Allen Iverson Live

Despite nursing a troubled knee, Allen Iverson chose not to skip practice.

“I was surprised,” Coach Jordan said with a smile before turning serious. “He wanted to practice today to show leadership. He feels good about our growth. It’s very encouraging.”

76ers coach Eddie Jordan understood the irony yesterday when he was asked about Allen Iverson’s participating in practice after he had played 34 minutes in the team’s 93-92 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The veteran guard is nursing a troublesome left knee that has made his availability day-to-day.

“We had our opportunity to win the game,” Iverson said. “We were one shot away. We had a lead in the fourth quarter, and we let it get away. It’s extremely hard to come in here after a loss, especially a loss like that. It’s something we have to do. It’s our job to come in here and give everything you’ve got.

“We tried to get something out of the practice, and that’s what we did today.”

A.I.’s gratitude. Iverson on being second among Eastern Conference guards in the All-Star Game fan voting:

“That’s an honor. Without the fans, there wouldn’t be us. I think my situation is unique. I haven’t played as much as the other guys, but the fans want to see me play. That’s a good feeling, just to know that people that support us and make us want to see me play. That’s a great feeling, but it’s also a tribute to the teammates and the coaches I’ve had.”

Allen Iverson has said that he will have to consider whether, physically, it would be in his best interests to play. As you all know, AI is out with a bad knee and he could be risking it.

Iverson made his comments about the game on Friday. Suffering from arthritis in his left knee, he did not travel with the 76ers for last night’s game with the Detroit Pistons. That same condition caused Iverson to miss four games in the middle of December.

Last night, there was some talk in Detroit – where Iverson played 54 games last season after being traded from the Denver Nuggets – that the 6-foot guard was dodging the Pistons and their fans.

“That would never be the case,” said Detroit coach John Kuester, who coached Iverson as an assistant with the Sixers from 1997 to 2003. “Allen Iverson is one of the ultimate competitors, especially when you turn the lights on. That would never be the case.”

The Sixers will play Allen Iverson’s former team, the Detroit Pistons, tonight and some say he will get a rude reception from the Detroit Fans. Or will he? It seems that Allen Iverson was injured during the last game when he was kneed on the knee. Report says that he didn’t travel to Detroit. So he may not hear it from the crowd after all. Hopefully, however, Allen is healthy enough to play in the All-Star game, where he is voted a starter with Dwayne Wade.

Iverson is second in voting behind Miami’s Dwyane Wade for East guards. Iverson says he would “absolutely” attend the Feb. 14 at Arlington, Texas.

“The fans make us,” Iverson said. “It’s a special accomplishment when people want to see you play.”

He added that he hasn’t entirely ruled out playing. He just wants to be smart about his decision.

“We’re going to make the best decision for this team,” he said.

Iverson said his knee had been feeling better, but flared up after Philadelphia’s loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. He said the knee swelled up the next two days.

In Allen Iverson’s first game back from knee injury, Philadelphia rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-93.

Philadelphia (8-22) shot 75 percent during the third quarter and made 26 of 40 shots after halftime as the Sixers wiped out Portland’s 10-point lead in the third quarter.

The return of Iverson appeared to give Philadelphia a boost. Iverson’s first game since Dec. 16 wasn’t easy for the 34-year-old guard.

“Once I got my second wind I was all right. The first couple minutes I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest,” said Iverson, who in 31 minutes also handed out five assists and collected four rebounds.

Philadelphia lost three of four games with Iverson sidelined.

“Having Allen back helps. He’s a finisher. He can get to the line and get the ball to guy at the right time. We’ve missed that,” Brand said.

Allen Iverson’s line: 19Pts, 5Ast, 4Reb, 31Min

Report by the Oregonian: Allen Iverson spent about 20 extra minutes working out after the 76ers’ shootaround this morning, trying to get himself ready for tonight’s game against the Blazers.

“I feel a little better, just a little winded as expected,” Iverson said.

With Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan feeding him passes and watching him intently, Iverson ran through a series of jump shots, lay ups, cuts and lateral movement drills to work his sore left knee.

“I’m ready to go as far as the knee is concerned,” Iverson said. “I’ll be ready to play tonight.”

Iverson said he didn’t know if he would start, but he didn’t seem too concerned about starting or coming off the bench.

“I feel like I can start, but it don’t matter,” Iverson said. “Whatever he asks me to do, that’s what I’ll do.”

