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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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SHOT CHART
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Allen Iverson didn't need any help this
time.
|  | | Allen Iverson, right, left Vince Carter and the rest of the Raptors defense grasping at air in the fourth quarter. |
Iverson scored 19 of his career playoff-high 54 points in the fourth quarter as the Philadelphia 76ers evened their second-round series at 1-1 with a 97-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals is
Friday night in Toronto.
"I always feel the only person who can stop me is myself," Iverson said. "The only thing I care about is getting a win. If I shoot terrible, and we win, that's all that matters."
Iverson, who had 36 points on 11-of-34 shooting in the opener,
scored 19 of Philadelphia's final 20 points.
Vince Carter had 28 points and Antonio Davis added 19 for the
Raptors.
With the Sixers leading 89-86, Iverson hit a running jumper, got
fouled and completed the three-point play, giving the Sixers a
92-86 lead with 1:16 left.
After Charles Oakley nailed a 3-pointer, Iverson drilled an
18-footer to make it 94-89. Following a miss by the Raptors,
Iverson got fouled, cupped his ear, implored the crowd to make more
noise and screamed toward the sky. He made both free throws before George Lynch scored the Sixers' last point on a free throw.
Philadelphia made 25-of-26 free throws -- Lynch missed with 14
seconds remaining.
"They've been pumping him up as the next superstar in the
league, like he's the next guy to carry the torch," Aaron McKie
said of Iverson. "Well, he's getting it and running with it."
Iverson had 20 points in the second quarter, made just one of
his first eight shots in the third and finished 21-of-39, including
3-of-5 from 3-point range.
"In the third quarter he got a little hyper, but in the fourth
he was phenomenal," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.
Iverson gave the Sixers breathing room by hitting a short bank
shot then making two free throws for an 89-84 lead with 3:49 left
as the sellout crowd of 20,870 at the First Union Center chanted
"MVP, MVP."
"I told a couple guys I wouldn't play like I played last game,
because I didn't play smart," Iverson said. "I didn't know if I'd
make the shots, but I knew I'd play smarter."
The first quarter looked a lot like the first three quarters of
Game 1 for the 76ers -- a 96-93 loss. Toronto went on a 10-0 run
midway through the first and led 31-21 after one.
Carter had 10 points in the first quarter and the Sixers
couldn't find an answer until "The Answer" went on a tear.
Iverson was 8-of-11 in the second as he brought the Sixers back
from a 14-point deficit. He scored 20 of Philadelphia's 28 points
in the quarter, including 17 of the last 21.
"He was doing it all, in transition, hitting (jump) shots, we
didn't defend as a team," Carter said.
After the Raptors took their biggest lead, 35-21, on a 15-footer
by Oakley that capped another 10-0 run, the Sixers scored 11
straight.
Iverson gave Philadelphia its first lead, 47-46, on a jumper
with 56.3 seconds left in the second. Eric Snow scored 10 points
and was the only other player on the Sixers to reach double
figures.
"It's always important not to point fingers," Iverson said.
"It's not about this guy didn't do this, and this guy didn't do
that. It's a team effort."
The Sixers gave away the home-court advantage by losing Game 1
as Iverson struggled and the rest of the team followed along.
Philadelphia got just 28 points from its frontcourt in the opener.
The starting frontcourt scored just 20 points Wednesday night,
but the Sixers outscored Toronto in the paint, 34-16.
"We felt we were able to win this game, and we gave it away,"
Carter said.
Game notes
Iverson's 54 points was a team playoff record, surpassing
the 50 points scored by Billy Cunningham against Milwaukee in 1970.
... The 76ers have not won a best-of-seven series since 1984-85,
going 0-6 since then. ... Carter made an acrobatic, twisting layup
on an alley-oop pass from Williams in the first. ... Iverson got a
technical foul in the first quarter for arguing a charge. ...
Raptors guard Chris Childs got a technical early in the third after
Toronto had grabbed a rebound. ... The teams combined to shoot
17-of-43 in the third. ... The Sixers are 13-5 when Iverson scores
more than 40 points this season, including the playoffs. ... Dell
Curry, who scored 20 points in Game 1, missed his first four shots
before hitting two 3-pointers in the second half. He finished with
11 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Raptors-76ers Series Page
Dan Patrick: Iverson alone not long-term Answer
Bembry: Iverson can't do it alone
RECAPS
Philadelphia 97
Toronto 92
San Antonio 104
Dallas 90
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson tallied 54 points, but his sights were merely set on victory.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Larry Brown talks about Allen Iverson's presence on the defensive end.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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