Bob Licht |
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NIGHTMARE ON BROAD STREET
Prior to Game 1 between the Hornets and Sixers I asked New Orleans head coach Paul Silas what was his greatest fear in this series: Allen Iverson or the Philadelphia crowd?
His answer is still ringing in my head.
“The crowd doesn’t bother me at all,” said Silas. “It’s that number three. A.I. (Allen Iverson) is just amazing, the things he can do. I think my other big concern is our turnovers converting into fast break baskets for them. You have to know where Iverson is at all times because he’s going to get the steals for easy baskets.”
It became a nightmare on Broad Street.
The Hornets had no answer for Iverson in Game 1. He made twos. He made threes. He made frees. He made steals.
Coalition forces couldn’t have stopped Iverson on Sunday night.
“I got into one of those rhythms where the basket just looked like an ocean,” said the 27-year-old superstar. “I was just throwing rocks in it.”
Once “The Answer” made his first three shots of the ballgame the Hornets were no different than the rest of the 19,000 plus in attendance at 3601 South Broad Street – they were innocent bystanders to one of the greatest post-season performances in the history of the NBA.
Iverson’s 55 points set a Philadelphia playoff record and was the fourth-highest total ever.
How dominant was Iverson in the New Orleans Hornets playoff opener? In the fourth quarter alone he made 9 of 11 shots and scored 20 points. No Hornet made more than eight field goals IN THE GAME!
Still, it was just one game, just one win, and just one nightmare. PJ Brown believes New Orleans can still steal home court advantage with a victory in Game 2.
“You lick your wounds, get your head right, look at film, think about what you did wrong and what things we can do right for Wednesday and get ready to take one to tie up the series for our return home.”
In order for that to happen the Hornets must solve two problems: Iverson and turnovers.
In the opener New Orleans couldn’t stop Iverson (55 points) and couldn’t stop coughing up the basketball (21 turnovers for 24 Philadelphia points).
The turnover problem is easier to solve than finding an answer for the greatest 165-pound NBA player ever.
George Lynch played with Iverson on the 76ers 2001 Eastern Conference championship team and knows exactly how to contain the all-star.
“We have to have Allen passing the ball to his teammates and they have to miss shots. We have to keep him off the foul line, make him take tough shots, and then make sure you can’t hear the fans.”
Paul Silas is still hearing those fans chanting “MVP” after Iverson’s record-setting performance in the opener.
Wes Craven wouldn’t let Freddy Kruger die. Hopefully, the Hornets have a better ending in store for Allen Iverson; otherwise, their nightmare may never end either.
E-MAIL PLAYERS AND COACHES
You can email players, coaches and broadcasters questions about the Hornets first season in New Orleans at:
radiobuzz@hornets.com . We’ll use the best questions in this column and on the radio network pre-game show during some segments of Hornets Courtside.
| BOB LICHT BIO |
Bob Licht, the radio voice of the New Orleans Hornets, offers his insights on the Hornets and the NBA in a regular column on Hornets.com.
Along with his play-by-play duties for the Hornets, Licht served as the radio voice of the WNBA Charlotte Sting for five seasons. Last year, he also filled in on five Fox Sports telecasts of Hornets basketball and co-hosted, along with Steve Martin, Hornets and Sting Update, a monthly TV magazine show.
In 1996 and 1997, he was the radio voice of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the International League. From 1990-95, Licht was the director of broadcasting of the Double-A Carolina Mudcats of the Southern League, where he was named the league's broadcaster of the year in 1995.
Licht is a native of Detroit, Mich. He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1981. During his time at Syracuse, he was involved in radio broadcasts of football and basketball. As a junior, he worked as a reporter at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., and did play-by-play for the International League's Syracuse Chiefs.
Licht called football, basketball and baseball games for Marietta (Ohio) College following his graduation. From there, he moved back to North Carolina where he worked with the Wake Forest University football and basketball network as an engineer, color commentator and play-by-play announcer.
Licht and his wife, Monica, reside in Mandeville with their three daughters, Rachel (12), Sara (7) and Alexandra (5).
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