Every so often I need to revisit some of the great players of recent times, just to remind myself how phenomenal these talents truly were. Guys like Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan and even the likes of youthful Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway are all worth remembering for the unusual talents they exhibited for us on the basketball court.
Allen Iverson was one of those players who just defied logic in how much he got from so little. Perhaps no player has wrung so much ability out of their genetic gifts as the diminuitive Iverson. Watching the footage (below) of Iverson taking on the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1999/2000 NBA season, it's remarkable how quick he is on the court, how he gets to the rim and his absolute toughness under pressure.
In this game, of January 3, 2000, Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to an overtime victory over the Bucks, behind his 45 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Playing against a Bucks team featuring Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell, it's easy to forget that AI was surrounded by the likes of Tyrone Hill, Eric Snow, Matt Geiger and George Lynch as his main means of support. He simply willed his teams to victory in Philly most of the time — he took this squad to the second round of the playoffs, which is quite amazing, given the supporting cast he had on hand.
