Iverson Sits During 76ers Loss

April 2, 1999 / 11:26 PM EST / CBS/AP

Allen Iverson sat out the final three quarters Friday night under mysterious circumstances, then said he was doubtful for games Sunday and Tuesday.

The 76ers said he was hurt, but something seemed amiss between Iverson and his coach.

"I'm the coach and I have the right to play a guy or not play a guy," Philadelphia coach Larry Brown said after the Sixers lost 85-80 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "I've got to find out who's ready to play and who wants to play."

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Brown did not refer to Iverson by name, but said, "I think mature guys who care about their teams step up. I don't think we have that maturity yet."

The latest episode involving Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, began when he was called back from the scorer's table by Brown midway through the second quarter. Iverson had shot 0-for-7 in the first quarter.

When asked why he had pulled him back, Brown answered emphatically: "He said he was hurt so he didn't play."

The official word from the 76ers was that Iverson reinjured his right quad muscle.

Asked about the incident, Iverson said there were some words exchanged between himself and the coach.

"There was some misunderstanding, a miscommunication, but I'm not going to get into that," he said.

Iverson said "players and coaches have disagreements," then went on to explain that his injury was still bothering him and he was not planning on playing on Sunday against Toronto and was doubtful for Tuesday against Milwaukee.

"If I was physically able, I would have played," Iverson said. "I've got to sit this thing out until I get it right. I think that's the best thing."

Shawn Kemp had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who opened a big first-half lead and held on. Wesley Person had 16 points and Derek Anderson added 12 points for Cleveland

Eric Snow had a career-high 16 points, Theo Ratliff had 15 points and Tyrone Hill grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who have lost six of their last eight overall and 27 of 30 against the Cavs.

Philadelphia was sloppy on offense, making just 38 percent and turning the ball over 23 times, tying a season-high.

Although the Cavs seemed to have the game in hand for most of the fourth quarter, Philadelphia closed within five, 79-74, with 1:01 left. But Brevin Knight's jumper with 42 seconds to go sealed the win for Cleveland.

The 76ers' offense was ugly in the first half. After hitting a field goal with 8:48 left in the first quarter, they went 11 minutes without another, missing 19 of their first 22 attempts including 13 in a row.

Philadelphia finished the half with 11 turnovers to go along with its 11 field goals.

"We can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot, letting ourselves down," said 76ers guard Aaron McKie, who sprained his right ankle in the second quarter and did not return. "The games that we should get, we've got to get."

Cleveland fell behind 13-6 midway through the first quarter before reeling off 12 of the final 16 points in the quarter to pull ahead by one.

That lead was extended to 15 when Johnny Newman made a jumper with 2 minutes left in the first half to put the Cavs ahead 43-28.

Cleveland went into the break with a 45-36 advantage thanks to a strong effort by the bench. For most of the second quarter, three or four starters were on the bench.

"Our bench played outstanding and gave us a big lift when some of our players were tired," Cavs coach Mike Fratello said.

In the third quarter, the 76ers did get as close as five but the Cavs quickly upped the advantage to 14 thanks to a 9-0 run. Cedric Henderson had six of his points during the spurt.

Notes: The Cavaliers signed guard Earl Boykins for the remainder of the season. Boykins, who was signed to a 10-day contract on March 10, has appeared in five games for Cleveland, averaging 2.0 ppg. ... This was the ninth time the Cavs have played back-to-back games. Interestingly, they are better on the second night that the first, going 3-6 in the first game and 6-3 in the second. ...At the end of the second quarter, Cleveland forward Danny Ferry and 76ers forward Harvey Grant got into an extended pushing match at midcourt. Both were assessed technicals. ...76ers guard Larry Hughes matched a career high with nine rebounds.