2001 NBA East Semifinal Game 5 Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers, May 16, 2001, Iverson MVP Game
TOR 88 PHI 121 – NBA Commissioner David Stern presented Allen Iverson with the Most Valuable Player trophy. Iverson then showed why he won it.
Setting a 76ers playoff record with eight three-pointers, Iverson scored 52 points in a 121-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the First Union Center that gave the Sixers a 3-2 lead in the series. Shooting mostly jumpers, he hit 21-of-32 field-goal attempts and took only two foul shots.
With his performance in Game 5, Iverson, who had scored 54 points in a Game 2 victory over Toronto, joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 50 or more points twice in a playoff series. Jordan had two 50-point games against Cleveland in 1988.
Allen Iverson was well on his way to a historic playoff run. The 2001 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors was epic. It was a five-star seven-game blockbuster of a series. It was one of the most significant – and historic – battles ever. While Iverson was carrying the Sixers on his back, Carter was electrifying the state of Canada on their historic playoff run.
Player of the game: Allen Iverson, 52 PTS, 21-32 66 FG%, 8-14 3PM, 2 REB, 7 AST
GmSc: 45.3, 15th all-time playoff record.
The Sixers won Game 5, 121-88, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Sixers would ultimately advance to the Conference Finals by winning Game 7 on May 20.
Iverson scored 236 points in the Conference Semifinal series alone, shooting 40.4% from the field, and averaging a series-high 33.7 points per game. Vince Carter led the way for Toronto, averaging 30.4 points per game.
Iverson went on to lead the field in scoring in the 2001 playoffs, finishing with 723 points. In Game 7, as expected, Allen Iverson was exhilarating. He was scoring, distributing, and driving in and around defenders. He finished with 21 points and 16 assists.
Although, it came down one final shot from Vince Carter. A shot to not only win the game but to clinch the series for the Raptors and send them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Odds ‘n’ Ends
According to the Washington Post, a used-car dealer said Iverson told him he was turning pro, so the dealer gave Iverson the car, telling him he could pay for it after he announced he was jumping to the NBA.
Although Iverson and Larry Brown began mending their relationship in the summer of 2000, the situation took a turn for the worse in December and Brown considered quitting as coach. But two months later at the All-Star Game, when Iverson received the MVP award after scoring 25 points, he had Brown come up and share the moment.
Iverson’s 48 points against the Lakers in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals were the sixth-highest single-game total in Finals history.
In the 76ers’ loss to the Lakers, Iverson set NBA Finals records for a five-game series for points (178), field goals (66) and three-point attempts (39).
Iverson is the smallest player to score 60 points in an NBA game. On Feb. 12, 2005, the 6-foot guard shot 17-of-36 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range, and made 24-of-27 foul shots in the 76ers’ 112-99 win over Orlando. Eight days later, Iverson won his second All-Star Game MVP. He scored 15 points, had 10 assists and made five steals in the East’s 125-115 upset of the West.
