Allen Iverson 44 pts 2001 Playoff Game vs Bucks Game 7

To chants of "Beat L.A.," Allen Iverson cupped his hand to his ear and danced around the court, skipping like a little kid before jumping into the arms of the head coach he finally learned to respect.

There were still 42 seconds remaining in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, but it was all over by then. The Philadelphia 76ers knew they were going to the NBA Finals, and the celebrating had already begun.

Iverson showed why he is the MVP, and Dikembe Mutombo showed why the 76ers traded for him, combining to lead Philadelphia past the Milwaukee Bucks 108-91 Sunday night as the 76ers made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in 18 years.

"We just kept fighting, and we had a great leader to listen to," Iverson said. "He led us all the way."

Iverson had his best all-around game of the series with 44 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He shot 17-for-33, making more than half his shots for the first time since Game 6 of the second round.

Mutombo, acquired in a risky trade with Atlanta in February that the 76ers hoped would propel them to the Finals, was dominant, too, with 23 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks.

The 76ers took control of the game late in the third quarter after Milwaukee's best player, Ray Allen, went down with a knee injury. The Bucks trailed by six when Allen left and by 12 when he returned, and they never made a run in the fourth quarter.

The final minutes turned into a lovefest between the Sixers and their ecstatic fans, who had been waiting since 1983 for another trip to the finals.

The "Beat L.A." chant started with just under three minutes left, and the fans were on their feet screaming the rest of the way.

The Finals will begin Wednesday night at Los Angeles, where the Lakers will have been waiting 10 days since their last game. The Lakers, who have yet to lose this postseason, were established as 11 1/2-point favorites in the opener.

Iverson and Mutombo were the main reasons Philadelphia dominated the final game, but they weren't the only ones.