The thing is, AI will probably be remembered for this more than anything else he did in his career. The problem is that most people don't know the context in which it was said, which makes his tirade understandable.
This interview came right after the Sixers under Larry Brown were drummed out of the playoffs by a Celtic team featuring Pierce and Antoine Walker. Larry had already been interviewed in response to why they were blown out so easily in the last game in the series. He started complaining about the Sixers needing to practice better and sort of singled out AI as needing to put more effort in.
Brown's comments set Iverson off, as it was clear from the series that the Sixers had no game plan, or a way to defend against Boston spreading the floor threatening to shoot from outside or drive the lane. Iverson was annoyed to no end that no one was talking about what happened in the game, but instead were following Browns' agenda and talking about practice, which was Brown's way of throwing the team under the bus.
At times, Larry Brown can be a tool.