Allen Iverson Live

With a last minute tip in, Sixers snapped another streak.  Days after snapping their own 12-game skid, the 76ers ended Boston’s run at 11 wins, beating the first-place Celtics 98-97 on Friday night on Elton Brand’s tip-in with 7.7 seconds left.

They had won only once in their previous 14 games and they were without newly acquired Allen Iverson, who has arthritis in his left knee and had it drained twice this week.

Hopefully AI returns to action against the Clippers.  Report say that he he may – or may not – play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Allen Iverson and the Sixers made a valiant effort to dig themselves out of a 12-point hole to lead in the fourth quarter, but it was too much star power from James, who led Cavs to their 4th straight win over the Sixers. Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 26 points, and Thaddeus Young and Allen Iverson each had 16. The Sixers have lost 13 of 14 games. verson had his left knee drained before the game for the second time this week and will have an MRI on Thursday.

“This one’s on me. I let us down tonight,” Iverson said. “I feel bad, that’s a game we should have won. We didn’t make shots at the time we needed to make shots.”

The crowd chanted “We Want A.I.!” with Iverson on the bench as the Sixers made a fourth-quarter charge that put them ahead against a team that has 13 more victories. Iguodala’s 3-pointer with 5:50 left stretched the lead to 94-90.

The suspense is killing us.  However, it does look more likely than not that Allen Iverson will re-unite with Larry Brown on the Charlotte Bobcats.  The news around the internet is summarized below:

Iverson-Brown II? Maybe, maybe not - The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell wrote in response to the report: “I’m told by a great source that’s not true. However, that doesn’t mean Iverson won’t be a Bobcat. It sounds like there’s a good chance that will happen. My source says definitively that Iverson’s first choice is to play for Larry Brown again in Charlotte, and that there have been serious discussions about making that happen.”

Bonnell said that before any move were to occur, the Bobcats face issues with their payroll and a logjam at guard. But he adds: “You’d be adding a great scorer to a team that was last in the NBA in scoring, and you’d be adding a star to a team struggling to sell tickets and create a buzz.”

Iverson and Bobcats hammering out a deal? – Rumor has it the two sides have either agreed on a deal or are getting pretty close to one. Either way, one is expected to probably be signed sometime this week, according to the Sporting News.  The arrival of Iverson would likely not be good news for shooting guard Raja Bell(notes), who would surely get pushed down onto the bench.

Note that Raja Bell played with Iverson during their run to the 2001 NBA finals.  Raja Bell came off the bench back then, is he willing to do it again?

Iverson Wants Reunion with Brown – If Iverson does sign with the Bobcats, the team likely would need to figure out whether to trade or relegate shooting guard Raja Bell to a reserve roll. Another issue could be the contract itself—as Sean Deveney wrote earlier this week, the Bobcats haven’t been in the spending mode this summer.

The Hall-of-Fame coach weighed in on Iverson’s recent comments.  Larry Brown told the Charlotte Observer he would enjoy coaching Iverson again.

But there are obstacles in the way of a reunion with the All-Star he coached in Philadelphia.

“One is the money; we wouldn’t want to make him an offer that would insult him,” Brown said. “And with three small guards (Raja Bell, D.J. Augustin and restricted free agent Raymond Felton) already on the roster, he wouldn’t get to play the minutes he deserves.

“Until one or both of those things changes, I don’t see it.”

“He’s done a lot for me, and if we could work it out — the money, the opportunity to play — I’d be all for it,” Brown said. “He’s always been good, always been there.”

Here’s another interesting article – Is Allen Iverson or Raymond Felton the answer for the Bobcats?

The Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, both potential teams for Iverson to join, may now be less likely suitors for Iverson in his 14th NBA Season.

After the Heat traded center Mark Blount for veteran swingman Quentin Richardson late Thursday night, the Miami Herald’s Mike Wallace wrote: “Considering the slightly higher luxury-tax bill, this could be the unofficial end to any interest the Heat had in acquiring Allen Iverson. There already were concerns about potentially getting everyone enough shots before Richardson came aboard. Iverson, a pure scorer, won’t be needed as much.”

Also, the 76ers are in the market for backcourt help with the free-agent defection of Andre Miller to the Trail Blazers, but CSNPhilly.com reported this week that a return to the team where Iverson became a household name was unlikely.

“Allen Iverson is a very good basketball player,” 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski said. “But we don’t see him in our plans with the age of our kids. We are going to go with youth at the point guard position, and I am sure Allen will hook on with someone.”

