PHILADELPHIA—Allen Iverson received the hero’s welcome he hoped for in his return to Philadelphia. The 76ers got a louder ovation for sending their former MVP away with a loss.
Iverson scored 32 points and handed out eight assists in his first game in Philadelphia since being traded to Denver in December 2006, but the game belonged to the streaking 76ers, who beat the Nuggets 115-113 Wednesday night.
Iverson wanted everything about his return to Philly to be positive, from his reception to the outcome, but he went 1-for-2 in his return to the Wachovia Center.
“I dreamed it up a certain way, and it was better than that,” Iverson said. “Everything was perfect but one thing, and that was not winning the game.”
The sellout crowd of 20,674 poured out its emotion for Iverson, showering him with applause when he trotted out for pregame warmups. The ovation grew louder, and then Iverson made his way to center court, where he dropped down and kissed the 76ers logo.
The affection between the 2001 NBA MVP and the fans intensified from there.
When Iverson was introduced, the fans showered him with raucous applause and a lengthy standing ovation. He worked the crowd by putting his hand to his ear and turning to each corner of the arena as the roar grew louder. The applause was only cut short by the introduction of the rest of the Denver lineup.
“It was emotional,” Iverson said. “It almost got to me, man. It made me feel good—it made me feel appreciated. It made me feel like the time that I was here was worthwhile.
“Leaving here, I felt like I was going to leave for good, but after that ovation and seeing the way people still care about me as a person—there is no way I can leave this place now.”
Iverson also used the occasion to bring about some closure.
Just before the game started, he went to the Sixers’ bench and embraced former coach Maurice Cheeks, the first time the two got together since he was traded 15 months before.
“It felt great for him to do that,” the Sixers’ coach said. “We didn’t want to make a scene. I thought everyone was excited about it when it happened.”
Iverson delighted the crowd with many of the same moves he used while with the 76ers—from the crossover dribble, to the pull-up jumper, to the driving layup.
Iverson’s impact was immediate as he fed Anthony for a game-opening 3-pointer and scored his first points on a 14-foot jumper at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter.
And, just like when he was running the Philadelphia offense, Iverson had the ball in his hands in the final seconds with the game on the line. This time, however, he missed the mark from 20 feet.
“When I shot, it didn’t feel good,” Iverson said.
Marcus Camby also had a chance for Denver, but he misfired from 7 feet.
“I almost had a perfect trip at my home away from home,” Iverson said.
Instead, it was the 76ers who were celebrating.
“We knew it would be emotional,” Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said. “They didn’t want to have a player come in and get the love, but lose the game.”
Samuel Dalembert scored the decisive basket with 32.9 seconds remaining. When Andre Iguodala lost possession of the ball as he fell, Dalembert was there to grab it and turned for a lay-in.
Andre Miller, acquired by the Sixers in the Iverson trade, scored 28 points on his 32nd birthday and the 76ers reached the .500 mark (34-34) for the first time since opening the season at 2-2.
Iguodala scored 21 points, Dalembert added 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, including four in the last quarter. Willie Green added 16 points and Rodney Carney 11.
“That was like a playoff game out there,” Cheeks said. “The game was just drama and I thought our guys handled it well.
“We’re not in the playoffs yet, but we’re trying to get there.”
Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points, Martin added 22 and Anthony Carter 12 for the Nuggets, who failed to gain ground in their push for a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference.
Nuggets coach George Karl was satisfied with his team’s performance.
“Other than our defensive intensity in the first half, trying to outshoot a team playing with a lot of confidence hurt us,” he said.
