The breeze blows away, the past is like smoke, and there are several cool autumns in life. Unconsciously, we have accompanied Iverson for another 10 years. Philadelphia-Denver-Detroit-Memphis-Philadelphia-Turkey, Iverson's life trajectory in the past 10 years is like the Chinese stock market after October 2007 - constant twists and turns, and overall diving. But Iverson still touches the hearts of countless fans with his arrogant and solitary style. Maybe many people don’t understand, what’s wrong with today’s society? How come a person who has tattoos all over his body, wears baggy clothes, and has a furrowed hair, who is always himself, unwilling to compromise, and willing to be the enemy of the world, is so sought after by so many people. I don't know how to say it, or maybe the words of Phil Jackson, the greatest coach in NBA history, are more convincing: "Iverson was not political, he was not deceitful, and he was not cunning."
Where should I start writing about Iverson, this unruly and lonely hero? In the past 10 years, Iverson's trajectory is different from that of any superstar. He is not like Duncan who dominates odd years with a heavy sword and no edge. He is not like Kobe who wanders between good and evil but achieves fame, and he is not like Garnett who endures hardships and endures hardships in the end. ... Therefore, I cannot go against the flow of excessive sensationalism, nor can I list data without interest, nor can I have far-fetched metaphysical fantasies. Or let’s start in Philadelphia!
Philadelphia Period
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the murder capital of the United States. Among the 10 largest cities in the United States, Philadelphia has a much higher murder rate than the other 9 cities. Black and white are the characteristics of the people of Philadelphia. Vince Papali, Philadelphia's city hero in the 1970s and legendary NFL player, once said: "If you want to win the fans, you have to sweat and bleed. They don't believe in anything else." To become a hero in this city, you need to be a hero. An extremely difficult thing. When Kobe Bryant, who was born in Philadelphia, won the MVP trophy in his hometown in the 2002 All-Star Game, he was greeted by boos from the entire stadium. Because in the past 10, or even 15 years, in this land of crime and justice, survival and destruction, there has only been a legend about one person - Allen Iverson.
What is the relationship between Iverson and Philadelphia? There is such a word in my heart - "home". Because whether Jordan returned to the Bulls or Garnett returned to the Timberwolves, neither of them leaned over and kissed the floor of the 76ers twice like Iverson. Their gratitude, gratitude, and feelings were beyond words. After all, they are included here. His 10 glorious years. I remember when Iverson left Philadelphia, a Philadelphia fan said to the Denver fans, our favorite answer now belongs to you, please take good care of Iverson for the Philadelphia fans. He is Philadelphia’s calling card. Yes, the fans in Philadelphia can best understand Iverson's heart. There, Iverson is a kind of belief. It is such a man that the fans there cannot forget this city hero no matter what.
In 2001, Iverson reached the peak of his career in Philadelphia. He won the regular season MVP, the scoring champion, the steal champion, and was selected to the first team of the year. What is even more incredible is that he was covered in Despite the injury, he also led the 76ers to a head-on blow to the Lakers, who had won 12 consecutive playoff games in the championship. But I believe that what brought tears to the eyes of countless people that year was the scene where Iverson kept asking people around him where Coach Brown was at the MVP award ceremony after leading the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a successful comeback. Because we know that at that moment, Iverson finally found his mentor in the NBA, just like Georgetown's John Thompson. Although Iverson and Brown often quarreled with each other due to disagreements, and Brown even left the 76ers in 2003 due to physical and mental fatigue, but throughout Iverson's career, including the 76ers period (early, middle, and late), During the Nuggets' double-gun era, the Pistons era, the Grizzlies era, the post-76ers era, and the Turkey era, the team was the most suitable for Iverson's style of play, the most perfect team with Iverson's lineup configuration, and the most effective performance. From the perspective of Iverson's powerful partner, the only one is the 76ers in the Brown era!
After Brown left Philadelphia, Iverson began to have an epiphany. He began to believe more in his teammates, from Snow and Mickey to Webb and Iguodala. Off the court, Iverson was tired of the life of constant lawsuits in the past. He admitted that he had made some bad friends, but he also did not forget to fight back against those extreme remarks: "A lot of people just rely on what they hear or read. It's not fair to judge me.
" Then every year, Iverson would still drag this team forward with pain all over his body. In the end, he would always be the scapegoat for the failed season, but Iverson still expressed his loyalty to the team, "I "I will stay with the 76ers until I retire", but for the "business is business" NBA, loyalty is often just wishful thinking.
December 20, 2006, I believe many Ai fans must I will remember this day because it was the day Iverson was sent to Denver in a snowstorm, ending his 10-year career in Philadelphia. At that time, many Iverson fans continued to curse the 76ers and curse them for losing. They thought it was the 76ers. Betrayed Iverson. In fact, the amicable breakup between the two parties cannot be said to be Iverson's fault, or the 76ers' fault, or for each other, they just chose a free sky. After that, no one expected Ivers. Iverson's career will intersect with the 76ers again. After all, a good horse will never turn back, and a good girl should not be disappointed. However, in December 2009, Iverson left Memphis and experienced retirement turmoil. After leaving the arena that had accompanied him for 14 years, Answer decided to withdraw his retirement declaration because he still loved basketball, and the 76ers were experiencing a losing streak and they urgently needed a heroic figure to stop them. Losing streak brings victory, and only Iverson is the most suitable hero. Iverson officially returned to Philadelphia. Iverson has too many emotions. He grew up here and gained here. He won countless honors and the love of countless people here. This is indeed a memorable place, but in the end he had to leave because of his daughter. Finally, Iverson left this city of brothers and left the league. For a moment, he took away the superficial sadness, but left behind real regrets.
