On the heels of Kevin Garnett blasting 76ers fans for being “fair-weather” and not nearly as supportive as the fans in Boston, Philadelphia has reportedly invited one of the best players in team history back to the City of Brotherly Love for a critical Game 6. According to Steve Lindsay of CBS 3 in Philadelphia, the Sixers have asked Allen Iverson to attend Wednesday night’s game and help motivate the team to triumph over the Celtics in a must-win situation. SLAM Magazine has confirmed that Iverson accepted the invitation and will be in attendance.
The team is also reportedly going to pay tribute to Iverson at some point during the game, so it’s obvious they are trying to infuse some added electricity into the arena for the biggest game of the year. Iverson had his ups and downs with Philly and didn’t leave on the best terms, but no one ever questioned his ability to ignite a crowd as a player. Whether or not he can do that as a spectator remains to be seen.
As far as the game is concerned, the Sixers have no reason to believe they can’t win. They have shown a tremendous amount of poise late in games throughout the series, especially on their home court. The Celtics are probably a better team and should have finished the series in five or six games, but they have been far too inconsistent. If Philly plays with energy Wednesday night and can find ways to score, they should be able to force a Game 7 in Boston.
H/T Crossing Broad
Photo credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE
