NBA Friendly Rivalry: Allen Iverson vs. Larry Hughes (2002)

It was another thumbs down for Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iverson was slowed by a zone defense before sitting the final 1 1/2 minutes with a sprained left thumb as the reeling 76ers absorbed their fifth loss in six games, a 93-87 setback to the Golden State Warriors.
Against a man-to-man defense in the first quarter, Iverson had 13 points. But he scored just 10 thereafter as the Warriors switched to a 1-2-2 zone at times and turned the NBA's leading scorer into a passer.
"Tonight we let a zone frustrate us and to be professionals and let a zone frustrate us is a bad thing," Iverson said. "We are supposed to learn how to handle zones; you learn about those in college."
"I didn't have us prepared for their zone very well," 76ers coach Larry Brown admitted. "We were very tentative against it and they made the plays."
With Iverson limited as a threat, Golden State rallied in the fourth quarter. A layup by Antawn Jamison off a block by Erick Dampier and a steal by Larry Hughes gave the Warriors an 87-83 lead with 1:33 to go.
"They couldn't get an open look from the perimeter," Hughes said. "They were flashing it in the paint and our big guys were handling it. We got a couple of defelctions, a couple of blocks and a couple of missed shots. It led to us getting pretty good looks at the other end."
The Sixers called timeout and Iverson was not on the floor when they returned. Aaron McKie made a jumper and steal, but former Warrior Vonteego Cummings was called for a charge and Dampier sealed it with two free throws with 38 seconds left.
"I need to get an X-ray but it's real banged up right now," said Iverson, who was 9-of-18 and had seven assists but took just four shots in the second half.
Hughes scored 22 points against his former team as Golden State snapped a four-game losing streak and defeated Philadelphia for the first time in seven meetings since January 15, 1997.
"I thought Larry was real solid," Warriors coach Dave Cowens said. "I think he took the challenge. He was guarding one of the best players in the league (Iverson). He matched him stroke for stroke and took care of the basketball and ran our club. He had a remarkable game tonight and I'm very happy for him."
Matt Harpring scored a season-high 25 points and Derrick Coleman added 14 for the Sixers, who dropped to 0-2 on their five-game road trip and 4-6 on the road. En route to the NBA Finals last season, their sixth road loss came on February 4.
"They came out in the fourth quarter and stopped us with their zone," said Harpring, who did not score in the final period. "We weren't hitting our outside shots and we got confused a little bit."
A 3-pointer by Chris Mills gave Golden State the lead for good at 71-70 with 10:49 to play. Hughes' driving layup extended the advantage to 80-75 with 5:53 remaining, but he missed two free throws between baskets by Coleman and Iverson that again made it a one-point game.
However, Iverson did not score again. Dampier and Danny Fortson scored around two free throws by Philadelphia's Dikembe Mutombo and Fortson fouled out Mutombo with 1:48 to play, making 1-of-2 from the line for an 85-83 edge.
Jamison scored 19 points, Dampier added 12 and six blocks and Fortson 11 and 15 rebounds for the Warriors, who overcame 39 percent shooting by making 27-of-36 free throws and holding a 49-33 edge on the glass.
"You have to play a good defensive game if win shooting 40 percent," Cowens said. "Part of that is we went to the line so often and it was just being aggressive, I believe."
"We needed Dampier's energy tonight," Fortson said. "That was a life-saver. We don't know what the score would have been tonight if Damp hadn't had blocked those shots."
Mutombo had 12 points and five blocks for the Sixers, who shot 49 percent (36-of-74) but committed 21 turnovers and made just 12-of-17 free throws. Guard Aaron McKie returned from missing two games with an irregular heartbeat and had seven points and 11 assists.
Philadelphia's team bus was in an accident en route to the game and arrived just 45 minutes before tip-off. Both Iverson and Harpring appeared unaffected as they combined for 21 points in the first quarter.

[@najeenixon1834]

Skill-wise, Larry Hughes was like a taller A.I. but a better on-ball defender and maybe a better 3-point shooter. He should've been an All-Star at least once but he kept going from team to team. Nice Combo Guard!

[@Lorenshyne]

Larry Hughes is cat quick.

[@arianjohnson355]

A.I the greatest player pound for pound and best player of all times. Yo do you have any footage of A.I kicking it with his crew?

[@stephboyarthree4394]

Bob Fitzgerald been in the game for the longest

[@ducekong7878]

flight bros

[@crizstaphamarley4770]

I miss those days