Before the game started, Iverson blasted his former team, saying how they didn't respect him enough nor listen to him before trading him to the Nuggets. Maybe it's bad omen, but A.I. and the Nuggets ended up losing to the lowly Sixers 108-97

Iverson even got ejected from the game in the 4th. After the game, his quote about Steve Javie was very interesting. “I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out. His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn’t say anything anyway. It’s been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad.” That's 3 straight losses for Denver...

Iverson blasts 76ers, but can't quell former team on court
AFP
January 3, 2007

DENVER, United States (AFP) - Denver's Allen Iverson took plenty of shots at the Philadelphia 76ers, but his best ones came before the Nuggets' clash with his former National Basketball Association team.

"Things still linger, and I still feel bitter about the way things happened," Iverson said Tuesday morning, admitting he was shocked at the unceremonious ending of his relationship with Philadelphia, where he starred for 10 full National Basketball Associaton seasons and 15 games of this season.

"It didn't have to happen like that and I think I deserved a lot more respect than I got. These people had the chance to give me the respect I deserve and they weren't willing to do that. So why should I try to give any respect back?"

The Sixers demanded respect from Iverson and his new team, however, Philadelphia emerging with a 108-97 victory as Iverson was ejected with 1:44 left for his second technical foul.

Kyle Korver scored 26 points off the bench and Andre Miller added 17 and 10 assists for Philadelphia, who took control in the third quarter as Korver's 3-pointer with just over one minute left sparked a 7-0 burst, giving the 76ers an 86-73 edge entering the final period.

But Iverson scored six straight points to start the fourth quarter as the Nuggets closed to 86-80 with 10 1/2 minutes remaining.

However, Korver and Steven Hunter combined to score the Sixers' next seven points, pushing the lead to 93-83 with just over eight minutes to go.

Iverson finished with 30 points and nine assists for Denver, which fell to 2-4 since Iverson's arrival on December 19.

That trade happened after Iverson voiced his displeasure with the direction the 76ers were taking.

"I had been there for 10 years and I thought that my opinion mattered to help us win basketball games. When I found out that what I was saying didn't matter to the organization or the coaching staff, then I just felt like it definitely was time for me to go.

"When I thought another style or something else would have worked, I felt like they owed me enough to just try it out. They weren't willing to do that. They were willing to keep losing basketball games and I didn't want to be a part of that."

Philadelphia 108, Denver 97

DENVER (AP) -- Allen Iverson took plenty of shots at his former team, before, during and after the game. It didn't add up to a win, though.

Kyle Korver scored 26 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Denver Nuggets 108-97 Tuesday night in Iverson's first game against his former team.

"It was weird to see him wearing a white jersey and we're wearing black," Korver said. "I said to one of our coaches that it is so weird to see him on the other side. It wasn't really a good feeling at all. He's a great player and he meant a lot to Philadelphia."

Iverson scored 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting before getting tossed for his second technical with 1:44 remaining. Afterward, he said the loss disappointed him because he feels the Nuggets are the better team.

Iverson's best shots, however, came before tip-off when he again ripped the team that traded him to Denver over the holidays, repeating his contention that he should have had more say in the Sixers' style.

Iverson also saved a parting shot for official Steve Javie, who ejected him.

"I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out," Iverson said. "His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."

Actually, Iverson didn't need much help in that regard as he was slow to get going, hitting just two of nine shots and committing three of his game-high seven turnovers in the first quarter.

"I thought he was a little excited with the turnovers early in the first half and then not being able to make shots, not only he but everybody," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "That got Philadelphia their legs, their confidence."

Ironically, Iverson found himself crediting the Sixers for their game plan.

"I couldn't get a rhythm in the beginning of the game. When I found it and got into a little groove, it was too late," Iverson said. "If anybody knows what I can do, they know, and they ran some people at me. They used the zone, and it was effective."

The Sixers, who had lost 14 of 16 road games and 19 of their last 23 overall, scored 100 points for the first time in 16 games and improved to 4-4 since the trade that sent Joe Smith and Andre Miller to Philadelphia, along with two first-round draft picks in 2007, for Iverson.

Miller had 17 points and 10 assists against his former team and Smith scored 12 points.

"This was all business," Smith said.

Ditto for Miller.

"I got a lump in my throat when the crowd reacted" with applause during introductions, Miller said. "Other than that, it was all business for me."

Karl always counted Miller among his favorite pupils and said he "kind of knew Andre was going to have a great game. He's going to make some guys on that team a lot better. I can see he and Korver already have a connection."

Iverson doesn't have that yet in Denver, where he's lost four of six and has yet to play with NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, the league's top scoring tandem before their suspensions for slugging it out with the New York Knicks last month.

The Sixers, who led by 19 in the second quarter before the Nuggets rallied to tie it at 52 at halftime, led 86-73 after three quarters.

Iverson's seven straight points brought Denver to 86-80 but Steven Hunter's dunk followed by three free throws by Korver -- one on Iverson's first technical -- restored Philadelphia's double-digit lead.

Rookie Yakhouba Diawara was the only bright spot for Denver, scoring a season-best 23 points on the heels of an 0-for-11 shooting performance against Dallas.

After the morning shootaround, Iverson said he felt a player of his stature and tenure should have been listened to when he criticized the Sixers' style of play last month, a condemnation that led to his departure from Philadelphia after 10 tumultuous seasons.

"When you're losing basketball games, 12 of 14, 18 of 20 basketball games, you should listen to somebody because something obviously isn't working," he said.

Iverson said he was still bitter with the way Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks and team owner Billy King handled his complaints that led to his departure from Philadelphia.

"Honestly I hope it goes away, but every time we play the Sixers, I know it is going to come back," Iverson said. "I just want to be a Denver Nugget and not dwell on things that happened in Philadelphia. I owe it to my teammates to just play basketball. I was frustrated tonight because I didn't play as well as I can play."

Notes

Iverson won't get to face the Sixers in Philadelphia this season because the Nuggets made their annual trip there before the trade. ... Nuggets G Julius Hodge played the final minute, his first action since being shot in a drive-by last April.