Iverson Stirring On, Off Court

The Charlotte Hornets had trouble defending Allen Iverson, but the Philadelphia 76er guard had no trouble defending himself.

Iverson scored a career playoff-high 40 points Saturday night, getting 15 in a seven-minute span after Eddie Jones picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, and the 76ers beat the Hornets, 92-82, in Game 1 of their playoff series.

After the game, Iverson criticized General Manager Billy King for his comments to a Charlotte newspaper that there has to be some “soul-searching” from both Iverson and management in order for the team to be successful.

“You think you mean something to this team,” Iverson said. “I’ve played this year with a torn rotator cuff, broken toe, broken thumb, inflammation in my elbow and other injuries I haven’t even said anything about, and I don’t think it’s appreciated by nobody but my team.

“I don’t get treated nowhere near a franchise player. I’m treated like the 12th player on the bench. To hear my general manager say I’m not sure the marriage is going to work, it’s time to start feeling that way.”

Iverson took matters into his hands when the Hornets were forced to use David Wesley to defend him, scoring 18 in the third quarter and leading a 23-12 run that changed the course of the game.

Iverson, whose previous playoff scoring high was 37 points, made 13 of 25 shots and 11 of 16 free throws. It was the ninth time this season that Iverson scored 40 or more points.