BillyV's Blog

3/21/08

Allen Iverson says it seems like he never left, what with seeing old faces and getting a tremendous ovation from the crowd.   A.I.'s first visit to Philly since being traded to Denver 15 months ago was a success in every way, except one.  He didn't win the game.  And that's the whole story in a nutshell: Iverson is exciting to watch, he scores a lot of points but that doesn't always add up to victory.

A.I.  got all the attention, but Andre Miller, who came here in the trade for Iverson, was even better last night.  A.I. had 32 points and 8 assists and Miller had 28 with 12 assists, meaning he actually accounted for more points.  What's more, Miller's a guy who does more of the little things that don't show up in a box score. 

A sellout crowd of over 20-thousand turned out for this game because of Iverson.  The stands were full of people wearing his number 3 jersey.  I didn't see anyone wearing Miller's No. 7, and the stands will probably be half empty again  when they play again, which is a shame bcause they are winning and developing into a good team.  It's time for this city to take notice of Miller, because all he does is win. 

When they traded A.I., the Sixers were dismal.   They had lost 11 straight games and their overall record was 5-18.  People said it was because A.I. didn't have good players around him, but after the trade,  Miller came in an won with those same players.  The Sixers actually had a winning record in their games last year after the trade.  And as of today, they have a winning record overall since the trade.

What's more, they are getting better every day, with Miller leading the way.  The win over Iverson's Nuggets was the Sixers 8th win in 9 games.  They are on their way to a possible playoff berth that almost no one gave them a chance of winning.

It's time for everyone to realize that it really should be about t-e-a-m,  not individual performance and accolades.  That winning should be exciting enough in and of itself, even when it  comes in unspectacular style.  In other words, it's Miller Time.