AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Allen Iverson said he was ready to play in Sunday's 85-69 loss to the Detroit Pistons but changed his mind after 76ers coach Chris Ford told him he'd come off the bench.

``I'm a starter. I've been a starter here for eight years. I'm not a sixth man,'' Iverson said after the game. ``I'm a starter. I know in this league ... if someone comes back from an injury, if he's a starter he starts. What's the difference? If you're going to cut my time down, cut my time down. It doesn't make any difference. I'm a starter.''

Iverson has been hampered by a swollen right knee, which caused him to miss three straight games before Sunday. The league's second-leading scorer participated in the shootaround before the game but was on the Sixers' bench in street clothes at tip-off.

After the game, he said he ``was already taped and everything and had my uniform on. I had to take it back off, so that was rough.''

``I feel real disappointed because I told the trainers I was going to play,'' Iverson said. ``He (Ford) said I hadn't run up and down the court, and he wasn't sure about my conditioning.''

Ford and Iverson have had a rocky relationship since the coach replaced the fired Randy Ayers on Feb. 9.

``I didn't know he was going to attempt to play until how much time was left on the (pre-game) clock? Not much,'' Ford said. ``From my understanding and what I was told yesterday after his workout, I'm going to look out for A.I. and the team. Somebody's got to make decisions around here.''