I would call Vince Carter’s season, which has seen him post career lows in pretty much every statistical category, a disappointment. However, a disappointment is defined as “the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.” No one actually had any hopes or expectations here, did they? I suppose Carter’s been a bit of a disappointment by association with the defending-champion Mavericks, who often appear tied to their title only by the gold trim on their jerseys. Individually, though? I’d argue that few anticipated much more than the 9.7 points per game he’s managed to score. Depending on the value you place on highlight plays the argument that VC’s season has been a great success could actually be made. He may be shooting just a touch better than 40% from the floor, but he wasn’t dunking like this as a member of the Magic or the Suns…
That’s not his first one, either. Enter “Vince Carter dunk Dallas” into Youtube’s search bar and you’ll discover the most spectacular highlight reel Half Man’s put together since he was a Net (exhibits A, B, C, D, and E).
Clearly, there’s still something unique about Carter’s dunks that makes them so aesthetically pleasing. I think it’s that body control, and the fact that he can still leap high enough to show it off. It’s rather remarkable, really. I mean, this guy is a month older than Steve Francis, two years older than Baron Davis, and three years older than Quentin Richardson. It seems like it’s been a decade since any of those three have dunked a basketball.
In addition to the impressive throw down Carter recorded his first double-double of the season (18 points, 12 rebounds) on Monday night. He was a single defensive rebound away from playing hero, as a matter of fact. He’d scored six consecutive Maverick points on back-to-back triples in the final minute of regulation, but a Paul Millsap tip dunk tied the score with 2.2 seconds to go (finally, he got one down before the buzzer!). The Jazz came away victorious after three overtimes.
