allen iverson's return to philly

The Answer's first game as an opponent at the Wachovia Center last night certainly was something to see, from the 65-second standing ovation he received to his kissing the Sixers' team logo upon taking the floor to his insightful reflections on an enigmatic, if dazzling, career in Philadelphia. Fact: Allen Iverson is the most dynamic basketball talent I have ever seen, if only because what he lacks in size he more than makes up for with quickness and heart. No one played harder, which made him that rarity in today's spoiled landscape of professional sports: As a fan, you got your money's worth, all night, every night. There was, of course, so much off-the-court stuff, stuff that makes one wonder if... both if he was capable of carrying a team to a title, given the right parts, and if he really was a valuable teammate, given his aversion to practice and his willingness to take so many shots. Alas, we'll never know. But for one more night, The Little Guy made the house rock at Broad and Pattison, even if -- as Mike Sielski notes in his column in the Bucks County Courier Times -- he once again couldn't make his team win.