Tears of joy flow freely for Iverson INDIANAPOLIS - After it was over, Reggie Miller and Allen Iverson hugged. The picture of combined greatness was a keeper. The emotions they shared, even if they hadn't exchanged a word, were just as enduring. But they did talk. "He has to really make them believe they can win it all," Miller said, recounting the conversation. "This was their first step. I definitely see them coming out of the East, even though Milwaukee and Charlotte are both playing really good ball. "We've put them through enough wars where they've pretty much seen everything. Now it's up to them. And what I like about Allen is, he's a fighter. He's tough. These are the type of players that can win you a ballgame. He can win a ballgame by himself. "They're going to need that from him." After it was over, the scoreboard read this way: Sixers 88, Pacers 85. The Sixers beat the Pacers in the game and in the series - and they beat history, too. After all, the Pacers knocked the Sixers out of the playoffs the last two springs. And after it was over, Iverson cried. He said they were tears of joy. He said he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this way, the last time the tears actually flowed after a game. And then he did remember. "State football," he said, recalling the days when he was the star quarterback, as well, at Bethel High School in Hampton, Va. He won the state football and state basketball titles when he was there. "State football, not basketball," Iverson said. "How many years ago was that? It was '92, '93. It's been from the whole time I've been in the league. I've won a lot of games. I've won playoff series. I've won different awards. . .and I want to do a lot more. But this the best for me." Iverson was the victor this time, Miller the vanquished. It was a role reversal, then - and only time can tell us if it was maybe a sea change, too. But the hug was not about that. It was much more complicated. Because only one person in the entire state of Indiana could understand what it was like for Miller last night, trying to shoulder so much of the burden, carrying an impossible expectation - the expectation of miracles - and then watching helplessly as Jalen Rose took the final, errant shot. Only one person could understand, and that was Iverson. Because only one person in the whole of Conseco Fieldhouse could know what it was like for Iverson to struggle through a 10-for-31 shooting night and still be the most important person on the floor, the magnet for all eyes, the man carrying the biggest burden and the biggest expectations. Only one person could understand, and that was Miller. "It's been rough on me mentally," Iverson said. "We played hard all year, got in the playoffs, and we just could never get by this team. Those were tears of joy. I just felt good. . . "I think the fans here were great. They brought a lot out of me. Now I know when I'm struggling in a basketball game, the only thing that matters is to keep playing. Play every game like it's your last, and something positive will come out of it." Iverson acknowledged he already kind of knew how he would respond on this kind of a night, but at the same time it's amazing to be reminded that even the greatest of athletes sometimes struggle with doubt. It's not as if Iverson had a terrible game. He scored 33 points, after all. But when you miss 21 shots, and when you score only nine points in the second half of a game with such enormous implications, and when you arrive at the gym with MVP credentials, well, you know. Iverson knows. "I'm exhausted from the game, physically and mentally," he said. "I take my hat off to the Indiana team. They brought a lot out of Allen Iverson as a basketball player. . . "A lot of guys, when they struggle, they pack it in. But not Allen Iverson." He smiled a tired smile as he talked. He sat there, holding his young son as the clock struck midnight in the East, and it was tough to tell which Iverson was more tired. But the bonus - for him, for his team - is that they get to sit at home Friday night and hope the Knicks and Raptors play about four overtimes. The winner of that one will travel to the First Union Center on Sunday. "Now I can probably rest - for a day," said Allen Iverson, after a night of self-discovery.		Author Rich Hofmann   Source Daily News   Return to Articles