Iverson's MVP Trophy in previous All-Star stint. Photo Courtesy of: http://english.people.com.cn/200502/22/images/0221_B80.jpg

Post By: Matt Petrini

Well its official, Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has just been named a starter in the 2010 NBA All Star Game, which will be held in Dallas, Texas.

Iverson finished second among Eastern Conference guards, with 1,269,568 votes trailing behind Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade. It’s Iverson’s 11th straight All-Star appearance and his first as a Sixer since 2006, which is ironically the last time Philadelphia has had a starter in the All-Star Game.

A two-time All Star MVP in 2001 and 2005, Iverson becomes just the 26th player in league history to earn at least 11 All-Star appearances. The 34-year-old made his first All-Star team at the age of 24 back in 2000.

Iverson is averaging 14.8 ppg, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds but has also tied his career high in shooting with 46.1 % from the field.

Recently in a game against the Toronto Raptors, Iverson played in his 900^th career game and is only 24 steals away from becoming the 12^th person in league history with 2,000 steals.

Throughout his luxurious career, Iverson has been named to seven All-NBA teams and has led the league in scoring four times as a Sixer. Trailing only Hal Greer, Iverson is second in franchise history in career scoring.

Even though the Sixers have struggled during the first half of the season, (15-28, fourth place in the Atlantic Division), Iverson has shed some much needed light on the Sixers dreadful season. Hopes are that with Iverson’s leadership and the emergence of scoring threat Andre Iguodala, they could propel the Sixers first half woes into a possible Eastern Conference contender during the second half.

Joining Iverson as East starters are Miami guard Dwayne Wade with Orlando center Dwight Howard. Along for the ride are Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Cleveland’s Lebron James at forwards.

Opposing the East All Stars from the West will be Lakers guard Kobe Bryant with Phoenix Sun’s Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, Denver forward Carmelo Anthony and San Antonio forward Tim Duncan.

Iguodala goes up for dunk over the Lakers. Photo Courtesy of: http://thestartingfive.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/andre_iguodala.jpeg

Okay, here we go! This season has been filled with a whirlwind of ups and downs for this beloved 76ers ball club. The possibility of putting together a solid win streak, the signing of Allen Iverson and nice wins against Portland on the road and New Orleans at home all highlight the season thus far. What really hasn’t been notably etched on my pad if positives is consistency. That’s right, this is one word that certainly does not describe the 76ers  and it certainly shows on and off the court in the win/loss column.

For instance, the first area of non-consistency is the ability to shoot the ball from three. The Sixers are one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to lining up long bombs to help them push their lead in games or come back from a considerable deficit. The likes of Rodney Carney, Lou Williams, Allen Iverson, Andre Iggy-dala and possibly Thad Young all hoist up the shots, but most of the time do not connect. Carney has had a few good games this season that saw him net three or four long balls in a game, but that’s about it. The puzzling fact about this statistic is that the Sixers went out and acquired Jason Kapono in the off season. Kapono has proven to be one of the better three point shooters in this league and can knock it down at will from outside. The problem? I don’t know what the problem is coach Eddie Jordan, but don’t you think J.K. should be implemented in the rotation on a nightly basis? He hasn’t played in a number of recent passed game and it’s always coach’s decision. Well here’s a decision and thought; Kapono could be the difference of losing by 6-8 or winning by 5-6. Take your pick because his shooting certainly would improve this jump shot happy offense.

Staying on the topic of consistency, the defense is up and down like a roller coaster as well. Allowing offensive rebounds last night against Portland in the first half was the difference because there were countless second chance opportunities for the Blazers, due to the fact the beloved Sixers did not put any effort in rebounding the basketball. A perfect example of defensive inconsistency came in a loss earlier this week against the Timberwolves. The Sixers dominated the first half and led by as many as 20 points. The passing lanes were defended, transition points were being created and Al Harrington was held in check. Well, that was short lived because in the second half it looked like a totally different team that took the floor for Philadelphia. The defense was non-existent and because of that, the offense suffered as well.

Finally,  for this team to be successful the consistency theme needs to fall in the world of effort. If the Sixers don’t bring it every single night and play with effort and work hard on the defensive end, their season will be much of the same as we have already seen. A playoff run can be put on the back burner and hoping to score a nice number when the ping pong balls are juggled in the draft lottery will be where this franchise is headed. Consistency in effort will help gain ground for the lack of other categories in which this team is not consistent in. This includes shooting the three, creating turnovers and transition offense. Their effort every single night will help even out the other facets of the game and inevitably put the beloved Sixers in better chances to win ball games.

PEACE FROM THE 570!