San Antonio – The uniform is powder blue and yellow, not red, white and blue. The city has changed from Philadelphia to Denver. And it’s not a one-man show anymore.
But those factors have not changed the San Antonio Spurs’ respect for Nuggets guard Allen Iverson, who often torched them while wearing a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.
“We’ve never stopped him, have we?” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I think he likes seeing us. He scores well. He’s one of those players that you’re not going to stop because he’s a great one. And if we can make him work hard, maybe they’ll have a night where they won’t make everything. He’s definitely a big emphasis for us.”
With the Sixers, Iverson averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 17 games against the Spurs from 1996-2005. The seven-time NBA all-star scored more than 40 points three times, including 46 on 14-of-26 shooting and 15-of-17 free throws in a 98-94 loss Feb. 12, 1999, and at least 30 points eight times.
The Nuggets acquired Iverson on Dec. 19, and in two games against San Antonio he had 33 points (Jan. 10) and nine points (Feb. 20).
“It’s difficult to play them night in and night out,” Iverson said. “I’m just fortunate to have had good games against them. Hopefully it will continue.”
Said Spurs point guard Tony Parker: “He always played great against us, especially in Philly. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
That great challenge is expected to be Parker’s job, for the most part. Popovich is big on man-to-man defense and Parker is expected to open the game on Iverson. When Parker is out of the game, the Spurs could turn to reserve Jacque Vaughn. At times, San Antonio could also go big against Iverson with the likes of 6-foot-7, 200-pound Bruce Bowen or 6-6, 205-pound Manu Ginobili.
Bowen, an NBA all-defensive team candidate, says Iverson is “up there” as far as the toughest players in the league to guard.
“It’s tough because of his quickness and he has the ability to shoot over length,” Bowen said. “People don’t realize how long his arms are. That’s why he’s led the league in steals at times. His arms are long.
“He knows how to score. And scorers know how to make adjustments on the fly. That’s what great scorers can do. He did this to me so let me do this next time.”
While Iverson never had a strong complementary scorer in Philadelphia, he has that in Denver with Carmelo Anthony. So while the Spurs could concentrate on just trying to stop Iverson before, the challenge is tougher now.
Iverson ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 26.3 points, while Anthony was second, averaging 28.9.
“They are the second and (eighth) best scorers in the league,” Ginobili said. “Of course, they are a tough matchup for anybody. They are players we need to double team or help a lot on them. If the other players make shots, it makes things tougher.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
