Allen Iverson on Marcus Camby
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April 19, 98, Sixers vs. Raptors Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
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Everybody talks about Allen Iverson’s crossover. You
know—the one that made MJ look like he was playing D on lily pads.
Twice. But what people don’t talk about enough is his leap. Kid
doesn’t just jump, h e springs. AI gets above the rim as quickly as he
drives to it, and he picked the last game of the ’97-98 season to prove
it.
Fourth quarter. Toronto is (on some bullshit) in a match-up zone. The shot
clock h its 10 seconds, and Iverson is being guarded by 6-9 John Wallace
(stop laughing). Ive begins setting up his move, and Wallace, knowing he
can’t keep up, steps off. Doug Christie rushes over to double team, only
to watch the rock get lobbed over his extended arms. Eric Snow makes the
reception and immediately flies past Toronto’s Dee Brown and Gary Trent.
Six seconds remain on the shot clock. Snow stops in the paint, feeling
Trent’s presence on his h ip, and unleashes a nervous jumper that bricks
above the backboard square, then clanks off of the rim. Freeze.
Can you guess who seized the board? Good guesses would be 6-11 Toronto
center Marcus Camby or 6-10 Philly 47;center” Scott Williams.
Other good possibilities included Wallace or Philly’s pair of 6-10
forwards, Tim Thomas and Derrick Coleman. That would be no, no, no, no and
hell no.
As a matter of fact, it wasn 6;t anyone in the paint—it was the
smallest man on the court, Mr. Iverson. That’s right. Kid Crossover,
sensing the brick is a-comin’, slips unboxed into the paint, leaps over
Williams and then…BOOM! Ive slams down two of his game-high 26 points on
top of Camby’s unsuspecting cranium. MC, realizing he has just been
posterized, tries to flee the scene but is slowed by the fact that Allen
is still sitting on his shoulders.
Unfazed by having dunked on someone a foot taller than him, Allen just
waits for Camby to let him down, gets back on D and enjoys the rest of the
Toronto massacre (107-78)—finishing the game and season with a W, 26 pts
(13-21 fg), eight boards, six assists and four steals.
Talk about going out
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