Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is one of the legendary players in NBA history. He always threw the Sixers on his back when the time called for it, and in his first NBA Finals game on June 6, 2001, he did so in a huge way.
After the Sixers knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, they took a trip to Los Angeles to take on the vaunted Lakers, who went undefeated on the Western side of the bracket. Given the Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Sixers were heavy underdogs.
Iverson did not back down. He dropped 48 points with six assists with five rebounds and five steals in the opener. He then had an iconic highlight play in overtime when he crossed over Tyronn Lue and knocked down the shot before stepping over Lue as Philadelphia stole Game 1, 107-101, on the road.
Of course, the Lakers won the series, 4-1, after they realized Iverson and the Sixers wouldn’t back down. But this play by Iverson was impressive, and it goes down as one of the best plays in the history of the NBA Finals.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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