This author apparently overheard Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, talking about potential offers from Rockets, Pacers and Oklahoma Thunder.

He said the Pacers and Thunder were offering around $5.85 million for a one-year contract.

The Rockets were also offering $5 million for a season.

The man said he spoke with the Sixers and they were not quite on the same page, but said if they changed their mind they would be open to discuss this anytime down the road.

Rose said he talked to Larry Bird and Bird said he would love to see Iverson team with Danny Granger and thought that Granger could benefit from Iverson and understands Iverson still has the abilities he had from when he was in Philadelphia and Denver. He said he thinks Granger and Iverson can easily be the highest scoring duo in the league.

Bird also thinks Iverson can still tickets.

I don’t know how credible this source is.  However, it does shed some light on the fact that teams are still pursuing Iverson – despite what the Media has claimed about Iverson.  This is a good sign, meaning that there will be more options on the table for A.I.

Allen Iverson has heard a lot of negative comments during his tempestuous career. He wasn’t used to hearing them about his toughness, though. Iverson returned Sunday after missing 16 games with a back injury and scored eight points in 21 minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ 101-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the game, he acknowledged being hurt by media reports that he might not play again this season.

“The one thing that everyone has always known about me is that I’m a warrior—the doctors would say I’d be out two-four weeks, and I’d come back in a week,” he said. “So now I have an injury I’ve never had before—one that was bothering me—and people are suddenly questioning my courage. That was hard, but I know positive stories don’t sell.

At 33 years of  age, Iverson is still tough as nails.  Pistons play the league-leading Cavs tonight.  Should be a good one.

The Detroit Pistons expect to find out how serious Allen Iverson’s back injury is later this week.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Monday the team will know more about Iverson’s status on Wednesday after he is examined by doctors at Georgetown, where he starred in college.

Iverson will be out for a third straight game Tuesday night when Detroit hosts the Denver Nuggets, marking the return of Chauncey Billups.

Last game, the Pistons, without Iverson in the lineup, beat the defending champs Boston Celtics.

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.

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:

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.

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

The big news was supposed to be Rip’s first game coming off the bench, but Prince stole the show by putting up 25 points in a 95-76 win over the Toronto Raptors.  The “quiet assassin” benefited by returning to his natural position of small forward.  Iverson had a quiet 11 points and 6 assists.

Hamilton struggled to find his groove in his first game off the bench with the Pistons after starting 611 games for them, including six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals and an NBA title in 2004.

“It’s a new challenge,” he said.

News around the world:

MLive.com – Pistons want Allen Iverson to score more in the paint – and finish instead of passing to his teammates.

Detroit Free Press – AI: Chemistry is not there – yet.

Detroit Free Press – Iverson says skid is character test for Pistons.

“Character is going to come into play,” said Allen Iverson, who said he’s beyond frustrated after Saturday’s 91-85 loss to New Orleans. “It should have already. We are going to see what guys are made of. What type of players we are, what type of professionals we are, what type of teammates we are toward each other. This is the time we find out what type of team we are. Guys in this situation could start to point fingers and play the blame game.”

But Iverson said there’s plenty of blame to go around.

“It’s nobody’s fault but all of ours. All of us are to blame,” Iverson said. “It’s everybody’s fault from the coaching staff to the players. Everybody needs to take responsibility. Once we step up and do it as a unit, we can turn this thing around.”

The Sporting Blog: Iverson May Be a Lame Duck in Detroit, But He Still Knows How to Rally His Teammates.

Iverson scored 27 points and helped Detroit limit Memphis to just four shots in the final quarter on the way to an 87-79 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday, ending the Pistons’ longest losing streak in five seasons.

“I think that’s what made our offense easy,” Iverson said. “We were able to shut them down … by helping each other on the defensive end. We just didn’t leave a guy out there on an island. We helped each other a lot and we did a lot of talking on defense.”

Detroit Free Press. Michael Curry finally decides that Rip Hamilton will come off the bench.

Iverson returned to Denver with success.  Iverson had 23 points and the Detroit Pistons overcame 30 points by Chauncey Billups to beat the Nuggets 93-90 on Friday night.

“It was emotional being that I had so many memories here. I felt like this was going to be the place that I would finish my career,” he said. “I felt good about my chances of winning my championship here.

“I felt like I was at home. It didn’t feel like it was a road game.”

Iverson, who spent 1 1/2 seasons with Denver after the Nuggets acquired him from Philadelphia on Dec. 19, 2006, got a standing ovation from a sold-out Pepsi Center crowd during pregame introductions.