Iverson and Stoudemire capture NBA monthly honors

Iverson won the award in the Eastern Conference after leading the league in scoring by averaging 32.8 points per game. He was fourth in the league in assists, as he posted 9.1 per game and also added 4.2 rebounds per contest.

On April 6 against Charlotte, Iverson poured in 48 points and added eight assists and seven rebounds in Philadelphia’s 106-103 win. The four-time NBA scoring champion also netted 38 points and handed out 16 assists in an April 14 victory over Miami before recording 43 points the following night in a 90-86 win over Indiana.

The Sixers qualified for the playoffs as the seventh seed and will take on defending champion Detroit in the first round.

Stoudemire garnered the honors by ranking second in the Western Conference after posting 25.9 points per game and hauling in 10.7 boards per outing.

During the month, Stoudemire scored 44 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 127-119 loss to Golden State on April 8. In the regular-season finale on April 20, Stoudemire ended with 30 points, 11 boards and three blocks in Phoenix’s loss to Sacramento.

The Suns enter the playoffs having captured the No. 1 overall seed and will begin with a first-round series versus Memphis.

Other nominees for the awards included Chicago’s Tyson Chandler, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, Golden State’s Baron Davis, Houston’s Tracy McGrady, and New Jersey’s Jason Kidd.

The NBA also announced Coaches of the Month for April and New Jersey’s Lawrence Frank and Dallas’ Avery Johnson captured those awards.

Frank led the Nets to an 8-2 mark in April and New Jersey closed out the month by winning its final four games, including Wednesday night’s 102-93 win over Boston that clinched the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. During the month, the Nets limited opponents to 91.5 points per game and their 10.2 point differential was second only to Dallas.

New Jersey, though, has the unenviable task of battling Shaquille O’Neal and top-seeded Miami in the first round of the postseason.

Johnson guided the Mavericks to a 10-1 mark in the final month of the season, which was his first full month since replacing Don Nelson. Johnson has gone 16-2 since taking over full-time on March 19, including a season-ending nine- game winning streak. During the month, Dallas held its opposition to 91.1 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting.

The fourth-seeded Mavericks will take on fifth-seeded Houston in the opening round of the playoffs.

Other nominees for the Coach of the Month award were Denver’s George Karl, Detroit’s Larry Brown and Philadelphia’s Jim O’Brien.