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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- To chants of "Beat L.A.," Allen Iverson
cupped his hand to his ear and danced around the court, skipping
like a little kid before jumping into the arms of the coach he
finally learned to respect.
|  | | Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce celebrates the victory that put his club in the NBA Finals. |
There were still 42 seconds remaining in Game 7 of the Eastern
Conference finals, but it was all over by then. The Philadelphia
76ers knew they were going to the NBA Finals and the celebrating
had already began.
Iverson showed why he is the MVP and Dikembe Mutombo showed why
the 76ers traded for him, combining to lead Philadelphia past the
Milwaukee Bucks 108-91 Sunday night as the 76ers made it to the NBA
Finals for the first time in 18 years.
"We just kept fighting, and we had a great leader to listen
to," Iverson said. "He led us all the way."
Iverson had his best all-around game of the series with 44
points, seven assists and six rebounds. He shot 17-for-33, making
more than half his shots for the first time since Game 6 of the
second round.
Mutombo, acquired in a risky trade with Atlanta in February that
the 76ers hoped would propel them to the finals, was dominant, too,
with 23 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks.
"It doesn't get much better than this when you consider what
this team has been through, and to have Allen play like he did and
Dikembe come over here. ... I'm just so proud," Brown said. "This
team has great heart and character, just like this city."
The 76ers took control of the game late in the third quarter
after Milwaukee's best player, Ray Allen, went down with a knee
injury. The Bucks trailed by six when Allen left and by 12 when he
returned, and they never made a run in the fourth quarter.
The final minutes turned into a lovefest between the Sixers and
their ecstatic fans who had been waiting since 1983 for another
trip to the finals.
The "Beat L.A." chant started with just under three minutes
left, and the fans were on their feet screaming the rest of the
way.
"I can't even put it into words. Best feeling I ever had,"
76ers guard Aaron McKie said. "I always dreamed about playing the
Lakers in the finals."
The finals will begin Wednesday night at Los Angeles, where the
Lakers will have been waiting 10 days since their last game. The
Lakers, who have yet to lose this postseason, were established as
11 1/2-point favorites in the opener.
Iverson and Mutombo were the main reasons why Philadelphia
dominated the final game, but they weren't the only ones.
McKie had 10 points and a career-high 13 assists, and
little-known Raja Bell -- a rookie who signed a 10-day contract with
the 76ers on April 6 -- scored 10 points in the second quarter when
Philadelphia took the lead for good, going on a 21-6 run after he
entered the game.
"The whole game changed when Raja Bell came in," Iverson said.
"I asked Coach where did he get him from, and Coach just pounded
on his heart."
The 76ers did all the little things -- deflecting balls, creating
turnovers, grabbing offensive rebounds -- that Milwaukee didn't
while playing with a confidence and composure that the Bucks will
have all summer to envy.
Philadelphia created 15 turnovers, grabbed 17 offensive
rebounds, scored 19 second-chance points and had 11 steals.
Milwaukee was led by Allen's 26 points, Glenn Robinson's 24 and
Sam Cassell's 20.
"They were the No. 1 seed and we were No. 2. No. 1 got the
victory, but we're not holding our heads down," Cassell said.
Iverson scored Philadelphia's first six points of the third
quarter and the Sixers were ahead 68-61 when Allen was called for
an offensive foul as he tried to drive around Eric Snow. The two
banged knees on the play, and Allen stayed down for two minutes
before walking off gingerly. As the Bucks came out of a timeout,
Allen was helped to the locker room.
Allen returned to the bench late in the third quarter -- just in
time to see Iverson step back and nail a 3-pointer at the buzzer
for an 82-71 lead.
Allen then reported to the scorer's table 40 seconds into the
fourth quarter, giving him a perfect view from behind Iverson as
the MVP launched another 3-pointer from nearly the identical spot
that swished through for an 85-71 lead.
That was pretty much the end of things.
"We've talked all series about his ability to explode," Bucks
coach George Karl said. "He proved himself to be a great player
tonight. He moved himself to a standard that very few players get
to."
The 76ers did get a scare when Iverson fell hard to the floor
and jammed his left wrist while leading by 15 with about three
minutes left. Iverson shook off the injury, stayed in the game and
took part in the festivities afterward, running to hug his family
as Tyrone Hill and Sixers president Pat Croce danced atop the
scorer's table.
Karl exchanged a warm hug with Brown after the final buzzer,
knowing that Brown will be going to the NBA Finals for the first
time in his illustrious coaching career.
The 76ers nearly traded Iverson last summer, but a proposed deal
fell through and Iverson promised to rededicate himself to being
the type of player Brown wanted.
Brown made Iverson a team captain, and Iverson -- whose tardiness
and insubordination were a huge issue last season -- began to behave
like an adult.
"I had a chance to change things around, be the first to
practice, be the last to leave -- sometimes," Iverson said. "Those
are the types of things I had never done before."
Iverson sat at his locker afterward and said his wrist felt fine
as his mother, Ann, sat alongside wearing four diamond-encrusted
bracelets, two dazzling pendants, a Sixers jersey and an Iverson
MVP cap.
She had shared many great moments with her son, but none as
rewarding as this.
"You all know how this marriage has been," Brown said. "I
couldn't have scripted this any better. Not just because of his
basketball, but he's come so far as a human being and a teammate. I
can't imagine a player having any more influence on a team or a
city."
Milwaukee went after Iverson early, giving the ball to whomever
the little guy was guarding. Cassell scored twice on post-ups,
Allen hit a 3-pointer and Robinson scored on a jumper to give the
Bucks a 20-19 lead.
Allen hit a 3-pointer early in the third to complete an 8-0 run
and give the Bucks a 34-25 lead, which was when Brown inserted Bell
into the game.
The Bucks tried to go right at the rookie, but it took them away
from what had been working. Bell had a wide-open dunk off a steal
and a fast-break layup to complete a 12-0 run, and Iverson had
consecutive 3-pointers for a 43-36 lead.
Bell hit a 3 to extend the run to 23-4 and give Philadelphia a
48-38 lead, but Iverson picked up his third foul and went to the
bench with 3:22 remaining in the half.
Milwaukee drew within six at halftime but never got closer than
that in the second half.
Game notes
Brown picked up a technical foul midway through the third
quarter for running onto the court to protest an out-of-bounds
call. ... Cassell was irate after he was given a technical foul
several seconds after he thought he got away with tripping Iverson.
... Sixers Hall of Famer Moses Malone received a standing ovation.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Bembry: Don't underestimate these Sixers
Allen unable to deliver Bucks in Game 7
Bell makes stunning impact for 76ers
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Allen Iverson remained oblivious to the pressures of Game 7 and fed off the play of his teammates.
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Larry Brown looks past basketball and is impressed by Allen Iverson's growth as a human being.
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ESPN's Sal Paolantonio talks with the Sixers elated president Pat Croce.
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The better team won, now Milwaukee's George Karl strongly roots for the Sixers to knock off the Lakers.
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Ray Allen talks about the status of his knee and the events leading up to his injury.
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