<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Watch out in the overall weak Eastern Conference! The Sixers are on the move back up the standings closing to within 1? (2 in loss column) games of the fading Nets; and also now hold the 6th seed with a 119-113 key win over the Wizards (who had beat the Sixers badly two times in row) tonight. In the weak East (with only the Pistons rolling on (and Miami rebounding from a tough start - who besides the Pistonns and perhaps the Heat, do the Sixers really have to fear right now. The unspoken story of the game tonight was that Iverson continues to show that the seemingly sublime snub of him by Jerry Colangelo - for even the tryout phase for Team USA - was a colossal mistake. Iverson, who has had an incredibly productive week, poured in a seemingly ?easy? 47 points tonight, while a very active Chris Webber tossed in 30, got 12 boards and blocked 4 shots as the Sixers won for the fifth time in six outings. In his unreal all-around performance, Iverson also dished out 12 assists and hit 17/28 from the field and 11/12 from the line. By the way, please tell me again that there are a couple of dozen more deserving players than the rapidly maturing and patriotic Iverson ? who went to the last Olympics, when few other true superstars except for Tim Duncan did? Perhaps, David Aldridge (Philadelphia Inquirer) is really onto something about an Iveson ?sneaker? controversy? (A popular local host, Jody McDonald, of WPEN 950 AM Radio in Philadelphia, mentioned that Aldrige had brought up Iverson?s use of Reebok over Nike as a theoretical reason for his non-selection on the air today, although it was said this was only a rumor at this point). Anyway, recently, Mo Cheeks settled on a new lineup with Kevin Ollie at guard bringing John Salmons and Kye Korver off the bench, and in addition, the almost traded Steven Hunter has come up huge during Samuel Dalembert?s recovery from a lingering muscle pull in his thigh. Hunter?s biggest problem all season had been passive rebounding; but tonight as part of an upward recent trent, he was huge with 5 key offensive rebounds as part of a 11 rebounds performance. Meanwhile, Rookie Challenge MVP Andre Iguodala (who likewise in my viewpoint and many others, also got ?reamed? in the all star dunk contest by very questionable judging in consecutive rounds) continues to amaze with 19 points (7-9 from the field) and all around good play. Although Gilbert Arena had 33 points, Iguodala and others shut him down a few times when it counted and Arenas shot only 40% (10-25) overall from the field tonight. Most importantly, although the Wizards broke the 100 point margin they shot only 43% while the Sixers were red hot shooting 56.3%. This has got to make Cheeks happy who has been screaming for team defensive intensity all season, and tonight when they needed some key stops, more often then not, they got it done. Sure the Sixers still have some problems, primarily depth. However, if Korver and Salmon continue to play well and Shavlik Randolph and Hunter can continue to give solid performances this is still a dangerous team, especially if Dalembert, arguably the best young shot blocker in the NBA comes back strong. If the Sixers can get anything from the 3-6th seed they could be a very tough first round out, and then with a little momentum, a coach named Mo, a developing star in Iguodala, and a pair of superstars eager to show they are not ready to be written off ? who knows what this often erratic team could attain yet this year? I for one, hold great optimism for this team still, as Igoudala is playing well and Webber is increasingly more active. But the primary reason for this optimism, is that I am no longer shocked with whatever Iverson does on the floor when he is on a roll, and as I predicted in a recent article about this Team USA snub, he may well go on a tear of historic proportions to quietly quiet his critics - including many Sixers fans who were clamoring for an Iverson trade just two weeks ago or so. </div> link: http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_16402.shtml
