His fourth quarter, however, was far from stellar: 0 for 3 from the floor, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero steals, two turnovers. Brown said he is playing Iverson too many minutes, that it was irresponsible to require Iverson to play 42 minutes one night after logging 43 minutes in a losing effort at home against Milwaukee. "I'm playing him a lot of minutes," Brown said, "and I've got to find ways to rest him because we need him in the fourth quarter. He commands so much attention. "Everybody's trying to win. That's the important thing. I've just got to figure out ways I can help him put him in situations that are a little better for him late in games." Iverson's response? "Whatever he says," Iverson said. "Whatever he says. If that's the way he feels, I guess that's the way it is, but I don't feel worn down at all. "He's been my coach for going on seven years now, and who knows more than he does? If that's the way he feels, then obviously that's probably what's going on. But, I feel good." If his recent behavior is any indication, Iverson would say otherwise. After a recent loss, he said he felt a step slower than normal, but could not explain why. He also has criticized his own performances after unsettling losses. Iverson has been shooting ineffectively in the fourth quarter lately. In a win over New Jersey last week, he missed all of his fourth-quarter shots from the field, but made seven free throws and finished with 34 points in 45 minutes. Against the Bucks, Iverson scored just three points in the final 12 minutes, and finished with 17 points in 43 minutes. After the Wizards game, Iverson seemed perturbed someone would question any part of his game. "I don't look at different parts of the game as 'I do certain things in this quarter, and I do certain things in the second quarter and certain things in the third quarter,' " Iverson said. "I just play the same way every quarter. Sometimes I don't have a good first quarter, but I have a good second quarter. Sometimes I don't have a good third quarter, but I might have a good fourth quarter. "I just play basketball. That's really not something I pay attention to. I try to play consistent and try to play as hard as I can the whole game. That's the only way I feel I can be consistent. I'm not saving anything for the fourth quarter. I just play every quarter like it's my last." Still, Brown was encouraged that the Sixers pulled out a win over Washington, bringing their record in the last three games to 2-1. The Sixers led by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter, but looked shaky as the Wizards, led by Michael Jordan, whittled the lead to 82-80 with less than 90 seconds remaining. But Washington didn't score again, while Aaron McKie made four free throws and Iverson made two. Four Sixers scored in double figures, including Eric Snow (19 points), Keith Van Horn (17), and McKie (10). "I thought we defended pretty darn good as a team, and that's really encouraging," Brown said. "That's the best all-around game Keith has had for us. I think Eric played at such a high level, and we were fortunate enough to make big free throws." Contact staff writer Ashley McGeachy Fox at 215-854-5064 or amcgeachy@phillynews.com.