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Sixers tie the knot with Raptors ** Allen Iverson scores a team playoff-record 54 points to help Philadelphia hold off a determined Toronto squad. The series, now tied 1-1, moves to Toronto for Game 3, Friday.

Allen Iverson did not wait for the defense to come to him. He went at it and around it, torching the Toronto Raptors for a career playoff-high 54 points. He was everywhere, shooting and scoring, especially in the fourth quarter when he scored 19 consecutive points during one…

Allen 76ers

May 10, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

McKie’s clutch play earns NBA’s sixth-man award ** The poor kid from North Philly completes a remarkable journey. “He’s what our league should be about,’ says his coach.

His statistics do not measure up to the man who has gone from the troubled streets of North Philadelphia to the glamour lights of the NBA. Through it all, Sixers guard Aaron McKie has remained humble and thankful for the people in his life who’ve helped elevate him to the player…

Allen Temple

May 9, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Slow starts are plaguing Sixers ** In the playoffs, Philly has displayed a tendency not to get revved up until it’s too late.

There’s no reason to give up. Not yet, anyway. The Sixers are still alive, though heartbroken, after losing 96-93 to the Toronto Raptors Sunday night at the First Union Center. Now they have to find a way to get even as they head into Game 2 of the best-of-seven series,…

May 8, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Raptors steal Game 1 from Sixers ** Toronto takes away the homecourt advantage with its 96-93 victory over Philadelphia at the First Union Center.

Thousands of fans started waving white Sixers towels in a frenetic motion from the nose-bleed section down to courtside with a little under 7 minutes remaining, and the Sixers scrambling around the court with ballhawking defensive pressure that was designed to make the Toronto…

May 7, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

For Philly, a big edge in experience ** In Toronto, the Sixers face a second-round matchup with a less-tested foe.

Welcome to the second round of the NBA playoffs, Toronto Raptors. Want to know how to handle the boiling pressure? Just ask Allen Iverson or Larry Brown, the star player and head coach of the Sixers, who’ve failed to make it out of the Eastern Conference semifinals the last two…

May 6, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Un-rapt: Most Sixers nix viewing Game 5 ** McKie planned to scout, but others want no part of Friday’s New York-Toronto game.

One round completed, at least one more to play. Just who their next opponent would be was a mystery to the Sixers and everybody else early Friday, so following practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, coach Larry Brown and most of his players chose to enjoy…

May 5, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Sixers need to go for Indy’s jugular ** In two of three games, Philly has blown big leads against the Pacers.

Allen Iverson showed up in military fatigues for the elimination playoff game against the Indiana Pacers last year. That was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Philadelphia, and the Sixers lost 106-90. Tonight, Iverson and the Sixers stand a solid chance in Game 4 of…

May 2, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

As a complement to Iverson, McKie earns high praise ** Sixers sixth-man has played a primary role in turning this series around.

The echoes of bouncing balls and sneakers scraping against the hardwood floor stopped as players and coaches stood in silence, each focusing on the portion of the gymnasium floor where Sixers guard Aaron McKie had just fallen. Trainers rushed to his side, but as soon as they got…

May 1, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Executing in transition puts Sixers in command of Pacers

One week is all it took for the Philadelphia 76ers to gain command of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, doing so with what has made them great all season — executing in transition. Few teams can run with the Sixers. The Pacers are not one of…

Apr 29, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Patience is paying off for Philadelphia’s 2nd-year man, Jones ** His time on the bench and his hard work in practice have resulted in more playing time.

Free at last … free at last Sixers forward Jumaine Jones is free to just play, no longer looking to the bench to see if coach Larry Brown is trying to find space for him to occupy. The days of hardly playing appear to be over. He certainly waited a long time to become a factor,…

Allen 76ers

Apr 28, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson expects rough treatment ** He knows that Indiana fans will likely heckle him in Game 3 Saturday, but he’ll respond with his play.

Allen Iverson is headed back to Indianapolis for the first time since his much-publicized racial incident Jan. 28, and he says that he’s more concerned about helping the Sixers gain a one-game series edge than how the Indiana Pacers’ fans perceive him. Sitting with a toothpick…

Apr 27, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

The Sixers go racing back to Indianapolis ** Coming off a win in Game 2, and having already won twice in Indiana, Philly is anxious to play.

Tyrone Hill was so exhausted and frustrated following the Sixers’ one-point loss to the Indiana Pacers last Saturday that he went home, had a couple of cold beverages and went to bed. His mood was a lot different Tuesday night, following the Sixers’ 116-98 victory over the…

Apr 26, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson helps 76eres keep pace ** Miller has red-hot half, but Iverson one-ups him in must-win game.

