Philadelphia ? Even when Allen Iverson has a crummy game by his standards, the human pinball is a kick to watch.

So he didn’t score 55 points again? The measly 29 he had in Philadelphia’s 90-85 victory Wednesday night over New Orleans was still a choice bit of ball.

There he was, barely 6 feet (he’s listed at 6-foot-2, but don’t believe it) and skinnied down to maybe 165 pounds early in the playoffs, bouncing off bigger bodies and the court. He spun and popped and didn’t stop, running his men around picks, swiping at the ball for four steals, starting breaks and finishing them.

He had a chilly night shooting — 11-for-27 on field goals, 6-for-12 on free throws — and still you had to like the way he flung himself around the court with little care for head or limb, setting the tone for his teammates as they took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Inch for inch, pound for pound and tattoo for tattoo, Iverson is one of the all-time scrappiest players, if not the quickest and most resilient. He recovers from bruises, sprains and broken bones like a cyborg, cobbled together with artificial parts.

If his off-court adventures over the years have alienated some teammates and fans, Iverson has, in his seventh season, grown into a mature leader. He fits in with the flow of the offense rather than outrunning it. He takes defense seriously, leading the NBA for the third straight season in steals and finishing sixth in voting for defensive player of the year.

He even shows up for practice on time and regularly.

A year ago Philadelphia coach Larry Brown, frustrated by Iverson’s disdain for practice, hinted that he could be traded over the summer. Now Brown says Iverson is having his best season overall.

“He’s tried each year to grow up a little bit. It just takes time with some people,” Brown says. “He’s always been a good kid. He never wanted to screw up.”

Iverson screwed up more than a few times, getting in trouble with the league and the law, but no one ever doubted his desire to play.

“With each year he’s getting a little more mature and more professional,” backcourt teammate Aaron McKie says. “He realizes more each year how short a span an NBA career can be. One minute you can be on top of the world and the next minute you can be out of the equation. Coach Brown made us understand you’ve got to make the most of your time while you’re here.”

McKie says that in the past he often spoke with Iverson about the need for him to show up at practice.

“I’d say, ‘It’s not about you and Coach Brown, it’s about us, the team. Because ultimately we have to go out there and win the games. It just shows how much you care about your teammates,”‘ McKie says he told Iverson. “Everything we do revolves around him, so it’s important that he’s there and he’s involved in what we’re doing.”

This year, for the first time, McKie says, Iverson got the message.

Some players take longer than others to get it. And sometimes it takes longer for everyone else to get them. In the 27-year-old Iverson’s case, both are true.

For all of Iverson’s achievements — MVP in 2000-01, three-time scoring leader — his attitude and off-court problems have obscured his warmer side.

“He’s a loving, caring guy, he’s got a big heart and he’s compassionate,” McKie says. “He cares more than people realize. It’s unfortunate people only want to see the bad stuff.

“We go to hospitals and talk to kids and they just light up when they see him come into the room. That’s the side of him that people don’t get to see.”

Iverson came into the league as the top draft pick in 1996, a street-tough hip-hop hero with an air of danger. His bad-boy image became his and the NBA’s marketing bonanza.

“I think the world has had to adjust to the fact that we have a generation of players who look a little bit different than the generations of players looked two decades ago or a decade ago,” NBA commissioner David Stern said before Wednesday night’s game.”

“It’s been an evolution. It used to be afros and then it became corn rows and gold chains. They’re all styles. They don’t go to the heart of a competitor.”

To the credit of fans, Stern said, they’ve looked past Iverson’s image and seen him for the tough, talented player he is.

“Some very important former players who were skeptical about him when he first came into the league, have come to me and said, ‘All you have to do is watch what he puts himself through,”‘ Stern said.

“They don’t know that they’ve ever seen anyone who was more competitive than he is. Maybe there are people who are as competitive but he is up there with the great ones.”