Slowing the Nuggets’ All-Star guard will be crucial for the Spurs in first round
Web Posted: 04/21/2007 10:22 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
The Spurs knew the routine. Each winter, they’d make their lone trip to Philadelphia, navigate through the city’s snowdrifts, then watch Allen Iverson shred their defense for two hours.
Sometimes, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would question the team’s toughness. Other times, he simply shook his head, marveling at Iverson’s ability to single-handedly take over a game.
On each occasion, however, the Spurs left town glad they had to face the 76ers’ mercurial guard only twice a season.
So much for the good old days. The Spurs probably will see more of Iverson than they’d like during the next two weeks after opening their best-of-7, first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets this evening at the AT&T Center.
Few players have given the Spurs more trouble over the past decade than Iverson, who is averaging 29.2 points in 19 career games against them. He scored at least 33 points in nine of those games, including three performances of 40 or more.
With the Nuggets having acquired Iverson from Philadelphia in an early season trade, the Spurs will face the task of trying to slow their longtime nemesis on a game-by-game basis instead of year by year.
“We’ve never stopped him, have we?” Popovich said. “I think he likes seeing us.”
This time, he also is bringing help. Denver forward Carmelo Anthony is a formidable threat in his own right, averaging 28.9 points, second-most in the NBA. Iverson has averaged 24.8 points in 50 games with the Nuggets and 26.3 overall for the season, ranking him seventh in the league.
“Thank God we’re only playing with one ball,” Bruce Bowen said. “Both of them can’t shoot at the same time.”
During his 10-plus seasons in Philadelphia, Iverson rarely had a supporting cast comparable to the one he has in Denver. When the Sixers did try to put another talented scorer next to him (Jerry Stackhouse, Glenn Robinson or Chris Webber), the fit was far from snug.
Iverson’s transition to Denver was slowed by Anthony’s 15-game suspension for punching New York’s Mardy Collins, but the two have formed an intimidating tag-team of late with the Nuggets winning 10 of their past 11 games. Anthony’s sturdy 6-foot-8 frame allows him to work on the block while Iverson attacks from the perimeter.
“Playing with a guy that commands some double-teams and needs to be stopped in Carmelo opens up stuff for Allen, gives him a lot more room on catches to operate,” Brent Barry said. “So on that first pass out, boy, now he’s in full-attack mode with guys closing out instead of defenses set and waiting for (him) to do something.”
Iverson also has benefited from the Nuggets’ up-tempo offense. With Nuggets big men Marcus Camby and Nenê clearing rebounds for him, Iverson is getting more opportunities to attack in transition than he did in Philadelphia.
To prepare for the Nuggets this week, the Spurs scrimmaged without inbounding the ball after baskets. With no stoppage of play between changes of possession, the Spurs had to transition from offense to defense in an instant.
Bowen likely will split his time between guarding Anthony and Iverson. Tony Parker also will chase Iverson, who is averaging more than 42 minutes a game.
The Spurs have played Denver just once with Anthony and Iverson on the floor together. They held them both in check in a Feb. 20 victory, limiting Anthony to 15 points and Iverson to nine, his fewest of the season and lowest output ever against the Spurs.
Iverson, however, was playing on a sore right ankle at the time, and Anthony said the Spurs took advantage of both players “enjoying Las Vegas too much (during the All-Star break).”
The Spurs are confident with their preparation for the series but admit the one game hasn’t given them much feel for what to expect. Bowen knows this much: Iverson is one of the toughest players he has ever had to defend.
Bowen spent half of the 1999-2000 season with Philadelphia, and while his stay with Iverson was brief, it was long enough to give him a deep respect for the diminutive guard’s durability.
“The problems he presents for us and every team in this league is his ability to get to the basket,” Bowen said. "He’s a very good probing player. He understands how to use your defender or your teammate to create more traffic for him where he can get in between, get in close spaces and finish for layups.
“You can’t ever discount a guy like A.I. because of his toughness.”
The Spurs’ goal is to make Iverson work for his points and keep him off the free-throw line. But they also understand if he’s hitting his jump shots early, they could be in for a long night: The 46 points Iverson scored against the Spurs on Feb. 12, 1999, rank as the most the team has allowed to any player — regular season or playoffs — in Tim Duncan’s 10 seasons.
“I’m just fortunate to have had good games against them,” Iverson said. “Hopefully, it will continue.”
IVERSON VS. THE SPURS
Guard Allen Iverson has enjoyed plenty of success against the Spurs, at least stat wise, during his career with the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers. Some numbers that jump out:
1 – Time he failed to score in double figures vs. Spurs (9 on Feb. 20 in Nuggets’ 95-80 road loss)
3 – Times he had 40 or more points vs. Spurs
16 – Times he had 20 or more points vs. Spurs
46 – Career-high points vs. Spurs (Feb. 12, 1999, in 76ers’ 98-94 home loss)
6-13 – Record in his 19 career meetings with Spurs (17 games with 76ers, two games with Nuggets)