Allen does a tune as dish jockey EVERYONE ANTICIPATED Allen Iverson would have a special performance in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals It's a safe bet, however, that nobody figured Iverson's special show would look quite the way it did. If Iverson had scored 30, 40, even 50 points, no one would have blinked. He's done the amazing scoring thing so many times, it no longer fazes anyone. But what Iverson did in the  Sixers' victory over the Raptors was from another realm. Think, for a moment, about Iverson dishing 16 dimes in a game when all of his instincts had to be screaming "score big." Think about Iverson finishing with a career high for assists  in a game everyone said he had to light the scoreboard like a  pinball machine for the Sixers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Think about Iverson scoring just 21 points but still having a hand in 53 points as the Sixers pulled out a thrilling, 88-87  victory. Think about that and understand where it fits in a season that has seen the evolution of Allen Iverson into a complete basketball player. "I wanted to do something special," said Iverson, who has led the Sixers to the conference finals for the first time since 1984-85. "The way you draw it up if you're a scorer is that you have a great scoring night to help your team. "In a million years, I didn't  believe that I would come out and have a career high in assists. But if I would have thought about it, I could see this happening, knowing that [the Raptors] were going to double team me. I wasn't shooting well, but they were still doubling me. So all I was thinking about when the double team came was find the open man - and not just the open man, but a guy open for a shot that he can make." You wanted to know what the next development in this season of epiphanies was going to be? You saw it last night. With Iverson dissecting Toronto's double teams and finding open men, four other Sixers scored in double figures, including Aaron McKie (team-high 22 points), Jumaine Jones (16), Eric Snow (13) and Dikembe Mutombo (10). McKie and Jones set  career playoff highs. Iverson, who shot 8-for-27 from the floor, had a hand in 24 of the Sixers' 32 field goals. It's unlikely the Sixers would have won with Iverson playing any other way. "I have teammates," said Iverson, who had just two points but six assists in the most important fourth quarter of his five years as a Sixer. "What else do I have to say? I have four other guys on the court with me. I hurt with them and laugh with them. That's what it's all about. "You can't get into a Game 7 and then forget about the guys who have been with you all season long. You come to the game with the guys who helped you get there. I have been saying it since the beginning of the playoffs that if they double me, then it's up to my teammates to make them pay." That was never more evident than in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, when Iverson didn't take a shot but assisted on the Sixers' first four baskets. He dished to Jones for a  vicious baseline dunk. He then found Snow for a spot-up, 11-footer. Then it was a dish to McKie for a 19-footer, and finally another pass to Jones for a 20-footer. "I think spacing was important," McKie said. "Any time teams are going to double Allen, it is very important that we have our spacing. We can't have two guys standing next to each other. If we spread teams out, we can be pretty effective." A lot of people who only  watch the Sixers from afar will say Iverson finally showed trust in his teammates. The truth is, he's displayed that trust from the beginning of the season. Think back to the Sixers' home opener - the second game of the season, when this same Toronto team was playing them nip-and-tuck down the stretch. Mark Jackson was isolating Iverson with about 90 seconds left and the Sixers up by four.  Remember what Iverson did? He didn't force a jumper. He didn't try to drive. On the first big play of the season, Iverson fed Theo Ratliff for a basket that helped clinch a 104-98 victory. "I'm so proud of the way Allen is learning how to play," coach Larry Brown said. "He hadn't seen double teams on a consistent basis until these last two playoff series. He's learning to deal with different situations. "Allen wants to win so badly. He's such an unbelievable  competitor. The fact that he  had 16 assists in such a big game is a monumental achievement for him." There was exuberance in the Sixers' locker room. Over the buzzing, team president Pat Croce yelled to Iverson, the one man left with him from the beginning of this bottom-to-top journey that started five years ago. "Hey, Bubba, you got 16 assists?" Croce asked. "Hey, man, I've got teammates," Iverson responded. Yesterday, there was an "I" in team. It stood for Iverson. *		Author John Smallwood   Source Daily News   Return to Articles