Non-Philadelphia period
When he first arrived in Denver, Melo Anthony was suspended due to the baoli incident on the court. , so Iverson's singles career lasted for more than ten games. In these more than ten games, Iverson led a group of backup lineups to play for the Nuggets and achieved a winning rate of nearly 50% at the end of the season. Contributing 24.8 points and 7.2 assists. Although these statistics are not the same as those in his peak period, they are definitely comparable to the league's top guards at that time. That season, the Nuggets barely squeezed into the playoffs with a record of 45 wins and 37 losses. , but they lost to the championship-Spurs. However, no matter how cold the Denver plateau was, Iverson's hot touch and championship heart could not be melted. In the second year, Iverson was perfect for the second time in his career. The field goal percentage hit a career high (45.4%), averaging 26.4 points and 7.1 assists per game. The Nuggets had a record of 50 wins and 32 losses. Iverson and Anthony were indeed an invincible combination. Unfortunately, the golden guns could never Helping Denver advance to the second round of the playoffs, they lost to the Western Conference champions - the Lakers. In the 2008-09 season, Iverson, who played three games for the Nuggets in the new season, was sent to Detroit. It proves that Billups is indeed more suitable for the Nuggets than Iverson. Objectively speaking, although Iverson did not achieve a breakthrough in the Nuggets, he did not suffer much injustice. This team respects Iverson from top to bottom and regards Iverson as its core. Karl always lists Iverson as the starter, while Anthony regards Iverson as a mentor... Everyone in Denver likes Iverson, but what the team needs is not feelings and loyalty, but record.
For the Pistons, people's impressions are more of discipline, toughness, and seclusion, which just conflict with Iverson's unrulyness. This is also true. At that time, the Pistons generals were obsessed with Billups, Michael Curry was a rookie head coach, and Iverson had difficulty integrating into the Pistons. In February 2009, he shaved off his iconic furrow. Later, during the days when Iverson was sidelined due to injury, the Pistons won consecutive games, which strengthened Curry's determination to abandon Iverson. As a result, Iverson gradually became a substitute for the team, while Stuckey and Hamilton occupied the starting positions in the Motor City. Although Iverson sacrificed a lot for the honor of the team, he was still ostracized in the end. In the last month of the regular season, Iverson was even asked to take summer vacation early due to a back injury. Detroit, for Iverson, is a city engraved with bitterness and sadness. This city expelled Iverson from the altar and suppressed him on the bench, leaving him as a spectator, watching lonely and helplessly. A city where others fight hard on the field.
The memories here are painful, because as an opponent, he never crossed the mountain of the Pistons; and when he was a member of this team, the Pistons were just like the city's automobile industry - plummeting.
After leaving the Pistons, Iverson, who had encountered obstacles in the free market, signed a one-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. He had been looking for a new team to prove himself all summer and finally found his footing. . Iverson said, "I would rather retire than substitute," but the Grizzlies perfunctoryly ignored the promise they made to Iverson. All they wanted was the attendance that a hero brought to their team. In the end, Iverson chose to leave, leaving so resolutely that he never looked back. Because he is Iverson, so he must be proud.
After completing the journey back to Philadelphia, in 2010, after a deserted summer that no one cared about, Iverson went to the Besiktas Club in Turkey. Iverson said: Returning to the NBA is no longer his goal, he hopes to end his basketball career here. There are even rumors in the circle that Iverson went to play in Europe because of bankruptcy. However, for the fans who care about him, this is not important. Everyone sincerely hopes that the answer can find a truly own ending, allowing this man who regards basketball as his life to complete every step of his basketball life on the court. One minute.
In the past 10 years, Iverson has never changed his attitude towards life. He still lives proudly in his own way. In the past 10 years, how many basketball fans have followed the 76ers because of him, and how many people have known that there is a city of brothers in the United States because of him. Looking at the street basketball courts in China, how many children are wearing No. 3 and wearing Reeboks? ! I remember Han Han said something about idols, to the effect that "some idols can make you proud of your original vision many years later, while some idols will make you regret your original vision many years later." Nowadays, Ai fans have grown up and earned a meager salary to become car slaves, house slaves, or both. Faced with unreasonable scolding from their leaders, they have learned to flatter themselves, smile flatteringly, and beg for mercy. In order to repay the loan on a monthly basis, Ai fans cannot act like their idols and say without looking back: I quit! Iverson is an ideal. He can directly pick up a beer bottle and smash it into the boss's Mediterranean. He does not have to be like us common people, who can only grind his steel teeth into his stomach in the face of the boss's many demands. pharynx. When a person is no longer young, when a person loses those innocent dreams, when a person can no longer be full of passion and forgets everything for a non-existent hope, when a person finally begins to be overwhelmed by reality and time, when a person finally begins to be overwhelmed by reality and time. A person finally begins to be pressed by coldness and honor. Despite this, I believe this person will still tell the world that he will continue to work hard in a new place. Iverson is a belief and a totem, which is the difference between icon and idol.