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.
For this edition, we go back to one of the most exciting playoff series in NBA history. The Sixers had just lost Game 1 at home in Round 2 against the Toronto Raptors and they needed a win in the worst way to avoid going down 0-2 before the series shifted to Canada. As they always did, they turned to the 6-foot guard from Georgetown to deliver and he did so in a big way.
May 9, 2001
After Toronto took Game 1, they had the look of a team that was destined to take complete control of this series. Vince Carter was playing at another level and they had proven vets up and down the roster in Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, and Alvin Williams to help Carter. However, none of that phased Allen Iverson in the slightest and he had himself an incredible game at home.
Iverson shrugged off the Game 1 loss by erupting for 54 points on 21-for-39 shooting with five rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 97-92 win over the Raptors. He was absolutely scintillating from start to finish and he outdueled Carter who had 28 points and seven rebounds for Toronto. Iverson answered every question that was thrown Philadelphia’s way in this one.
The only other Sixer to score in double-figures was Eric Snow with 10 points, but Iverson was more than enough to get it done in Game 2. It gave Philadelphia a little bit of momentum and confidence as the series shifted to the Air Canada Centre for Game 3. [lawrence-related id=30695,30684,30677]