The matchup that most fans remember from the 2001 NBA Finals is the very first game of the series, which was also the only contest the Philadelphia 76ers won against the Los Angeles Lakers in that postseason. The Sixers ran away with a 107-101 victory on the back of a staggering 48-point performance from the reigning NBA MVP, Allen Iverson. One of the reasons why fans still remember the iconic game was Iverson’s brilliant crossover dagger on then-Lakers star Tyronn Lue during the contest, which ended in the Sixers star stepping over the latter in a humiliating manner.
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Iverson crossed over Lue by faking a drive to the basket at the right corner of the floor, before stepping back and nailing a clutch mid-range jumper over the Lakers star’s extended hand. Ty Lue would fall just beside AI in his follow through of the contest. Iverson would shock everyone by stepping over Lue in his way back to his court.
Derek Fisher, who was a starter in that Lakers team, assumed responsibility for that embarrassing situation faced by Lue. The 50-year-old explained on Podcast P with Paul George what actually transpired that led to AI crossing over Lue in front of the Lakers bench.
“The reason why T-Lue was in that situation-one, he was good enough to be in that situation. But two, I had played like trash that game,” Fisher told PG.
He revealed how he had been struggling with his rhythm that year because that was his first postseason playing as a starter in a Championship-caliber team. Fisher had also missed a bunch of games in the season due to a right foot injury. Therefore, he was struggling to sustain his rhythm throughout the entirety of the postseason.
The Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Lakers’ dominance in the playoffs actually added to the issue because the team would get 8-10 days of break between every series after sweeping their opponents at every stage leading up to the NBA Finals. This would make it difficult for Fisher to stay in his rhythm before the first game of the next series.
The five-time NBA Champion told George that he was actually very anxious going into Game 1 of the NBA Finals because he couldn’t find his shooting rhythm in practice that week. Therefore, the inevitable happened in the first game of the matchup. “So Game 1 starts, we start off strong, I start off strong, and then I basically tanked,” Fisher said.
He had 0 points and 1 assist in 23 minutes of playing time in the game. Therefore, coach Phil Jackson had to replace Fisher with Ty Lue in the contest.
The Lakers legend feels that forcing Lue to defend a red-hot Allen Iverson out of the blue led to the infamous crossover incident, which was all due to him gassing out in that game. “I put T-Lue in that position where he had to deal with that because I wasn’t at my best,” Fisher added.
He also mentioned that he still has a close relationship with the Los Angeles Clippers head coach. So this is one moment in their relationship that has actually strengthened their bond because of what they faced in that game.
The Lakers would prove to be too much for Iverson‘s Philly in the series as the LA side dominated the next four games of the series like they did in the entire playoffs. But that moment in the Finals would forever be a black spot in Lue’s career. He would be traded to the Washington Wizards that very year after the Finals despite winning his second consecutive Championship with the Lakers.
