Allen Iverson had a great 2000-01 season; that year, he won the regular-season MVP award. However, winning an NBA title was more important to the top pick of the 1996 Draft.
For someone who averaged 31.1 points, alongside 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds, that feat could be doable if he had the proper support. He had Dikembe Mutombo to hold up the defensive fort, but the offense was sorely lacking. Aaron McKie and Eric Snow did their best, but somehow, their contributions were lacking.
That was a key factor in the Sixers' winning it all that year. Although A.I. could score outrageously in the 30s or 40s, other teams had players who could negate that. Reggie Miller turned out to be the one in their conference first-round meeting with the Indiana Pacers.
Most are aware of how the 11th overall pick of the 1987 Draft could shoot the lights out if he were given a chance. The UCLA product's heroics lifted the Pacers over the Sixers in Game 1, which was held on Philly's home court. It was the 6'7" guard's shot with 2.9 seconds left in the game that sucked the life out of the First Union Center at the time.
The Pacers wouldn't fold
Aware that Indy would not go away easily, Iverson had to dig deep if the Sixers wanted to advance in the playoffs. He took the lead in scoring, averaging 31.5 points in the first-round meeting against the Pacers, something A.I. admits took its toll on him physically and mentally.
"I'm exhausted physically and mentally, because they brought out a lot in Allen Iverson," Iverson said via the New York Times. "It's been rough on me mentally. We could never get past these guys."
The Sixers would win the next three games, and thanks to Allen's efforts, they would advance to the Conference semifinals. After their series, Miller advised Iverson and Philly on their future.
"'I told Allen afterward he has to make them believe they can win it all," Miller shared. "This is their first step. I definitely see them coming out of the East. . . . We put them through enough wars, I think they've pretty much seen everything."
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Difficult road to the 2001 NBA Finals
True enough, things got tougher for the Sixers. In their semifinal matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Philly needed to play the entire seven-game series to advance. It was the same thing in the conference Finals.
Despite the bumpy road to getting there, Iverson admitted they were confident they could win over the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals. They surprised the Lakers in Game 1, and a strong message was sent to L.A. that they wouldn't be pushovers.
"We knew we could beat them. We went into the series knowing that we were going to win that series," Iverson said after recalling the 2001 Finals.
Unfortunately, Iverson and the Sixers only won one game. The Lakers outplayed Philadelphia, winning the next four games and the 2001 NBA championship. Despite falling short, there is no doubt that Iverson gave his all. However, with a lack of support, the 76ers' chances of pulling the rug from under Los Angeles were too great to overcome.
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