<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Allen Iverson tattooed the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. (Sorry. That's the only time I will write it.) With a minute remaining in the first half at The Can, Iverson dashed over the midcourt line and threw a long, heat-seeking bounce pass through three Celtics to Earl Boykins under the basket. The Keebler Elves backcourt was on the go again. Denver hasn't witnessed such an impressive pass and catch since Jay Cutler hit Javon Walker with a 54-yard touchdown in the game at Arizona. Boykins was fouled, and his two free throws gave the Nuggets a 55-45 lead. Boston was through, even though the second half had to be played out. Iverson and Boykins had their second inspiring performance since The Trade, and Iverson had his first victory as a member of the Nuggets. There could be 200-300 more. A.I. was a three-letter man - M, V & P. He finished with 28 points and 13 assists. The other half of the diminutive duet, Boykins, had 28 points and four assists. They have combined for 103 points and 36 assists in two games. Who needs Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Marcus Camby? The Nuggets do. But all (supposedly) will be together Jan. 22 here against Memphis. Be there. Not only will Iverson and Anthony be the 1-2 in scoring in the NBA, they will lead the league in tattoos. Even as we speak, Carmelo is probably getting another tattoo. Iverson seems to have more words on his body than Washington Irving had in one of his novels. Try the north side of two dozen tattoos. Iverson and Anthony have more tattoos than the British fleet. Many people will never get over the tattoos, but they haven't studied history. The Egyptians who built the pyramids thousands of years ago put permanent ink markings on their bodies. When Captain Cook returned to London from his travels in the South Pacific, he brought back a Polynesian whose entire body was covered in tattoos. The conservative lords and ladies started getting tattoos in prudent places. Groucho Marx sang of "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady." When he played golf, Lee Trevino wore a Band-Aid on his arm. It covered the tattooed name of an ex-girlfriend. Every American sailor in World War II seemed to have a tattoo. Nobody disliked the Navy. But when Iverson was featured on the cover of the official NBA magazine years ago, his tattoos were airbrushed out of the photo. A.I. got his first tattoo in college at Georgetown. It was "The Answer." Some of his other tattoos are almost of a story of Iverson's life. "Hold My Own," "Strength," "Loyalty," "Bad," "Fear No One" and "Only The Strong Survive" are a few of the many. Dion sang of the wanderer having "Rosie" tattooed on his chest. On Iverson's chest are the names "Tiaura" and "Deuce," his children. There's also a tattoo of hands in prayer, and his mother's name (Ethel Ann Iverson) is tattooed above his heart. The odd thing on Iverson's body Tuesday night was a pair of short yellow socks. Lose the socks, Allen. But he's winning friends in the crowd and particularly in the locker room. Iverson is making other Nuggets - and there are only nine at the moment - look good. Like Nene, Eduardo Najera (NaNa?), Reggie Evans and new-found buddy Boykins. "He's a spark," Iverson said of Earl after the game. "He comes off the bench and explodes. ... I want to make it easy for him, for everybody." </div> Source
