# i thought he lost a step?



## ballistixxx (Jan 24, 2006)

AI hasn't at all, I think... from this video he looks like his 24 year old self

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in one play, AI was 20 feet away from the ball but still outruns Zach mother****ing Randolph who is like, what, 2 steps from the ball?


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## darth-horax (Nov 21, 2005)

AI is easily at the point in his career where he is playing the smartest basketball.

He has lost a step of quickness, but, like all great players, has found a way to continue to put up productive numbers and points.

He can flat ball...and he's showing the skills this year that will eventually take him to the Hall of Fame.

AI is the quiet leader fo the Nuggets. Melo is leading them on the floor verbally and in the stat sheet, but if you take AI out of the equation, this team is nowhere's near as good as they are with him in the lineup.


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## Sliccat (Oct 16, 2004)

darth-horax said:


> AI is easily at the point in his career where he is playing the smartest basketball.
> 
> He has lost a step of quickness, but, like all great players, has found a way to continue to put up productive numbers and points.
> 
> ...


great post.

However, I have noticed that he's been alot faster the past two games. I guess the Washington game pissed him off, because he's been in overdrive since.

What's also worth noting is that I think he or Camby lead the nuggets in +/-


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## darth-horax (Nov 21, 2005)

I love the +/- ratings. Like hockey, it shows who is most productive overall where it matters most...on the scoreboard.


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## RedsDrunk (Oct 31, 2005)

God that game pissed me off.


I agree with what Darth said as well. One thing I have noticed though is that Iverson doesn't seem to be getting the calls he used to when driving to the hoop. With Iverson past he was so quick that he's be able to beat his defender/denfenders almost every time taking angles to the hoop where he would force the opposing player to foul him going up. That ability has been toned down somewhat. Dont get me wrong, he is still one of the best in the game at doing it but he isn't as good as he used to be at it. Now a days it seems like he has become more dependant on his manner of simple forcing the ball up and trying to sell the foul. Unfortunately, I think it's the combination of that lack of blazing speed making these foul situations less obvious and Iverson's lessened star power with the onset of the leagues younger and newly prominant faces that are contributing to him having a harder time getting to the stripe. He still gets there, but he has to work at it more than he used to.

I also like that it seems like he doesn't settle for the jumpshot as much as he used to. He's still had his fair share of poor 3 pointers, but as far as his midrange games go he seems to be using better judgement. When his shot isn't there he'll defer more than he was doing back in philly, something thats probably more a result of the talent that he's surrounded with now more than it ever was the misconcieved "immaturity issue" that iverson haters always like to spout on about.


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## Sliccat (Oct 16, 2004)

> One thing I have noticed though is that Iverson doesn't seem to be getting the calls he used to when driving to the hoop. With Iverson past he was so quick that he's be able to beat his defender/denfenders almost every time taking angles to the hoop where he would force the opposing player to foul him going up. That ability has been toned down somewhat. Dont get me wrong, he is still one of the best in the game at doing it but he isn't as good as he used to be at it. Now a days it seems like he has become more dependant on his manner of simple forcing the ball up and trying to sell the foul. Unfortunately, I think it's the combination of that lack of blazing speed making these foul situations less obvious and Iverson's lessened star power with the onset of the leagues younger and newly prominant faces that are contributing to him having a harder time getting to the stripe. He still gets there, but he has to work at it more than he used to.


Spot on, I agree with this too... but the past few games he seems to have stopped trying to draw fouls so much. I think at the beginning of the season, he was more focused on getting fouls than making shots, but once he realized it wasn't happening, he started just going for makes more, and that's why he's been more productive the past few games.


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

look whos gaurding him, scrubs who cnat play defence. The knicks are a joke defensivley. You got nate robinson watching him drive and curry just jumping for the hell of it. The knicks are weak, the team is a joke, and im never gonna watch a knicks game again.


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## jefferyball (May 13, 2007)

To me my man A.I.has not lost a step he still blows by defenders with that blazing quickness just like when he was 24 years old.A.I.is a very smart player and he still has the ability to draw fouls but i agree with Darth that has toned down.


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