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Presents: I got this article from. The Sporting News Iverson,
Sixers send Magic packing Monica Deeb PHILADELPHIA -- As Eric Snow raised himself up for a 15-foot jumper, Larry Hughes darted toward the basket. He slipped down the baseline, never taking his eyes off the ball. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Snow's shot rimmed in and out, Hughes snared the rebound in mid-air and created the highlight of his brief professional career. Hughes turned the missed shot into a two-handed slam, gave the Philadelphia 76ers a seven-point lead with 2:27 left in the game and sent the First Union Center crowd into a frenzy. "The ball came off perfectly, and I was in the right spot," Hughes said. The dunk had the usually unemotional Hughes clenching his fist and smiling as he headed to the bench after the Orlando Magic called a time out. The timeout wasn't enough to slow down the 76ers or to quiet the 20,550 in attendance. And when Allen Iverson hit a 12-foot floater with 45.2 seconds remaining, Philadelphia was on its way to a 101-91 series-clinching victory Saturday. With the win, the Sixers survived blowing an 18-point second-half lead and avoided a Game 5 situation with the Magic. Instead, they'll head to Indianapolis for their best-of-7 Eastern semifinal series with the No. 2-seeded Pacers on Monday. Though Hughes had the most memorable moment of the game, Iverson was incredible for four quarters. When he wasn't successfully shooting over two or three players, Iverson was penetrating and torturing the Magic on defense. "I don't think people realize what he does," Orlando head coach Chuck Daly said. Daly was referring to Iverson's speed and ballhandling. Iverson rarely gives up his dribble, so the Magic couldn't double-team him consistently. Time and time again, he would slither inside, around Horace Grant, Ike Austin and company and hit a wide-open teammate on the perimeter. Often, that teammate was Eric Snow, who responded with 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Iverson led everyone with a playoff career-high 37 points, going 14-for-27 from the floor. Plus, he finished with a game-high nine assists. Hughes was the only other Sixer in double figures with 14 points and continued to play like a veteran, and not like a 20-year-old rookie. And he's obviously a fan favorite, as witnessed by the applause he receives when he gets off the bench. "I must be doing something right," Hughes said. He is. Hughes is flashy yet steady. And his big contributions were needed in Game 4, especially since Aaron McKie did not dress because of a right thigh contusion. Hughes played more minutes (31) than he had in any other game this postseason. He also did more than just score, finishing with seven rebounds. And like Snow, Hughes was 6-for-6 from the foul line. Philly missed just four in the game (27-for-31), while Orlando missed 10 (25-for-35). "And that was big," Daly said. Anfernee Hardaway missed 14 shots and opened the game 0-for-7 for the Magic. He did finish with 17 points but managed just three field goals. Snow gets credit for some of Hardaway's shooting problems; he guarded Hardaway for most of the game. "I'm very disappointed in my self in this series," Hardaway said. "I let myself down, my teammates down and the the city down." The Sixers lost the lead briefly, at 86-84 with 5:47 left in the fourth quarter, but regained it for good when Iverson, after two free throws by George Lynch, sank a 12-footer from the baseline with 4:56 remaining. Snow followed with a jumper to put Philadelphia up, 90-86. The Magic didn't pull closer than four points the rest of the game. And the Sixers played most of the fourth quarter without center Matt Geiger, who picked up his fifth foul with 8:09 left in the game. Theo Ratliff, though, stepped up with a field goal, two free throws, four rebounds and four pivotal blocked shots in the quarter. "They deserved to win this series," Daly said. "They gave us a hard time all year, and we didn't protect our home court in the playoffs. I wish them the best of luck against Indiana."
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