Iverson s record has been maintained for many years

On June 4, in the first game of the 2001 NBA Finals, Allen Iverson scored 48 points at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to defeat the arrogant Lakers 107-101 overtime, setting a record for the finals' debut score. 24 years later, this number is still hanging high on the league's historical list, becoming a benchmark for measuring the quality of superstars. Now, when Shay Gilgers-Alexander leads the Thunder back to the finals stage, the discussion about "who can break the Iverson record" has heated up again.

To understand the value of this record, you must return to the specific situation of that legendary night. At that time, the Lakers were sweeping the West with a perfect record of 11 wins and 0 losses. The "OK combination" composed of O'Neal and Kobe was regarded as one of the most dominant duo in history. In the locker room before the game, Iverson listened to his teammates' discussion about "how to lose with decent amount" and practiced alone in the training hall until three in the morning. During the game, he fought for 52 minutes, faced Tyron Lu's close defense, and used his signature crossover to create shooting space. He made 18 of 41 shots in the game, made 3 of 8 three-pointers, and made 9 free throws from the free throw line. In the last moment of overtime, the scene he straddled Lu after hitting a key jump shot, becoming one of the most famous shots in NBA history. The insurmountability of this record is reflected in multiple dimensions. First of all, the tactical evolution of modern basketball has made the single-core leadership model almost extinct. Iverson occupied 41.7% of the team's shooting rights that year, while Alexander's usage rate this season was 32.1%. At the moment when emphasizing team basketball, such a high shooting concentration is almost impossible to reappear. Secondly, changes in defensive rules also affect scoring efficiency. In 2001, the league has not yet implemented the three-second defensive rule, and the inside congestion is far better than today. Iverson's 48 points came from the paint area. This "dance on the tip of the knife" scoring method requires extraordinary physical control.

Alexander's average of 30.1 points per game this season is indeed impressive, but a careful analysis of its scoring composition will reveal significant differences. His three-point shooting percentage is as high as 35.3%, which is more efficient than Iverson that year (29.1%), but due to the Thunder's "five foreign lineups", Alexander completed the end more through running without the ball and receiving and shooting. Compared with Iverson's "carrying the team on your shoulders" scoring method, modern basketball's distributed offense objectively reduces the probability of a single game explosion.

Judging from the opponent's defensive strategy, the 76ers were the only All-Star except Iverson, and the Lakers could double-team the answer without restraint. Now the Thunder have high-quality scoring points such as Jewish and Homgren, so it is difficult for the opponent to implement extreme defense. This "happy worries" may instead restrict Alexander's scoring cap. Data shows that when Alexander faced the box-1 tactic this season, his highest score in a single game was only 43 points.

psychological challenges cannot be ignored. In his autobiography, Iverson revealed that he was playing with the obsession of "provement to the world that small people can dominate the game", and this kind of mentality of burning and storming is rare among modern players. As the new army leader who first entered the finals, it takes time to adapt to the pressure of the stage, and legendary records are often born from the delicate balance between "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger" and "a veteran afterglow". The differences in the technical characteristics of

are also worth paying attention to. Iverson's height of 1.83 meters forces him to make a greater change in direction when breaking through. The free throw opportunity brought by this high-risk action (11.5 games per game this season) is his high score guarantee. Alexander's height advantage of 2.03 meters makes him rely more on rhythm changes. Although he averages 7.4 free throws per game this season, he is still far from the peak Iverson. Free throws are often the key to breaking the scoring deadlock in Finals level confrontation.

Historical data may provide a more objective reference. In the last decade, only James (51 points) in 2018 and Curry (47 points) in 2019 were close to this record, and they were all achieved when the team fought against each other. Considering that the league now emphasizes defensive rotation and load management, the miracle of 48 points in a single game requires the perfect cooperation of time, place, and people.

However, Alexander's advantage lies in his comprehensive offensive means. He hit 54.7% in the 5-9-foot near-frame area this season, better than Iverson's 48.3% in 2001. If you can use the dislocation advantage to target the opponent's inside line and cooperate with its 41.7% mid-range hit rate, there is indeed a possibility of explosion. Especially when the game entered a critical moment, the league's fourth clutchtime score (4.9 points) proved that he has the qualities of "the more he reaches the desperate situation, the more deadly it is."

Judging from the team configuration, the Thunder's modern space lineup may be able to create miracles. Homegren's 37.8% three-point shooting percentage can help empty the inside, and the ambush of 3D players such as Dortmund makes the opponent dare not help defend easily. This is completely different from the team-building idea of ​​76ers who piled up blue-collar workers back then. In theory, it can create a better singles environment for Alexander. But the problem is that modern basketball has more cautious rhythm control, with the average number of rounds per game in the finals being about 8 times lower than in 2001, which directly limits the ceiling of the total score.

Interestingly, Iverson himself talked about this record in an interview: "Now children care too much about efficiency. At that time, as long as we win, it doesn't matter if we make 0 shots of 30 shots. " This mentality difference may be the key to the long-lasting record. If Alexander wants to attack the legend, he not only needs exquisite skills, but also the killer instinct of "continue to take action even if he misses all the top 20 shots."

When we turn our attention to a broader history, we will find that 50+ in a single game in the finals will appear 6 times, including Baylor's 61 points out of reach, Jordan's 55 points, and Iverson's 48 points can rank among the top ten in history. Behind these numbers is the eternal moment when the superstar interprets personal heroism to the extreme on the highest stage.. If Alexander wanted to engrave his name in this temple, what he needed might not be precise calculations, but to set foot on the battlefield like the small man combing the ditch 24 years ago, "I will go even if I have thousands of people."