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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
76ers: If Iverson's on, Sixers look good
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Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 49-33, third in Atlantic, fifth in conference
Coach/GM: Larry Brown/Billy King
Arena, first game: First Union Center (20,444); Nov. 1, 1996
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 2,165-1,843/3
Notable: Kukoc triple-double was first by Sixer in five years
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THE TOP EIGHT
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Pos
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Player
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Key Stat
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Skinny
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PG
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Eric Snow
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7.6 apg
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Keeps team in check, scores now, too
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SG
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Allen Iverson
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28.4 ppg
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Really, it's more than his practice habits
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SF
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George Lynch
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7.8 rpg
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Either he or Kukoc, but Brown loves him
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PF
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Tyrone Hill
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9.2 rpg
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Pro banger does what is asked to do
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C
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Theo Ratliff
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3.0 bpg
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Not wide, tough enough on many nights
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6th
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Toni Kukoc
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.408 FG
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Good all-around, but needs to be healthy
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7th
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Aaron McKie
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8.0 ppg
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Had 25 pts and 11 asts in playoff game
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8th
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Todd MacCulloch
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3.7 ppg
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One more injury and he plays a lot
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The 76ers need to get everybody back healthy, especially Matt Geiger. To be a contending team, they must have Geiger. In addition, the 76ers must keep it together in terms of team play and morale, avoiding any more controversies between coach Larry Brown and Allen Iverson. The 76ers should be a contending team. They defend well and use their defense to initiate the offense and get fast breaks going.
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By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
Everybody's back from the team that won 49 games and went to
the conference semifinals last season. Larry Brown is a premier coach.
Under Brown, the Sixers play the kind of style that works in the
playoffs. Allen Iverson is one of the top talents in the league. Some
nights, he is unstoppable as a scorer. Theo Ratliff, Tyrone Hill and
Matt Geiger give them size and toughness up front in a conference where
quality big men are few and far between. Toni Kukoc is a tough matchup
for opposing fours because he can score on the perimeter or drive to
the basket and find open teammates. Aaron McKie, Eric Snow and George
Lynch know their roles.
The Bad
Iverson may be an All-Star talent, but he can be a distraction,
24-7. His size is also a problem. As the Sixers went deeper into the
postseason last season, he picked up more and more injuries. His slim
body is not good for the grind of postseason basketball. When a player
of his slight stature dominates the basketball, it normally doesn't lead
to championships. Iverson's relationship with Brown will never be good,
mostly because Iverson doesn't believe he needs to practice or show up
for games on time. Brown also realizes that Iverson's blase attitude
toward weight-training and conditioning, along with his penchant for
keeping late hours in-season, is a detriment. After Iverson, who
averaged 28 ppg last season, the Sixers don't have a second reliable
scorer. Like other Brown teams, this team doesn't use the three-point
shot as a weapon. They had the third-worst 3-point percentage last season,
at 32 percent. As good as their defense is -- they were ranked seventh overall
last season -- there are too many nights when they can't find enough
offense.
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THE BIG QUESTION |
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The furor surrounding Iverson's rap CD is typical of
the trouble he always brings on himself. His focus is always debatable.
Do the Sixers reach the point where they finally get so fed up with his
antics that they move him? This could be the year.
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Whose team is this?
It's Brown's. He signed a new extension late last
season, giving him more power than ever. And when he turned down a
chance to return to his alma mater, North Carolina, that showed who's
boss. Iverson thinks it's his team, of course, meaning that the two are
bound to butt heads as long as they're together. It's always been a soap
opera between the coach and star, and that doesn't figure to change.
This offseason, though, the Sixers came as close as they've ever come
to parting ways with Iverson. Brown would love to trade Iverson if the
Sixers can get a star in return.
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| Iverson |
How they'll play
It's a typical Larry Brown outfit, featuring defense,
hard work and rebounding. The Sixers gave up only 93 ppg last season on
43.5 percent shooting and were the second-best team at steals. They could do
even better this season. Rebounding is a strength, especially at the
offensive end, where they ranked second in the entire league last
season. Hill and Lynch each collected more than 200 offensive boards
apiece last season. The load will be on Iverson to score, as always.
Last season, he took more than 1,000 more shots than the next Sixer. On the
defensive end, he keys the pressure as one of the top thieves in the
game.
Projection
Put them down for possibly 50-to-55 wins, after a 49-win season. Now that Miami doesn't have Alonzo Mourning, they could even rise to the top in
the East. It's getting harder all the time for teams to win in Philly.
Last year, the Sixers had their best home record (29-12) since 1991.
Their homecourt edge is one of the best in the league now.
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