|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
|
SHOT CHART
|
GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Bloody from an elbow to the mouth, Allen
Iverson swallowed hard and finished off the Bucks.
|  | | Allen Iverson splits defenders Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen to score two of his 28 points. |
Scoring 11 of his team's final 13 points, including seven in a
row after he was hit in the mouth by Ray Allen, Iverson was the MVP
of the fourth quarter Monday as the Philadelphia 76ers beat
Milwaukee 89-83 to tie the Eastern Conference finals at two games
apiece.
"I didn't think the refs were going to let me back in the game
because I was spitting up so much blood. I was trying to stop the
bleeding but it wouldn't stop, so I kept my mouth closed and
swallowed the blood when it filled up," he said.
Iverson's latest effort was more Draculian than Herculean,
typifying how the 76ers showed a sense of urgency and desperation
that the Bucks were sorely lacking.
Philadelphia also got big contributions from Dikembe Mutombo and
Tyrone Hill while shutting down Milwaukee's offense over the final
eight minutes.
Iverson, who sat out Game 3 with a sore left hip joint, missed
10 straight shots at one point and finished 10-for-32 from the
field for 28 points. But he did enough in the fourth quarter to
make his early shooting woes insignificant.
"As bad as my butt was hurting, I knew if I could suck that up
I could suck this up," Iverson said.
The 76ers held the Bucks to just one basket over a nearly
seven-minute stretch of the final quarter and won going away.
Milwaukee fans booed the home team as they left the court,
frustrated by yet another display of the Bucks playing poorly right
when they had a chance to take control of a playoff series.
Philadelphia's victory ensured that the NBA Finals will not
start until June 6 – meaning the Western Conference champion Los
Angeles Lakers will have had 10 days between games.
Of much more immediate importance is the outcome of this series,
which is now essentially a best-of-three. Game 5 is Wednesday night
at Philadelphia.
"All this game shows is that the two teams are pretty equal and
it's going to be a great series," Bucks coach George Karl said.
Iverson played the entire game except for the final 16 seconds
of the third quarter and had eight assists, five rebounds and two
steals. Mutombo had 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, and
Hill – whose father is seriously ill in a Cincinnati hospital –
added 14 points.
It was clear right from the outset that Iverson had his
quickness back as he looked nothing like the player who moved
through Game 2 at half-speed. Sprinting and accelerating like the
Iverson of old, he was able to start and stop on a dime and use his
crossover dribble and quick first step to lose one-on-one
defenders.
Iverson showed off his speed on one of the key plays of the
game, a drive around Glenn Robinson for a running bank shot with
3:06 left that gave the Sixers an 80-75 lead. Allen missed a jumper
on Milwaukee's next possession, and Iverson then drew three
defenders as he drove the lane.
The Sixers swung the ball to Eric Snow for a corner jumper that
made it 82-75 with 2:18 left.
Iverson got elbowed in the mouth by Allen on Milwaukee's next
possession, staying down on the ground as Ervin Johnson scored to
make it a five-point game.
"It loosened his right front tooth. It bled quite a bit
initially," 76ers trainer Lenny Currier said.
The Bucks had a chance to get closer, but they passed up two
open shots and turned the ball over. Snow's steal led to a
fast-break layup by Iverson for an 84-77 lead with 1:07 left, and
he shook his head at the crowd as Milwaukee called a timeout.
Robinson, who led the Bucks with 20 points, was ejected for
drawing two technicals with 58 seconds left. Iverson made both
technical foul shots for an 87-77 lead.
"It took a lot out of me," Iverson said. "Coming into the
game I knew I'd feel bad after, but my heart feels good right now
and that's what's important."
Although Iverson had a turnover on his first touch and missed
his first two shots, he was moving easily. He made a quick move
along the baseline for a layup that gave Philadelphia a 20-14 lead.
Tim Thomas had two 3-pointers as the Bucks used a 14-0 run to
take a 40-33 lead, but Philadelphia answered with a 7-0 run to
prevent Milwaukee from taking that momentum into the locker room at
halftime.
Iverson hit his first shot of the third quarter and had assists
on consecutive shots by Aaron McKie and Jumaine Jones, allowing the
Sixers to open a small lead that they maintained throughout the
third quarter.
McKie opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to make it
72-62, but just when it looked like the Sixers had taken the crowd
out of the game, Allen hit a lane jumper and 3-pointer to start a
9-0 run that pulled the Bucks within one.
Mutombo dunked a miss and Iverson darted through traffic for a
layup that gave the Sixers a 78-73 lead heading into the final 5{
minutes, and the Bucks failed to score on five of their next six
possessions.
Game notes
Allen and McKie picked up a double foul for getting too
physical with each other late in the second quarter. Thomas and
Philadelphia's Raja Bell drew double technicals for shoving each
other at the end of the third quarter. ... McKie, who shot 0-for-5
in the first half, finished with 11 points, nine assists and three
3-pointers. ... Thomas was Milwaukee's second-leading scorer with
15 points. Allen and Sam Cassell had 14 apiece.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Robinson's frustration boils over toward officials
Hill won't back down in his best game of series
Game 3: Bucks trudge past Iverson-less Sixers
Bucks out-Allen Sixers, tie East finals at a game apiece
Iverson's late 3-pointer holds off Bucks in Game 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Larry Brown says it was not just Allen Iverson, but the whole team came up big in Game 4.
wav: 368 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Allen Iverson describes his emotions to get back in the game after being sidelined with a bloody tooth.
wav: 256 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
George Karl and the Bucks were defeated by a complete effort from a balanced Sixer team.
wav: 424 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Dick Vitale was impressed by Allen Iverson's "gutty performance" in Game 4 vs. the Bucks.
wav: 336 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
