Video, We Reminisce / Sep 10, 2010 / 1:01 pm

We Reminisce: Vince Carter drops 50 on Philly and Allen Iverson

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Contrary to mainstream belief, there has always been more to Vince Carter‘s game than dunks. From a pure talent standpoint, VC has the total package you’d want from a two-guard, which he displayed in this Eastern Conference semifinal game from 2001 when he dropped 50 points on the eventual conference champion Sixers.

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  • steven56

    hey, by the way…what did Iverson do that series? I kinda rememeber him doing pretty well too.

  • JAY

    @Burton: “From a pure talent standpoint, VC has the total package you’d want from a two-guard, ”

    This is exactly why people in Toronto (and now a growing sentiment with all basketball fans) think he blew it. When he said, “I could be better than Michael Jordan.”…. skillwise, I couldn’t disagree. He had it all except the most important thing, the mental aspect.

    @steven56: If i remember correctly The Answer had a 56 point game in that series. Or was it 46…. someone will google it, i’m sure. Lol

  • chris

    If i remember correctly, Iverson and Carter were trading 50 point games in this series. And it came down to the final shot, which VC missed (some suspect because he went to his UNC graduation earlier in the day).

    That was one of the great all time series.

  • Frenchy

    I was at this game in TO, it was the first Toronto home game of the series i believe (game 3) and Iverson had just dropped 50 + on Toronto in Philly for game 2…you could tell right from the warmups that Vince was dialed in. He was moving around pregame with so much swagger and concentration. And the defining moment when you could actualy feel this game was going to be good…it was his turn in the layup line, he casually walked it up from the three point line and then turned the switch on and threw down his “under the leg” All Star dunk!!! You could hear a gasp from the handful of people there early enough and who were actually paying attention…I’ve gone to a lot of Raptors games since they’ve been around and…this is one of those memories that still gives me goose bumps…

    and that’s why we hate Vince Carter…

  • Roc1980

    One game in that series he went and walked w/ his graduating class… I couldn’t believe all the backlash he received for going to recieve his college degree! I think he still dropped like 38-39 that game… AI had like 52!

  • JAY

    @chris: Vince scored just 22 pts in that final game. and I believe it had EVERYTHING to do with him going to his grad.

    This was Vince in his PRIME. He could have scored 30 at the drop of a hat. And in the biggest game of his life, he decides to split his day and attend his grad in the afternoon, and play a series deciding game in the evening. I can’t think of any other player in any sport who would do that.

    I remember the situation because I supported his decision at the time for the simple reason that I was a fan. In hindsight, he made the biggest mistake of his life. Dude could have just attended the next graduation ceremony. How many chances has he had to lead his team to the Eastern Final… or maybe even the NBA Final.

  • JAY

    @Roc1980
    Wrong buddy…. he went to his Grad before game 7. And he didn’t still 38-39…. he scored 22. Far below what he was capable of. It’s silly to think him going to his grad didn’t effect him. The Sixers spent their whole day thinking about the game. Vince got off the plane in Toronto at 4:30pm for an 8:00pm tip-off. He blew it.

    Jim Brown was asked if he would go to his grad before an NFL Playoff game. He said, “No way. I wouldn’t change my routine. I’d eat the same cereal, drink the same orange juice, and think about nothing else but the game.” <— that's what competitors do. Vince is a mama's boy. He went to make mommy happy.

  • datdood

    vince was stroking. his swag alone in this video was getting me pumped up.

  • Shot In Your Face

    Crazy how back then there use to be a debate on who was the Air apparent – VC or Kobe

  • JAY

    @Shot in your face
    It’s so true…. We’d be insulting Kobe if we made that comparison today.

  • JAY

    *correction, posts #6 & 7

    Vince scored 20, not 22. From 39 points in game 6, he JUST barely broke the 20-pt mark. I’m getting mad again. Lol.

    Read the last two lines in this article…
    http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2001/05/21/carter010521.html

    WTF?

  • Roc1980

    @Jay

    My bad. I should have checked my facts first, but still for anyone that has graduated anything, much less college, it is a tremendous honor to walk w/ your class. If your were graduating college, wouldn’t you appreciate your employer giving you the option to attend? I get he is/was an extremely gifted athlete, but at the end of the day he’s still just a person that wanted to experience what most human beings experience. Thats all I’m saying… The media destoyed him for it…

  • https://twitter.com/PoppiGEE POPPI GEE

    ESPN should do a 30/30 on the many players that ditched Toronto lol.

    “People have to realize something is wrong with that organization (Toronto) and nobody wants to go there anymore,” ~Turkoglu.

    “Antawn Jamison told the Raptors he didnt want to play in Toronto before the 1998 NBA draft.”

