The 2001 Philadelphia 76ers were doomed. They were a very good team with league MVP Allen Iverson as their leader, but their Finals opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, was a multi-championship powerhouse in the middle of of a historically dominant playoff run.
But just for a moment, the Sixers gave the Lakers a scare. Despite Shaquille O’Neal’s dominant performance, Game 1 in LA went to overtime, and with time winding down, Iverson faced down Lakers backup Tyronn Lue with a chance to put the Sixers up by four and all but cement the upset victory.
This episode of REWINDER takes you into that moment — one of the most iconic in NBA history — and explains just how incredible, just how unlikely it was, thanks to the Sixers’ recent history of big trades, big almost-trades, and innumerable injuries throughout a grueling playoff run. For more episodes of REWINDER, check out our playlist.