Allen Iverson 1997 Rookie Game MVP Highlight & Interview

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• published: 10 Nov 2006
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MVP Allen Iverson Scored 19 points and dished 9 assists to carry the East win over the West. Many great players played in this game. L.A. Lakers:Kobe Bryant & Derek Fisher, Bucks:Ray Allen, Boston Celtics:Antoine Walker, Toronto Raptors:Marcus Camby, New Jersey Nets:Kerry Kittles, Abdur-Rahim, Indiana Pacers:Dampier. Toronto's Marcus Camby and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson put on a first-half fireworks show, then held off a furious rally from Kobe Bryant and the West to post a 96-91 win in the Schick Rookie Game. Camby scored 14 of his 18 points in the first 15-minute half, as the East jumped to a 51-36 lead on the strength of 67.6 percent shooting. Camby, 7-9 in the first half, lived off dazzling passes from Iverson, who had eight of his nine assists in the opening half en route to the game's Most Valuable Player award. Iverson and Camby, the first two players selected in the 1996 Draft, reversed roles early in the second half, when Camby threw an alley-oop pass that Iverson caught at full extention of his 6-0 frame, and threw down with one hand. That keyed a 6-0 run that put the East squad up by 20, and seemingly out of reach for the West, which shot only 36.8 percent in the first half. Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers' teen phenom, and teammate Derek Fisher, had other ideas. Trailing 76-57, the unheralded Fisher scored all 10 of his team's points in a 10-2 run that put the West within 11 points, and set the stage for Bryant, his highly touted teammate, who at only 18 years of age, stole the game, and nearly stole the show. The Lakers' rookie did most of his damage at the free throw line, where he made 12 of 14 second half attempts. Bryant finished with a Schick Rookie Game-record 31 points and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Vancouver's Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 17 and Fisher 16 for the West, who closed the gap to as little as five in the closing moments. However, in the stretch, it was too much Iverson, who sealed the Most Valuable Player award with several clutch free throws of his own, and Boston's Antoine Walker. Down the stretch, Walker picked Bryant for a steal and the score, and scored nine of the East's final 14 points. Iverson finished with 19 points, and his nine assists were two shy of the Schick Rookie Game record. Walker led the East with 20 points (9-16 FG), and Erick Dampier of the Indiana Pacers had 11 to augment the scoring of Iverson and Camby, who also had a game-high 12 rebounds, a Schick Rookie Game record. With the win, the East improved to 2-0 since the game went to an East/West format for last season's game.