he passed for a season-high 10 assists in the win over Portland (12/8) … with a then career-high tying 10 rebounds, he had his first double-double this season; it was Iverson’s first double-double since Mar. 19, 2000 versus Orlando and first point/rebound double-double since April 11, 1999 at Washington … scored a season-low seven points at Charlotte (11/22), two shy of his career low.

2001 Playoffs

Averaged 32.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals in 46.2 minutes per game … started and played in 22 of 23 games, missing one game due to injury (5/26) … led the team in scoring in 18 of the 23 games and in assists in 10 games … scored in double figures in 41 straight Playoff games dating to May 9, 1999 … recorded Playoff career-highs in almost every category, including a Sixers Playoff record 54 points in Game 2 versus Toronto (5/9) … set five NBA Finals records for a five-game series, including most points (178), most field goals (66) and most three-point field goals attempted (39) … played the Milwaukee and Los Angeles series with a left sacroiliac joint contusion suffered in Game 7 versus Toronto; the injury caused him to miss Game 3 at Milwaukee (5/26) … grabbed a Playoff career-high 12 rebounds in Game 3 of the NBA Finals (6/10) versus Los Angeles … his 48 points in Game 1 (6/6) of the NBA Finals was the sixth best mark in Finals history … scored a game-high 44 points in Game 7 versus Milwaukee (6/3), ranking tied for fourth in NBA history for most points in a Game 7 … passed for a Playoff career-high 16 assists in Game 7 versus Toronto (5/20), the most assists for a Sixer in the Playoffs since Mo Cheeks had 16 against New York in 1989 … became the second player (Michael Jordan) to score 50 or more points twice in a Playoff series when he scored 52 points in Game 5 versus Toronto (5/16) while setting a Sixers single-game Playoff record with eight three pointers, one shy of the NBA record … tied his Playoff career-high with 21 field goals in Game 5 … scored a Sixers single-game Playoff record and is tied for 10th in NBA Playoff history with 54 points in Game 2 versus Toronto (5/9).