NBA Greatest Duels: Allen Iverson vs. Michael Jordan (2002) *40 vs 30

The duel between Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan lived up to the hype in the first half, but Richard Hamilton owned the second.
Hamilton scored 20 of his 28 points after halftime and Jordan added 30 as the Washington Wizards rallied for a 94-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, who wasted a season-high 40 points from Iverson.
Iverson was recovering from elbow surgery when Philadelphia lost to the Wizards on November 3, making Wednesday the first meeting between the reigning Most Valuable Player and Jordan, who has won the award five times.
Iverson scored 27 points in the first half to Jordan's 20 as the 76ers took a 50-47 lead to the intermission. Both stars seemed to tire in the second half, but Washington found a second offensive option, and Philadelphia did not.
Hamilton scored 13 points in the third quarter, including 11 during a 19-6 run that helped the Wizards take control.
Philadelphia had a 58-51 lead with 8:55 left in the third when Jordan sank 1-of-2 free throws to begin the run. Hamilton had a dunk and, after a layup by Jordan, made consecutive baskets to give Washington a 60-58 lead with 5:48 to go.
Matt Harpring tied it with a jumper before Jordan completed a three-point play to give the Wizards the lead for good.
Hamilton gave Washington a 67-62 advantage on a 3-pointer with 1:45 to play, and rookie Brendan Haywood followed with a three-point play to extend the lead.
Hamilton made 11-of-20 shots and grabbed nine rebounds as Washington won for the second time in three games following an eight-game losing streak.
"The one thing I try to do is attack," he said. "I try to take my time and let the offense come to me. Playing with Michael, I sometimes forget that he's out there and I try to be the leader on the floor. I'm learning every game."
Jordan made just 11-of-17 shots but collected seven assists, six rebounds and a season-high five steals.
"I got in a good rhythm, the shots looked good and I had my legs underneath me," he said. "It's important to come out this way every night. The only way we'll turn this thing around is to give this effort every night. Some nights you'll have things go your way, but the effort should be there every single night."
"A 38-year-old is playing basketball the way it supposed to be played," Philadelphia coach Larry Brown said of Jordan. "Here's a guy who hasn't played in three years and he completely controlled the game. He got Hamilton looks, he guarded Aaron McKie. I can't image anyone taking three years off of anything and playing at a level like this guy is playing."
Washington's Tyronn Lue returned from a hand injury and did a solid job defending Iverson in the second half. He had nine points and seven assists in 24 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
"It was fun out there trying to deny (Iverson) the ball," he said. "You can't really stop him. So the best thing you can do is deny him the ball."
While with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Lue was handed the duty of defending Iverson in the NBA Finals.
Iverson made 15-of-31 shots overall -- just 5-of-13 in the second half -- and committed nine of Philadelphia's 21 turnovers.
Derrick Coleman scored 15 points and Harpring added 13 and nine rebounds for the 76ers, who have lost consecutive games after winning their first seven with Iverson in the lineup.
"It's disappointing because these are the teams we're supposed to beat," Iverson said. "We're supposed to jump on teams with losing records and never let them recover. We had them where we wanted them, then we let them regroup from it."
Iverson scored 17 points in the opening quarter and made 6-of-10 shots, including 3-of-4 3-pointers. He scored 10 points during a 14-2 run that gave the Sixers an 18-10 advantage less than six minutes into the game.
"I just got into a rhythm," he said. "I've been struggling since I came back. Tonight was like the first time I really felt good."

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Iverson is the fucking GOAT

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