76ers Face Lakers in NBA Finals

Allen Iverson showed why he is the MVP. Dikembe Mutombo showed why the 76ers traded for him. Together, they led Philadelphia past the Milwaukee Bucks and into the NBA Finals for the first time in 18 years.

Iverson had his best all-around game of the series Sunday night with 44 points, seven assists and six rebounds as Philadelphia beat the Milwaukee Bucks 108-91 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Iverson shot 17-for-33, making more than half his attempts for the first time since Game 6 of Philadelphia`s second-round series against Toronto.

Mutombo, acquired in a risky trade with Atlanta in February that the 76ers hoped would propel them to the finals, was dominant, too, with 23 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks.

"It doesn`t get much better than this when you consider what this team has been through and to have Allen play like he did and Dikembe come over here. ... I`m just so proud," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "This team has great heart and character, just like this city."

The 76ers took control of the game late in the third quarter after Milwaukee`s best player, Ray Allen, went down with a knee injury. Milwaukee trailed by six when he left and by 12 when he returned, and the Bucks never made a run in the fourth quarter as the final minutes turned into a lovefest between the Sixers and their ecstatic fans who had been waiting since 1983 for another trip to the finals. A chant of "Beat L.A. " rose up with just under three minutes left, and the fans were on their feet screaming the rest of the way.

Iverson cupped his hand to his ear and danced around the court with 42 seconds left when he left the game for good, jumping into the arms of Brown, the coach he finally learned to respect and listen to.

The finals will begin Wednesday night at Los Angeles, where the Lakers will have been waiting 10 days since their last game. The Lakers, who have yet to lose this postseason, were established as 11.5-point favorites in the opener.

Iverson and Mutombo were the main reasons why Philadelphia dominated the final game, but they weren`t the only ones.

Aaron McKie had 10 points and a career-high 13 assists, and little-known Raja Bell -- a rookie who signed a 10-day contract with the 76ers on April 6 -- scored 10 points in the second quarter when Philadelphia took the lead for good, going on a 21-6 run after he entered the game.

The 76ers did all the little things -- deflecting balls, creating turnovers, grabbing offensive rebounds to create second and third opportunities -- that Milwaukee didn`t while playing with a confidence and composure that the Bucks will have all summer to envy.

Philadelphia created 15 turnovers, grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, scored 19 second-chance points and had 11 steals.

Milwaukee, which was led by Allen`s 26 points, while Glenn Robinson had 24 and Sam Cassell 20, was simply outplayed in every hustle category.

Iverson scored Philadelphia`s first six points of the third quarter and the Sixers were ahead 68-61 when Allen was called for an offensive foul as he tried to drive around Eric Snow. The two banged knees on the play, and Allen stayed down for two minutes before walking off gingerly. As the Bucks came out of a timeout, Allen was helped to the locker room.

Allen returned to the bench late in the third quarter -- just in time to see Iverson step back and nail a 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 82-71 lead.

Allen then reported to the scorer`s table 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, giving him a perfect view from behind Iverson as the MVP launched another 3-pointer from nearly the identical spot and it swished through for an 85-71 lead.

That was pretty much the end of things, as Milwaukee never mounted a threat the rest of the way.

The 76ers did get a scare when Iverson fell hard to the floor and hurt his left wrist while leading by 15 with about three minutes left. Iverson shook off the injury, stayed in the game and took part in the festivities afterward, running to hug his family as Tyrone Hill and Sixers president Pat Croce danced atop the scorer`s table.

Bucks coach George Karl exchanged a warm hug with Brown after the final buzzer, knowing that Brown will be going to the NBA Finals for the first time in his illustrious coaching career.

Darvin Ham started in place of Bucks power forward Scott Williams, who was suspended for accumulating too many flagrant foul points after his hit on Iverson in Game 6. Ham picked up three fouls in the first six minutes, and Philadelphia jumped to an early 15-9 lead.

Milwaukee then started going after Iverson, giving the ball to whomever the little guy was guarding. Cassell scored twice on post-ups, Allen hit a 3-pointer and Robinson scored on a jumper to give the Bucks a 20-19 lead.

Allen hit a 3-pointer early in the third to complete an 8-0 run and give the Bucks a 34-25 lead, which was when Brown inserted Bell into the game.

The Bucks tried to go right at the rookie, but it took them away from what had been working. Bell had a wide-open dunk off a steal and a fast-break layup to complete a 12-0 run, and Iverson had consecutive 3-pointers for a 43-36 lead.

Bell hit a 3 to extend the run to 23-4 and give Philadelphia a 48-38 lead, but Iverson picked up his third foul and went to the bench with 3:22 remaining in the half.

Milwaukee drew within six at halftime but never got closer than that in the second half.

Notes:
Brown picked up a technical foul midway through the third quarter for running onto the court to protest an out-of-bounds call. ... Cassell was irate after he was given a technical foul several seconds after he thought he got away with tripping Iverson. ... The Bucks haven`t been to the finals since 1974. ... Sixers Hall of Famer Moses Malone received a standing ovation. ... Cassell entered the game with a 4-0 record in Game 7s. ... Brown had been 0-2 in Game 7s during the conference finals.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News