15 years ago today one of my favorite Allen Iverson moments happened. The scrappy underdog player led his scrappy underdog team against the powerhouse of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2001 in the NBA Finals. The world watched, and what I saw Allen Iverson was amazing, shocking and unbelievable that night. A small man with huge heart who absolutely refused to back down against the Lakers in the first game on the road in the NBA Finals. It was a big night for Allen. Iverson had a game-high 48 points to go with six assists and five steals. The Sixers won game one of the NBA Finals in overtime that night. But what people also remember from that night was the step over.
I remember like it was yesterday. Watching it all unfold as I watched the game in my blue Sixers Allen Iverson jersey. I can picture the play in my head as Iverson got the ball on the right-wing and took two quick dribbles toward the baseline and then he stopped. Iverson quickly crossed to his left and between his legs, and stepped back for a fade-away jumper in the corner, all in a quick flash. Lue tried his best to stay in front of Allen, but he was overmatched. As Iverson drained the shot, Lue fell to the floor. He was right at Iverson’s feet after he fell. Iverson glanced down at him like a boxer would if he knocked out his opponent. Iverson had this look on his face as he looked down at Lue and stepped over Lue in defiant triumph. Oh, and it happened all directly in front of the entire Lakers bench. The Lakers bench was in complete shock of what just happened.
The Sixers might’ve lost the next four games to lose the NBA Finals, but they beat the Lakers 107-101 in an overtime thriller that night and put the world on notice that this team wasn’t backing down from them. Do I think the Sixers could have beat Shaq and Kobe? Maybe. That Sixers team was as scrappy as I ever saw. They ran their offense through Allen and everyone else played scrappy, hard nose defense. Larry Brown knew he was overmatched but he knew his team could beat the Lakers in the Finals because of the heart they had throughout the season. Every Sixers fan will remember that play and past down their memory of where they were when it happened. It was a big part of Sixers history and one of the best plays Iverson had in a Sixers uniform.