Iverson a clear choice for TSN's Player of the Year Allen Iverson has a message for his fellow NBA players: The appreciation is mutual.  "Those are the guys I play against, my competition," said Iverson, 25, upon learning he was named The Sporting News' NBA Most Valuable Player by his peers. "For those guys to vote me MVP, I really feel like I accomplished a lot this year. Because those are the guys who made me compete like an MVP. I think that's the greatest honor in the world because it's coming from those guys.  "You want the MVP award and to get it how you're supposed to get it -- from the writers. But you've got to feel good about this, because those are my peers."  Iverson led the league in scoring average (31.1) and steals per game (2.5) and tied for the lead in minutes per game (42.0) despite playing through an assortment of injuries. He was a runaway winner, with 112 votes. Chris Webber of the Kings (34 votes) and Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers (22) were second and third.  The award is the culmination of a remarkable season for Iverson, who wouldn't have been a 76er had an offseason trade not fallen through at the last minute.  Given a reprieve, Iverson led the 76ers to a franchise-record 10-0 start, paving the way for them to capture the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1990 with a 56-26 record. He also was the All-Star Game MVP in February.  And now this.  "What a thrill for Allen," said Brown, whose persistence with Iverson has paid off for both of them. "That really makes me happy, because when the guys in the league recognize what you mean to your team it's an incredible accomplishment."		Author Jon Marks   Source Sporting News   Return to Articles