Iverson Scores 33 In 76ers Win

First, Allen Iverson hung in the air like Michael Jordan. Later, he even wagged his tongue like His Airness.

By the time he was finished staking his claim to the NBA scoring title, Iverson was running around like a little kid who'd stolen the ball from the big boys on the playground.

Iverson insisted he wouldn't watch the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, who took the floor against Portland later Wednesday night needing 40 points to overtake Iverson in one of the closest scoring races in NBA history.

"How many does he need?" Iverson asked. "Forty points. Wow."

Though Iverson had to wait to find out if he'd become the Sixers' first scoring champion since Wilt Chamberlain, he knew the team's playoff fate. With Milwaukee's loss to New Jersey, the Sixers clinched the sixth seed in the East and will play Orlando in the first round.

"We got what we wanted," said Iverson, who grabbed a microphone and thanked the fans as he walked off the court. "It was just like a gift for those people. They supported us all year long, and now we're able to give them something back."

Grant Hill scored 27 points for the Pistons, whose bid for homecourt advantage against Atlanta ended with the Hawks' victory over Washington.

"We wanted to go into the playoffs with momentum," said Pistons coach Alvin Gentry, whose team had won six straight. "I don't think we lost any with this game."

Iverson unleashed a dizzying array of shots and emotion in capping a season that seemed like a personal mission to turn the NBA upside down. He tied it at 93 with an 18-foot jumper with eight seconds left in regulation, then dribbled out the final seconds of overtime laughing and high-steping around former teammate Jerry Stackhouse.

"It was really something I can't describe because I've never been through it before," Iverson said. "It' sort of like just getting a driver's license and a brand new car."

Iverson's tying jumper came after Aaron McKie stole an inbounds pass intended for Stackhouse. After hitting the shot, Iverson ran back thumping his chest and wagging his tongue like Jordan before turning into a passer and cheerleader in overtime.

Larry Hughes made an Iverson-esque crossover move and driving layup to give Philadelphia a 103-100 lead with 41 seconds left in OT. The Pistons called timeout, and Iverson celebrated by patting Hughes on the head and screaming in front of the scorer's table.

The Pistons had a final chance, but Lindsey Hunter missed a 3-pointer and Christian Laettner threw up an airball. Stackhouse, not angered by Iverson's emotional display, showed up in the Sixers' locker room to hug and congratulate his former backcourt mate.

"I hope Al wins it, because I can take something out of that," said Stackhouse, who came off the bench to score 21 points. "I really don't know Shaq."

Eric Snow had a career-high 20 points and added 10 assists, Tyrone Hill came off the bench to score 21 and Matt Geiger had 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Iverson made his fourth four-point play this season in the second quarter. In the third, he made one of the most jaw-dropping baskets of his career.

Iverson caught Hughes' alley-oop pass one-handed as he soared underneath the basket. Never using his other hand, Iverson brought it up from his waist and flipped it over his head and in off the glass and with three bounces on the rim.

But at the end, Iverson turned down another shot when he let the clock run out instead.

"We won the game. That's all I wanted to do," Iverson said. "I didn't care anything about that shot."

Grant Hill hit two jumpers and a free throw in overtime to give the Pistons a 98-95 lead. But his bad pass across court sailed over Stackhouse's head and into the stands. Snow and Hunter scored to give the Pistons a 100-97 lead with 2:43 left.

Geiger cut it to 100-99 with an emphatic one-handed stuff, and Grant Hill scored in the lane after a miss by Stackhouse to give the Sixers a 101-100 lead with 81 seconds remaining.

Grant Hill missed a leaner, and Jerome Williams missed the followup dunk before Hughes did his Iverson imitation to seal the victory.

Notes: Going into the final game, the race between Iverson and O'Neal was the closest since 1977-78, when San Antonio's George Gervin edged Denver's David Thompson by .007 points. Thompson, coached by current Sixers coach Larry Brown, scored 73 before Gervin went out and scored 63 to clinch the title. ... Sixers president Pat Croce, still euphoric about the team's first playoff berth in eight years, rappelled upside down from the roof f the arena during a timeout in the first quarter. He then threw Sixers playoff T-shirts into the stands. ... Detroit's Joe Dumars started but played only eight minutes in what is likely his last visit to Philadelphia.

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