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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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SHOT CHART
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GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Playing on a fractured ankle and suiting up
against his wife's wishes, Eric Snow became the latest hobbled hero
for the Philadelphia 76ers.
|  | | Eric Snow's 18 points helped the 76ers win despite a poor shooting night from league MVP Allen Iverson, right. |
After finding out earlier in the day that his sprained ankle was
more seriously damaged than originally believed, Snow hit two jump
shots in the final two minutes for Philadelphia's final four points
as the 76ers overcame another poor shooting performance by Allen
Iverson to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 89-88 Wednesday night in Game 5
of the Eastern Conference finals.
"My wife is really upset with me. She supports me, but she's really worried that I'll do something and won't ever be able to play basketball again," said Snow, who limped noticeably throughout the game and wore a large cast to the post-game news conference. "I just wanted to give it a go and try to see what I could do, and I was fortunate enough to make a big contribution."
The victory wasn't assured until Glenn Robinson missed a
10-footer from the baseline and Ray Allen missed a tip-in at the
buzzer.
Iverson finished just 5-for-27 from the field, but Snow shot
7-for-9 in scoring 18 points as the 76ers added another unlikely
chapter to their season-long story of overcoming injury problems.
"He won the game for us," teammate Aaron McKie said. "That was a gutsy performance. He's playing on an ankle that's almost broken."
The series resumes Friday night at Milwaukee, where the 76ers
will try to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983
and face the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dikembe Mutombo had his best game of the series with 21 points,
13 rebounds and 9-for-9 shooting from the foul line, while McKie
added 15 points and had four of Philadelphia's 13 steals.
The Sixers, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first
half, needed all they could get from those two as Iverson struggled
from the field for the sixth straight game. Iverson missed his
first seven shots, nine in a row later and his final three of the
game.
"I didn't think I'd have a game like that with this much at stake," Iverson said. "In the past, if I go 5-for-27, I don't think we win."
Robinson had 22 points, Allen added 20 and Sam Cassell had 18
for the Bucks, who allowed the 76ers to have two four-point
possessions and one five-point possession by picking up two
untimely flagrant fouls and one technical foul.
Those 13 points ended up being huge for the 76ers, who shot just 37 percent from the field and turned the ball over 14 times.
The Bucks led throughout the first half but lost their edge when Cassell picked up a technical foul and Robinson was charged with a flagrant foul in the third quarter.
The 76ers scored four straight points from the line on both
calls, then took an 85-82 lead with 3:49 left on a five-point
possession as Tim Thomas flagrantly fouled Tyrone Hill, who made
both free throws, and McKie converted an offensive rebound and drew
Ervin Johnson's sixth foul.
Milwaukee scored the next four points before Snow hit a
wide-open jumper from 15 feet. Allen was then called for a
questionable offensive foul, Iverson missed a drive and Thomas
threw away a pass after Milwaukee grabbed an offensive rebound.
With the clock ticking inside 35 seconds, Snow hit a 20-footer
to make it 89-86.
"He doesn't miss shots like that at the end of fourth quarters. I'll give him that shot every time in the first, second or third quarter," Robinson said.
Milwaukee's Jason Caffey scored from the lane with 18 seconds
left, and the Bucks fouled McKie with 13.9 left. The 76ers had made
25 of 26 free throws to that point, but McKie was short on both
attempts.
Milwaukee got the ball to Robinson for a good shot, but it
wouldn't go -- and neither would Allen's tip.
"It never should have come down to that," Robinson said. "We basically gave them 10 points. We have to make sure that if we go down we go down playing the right way."
The Sixers now have a 3-2 lead in the series, and teams which
have taken such a lead have gone on to win 83 percent of the time.
Snow's latest ankle injury is worse than originally believed. In addition to a sprain, he also has a hairline fracture of the ankle running perpendicular to a two-inch long screw that was inserted after a previous fracture.
Sixers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy said there is a risk of
further injury and that Snow had made the decision to play. Snow
risks breaking the screw or further displacing the fracture, and the team doctors did not recommend one way or the other whether he should play.
Snow wore a special brace on the ankle in addition to heavy tape to protect it from a 90-degree turn.
Iverson finished the first quarter shooting 2-for-10, and he
missed all three of his shots in the second quarter. Mutombo (13
points) and Snow (10 points) kept the 76ers within striking
distance through the second quarter, but Thomas had four foul shots
in the final minute to help Milwaukee take a 51-42 halftime lead.
Iverson missed a wide-open corner jumper early in the third
quarter, making him 2-for-18 from the field, and everything seemed
to be going Milwaukee's way as Cassell hit consecutive jumpers over
Iverson for a 63-55 lead.
Moments later, though, Cassell fouled Iverson on a 3-point
attempt and picked up a technical foul for arguing. Iverson hit all
four free throws, Mutombo converted a hook shot and Iverson finally
hit a jumper -- making him 3-for-20 -- to tie it at 63-all with 2:40
left in the third.
Game notes
Robinson, who complained that he hadn't attempted a foul shot in the first four games, went to the line with 7:36 left in
the first quarter but missed his first attempt. ... Mutombo and
Iverson had plenty of Georgetown supporters in the stands with
Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and John Thompson in the building.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Mutombo's 21-point outburst outweighs Iverson's struggles
Allen wanted goaltending call on his desperation tip
RECAPS
Philadelphia 89
Milwaukee 88
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Sixers' owner Pat Croce can't stop ESPN's Sal Paolantonio from interviewing Eric Snow.
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Larry Brown couldn't imagine winning without Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie at their best.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
George Karl loses his cool when a reporter asked if the Bucks lost their composure.
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