Iverson had missed the 76ers’ previous four games after the knee started swelling and was drained three times two weeks ago. Iverson said the knee is better, but his legs need more work.

“We’ll just have to see how it goes playing in limited spurts and see what happens,” Iverson said. “Just the fact that I’m trying to get my legs back up under me, that’s the toughest part. Coming back the way I did.”

Good news is that Allen Iverson is scheduled to come back on Monday in Portland. He has been resting his arthritic knee for what will be four games. It will be interesting to see who Jordan starts in the backcourt then.

When Allen Iverson heard from doctors that he was diagnosed with arthritis in his left knee, only one word popped into his head: Old.

“That was the worst part of the whole thing,” Iverson said with a laugh yesterday after he watched the team practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “You could have said anything but arthritis. I mean, that sounds so old. But it’s something that I’ve got to deal with and that’s what it is.”

After not playing for close to a month after his brief three-game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies this season, Iverson jumped right into the fray with the Sixers, admittedly out of shape and lacking his normal basketball skills. That didn’t stop him from putting in major minutes in his five games back in Philadelphia, as he’s averaged 34.4 minutes since returning.

It could have been what has cost him the past three games and perhaps two more.

“Just trying to jump back into it too soon,” Iverson said, when asked what he thought caused the injury. “I wasn’t ready, in no type of shape. I had the problem in my right leg [stress reaction of right fibula] and obviously I was favoring that leg and put all the pressure on my left and it flared up. It was just being out that long and coming right back and trying to jump right back into the war. My leg didn’t respond.”

Good News is that Iverson may be returning on Monday for Sixers’ game against Portland.

Iverson will rest his hurt knee and miss Tuesday’s game in Washington. Allen Iverson isn’t practicing Monday and won’t travel with the Sixers to Washington for Tuesday night’s game.

Iverson has missed the last two games with arthritis and synovitis in his left knee, as well as a bruised left shoulder.

Let’s home Iverson gets some rest and recovers soon to help the ailing Sixers.

Bad news is that Allen Iverson is still out of action due to a knee injury.  He sat out the game against the clippers, where the Sixers lost in overtime.

Sixers coach Eddie Jordan made the announcement before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, saying Iverson will not return until Philadelphia’s game against Portland on Dec. 28 at the earliest.

“Rest is the best thing for him, for about a week now,” Jordan said. “He feels confident that he’ll feel great the rest of the year.”

The Sixers received good news with guard Lou Williams returning to the lineup after missing 12 games with a broken jaw. Williams was hurt in a Nov. 24 game against Washington and had surgery the next morning. He was expected to miss at least eight weeks.

With Williams back, Jordan will have to address the issue of playing time when Iverson returns.

“I need to buy a nice $100 bottle of wine to sort that out,” he said. “That would be some thought process, a good thought process. We have some good, skilled guards and it’s just a matter of how does it fit.”

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.

Some bad news for Allen Iverson and Sixers’ fans.

Allen Iverson has arthritis in the left knee and will not play for the Philadelphia 76ers at Boston on Friday night.

Iverson had an MRI on Thursday after he needed the knee drained twice this week. The Sixers listed Iverson as probable for Saturday’s game against the Clippers.

Ronald Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal: “Allen Iverson will have an MRI today because of a strained left hamstring that forced him to sit out Tuesday when the Grizzlies began their exhibition schedule against the Washington Wizards. [...] Iverson said this is the first time he has experienced a strained hamstring. His absence is not simply a precautionary measure. ‘I can’t go,’ Iverson said. ‘If it was Game 7 of the Finals, I wouldn’t be able to go.’ Iverson tweaked the hamstring during Sunday’s scrimmage at the Grizzlies’ training camp in Birmingham. He didn’t practice Monday. ‘I was dribbling the ball and tried to stop on a dime and I heard a little pop,’ Iverson said, adding that he’s disappointed by the timing of the injury. ‘I know a lot of people came to see me play and to not be able to go is frustrating and disheartening.’”

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.

After losing to the Hawks 85-78, the Pistons bounced back off of Stuckey’s 40 point game to beat the Bulls 104-98.  Unfortunately, A.I. was injured during the game.  He left Tuesday’s game with a strained left groin with 8:53 left in the third quarter. He returned to the bench with 5:32 left but didn’t re-enter the game.  Iverson had eight assists in 24 minutes

Curry said Iverson was day-to-day and hoped he’d be able to play Friday against visiting Oklahoma City.