Bringin' down the House

BRINGIN’ DOWN THE HOUSE

By: Stephen Jared House




ALLEN IVERSON AN ALL-STAR?




The debate is raging, and it’s my turn to weigh in on it. Now if you read regularly you know that I criticize Allen Iverson just as much and his most as his most loathed opponents, but I do really like the guy. Not only do I respect and like him as a person but also as pound-for-pound the best basketball player to ever step on the hardwood.
Iverson has put on some of the most capitivating offensive performances in the history of the Association. Two images of Allen Iverson I will never forget would be, stepping over Tryone Lue during Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals after sinking a fade-a-way three from the corner in front of the Laker bench. The Lakers not having lost a single game in the play offs looked to make a clean sweep to the Trophy but Iverson’s heavily under dogged 76er’s squad beat the Lakers in that first game. Although they only won that one game and lost the Finals that image will be scorched into my memory longer than any other from the series. The second would when Iverson was a rookie and crossed over His Airness, Michael Jordan his crossover dribble that is the nastiest that the game has ever seen.
Then there are the bad moments, like Iverson’s infamous press conference where he reiterated “Practice, Practice? Man we talking about practice, Practice!” (Granted I totally agreed with him on the issue.) Or last year in Detroit when he was clearly concerned about playing and was not going to come off the bench even though that’s what the team needed.
Now Iverson is getting pulverized in the media because the fans voted him in as a started in the All-Star Game. Let me remind all the basketball pundits out there, The NBA has the best All-Star game in all the four major sports. The NFL has to supplement half of the Pro Bowl roster with other players because the players elected do not want to play! The fans have total control of who they want to see in the game, and that’s why they watch it! Sorry Zach Randolph you are having a great season, but people would rather see A’mare Stoudemire than you. It’s all about the fans and that’s what David Stern sees and he will never tinker with that fomula.
Allen Iverson is done in the Association as a player of any consequence. His speed and quickness are corroding before our eyes, and it looks like he will never get that elusive championship. But Iverson will leave a huge footprint on the game of basketball. In the demographic of males ages 19-28 he will be remembered has one of the best players they saw from the time they started watching basketball. His cat-like reflexes and balletic drives down the lane will be shown on highlight reels for the rest of time.
So why not let him start this All-Star game? He is more than likely going to retire after this season. Let him go out with one last hurrah. Let him have the center stage, put him in the limelight one last time. One the biggest of stages the greatness in players is extrapolated. When All-Star Sunday is all said and done don’t be surprised when the largest award, the game MVP trophy is being held by the smallest man on the court.
Marie Antoinette was alleged to have said “Qu’’ils mangent de la brioche”(Let them eat cake”). When she heard that the people of France had no bread to eat. This year’s All-Star cry should be, “Let them have Iverson!”