"Allen didn't have any trust" - Toni Kukoc shares what was the biggest problem with Allen Iverson and the 76ers
Allen Iverson was arguably the best player in the league in the 2000/01 season, as he carried a lackluster Philadelphia 76ers roster into the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, A.I. and his team would face off against the Los Angeles Lakers, who went undefeated before the Finals.
The Answer then had a tremendous Game 1, scoring 48 points to help Philly give LA their first loss of the Playoffs. The Lakers would win the next four games to win the championship, but Iverson cemented his place as a top superstar with that performance.
According to Toni Kukoc, that roster needed to instill more confidence in Iverson, which led to him shouldering the offensive load. The Croatian forward had first-hand experience, as he was part of that team for the first half of the season before he got traded mid-way into the campaign, missing out on the NBA Finals run.
“Allen didn't have any trust. That was the makeup of the team that besides him and me, that team was constructed with a lot of good players,” Kukoc said on Sport Klub. “Theo Ratliff, maybe Aaron McKie, had some offensive qualities. The rest of them were rebounders or defensive players. Then, when you are expected to deliver so much, he knows if he doesn't score 30,40 points, they don't have too much of a chance to win.”
Iverson had a legendary 2001 Playoffs run
In the 2000/01 regular season. Iverson was already one of the best players in the league. He averaged 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Those statistics helped A.I. become the Most Valuable Player, as the 76ers earned a 56-26 record in the regular season.
That 76ers roster was not the most talented group, as Iverson had no clear-cut secondary star. Theo Ratliff was the closest player to him in offensive contributions, scoring 12.4 points per game, followed by Dikembe Mutombo and Aaron McKie.
Iverson outscored his teammates by almost 20 points every game, carrying the most offensive load on his shoulders. Thankfully, the 76ers were a superb defensive team, as Larry Brown set them up that way. A.I. would pop off on offense while the rest of the team played scrappy defense.
The dynamic was unsustainable for Philly, as Iverson needed a co-star. Compare that team to the Lakers, which had two MVP candidates in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The firepower was too much for the 76ers, as A.I. played well, but the rest of the team was abysmal.
Iverson sacrificed so much for Philly
Iverson was a gifted player, carrying that 76ers team to the promised land. However, Philly could not beat the loaded Lakers team. Despite all that, dealing a blow into the impenetrable LA armor was an achievement already, as his 48 points left the only blemish on the magical 2001 run for the Lakers.
It came at a cost for Iverson, as he did not feel well during that Finals, leading to him saying he wished he did not play. He gave it his all, including sacrificing his health, as he struggled with body pain during that game.
When it was over, I was glad," Iverson told Vernon Maxwell on the MaXed Out podcast. "That's how beat up I was. if I could do it all over again, honestly, I would rather not even get there than to not win it. Honestly, to get there and not win it, it hurt. It hurt. You get all the way to the Super Bowl. You're the Patriots, and you won every game. Then that one game that matters the most, and it's not yours.”
