Walk into the first union locker room before a sixers
game, and understand that this is the House that Allen Built. It's an hour and change before the Sixers go out to face the Pacers in Game Three of their secondround series, and things are pretty loose. Biggie bumps from con-cealed stereo speakers, as Game Two unfolds on the N huge projection-screen TV.
Freshly-shorn Sixers' team president and fitness guru Pat Croce tornadoes through the locker room, camera crew in tow, bantering with reserve forwards Tyrone Hill and Harvey Grant. As he whirls back out, he turns to the camera guy: Did you get me saying 'Hi' to Allen?
Iverson's building, Iverson's team. Sitting in the upper press box (think blimp seats), watching Reggie and company destroy the Sixers's Cinderella dreams, discussion turns to supporting casts. It is obvious that of all the MVP candidates ZO, Duncan, Malone, Kidd, Paul Pierce just kidding)-Iverson's is the least supportive in the League. Not only that, but the talent gap between him and the second-best player on his squad is the widest, without question. And yet here he is, deeper into the playoffs than Grant Hill has ever gotten.
We know-playoffs don't count in the MVP voting but looks at what he overcame to get there. Not the off-court stuff, thats been chronicled in far too much detail already. On it, Al made the switch from point guard to shooting guard, a switch that destroyed Penny Hardaway, and led the league in scoring. He averaged 41.5 minutes a night going against defenses keyed to bury him, he scored 26.8 points per game in a season when 100-point games were a miracle.
Look at the other numbers, too. At 6'0, 165, he managed to grab 4.9 rebounds a game. As a "selfish" player-and a shooting guard-he dished off 4.6 assists per second on the team. Whilehis defensive play has been nearly forgotten to his spectacular offense he finished the second in the League in steals.
People say his early-season blowout with coach Larry Brown put him out of the MVP runnung,but that episode proved to be a turning point for both of them. Following that day, Iverson and Brown sat side by side, their relationship reborn. The sixers made the playoffs for the first time since '91, and who do you think got them there? If it would make you feel better, we could start spelling team t-e-a-i-m.

Back to thE game Twentyfive minutes after walking dejectly off the court, Iverson leaned back in a folding chair, a white bathrobe around his shoulders and a blank look of utter defeat on his face. His black Reeboks lay discarded in front near his crumpled up uniform. He had given his statement made no excuses and now down 3-0, he just sat, caught up on his own thoughts.
Suddenly, a disturbance. NBC analyst Peter Vecse brought his young son in to say hello. This being an obvious breach of playoff etiquette not to mention good taste, Iverson had all the reason to ignore him. Still, for a moment his eyes brightened momentarily animated. Suffering the most crushing disappointment in his professional life, Allen Iverson made someone else feel better.
lsiah Thomas never won an MVP award. Neither did Nate Archibald, even in the season he led the led the league in both scoring (34) and assists(11.4). No one under 6-3 has won the award since Bob Cousy in '56-57, back in the days of canvas shoes and set shots. Dont worry shorties, someone will soon.
Someone who should have already.