    “TMac
    Zo (probably the most blatant one)
    Gerald Wallace (refused to play for Toronto in a potential trade for TJ Ford)
    Marion (wanted to be overpaid to be compensated)
    Ariza (took far less money to play in Houston)”

    “Brandon Jennings and Gerald Green both let it be known they wouldn’t come here before they were drafted”

    Wow, don’t know how legit all these are but, where there is smoke…usually something has been burning.

    Goodnight Canada!

  • http://dimemag.com Austin Burton

    30 for 30 commercial for the Raptors doc:

    “What if we told you there was an NBA team that couldn’t attract NBA players?”

  • JAY

    @Roc
    Like I said, I supported it at the time. But for real, how could attending a class graduation help a man in Vince’s position? The majority of the NBA hasn’t walked with their class, nevermind even graduating. They don’t exactly fall under “regular citizens”. It really is a trivial thing to an elite pro athlete especially someone like Vince who had the basketball world spinning on his index finger.

    “If your were graduating college, wouldn’t you appreciate your employer giving you the option to attend?”
    They couldn’t stop him from attending the grad but they were advising him not to go. You think Charles Oakley was telling him, “Yeah dude, go walk with your class. We’ll see you just before tip-off.” Somehow, I doubt it. Lenny Wilkens advise him to stay also. He went despite his advise. But to answer your question, yes I would go… but that’s assuming Vince and I are in the same work position… that’s simply not the case.

    “at the end of the day he’s still just a person that wanted to experience what most human beings experience.”
    That’s the thing, he wanted to do what most people experience over something that only a handful of people who ever lived got a chance to do… lead there team to the Eastern Final and maybe an NBA Final. How many players get to do that?

    When his teammates were asked their opinion about Vince going to the grad before Game 7, most of them denied comment. Take what you want from that, but I interpreted their silence as disappointment that Vince bailed on the team. You gotta think about from their side too. Imagine urself in their position. I’d have “no comment” too.

  • JAY

    @Poppi Gee & Austin…
    What do you mean??? Everyone from Europe wants to play here. Lol.

  • steven56

    Iverson had a 16 assits night, 54 point night and another big scoring night I think

  • Soopa

    So when did this dude retire?

    Its funny cos theres a guy on the Magic with the same name og looks but no heart or passion.

  • slick ric

    I did’nt have a problem at all with him going to his graduation, I say more power to him.

  • http://www.haywoodplanning.com D.H.

    I still don’t understand why people don’t want to play in Toronto. It is a bigger market than most US cities, it’s the same climate as all the US Eastern seaboard cities, you don’t get arrested for smoking dope, and you’re not competing with the NFL for star power within you’re city. Can someone enlighten me.

  • rban

    The graduation thing was BS… Vince didnt shoot well in game 7, but he played well enough, he had like 21 and 9 assists, and coming down in the clutch he through great passes to Del Curry and Antonio Davis, unfortunetly Davis turned it over.

    I’m no Vince fan, I’m a Pistons fan, but i watched that whole series and that final game and it was all Canada would talk about. Vince is no hall of famer, but he was focused on that series 100%.

  • https://twitter.com/PoppiGEE POPPI GEE

    @ Austin and Jay LOL.

    Think I will just go to my boss at random and be like “I am just letting you know now I am not playing in Toronto.”

    And then walk alway as my boss is like WTF! LOL.

  • PB

    Hey Austin, Jay, and Poppi Gee…

    Go fuck yourselves.

  • http://getyourishbusted.net Chicagorilla

    @JAY

    I agree that VC could have found a better way to handle the situation, but you are WRONG for thinking he had a bad game because of graduation.

    Vince was back 4 hours before he was supposed to show up at the stadium! FOUR HOURS! Thats more than enough time. Jordan went gambling in the NBA Finals vs Utah on one of his day offs. So lets not act like all the players have to stick to the same routine.

    Vince did not explode for 40+ in that final game but he put up a great effort to win, and it came down to the final shot (a fadeaway off a tough catch) which missed by 3 inches or so!

    And the MAIN REASON T-dot lost that series was because Allen Iverson had the best game of his career (IMO) in that game 7. something like 20pts and 16 asst. All of a sudden he went from dropping 40 a game in the series to dropping double digit assist in the final game. Give the respect to AI and VC for one of the greatest series of our generation.

    As for this game, yeh I was a big VC fan back then so watching him go nuttso in that first half was bananas! He and AI went back and forth from game to game which was awsome to see.

  • K Dizzle

    I was readin an article on the bleacher report about some dude’s opinion of the top 50 NBA’ers…
    Vince wasn’t on it….that tells you all you need to know

    @ D.H.

    To answer your question, and having lived in 4 different continents, it comes down apparently to most American “superstars” really just being kinda soft and really bitches about leaving the US. Like Antonio Davis sayin stupid shit like “I don’t need my kids learnin the Canadian national anthem”. I should specify that I am talkin ONLY about the men cuz women like Dawn Staley and Cynthia Cooper as well as hundreds of professional females were playing in eastern Europe, far away from home, to chase their dreams of playing pro.
    There’s a common misconception among most Americans that Toronto is like Boise, Idaho or some smalltown ish like that cuz it’s Canada. If you educated, you understand that Toronto is only behind LA, New York, Chicago and the ATL as a media market. It’s bigger than Boston for example. You got players coming from all over the world to play in the best league in the world and the gutlessness of TMac, VC, Bosh, Turkoglu and Mourning(Zo gets a pass cuz he just wanted to win before his career was done, but it was tacky how he went about it) to step outside their comfort zone and achieve greatness off US soil, or just show some semblence of professionalism, is more funny now than anything.
    Raptors fans should just shrug and move on. The only player who achieved anything since leaving Toronto is basically Zo(courtesy of DWade), Vince was pretty much all downhill; TMac blew up as an offensive force, but still hasn’t been out of the first round; Hedo is the laughing stock of the league and Bosh left his Alpha Dog position to become 3rd string in Miami.
    Bosh is the 3rd franchise guy to leave so now the writin’s on the wall. Bargnani’s locked up, but if Derozan starts showin signs of bein “homesick”, trade him.
    That’s all. The lessons should be learned by now.
    Stack up the best foreigners you can find and try to compete until an American ballplayer mans up to take the challenge

  • http://getyourishbusted.net Chicagorilla

    And as far as attending his graduation

    As a black man, and a role model, I thought it was a GREAT IDEA to attend his graduation. Kids need to see that Education is more important than sports, especially in the black community. Sure he may have just been making his mother proud, but he also gave a visual image to a lot of kids who will never know a college graduate in their lifetime (outside of teachers at their school who they are bred to hate) and VC is probably the closet thing they have to a family member going to college. So big ups to VC for understanding the big picture.

  • http://getyourishbusted.net Chicagorilla

    @KDizzle,

    What the hell are you talking about. Do you know that there are more American bred MALE athletes playing pro basketball overseas than there are women? You’re speaking out your a$$ on this one.

    As far as bball players not wanting to come to TDot, it’s simple. Their AGENTS and HANDLERS are telling them that they can’t make endorsement money up there. It’s all about making the extra money.

    On a side note, Vince Carter RESIGNED with T-Dot!!!! He wanted to stay there initially, but there is something wrong with that organization. When Sam Mitchell was coaching he ruined what could have been some deep playoff runs. He was a great person, but a terrible coach. Now they are basically drafting and signing foriegners, which may be easier for them to deal with since those guys are more content to travel.

  • jimmyjack

    @KDizzle — “I was readin an article on the bleacher report about some dude’s opinion of the top 50 NBA’ers… Vince wasn’t on it….that tells you all you need to know.”

    Wow, it’s doesn’t take much to convince you, does it? I bet you get called for jury duty a lot.

  • Big Sia

    Chicagorilla just schooled all of you

  • K Dizzle

    @ Chicagorilla

    Since you the expert on all things overseas hoops, please tell me what options women had before the WNBA.

    As for that statement about making money, you don’t think Vince made more as the most exciting athlete in Canada and the NBA in Toronto than he made in Jersey? What’s a better venue to making money? Owning all of Canada and the league by his game or being a part of Kidd-RJ-VC in Jersey?
    Don’t know more than 2 people who own a VC jersey joint.

    Blaming Sam Mitchell for Vince leaving is weak. Vince is the reason Vince left. Players love to blame the franchise as well as the haters spewin nonsense, but somebody explain how a lineup of Mighty Mouse, Carter, TMac, Bosh and Camby would have done in about 2005 if they all stayed and build it up. hey draft Vince and his cousin, then Tracy leaves. Then they draft Bosh to help Vince, then Vince quits. How is that the franchise’s fault?

    @ jimmyjack
    I was readin an article on the bleacher report about SOME DUDE’S OPINION of the top 50 NBA’ers… Vince wasn’t on it….that tells you all you need to know.
    There were hundreds of posts n not one person arguing for Vince’s inclusion. If you think he still is a top 50 player in the L, please let me know who you think he could replace. Try me…

  • ctkennedy

    vince carter should be in the hall of fame before ray allen or reggie miller …neither ray allen or reggie miller EVER been a top 15 player in the league at any time…vince did for about a 3yr stretch..with that said none should make it period but vince should go first

  • JAY

    ct… ahead of Reggie Miller and Ray-Ray??? Get the fuck outta here bro.
    Ray-ray and Reggie were 2 of the best shooters ever to play the game. Both averaged just as many points as Vince over their careers.
    …and Vince was a top 15 player for 1 year bro. 3 yrs?? come on. 1 Yr with the Raps before he started his downward spiral.

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