Allen Iverson, the NBA's reigning most valuable player and scoring champion, brings his Sixers to the Air Canada Centre today for the first time since that post-season series. If there was ever a question of Iverson's value to his team, it's been answered emphatically so far this season: Iverson missed the first five games and the Sixers went 0-5; he came back and ? presto! ? a seven-game winning streak.

Philadelphia scores more, almost 16 points a game, with Iverson; they shoot better from the field by about 2 per cent; they get about four more rebounds a game; their assists go up by about two and their turnovers drop by about five with the 6-foot-nothing guard commanding the squad.

"It's like chemistry more than anything," he said this week. "It's just, you know, this is my team. I'm a part of this team. I think with me not on the floor, it's just a different team. I think we're better when I am on the floor and that's just because I've been around these guys.

"We went to the Finals last year, and we're starting off this year without myself, Aaron McKie (also injured and now back) and Eric Snow (still out of the lineup)," he added. "It's a different team. Now we're getting back together and once we get Eric (back), he's the last piece of the puzzle, and we'll be ready for another title run."