The Philadelphia 76ers appeared
headed for their first loss of the season. Then Sportsmanship
Award winner Eric Snow was ejected for fighting.
Snow's shoving match with Tracy McGrady and ensuing ejection
sparked the 76ers, who rallied without their point guard for an
87-83 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Sixers had just one free throw in the first five minutes of
the fourth quarter as the Magic opened a 72-68 lead. With 6:26
left, McGrady went up for a lane jumper and took exception to a
foul by Snow.
McGrady said something to Snow, who responded by putting his
finger in McGrady's chest. McGrady put both hands on Snow's
face and shoved him and both players were ejected.
"I said, `Get out of my face,'" Snow said. "He pushed me in the
face and I walked away clapping and they kicked us both out."
"I don't tough you, you don't touch me," McGrady said. "Don't
put your hands on me. And I retaliated after that. He touched
me and I reached out and that was that."
Snow sneered when his reputation as a hard but clean player was
brought up, while Magic coach Doc Rivers said his player should
have seen it coming.
"Sportsmanship? What's that got to do with anything?" Snow
said. "I didn't initiate it, you know what I'm saying? And I
don't care who you are in this league, you can be the best
samaritan in the world, but if someone pushes you, you got to
defend yourself."
"I try to tell Tracy that he is the target now," Rivers said.
"Guys are going to push and hit him, but if he's struggling
offensively, he can't get frustrated that he lets anybody get
under his skin."
Sixers players and coach Larry Brown argued the ejection of Snow
and center Theo Ratliff drew a technical foul. Orlando guard
Darrell Armstrong made the free throw for a 73-68 lead but the
Magic scored just seven points thereafter.
McGrady's departure hurt the Magic, who had to rely on a hobbled
Grant Hill and struggled to score down the stretch. Meanwhile,
Vernon Maxwell came on for Snow and teamed with fellow guards
Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie to score all of Philadelphia's 19
points in the final six minutes.
"Yeah, it fired us up. We were kind of (ticked) off," McKie
said. "McGrady takes a blow at his face and we get the stiff,
but we're a confident group. We've been in several games like
this throughout last season. You have to expect games like
this. These are the games you like to win."
Iverson scored 29 points and McKie contributed 14, drilling two
big 3-pointers down the stretch. Theo Ratliff added 14 points
and a career-high 17 rebounds for the Sixers (3-0), who won in
Orlando during the regular season for the first time since April
1, 1997, ending a five-game skid.
"These guys (Sixers) have been waiting for the opportunity to do
some big things out on the basketball court," Iverson said.
"They hear everything you write about us not having a shot
because we don't have the talent. But now, a lot of heads are
starting to turn and people recognize there's other guys that
are capable of doing big-time things in this league."
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