In a game against the Boston Celtics in 2005, Allen was hitting shots from beyond the arc and Iverson became frustrated. He took off his shoe and threw it at Ray’s face.
Allen Iverson once controversially got revenge on Ray Allen for an upsetting loss that went back to their college days.
During the 1996 Big East Final, Ray Allen crushed Allen Iverson’s hopes and ambitions. AI repaid the favor five years later, although in a very contentious manner.
Allen and Iverson aren’t known for having the most enthralling rivalry. Their feuds, on the other hand, date back to college and have lasted far into the early stages of their individual professions. With one of the most dramatic endings in college basketball history, the rivalry started in earnest.
In 1996, Ray Allen and the UConn Huskies slashed Allen Iverson and the Georgetown Hoyas.
The 1996 Big East Championship matchup matched two great programs against one other.
At Madison Square Garden, Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut Huskies faced John Thompson Jr.’s Georgetown Hoyas. At The Mecca, two of the best coaches in NCAA history will go head-to-head. What could be better than this matchup? So, how about two NBA Hall of Famers making cameo appearances in the closing seconds?
Ray Allen was named Big East Player of the Year after leading the Huskies to a 17-1 conference record. He averaged 23.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting an incredible 46.6 percent from beyond the arc. Iverson, on the other hand, was far from an afterthought.
The Answer led the country in overall points and the Big East in points per game (25.0) on way to being named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the country in thefts. The sophomore superstar led a Hoyas team that seemed to be on the verge of winning the NCAA championship.
At the conclusion of the competition, Allen and Iverson took center stage. With less than 20 seconds left in the game, the guy known as Jesus Shuttlesworth hit a reckless, off-balance runner to give the Huskies a one-point lead. The following game-winning effort by Iverson clanged off the rim, giving UConn a thrilling victory at Madison Square Garden.
Despite shooting just 5-of-20 from the field, Ray Allen managed to shatter Iverson’s heart. Iverson would avenge himself five years later, albeit in a less-than-honorable manner.
In the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, Iverson and the Sixers beat Allen’s Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game series.
How different are Ray Allen’s and Allen Iverson’s legacies if the Bucks win Game 7 in 2001?
24 July 2018 — Josh Eberley (@JoshEberley)
When the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks played in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen met again. Once again, the two Hall of Famers starred in one of the NBA’s most underappreciated playoff matchups.
Iverson, the MVP, led the Sixers to a series-opening victory with 34 points. From then, the two squads exchanged punches. After winning a low-scoring game in Game 3, the Bucks grabbed a 2-1 lead. Allen scored 38 points in Game 2. The Sixers, on the other hand, reacted by winning a pair of nail-biters to get to within one victory of the NBA Finals.
Despite this, the Bucks came through in a life-or-death scenario. Milwaukee led by 29 points at halftime and held off a 46-point fourth-quarter comeback by the Sixers. Iverson’s 46 points were insufficient, as Allen responded with 41 of his own to send the series to a seventh game.
When the game went to a winner-take-all format, AI was able to exact his vengeance. On 17-for-33 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc, he scored 44 points. His outstanding performance led the Sixers to victory and an unexpected Finals spot.
Philly’s series victory, though, was not without controversy.
During the series, Allen and the Bucks screamed foul.
In February 2001, Ray Allen maneuvers his way past Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson | Tom Mihalek/AFP via Getty Images
In the midst of the series, Ray Allen and the Bucks believed the NBA was on their side.
A pair of egregious fouls and a technical penalty marred Milwaukee’s one-point defeat in Game 5. Those calls were basically the game’s deciding factor. Before Game 6, Allen admitted that his side was at a disadvantage.
“I believe there is no doubt about that,” Allen said at the time, according to ESPN. “The league, as a marketing machine, the bottom line is about generating money.” “It’s in everyone’s interest for the league to earn more money, and the league understands that Philadelphia will make more money with LA than we will with LA.”
The frustration, on the other hand, had started well before Game 5. At the conclusion of Game 4, Milwaukee believed things were starting to come apart, with Allen and then-Bucks head coach George Karl voicing suspicion about the NBA’s rooting interests.
The foul shots, as well as the timing of specific calls or no-calls, will always be a series marker. During the series, Philadelphia attempted 186 free throws compared to Milwaukee’s 120.
But, in the end, it came down to the Bucks’ failure to contain Iverson. Through the first five games, the Answer went 33-for-120 from the field. However, in the last two games, he scored a total of 90 points, with Game 7 being one of his career’s defining moments.
After a five-year wait, AI finally received his retaliation for the terrible loss in 1996. Even yet, the revenge did not come without a lot of wrangling.
Basketball Reference and CBB Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant’s 1996 NBA Draft Class Is Without a Doubt the Best in League History: ‘Ask Anyone Who Knows Anything About Basketball.’
Allen Iverson once controversially got revenge on Ray Allen for an upsetting loss that went back to their college days. The two had a heated argument in the locker room after the game, which led to Allen punching Iverson in the face. Reference: allen iverson net worth.
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