NBA's elite can see the brilliance of Iverson's game OAKLAND, Calif. - Somebody call Peco Energy. Kobe Bryant says if he and Allen Iverson ever played in the same backcourt they'd create "enough energy to light up all of Philadelphia." "People are starting to finally understand him," said Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers guard from Lower Merion High. "But that's the way it can be. People are often quick to judge that which they do not know." If people didn't know Iverson before, they know him now, after a 26-point performance in his NBA All-Star Game debut. The 76ers star, the third-leading vote-getter in the fans' balloting, blended in nine assists and two steals, shot 10-for-18 in 28 minutes, knocked down his two three-point attempts, described by the Oakland Arena public address announcer as "three for three," playing nicely off Iverson's jersey number. It is old news that Iverson, barely 6 feet, 165 pounds, is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body. The real truth is, he's one of a kind, playing with a combination of fierceness and fearlessness, launching his body into the land of the giants. But he goes in with an arsenal of weaponry, an uncanny ability to score, a knack for kissing the ball off the glass and absorbing contact. He doesn't need an invitation to the party. In the best sense of the phrase, he crashes it. Even on a day when the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal and San Antonio's Tim Duncan became the third duo in history to share the Most Valuable Player award, when Phoenix's Jason Kidd handed out a dizzying 14 assists, when the only traveling in question involved getting to and from the arena, it was virtually impossible to miss Iverson. Even on a day when the West won, 137-126, when there were more lobs than you might see in a five-set tennis match, East coach Jeff Van Gundy noticed Iverson's gumption. "I love his courage," said Van Gundy, the New York Knicks coach. "He's not afraid to take a hit, even in a game like this when it's meaningless. That's an admirable trait for someone his size." In a game that included nine players appearing for the first time, Iverson found himself in a starting backcourt with former Temple star Eddie Jones, of the Charlotte Hornets. Two shooting guards. There was never a question which of the two would move to the point. "It was easy," Iverson said. "It was real easy. When you've got a chance to be on the court with four All-Stars, it makes it that much easier. The guys did a great job of finishing when I gave them passes - they didn't take anything away from my game. "A lot of times the guys are so unselfish, they wanted to bring the ball down and have me run off screens so I can play the game I've been playing for two years. It was just a great experience for me." Must have been, because when Iverson was asked whether he'd like to play the point for the Sixers a little more, he said, "I'll do anything it takes to play for my team. If that requires me to play half the game at the point and half as 'two' guard, that's OK." Iverson, in his third season playing for the Sixers' Larry Brown, said the experience "lets me know I can play for another coach." But he caught the potential misinterpretation as quickly as he's able to get into the paint, laughed and said, "I'm not saying I want to go anywhere." He is the league's defending scoring champion and the current leader, and has reached 30 points 24 times. He can get a shot just about any time he wishes. Yesterday, he got shots and got others opportunities. "Oh, man," Kidd marveled. "If I were to play with Allen, all he'd have to do is get open, and he has no problem doing that. This is a guy who can score 50. It would be easy [to play with him]. I told him coach Brown should see the tape of this game, see the passes, see the [other] guys getting involved." How about from the inside looking out? "Allen can break a defense down, get to the hole," said East center Alonzo Mourning, of Miami. "If he does that, it opens up tremendous opportunities for offensive rebounds and easy dunks. I could get his assists level up. Why wouldn't you want to play with him? I hear people say he shoots too much, but if he's making them, I say 'Shoot, Allen.' " On a star-studded day when Duncan generated 24 points and 14 rebounds, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett 24 points and 10 rebounds, and O'Neal 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Iverson was as noticeable as any of them. "I play with Sam Cassell [as the point] in Milwaukee," said East guard Ray Allen. "I always thought it would be best to play with a point guard who just passed, but I'm used to Sam and Glenn [Robinson] shooting. I can't shoot 40 times a game, but I know if I were to play with Allen and defenses collapsed on him I'd get my chances. The way he shoots, he would make my job easier. "But I've always known Allen, played against him in college. We started off together, separated and came back together [yesterday]. He's the same guy to me." Robinson, who also played for the East, shared the thought. "He can score, he can pass and nobody can take it from him," Robinson said. "You don't get guys like that every day, big Shaquilles or little Allen Iversons." Iverson is weary of people wondering about him before they get to know him. He doesn't think about winning the Rookie All-Star Game MVP in Cleveland and getting a negative reaction from the crowd. "I'm tired of people believing what the media writes and says and trying to judge me off that," he said. "I don't understand how people can judge other people that way." One more view, from the Dallas Mavericks' Michael Finley. "I consider myself a true fan," he said. "I know who can play. Guys who can do as many things as he does are the prototype of the future. He's small but he has ball skills, he can shoot, he can score. "When you're used to being that size all your life, you find the positives and use them to your advantage."		Author Phil Jasner   Source Daily News   Return to Articles