Vince Carter: Toronto Icon
Remember when Toronto fans couldn’t get enough of Vince Carter? This video is back from 2001, when “Air Canada” dropped 52 points on A.I.’s Sixers in the second round of the playoffs. It was during this same series, of course, that Vince made the controversial decision to go to his UNC graduation on the same day as Game 7. (The Raps gave up 15 offensive rebounds to Philly that night, Vince had 20 points, 9 assists, 7 boards, 3 steals and zero turnovers, and his team still only lost by one point. But yeah, he’s to blame.)
You could say that the ‘01 postseason marked the last time Carter was universally loved by basketball fans in and out of Toronto — after the whole graduation incident, the anti-Vince delegation started growing in numbers. And after what happened to the Raptors over this past weekend in Orlando, Vince’s vintage performance might be the last time for a while that Toronto has a legit Eastern Conference contender.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:32 am
mike says:
An Answer for the Answer…
could he say that enough
April 21st, 2008 at 9:54 am
Kardinal says:
of course it was his fault, he missed the game winning shot
An absolute waste of god-given athletic talent, Notice how Vince isn’t smiling at all as he destroys the sixers
Now look at him
April 21st, 2008 at 9:56 am
QQ says:
It seems like decades ago when VC was the brightest star in the game (almost Lebron-like).
But then again, you need what we call H-E-A-R-T to be successful in the league. Too bad Vince brought all his tools but that.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:14 am
Constable Goon says:
Kardinal,
Are you serious?! Did you just not read his stat line? They lost on a last second shot after giving up 15 offensive rebounds!
If anyone is to blame it should be their weak ass front line. You may not like VC but you can’t blame that loss on him.
Even though Jersey stunk this year Vince’s numbers still are legit. My only gripe with Carter is that he never seems like he is playing hard. It seems like he coasts alot.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:21 am
DaPro says:
It wasn’t his fault. He played a good game beyond stats. It pisses me off that the critics and media blamed Vince for going to his graduation from UNC but the media constantly complained about the prep to pros in the league during that period. The man wanted to walk across the stage for a college graduation, I respect him for that.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Brown says:
Constable, you just totally contradicted yourself. Read your own post again and think about what you said for a minute.
QQ said Vince lacked heart, and hit the nail on the head. Vince has all the talent you could ever want in a basketball player, but he’s never played the game with heart, which will be his legacy. Extremely gifted athlete, but not a true competitor.
Vince’s numbers will always look good because he just falls back on his talent, so don’t let that fool you. Like I always say, numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Just imagine how good he could have been if he played hard his entire career instead of coasting by on his athletic ability.
If he was a true competitor, he would have skipped that graduation because basketball should be his main focus, especially come playoff time, and GAME 7 at that.
Vince doesn’t care about basketball, point blank. He’s just good at it and gets paid great money to do it, that’s why he plays.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am
QQ says:
@ Brown
Exactly
Think about it, if VC only played with KG-like desire and intensity, the argument about the next ‘Jordan’, next transcendent baller, or whatever shit you call that, is essentially over.
Imagine that.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Me says:
the media has fooled all you gys thinking its wrong to do what you do. Great Vince Carter fan sometimes which he could just go crazy on the court though but lets play the what if game. what if he did not go to his graduation and still miss that shot what then, remember the graduation going doesnt means that you flick your wrist and the shot will never go in
April 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Austin Burton says:
“If he was a true competitor, he would have skipped that graduation because basketball should be his main focus, especially come playoff time, and GAME 7 at that.
Vince doesn’t care about basketball, point blank. He’s just good at it and gets paid great money to do it, that’s why he plays.”
Consider the fact that maybe Vince was also a competitor in the classroom. And since he worked hard to graduate, he wanted to be there to walk across the stage. Also consider that his graduation was early in the morning, the game was late that night, and he took a private jet. It’s not like he got to the game late or showed up 30 minutes before tip-off. What else would a “true competitor” have been doing that morning anyway? Sleeping? Watching TV in the hotel room? Tell me competitive disadvantage he got from going to his graduation and maybe I’ll buy that he shouldn’t have gone.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:36 am
word says:
I agree with #4, you can’t hate on dude except for that he don’t try his best. But back then he was ill, T.o. should’ve kept him. Bosh isn’t as aggressive, they need a guy who is.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:51 am
QQ says:
Totally unrelated, but Dick Stockton is one boring-ass commentator. And this was SEVEN years ago. Some things never change.
VC circa 2001 = superstar
VC now = softie who takes about 50 jumpers a game
Dick Stockton 2001 = boring and old
Dick Stockton now = boring and old…er
April 21st, 2008 at 11:51 am
DaPro says:
Going to the graduation didn’t hurt his performance. He missed a game winning shot. What hurts his rep is being soft, uninvolved, having god bless him with supreme talent and athleticism and not making the most of his talent.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Kardinal says:
This is the blindness of Vince supporters. If MJ missed a game winner, he takes the blame. If AI misses a shot, he takes the blame.If Kobe misses, he takes the blame. I’m not talkin career or even this game,post 5. I’m sayin if the team played like trash and they still had a chance to win it with one baseline jumpshot that a player misses, he shoulders the responsibility. I’m readin too many posts sayin “He’s a grest player, gettin great numbers.Just imagine if he had heart and played hard”
Hello?
