2001 NBA East Semifinals Game 5 Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers, May 16, 2001, Iverson 52 Pts

TOR 88 PHI 121 - Allen Iverson was well on his way to a historic playoff run. The 2001 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors was epic. It was a five-star seven-game blockbuster of a series. It was one of the most significant – and historic – battles ever. While Iverson was carrying the Sixers on his back, Carter was electrifying the state of Canada on their historic playoff run.  Iverson scored 52 points in the 76ers’ May 16 matchup with the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Sixer legend made history in Game 5, becoming just the second player in NBA history to score at least 50 points twice in the same series (Iverson tallied 54 in Game 2). Player of the game: Allen Iverson, 52 PTS, 21-32 66 FG%, 8-14 3PM, 2 REB, 7 AST GmSc: 45.3, 15th all-time playoff record. The Sixers won Game 5, 121-88, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Sixers would ultimately advance to the Conference Finals by winning Game 7 on May 20. Iverson scored 236 points in the Conference Semifinal series alone, shooting 40.4% from the field, and averaging a series-high 33.7 points per game. Vince Carter led the way for Toronto, averaging 30.4 points per game. Iverson went on to lead the field in scoring in the 2001 playoffs, finishing with 723 points. In Game 7, as expected, Allen Iverson was exhilarating. He was scoring, distributing, and driving in and around defenders. He finished with 21 points and 16 assists. Although, it came down one final shot from Vince Carter. A shot to not only win the game but to clinch the series for the Raptors and send them to the Eastern Conference Finals.