With the NBA in an indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, we continue our day-by-day look back at the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. We continue down our path into Sixers history every day as we look to fill the void left by the absence of basketball.
This edition goes back to the 2005-06 version of the Sixers and the work Allen Iverson continued to put in for this team. The team was hosting the New York Knicks on the back half of a home and home series in Philadelphia and he delivered a big performance to keep the team’s dwindling playoff hopes alive.
April 2, 2006
The Sixers had knocked off the Knicks in New York to begin the home and home series behind big performances by both Iverson and Chris Webber, but on this night in Philadelphia, Iverson did enough work for the both of them.
He had 32 points on 9-for-16 shooting, he knocked down both of his attempts from deep, and he had six assists in an easy 114-95 win for Philadelphia. In his part, Webber did have 20 points and seven steals while Andre Iguodala had 20 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. The win temporarily kept the team alive for now.
Iverson breathed a sigh of relief as he told reporters postgame:
We have a tough week ahead of us and to get those games out of the way was important. It was easy for us to go up against a team that hasn’t even won 20 games. They are playing relaxed and we are fighting to get into the playoffs.
The Sixers were able to take these wins and get back into the playoff race for the time being, but the team then went into another tailspin and they came up short. It also was the last straw for the Iverson-Webber duo as the two of them did begin the 2006-07 season in Philadelphia, but not for long as the team began to be broken up. [lawrence-related id=28697,28690,28671]