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Iverson to Return to Action After Sitting Out With Right Finger Sprain
Sixers Hope to Turn Things Around Against Hornets
by Mike Lieberman, Sixers.com
Posted. Jan. 29, 2004
When the Sixers faced the Hornets last week in New Orleans, they went into the game with a three-game losing streak against the undermanned Hornets who played without starters Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn and David Wesley. Philadelphia left the Hive with a 92-86 win led by Glenn Robinson's 23 points.
That was the last victory for the Sixers. On Friday, when the Hornets visit the Wachovia Center, the Sixers will try to use the Hornets to snap their current four game losing streak.
Sixers leading scorer Allen Iverson is expected to return to the court after sitting out the past two games with a right index finger sprain.
"It's sore, and I do think I'll be able to play, but I expected that," said Iverson after the Sixers practice on Thursday. "I wanted to come in here and hopefully get hit on it and see how it responded, but I didn't get hit on it at all. So that might be a good thing."
Head Coach Randy Ayers is looking forward to getting Iverson back on the court.
"We just have to get back to playing well and get our best player back into a rhythm," said Ayers of Iverson. "To me, earlier in the year he was at a high level of play and as Allen starts his way back, it's really going to help our situation."
Besides the past two games, Iverson has missed 12 others this season due to a knee injury.
"It's way better than it was," said Iverson about the knee. "Right now, I think it's like 90-95 percent. It doesn't bother me as much as it did."
Even though, his team is currently eight games under .500 (19-27), Aaron McKie isn't hanging his head and realizes that all is not lost.
"We just have to continue to come in here and practice, try to get better and just work our way out of it," said the league's leading three-point shooter. "That's the only way it's going to happen, if we work our way out of it. We're capable of doing it, just a matter of getting out on the court and getting it done."
And getting it done against the Hornets might be what the Sixers need. Not only has New Orleans won its past three, forward Jamal Mashburn returned to the lineup on Wednesday and hit two of his 24 points as the buzzer sounded against the Bucks, giving his team the win. If the Sixers win on Friday, it could be a win that could start to turn things around for them.
"You want to just get a win no matter how you do it," McKie said. "You want to just go out there and try to get a win and maybe that'll turn things around."
"All I can do is go out and play the game like it's my last and whatever happens, happens," Iverson said. "I'll never worry about struggling because I learned how to play basketball struggling. Early in my career, I used to get frustrated when I struggled. Now I understand that when you struggle, it only matters at the end of the game, when it counts. I just try to play through the whole game. I don't know if my game will come back, but hopefully it will."
If Iverson's game does return and the Sixers start to hit their stride, they have plenty of time to get back in contention in the Eastern Conference.
"There's a lot of season left. We're not even at the (All-Star) break yet," said Ayers. "It's a little later this year, but we're not at the break yet and there is a lot of basketball left to played. We just have to focus on trying to get better."
Sixers Hope to Turn Things Around Against Hornets
by Mike Lieberman, Sixers.com
Posted. Jan. 29, 2004
When the Sixers faced the Hornets last week in New Orleans, they went into the game with a three-game losing streak against the undermanned Hornets who played without starters Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn and David Wesley. Philadelphia left the Hive with a 92-86 win led by Glenn Robinson's 23 points.
That was the last victory for the Sixers. On Friday, when the Hornets visit the Wachovia Center, the Sixers will try to use the Hornets to snap their current four game losing streak.
Sixers leading scorer Allen Iverson is expected to return to the court after sitting out the past two games with a right index finger sprain.
"It's sore, and I do think I'll be able to play, but I expected that," said Iverson after the Sixers practice on Thursday. "I wanted to come in here and hopefully get hit on it and see how it responded, but I didn't get hit on it at all. So that might be a good thing."
Head Coach Randy Ayers is looking forward to getting Iverson back on the court.
"We just have to get back to playing well and get our best player back into a rhythm," said Ayers of Iverson. "To me, earlier in the year he was at a high level of play and as Allen starts his way back, it's really going to help our situation."
Besides the past two games, Iverson has missed 12 others this season due to a knee injury.
"It's way better than it was," said Iverson about the knee. "Right now, I think it's like 90-95 percent. It doesn't bother me as much as it did."
Even though, his team is currently eight games under .500 (19-27), Aaron McKie isn't hanging his head and realizes that all is not lost.
"We just have to continue to come in here and practice, try to get better and just work our way out of it," said the league's leading three-point shooter. "That's the only way it's going to happen, if we work our way out of it. We're capable of doing it, just a matter of getting out on the court and getting it done."
And getting it done against the Hornets might be what the Sixers need. Not only has New Orleans won its past three, forward Jamal Mashburn returned to the lineup on Wednesday and hit two of his 24 points as the buzzer sounded against the Bucks, giving his team the win. If the Sixers win on Friday, it could be a win that could start to turn things around for them.
"You want to just get a win no matter how you do it," McKie said. "You want to just go out there and try to get a win and maybe that'll turn things around."
"All I can do is go out and play the game like it's my last and whatever happens, happens," Iverson said. "I'll never worry about struggling because I learned how to play basketball struggling. Early in my career, I used to get frustrated when I struggled. Now I understand that when you struggle, it only matters at the end of the game, when it counts. I just try to play through the whole game. I don't know if my game will come back, but hopefully it will."
If Iverson's game does return and the Sixers start to hit their stride, they have plenty of time to get back in contention in the Eastern Conference.
"There's a lot of season left. We're not even at the (All-Star) break yet," said Ayers. "It's a little later this year, but we're not at the break yet and there is a lot of basketball left to played. We just have to focus on trying to get better."
adding...
cavs/bucks under 193.5
i have this line at 197. line opened at 192.5
whole world on the over..........
small play on the under :tongue
good luck to all
cavs/bucks under 193.5
i have this line at 197. line opened at 192.5
whole world on the over..........
small play on the under :tongue
good luck to all
