Iverson is a Nugget

I know this won't come as news to anyone, but Allen Iverson was recently traded to the Denver Nuggets. I hadn't mentioned it until now because I wanted to make sure I had come to terms with the new situation, emotionally I mean. I know public opinion of Iverson in Philadelphia is mixed to say the least, but I've always loved him.

I studied abroad in Barcelona, and Iverson jerseys were by far the most common NBA jersey I saw in Europe, with Kobe a distant second. When I saw that it was impossible not to be proud to be a Sixers fan and a Philadelphian. He set records here, and he got to the Finals with a team that without him probably wouldn't have even known the meaning of the word "playoffs." During that whole glorious playoff run I didn't have cable, so unless the game was on a big network I had to go to a bar and either hope the bartender served teenagers or sit there meekly sipping my coca-cola. For a few of the games I was reduced to listening to play by play on WIP and wondering how the hell people used to live without television. But I watched and listened and loved every minute of it. The Sixers beating the Lakers in Game 1 after going to two game sevens was like Rocky going the distance against Apollo Creed. They didn't win the title but they at least kept the Lakers from going undefeated in the playoffs, and Tyronn Lue got embarrassed forever.

In the past few years one of the nice things about coming home from college for holidays was that I would once again have Comcast Sportsnet in my life and I could watch a Sixers game because win or lose Iverson would make it exciting. He's the best player to watch in a league that relies entirely on fun-to-watch stars, and seeing him and Carmelo together should be great, but I wish I could've seen Iverson with a truly great teammate while he was in a Sixers uniform instead of having to see that terrible baby blue. I understand it was time for him to go and that it never would've worked out in Philly for him, but I'm tired of Hall of Famers leaving this city. A lot of people remember Charles Barkley as a Pheonix Sun, and Reggie White as a Packer, and all I'm trying to say with this long rambling post is that I hate the thought of Iverson being remembered as a Nugget. Consider this my elegy for the Iverson era.


Here's a little glory for you: