Iverson Vs. Ford The Key Match-Up As 76ers Face Raptors

As an aspiring basketball player, a young T.J. Ford looked up to Allen Iverson.   On Wednesday, he’ll be eye to eye with the tenacious Philadelphia 76er, desperately trying to shut him down.

The Raptors point guard will be given the daunting task of covering the speedy, ultra-aggressive Iverson when the two teams clash at the A.C.C.

Ford believes it’s a job he can tackle.

“We’re the same height, we have pretty much the same body,” he said. “We have a lot of similarities in our game, so when I look at him I feel like I’m looking at myself and the things I feel I can do.”

And while totally shutting out Iverson seems implausible, Raptors coach Sam Mitchell is confident Ford can somewhat stem the offensive downpour.

“If you’re a guy as quick as him and small, he shoots over you. Big guys, he drives around,” Mitchell said of Iverson. “He’s just a great player. No one is going to stop him, we just have to make him have a bad shooting night.”

Ford admits he enjoys the challenge of covering a legitimate superstar.

“I enjoy going up against him, I wish I could play him every day, he’s one of my favourite players in the NBA,” he admits, adding that he moulded himself after the 76er.

“I wanted to follow in his footsteps, I wanted to go to Georgetown University.

“He set a trend, he made basketball popular in a way of having style and using the killer crossover and taking it to another level.

“He’s definitely somebody that’s a trendsetter, he’s definitely somebody that is a big part of the reason basketball is so global today.”