That’s the whole point…
April 21st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’ve never heard anyone say it was MJ’s fault for losing the entire game if he misses a game-winner. Maybe MJ feels like it’s his fault, but no one’s gonna say “It’s all your fault.” No one man loses a basketball game, sorry.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Promoman says:
The hate that Vince gets for getting his diploma, showing up to receive it, and getting back (on time no less!!!) to play is complete and utter bullshit. None of that had anything to do with missing the game winner. Vince Carter basically made the NBA viable in Canada, especially after the Grizzlies disastrous drafting of Steve Francis. The Grizzlies wound up going to Memphis. The Raptors are still in Canada and while Chris Bosh keeps the Raptors in the mainstream’s attention, Vince is who put that team on the map 1st. Vince has had injury issues, but he can still put up All-Star caliber numbers. He may not be an All-Star starter talent at this stage but he’s still a top 20-25 or so talent in the league.
April 21st, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Jim says:
Yeah, I thought this was all silly media noise, like a lot of his hype. He played a good game after doing it, so how could it possibly matter?
But I think you are being generous with the CW on Vince at this time, Austin. I think people already knew who he was; Charles and Kenny always killed him, way before this series happened. But you know no one turned off NBA2Nite before the Raptors’ highlights were over.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
K Dizzle says:
Not Vince again, AB. AI had 21 and 16 assists and missed like 21 shots to Vince’s 12 misses so why are we talkin about a 50 point game when he had 20 in the one that mattered. I gotta disagree with post 2 cuz the blame’s gotta be shared. The graduation is a non-issue for me cuz it didn’t affect the sched and it was way overhyped anyways.
But for real tho, the Vince hate started before that game, trust me. Appreciate you tryin to defend dude, but even the biggest Vince fans know that the dude hasn’t played with any heart since his 2nd year. Smilin like a clown when you losin games don’t fly. the fans know it, players know it, opposing coaches know it, the commentators know it. Everybody can’t be wrong. Vince starts to heat up, crack him hard one time, and he’ll dissapear into a j shootin junkie.
word
no way they could have kept him, cuz if you remember, he asked to be dealt, thereby destroyin his trade value and earning the venom of raptors fans forever
April 21st, 2008 at 6:52 pm
tealish says:
Wow Dime, is this the usual cast of retards you draw in on the daily? I cannot believe some of these comments. VC going to his graduation made them lose the game? Really? 420 was yesterday, you knuckleheads.
Even IF Vince had played horrible that game, I wouldn’t blame him for his decision to go to his graduation because that was the absolutely correct decision. If the UNC grad took place during the game, then you people would have a case.
But that isn’t what happened… Hate him all you want, but do it with an ounce of objectivity and your anti-Vince campaign would appear all the more convincing.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
ugly_fish says:
Regardless of what anyone says, VC was a supreme talent; and underrated by today’s standards for the following reasons:
-he put up 22,6,5 on an INJURED ankle this year and played more games than the epitomy of heart Kevin Garnett.Last year KG shut it down obviously because the Wolves were down and out…did VC do that this year with the Nets?…no.
-unlike his domestic abusive ex-teammate Ason Kidd he stuck it out when the team was going nowhere; leading a bunch of losers on a nightly basis.
-and he’s also unselfish to a fault on the court which to me always seems to me that gets confused with him being soft and passive. Kobe has Bynum and Gasol to throw it up to; who does VC have? Sean Williams and Josh Boone?
With VC the talent is there, and yes they way things ended in Toronto went pretty bad…but if your team drafted Araujo #8; signed rafer alston and mo pete instead of steve nash and expilicitly turn the key of the franchise to Chris Bosh (who is good; but not franchise player material) woouldn’t you want out as well?
Vince put t-dot on the map and when it is all said and done he will be the greatest Raptor ever.
Vc has heart…maybe its not the type of heart that Kobe has (which entails getting into fights with lamar odom and samaki walker, Karl malone and Shaq) but that heart gets mixed because he’s an extremely unselfish player. He doesn’t attack the basket as much because he rarely gets the calls.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Austin Burton says:
“Smilin like a clown when you losin games don’t fly. the fans know it, players know it, opposing coaches know it, the commentators know it. Everybody can’t be wrong. Vince starts to heat up, crack him hard one time, and he’ll dissapear into a j shootin junkie.”
That sounds a lot like Rasheed Wallace to me. Are you saying he’s soft and has no heart?
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 am
K Dizzle says:
lol. got me, AB, but yeah, he was in game 1
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 am
Knowledge says:
@ post 19
ugly fish, get your lips off vince’s meat
He doesn’t attack the basket because he rarely gets calls?
GTFOH
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:26 am
Big Sia says:
UGLY FISH SPEAKS THE TRUTH
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:26 am
Big Sia says:
VC IS TOO RAW FOR THE L
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 am
Suciniac says:
I am big Vince fan but lets get real here.He’s the Mike Tyson of the NBA.He was the biggest thing the league had seen for about 2-3 years,was threatening to be an all time great but in the end it didn’t happen.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
vignesh says:
this series was one of the reasons I started ballin .. 2 of my fav superstars going at it… vince and ai are still doing their thing in the L.. lets see how much heart lebron and kobe has once they undergoe multiple knee and ankle surgeries…
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
doc says:
I dont see Mike going to get his Degree before game 7.Aim mail my shit I got a game 7 to play.