Jumaine Jones had seen it so many times before, his teammate Allen Iverson,breathing life back into the Sixers with his words and with his play. “Allen came into the huddle and he was like “Yo, we gonna get this victory,’ and when he says that, we have to jump on his back,”…

Apr 25, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson helps 76ers keep pace ** He outscores Miller, 43-41, propels Sixers to 1-1 tie in series.

Allen Iverson sat by the stereo in the Sixers locker room, bobbing his head to the music, singing a rap tune. All the noise around him, all the pressure heading into a must-win Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, didn’t seem to matter. Iverson was loose, energetic — he was…

Apr 25, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

On the defensive, Mutombo honored for the fourth time ** Sixers center gets 48 of 123 votes in balloting for Defensive Player of the Year.

He used to wag his finger in a scolding motion after blocking shots, until NBA officials made him stop taunting opponents. But center Dikembe Mutombo hasn’t stopped blocking and altering shots, or recording intimidations, a statistic the Sixers resurrected after the 7-2 veteran…

Apr 24, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Sixers can’t wait to put things right with Pacers ** For three long days, they’ve lived with the sting of their Game 1 collapse and Reggie Miller’s winning shot.

Too much time has passed between games. The Sixers have been shaking their heads about an 18-point lead that once was, and replaying Reggie Millers’ game-winning 3-pointer that enabled the Indiana Pacers to take a 1-0 series lead in the opening-round Eastern Conference series.…

Apr 24, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Sixers are facing must-win game ** Saturday’s shocking loss puts the 56-win team in a tought predicament.

It’s the game that slipped away, leaving the Sixers depleted and in a must-win situation against the Indiana Pacers heading into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round series at home Tuesday night. The Sixers can’t afford to lose, not with Game 3 to be played in…

Apr 23, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson and the Sixers know what it will take to bounce back and win

“We’ll find out Tuesday,” is how Sixers coach Larry Brown chose to address questions about how his team would rebound from a Game 1 loss and how confident the Indiana Pacers might become. We’ll find out Tuesday. Can we handle the outcome if it’s the same as Saturday’s 79-78 win…

Apr 22, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Pacers need Miller, Rose big time ** If Indiana has a chance of upsetting No. 1 Sixers, the dynamic duo needs to score a lot.

The Indiana Pacers can beat the Sixers. You know it. Everybody knows it. It’s happened twice in the last two Eastern Conference semifinals, 4-love, 4-2. The Pacers still have Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose, Lethal Weapons I and II, and the two jump shooters know that the only way…

76ers

Apr 21, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson’s numbers could earn letters from him, too — MVP ** He’s the first player since Jordan to lead the NBA in scoring and steals.

The regular-season feats of Sixers guard Allen Iverson concluded Wednesday night with him on the sidelines. His NBA-leading numbers — 31.1 points and 2.5 steals per game — became official following the Sixers’ 92-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the First Union Center. Iverson is…

Apr 19, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Sixers rest up for the playoffs, and drop their season finale ** Iverson and Mutombo sit, and hapless Chicago takes advantage for a rare victory.

The NBA’s scoring and rebounding champions sat on the bench in street clothes, Allen Iverson dressed in baggy jeans, a T-shirt and a scarf and Dikembe Mutombo in a two-piece suit, as the Sixers closed the regular season with a game against the lowly Chicago Bulls. With the…

Apr 19, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Iverson will sit out Sixers’ final games ** The move gives the All-Star guard a week to rest and heal for the playoffs.

Aching Sixers guard Allen Iverson has been placed on the injured list for the final two regular-season games, allowing him time to rest and heal before the start of this weekend’s NBA playoffs. The move also virtually ensures that Iverson will win his second NBA scoring title in…

Apr 17, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Sixers kick it up a notch ** Needing a confidence booster, Philly withstands a late New York rally and wins a playoff-style matchup.

Tight, thuggish, heart-thumping. Get used to it. That’s what playoff basketball will be like. A preview of it was shown to a national television audience and a sellout crowd of 20,699 at the First Union Center, Sunday. The Sixers-New York Knicks IV was the final meeting between…

Apr 16, 2001 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

76ers want to take a message to Indiana ** In a prelim to its first-round playoff series, Philly wants to make a statement.

The Sixers are going to Indianapolis with everything to gain and a lot to lose. It’s mostly about mind games, especially since the Sixers (55-25) and Indiana Pacers (40-40) will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, which will start either Saturday or…

76ers Eric Snow

Apr 16, 2001 · Andre D. Williams