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 one takes us back to 1999 with the Sixers heading into Game 3 of the playoffs fresh off the lockout-shortened season and they were looking to take control of the series after getting a win on the road against the Orlando Magic. With the scene shifting, the Sixers now had home-court advantage and they had Allen Iverson on their side. The Answer would not let his team lose and he made his presence felt on both ends.
May 13, 1999
The Magic invaded First Union Center ready to get a big win. They were led by a veteran group of players such as Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant, and Darrell Armstrong and it seemed like Orlando would be able to get one in Philly. The big issue was, they couldn’t take care of the ball as Iverson was all over the place.
The 6-foot guard from Georgetown had his usual offensive outburst of 33 points on 14-for-28 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, but he also had a playoff record 10 steals in a 97-85 win to take a 2-1 series lead. To this day, nobody has broken the record set by number 3 in white.
The win gave the Sixers momentum and they ended up winning the series in Game 4. Iverson closed that game out with his scoring as the Sixers pulled off the upset over the 3 seed Magic. [lawrence-related id=30923,30930,30914]