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by Celeste Whittaker

The Philadelphia 76ers are back in the playoffs, and Allen Iverson had an MVP-type season. Sound familiar?

For the fifth-consecutive season, the 76ers are in the NBA playoffs. In five of Iverson’s seven years, the Sixers have advanced to postseason play. In 2000-2001, they went all the way to the NBA Finals, riding Iverson’s MVP play that year to a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Can they do it again?

Last year, the Sixers lost in the first round to Boston, but they were hampered by injuries. Iverson, for example, had just returned for the Playoffs after sitting out the final 14 regular-season games with a fractured left hand.

This year, the 27-year-old Iverson has been relatively healthy, aside from his typical assortment of bumps, sprains and bruises. Through 69 games, he had appeared in every one of them for the Sixers, and was playing some of the best basketball of his career. “This is the best he’s played,” said Sixers coach Larry Brown about his star player, who has elevated many aspects of his game this season.

Iverson, always one of the top offensive players in the league, is third in the league in scoring (27.3 points), and shooting 41.2 percent (up from 39.8 percent last season). He’s also dishing out 5.1 assists per game and grabbing 4.1 rebounds per night. But he’s picked up his defensive intensity, which has taken his game to that next level. He’s leading the league in steals (2.6), and continues to play solid help defense.

In the Sixers’ 96-93 key Eastern Conference victory over Indiana on March 12, Iverson helped defend Pacers All-Star guard Reggie Miller on the final shot of the game. Miller, who has hit many huge shots in his career, missed a potentially game-tying three-pointer with one second left.

The former Georgetown University star’s game has come full circle.

“I just understand now at this point in my career that without your teammates, there’s no way you can be successful, there’s no way you can win the ultimate prize, that’s the world championship,” said the six-foot, 165-pound Iverson, who was MVP of the league in 2000-2001 when he averaged a league-leading 31.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds.

“It’s going to take four other guys on the court with me to help get it done. I just think my teammates have really gained my trust by how well they play on the basketball court. Even how well they handle themselves off the court. It’s just a good feeling to be around a bunch of good guys and try to work and accomplish the same goal and that’s to win a championship.”

It’s not just the play of Iverson that has the Sixers back in the playoffs. His starting backcourt mate Eric Snow had arguably the best season of his career this year, averaging 12.9 points, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 35-year-old Derrick Coleman stepped into start at center once Todd MacCulloch went down with a foot neuropathy, and has played solid, physical basketball, offering scoring, rebounding and shot blocking.

The addition of Keith Van Horn, who came over from New Jersey in that Aug. 6 trade along with Todd MacCulloch in the deal for Dikembe Mutombo, has given the team another scoring option. Van Horn, who was shooting a career-best 48.6 percent, has been consistent and has played much-improved defense. He was averaging 16.4 points and team-high 7.3 rebounds through the month on March.

Factor in the addition of veteran forwards Tyrone Hill, a former Sixer, Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner, and Monty Williams, who is just getting healthy in time for the playoffs, and the Sixers have some pretty good athletes on their solid frontline. Then, guards Aaron McKie and Greg Buckner bring added defense and experience from the bench.

But, it all starts with Iverson, who has been at his best this season and should get some serious consideration for league MVP honors. “We’re only going to go as far as A.I. takes us,” Buckner said. “We know if he struggles to score, we’re gonna struggle to score. He’s one of the top three or four players in the league and whenever you’ve got your top guy going, it’s going to be hard to beat the rest of the group.”

Iverson put on quite a show at the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta on Feb. 9. He helped the East stay in it, and looked as if he might be on his way to earning his second All-Star Game MVP award when he scored 35 points and had seven assists, five rebounds and five steals, but the East fell 155-145 to the West in double overtime.

Indiana coach Isiah Thomas, longtime Iverson fan, left that game even more impressed. Thomas coached the East.

“I fell in love with him (Iverson) coaching him in the All-Star Game,” Thomas said. “I had never had the experience of being around him that much. He’s a guy who loves to play. He got along great with the guys. He did everything that you wanted him to do out on the floor. He played hard and played well.”

“I would say, yes, he’s elevated his game,” Thomas said. “I think what you see, a lot of times when the players do go to the All-Star Game and get validated in that kind of way, normally they come back and play really well for their teams.”

NBA Hall of Famer Jack Ramsay, who coached in the NBA for 21 years, four years with the Sixers from 1968 to 1972, has been impressed with Iverson this season.

“He’s playing as well as I’ve seen him play,” Ramsay said. “He’s playing more of a team game and not forcing as many shots. He’s more willing to be patient and find guys. I think he’s finding out that these other guys can help him win.”

Before the Sixers met the Lakers in a nationally-televised game at the Staples Center on March 9, Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal spoke of his admiration for Iverson’s game as well. “Iverson is one of the greatest players to play the game; he’s in the top five,” O’Neal said. “The reason I say that, he’s probably the only guy who takes a beating like I do. Never complains. I respect his game, his heart.”

While he says he won’t play on the 2004 Olympic team, O’Neal said Iverson deserves to be on that squad, which will be coached by Brown should the U.S. qualify at a tournament this summer. Iverson has expressed an interest in playing, but said if he doesn’t get named to the team, that would be OK.

“Like I said a million times, if I didn’t make that team, I wouldn’t be bitter about it,” Iverson said. “.... I wouldn’t be mad at all. Like I said before, if I don’t make the team, I’ll be right at home with my popcorn, and my son enjoying the game and rooting for the USA.”

An Olympian or not, nothing can take away from the MVP-type season Iverson had this year as the Sixers try to make their way back to another NBA Finals appearance.

“Eric and Allen, I’ve said this, no two guards could’ve possibly played better than those two kids have all year,” Brown said.