Let me start
off by saying that I am a huge Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady fan, but
my loyalty lies with VC15. I'd like to take a minute or two to show our
friend benz0 that he is pretty wrong in his asessment of Vince and Tracy.
It seems they share more than just the same middle name (it's Lamar, for
all y'all that don't know).
The article
starts off basically bashing Vince, stating he has no mental toughness,
doesn't play defense and later goes on to talk about how T-Mac has it all.
Well T-Mac has only hit 1 game winning shot in his career, and Vince has
hit many. How's that for toughness? Vince's defense is vastly underrated.
Is he the best? Certainly not, but he can more than hold his own. His team
defense is amongst the league's best. Vince is without a doubt one of the
most team-oriented players in the L. He has heart, and if you watched the
Raptors at all you would know this. Look at the Job VC did on Spree and
Houston - they were garbage in the playoffs - when it counted. VC also
made almost every big play down the stretch to knock the Knicks out of
the first round for the first time since the early 90's. All this IN MSG!!!!!!!!
Again, how's that for mental toughness???
Benz0 also
calls VC a "mama's boy." How do you figure? His mom is involved in his
life, yes, but she doesn't make decisions or speak for VC at all. She spoke
out against Oakley in the playoffs on her own behalf. Vince handled it
his own way. Again. being in Canada has it's advantages (very few of them
really). Our press covered it more than ESPN or some American networks.
I wont even get into what T-Mac's mom was sayin last off-season. That was
just ridiculous.
In the regular
season VC averaged 27.6 ppg, 5.5 rbg, 3.9 apg on 46% shooting with 40.8%
behind the arc and 76.5% from the charity stripe in 39.7 minutes a game.
Those are some damn good offensive numbers. He also had 1.52 steals a game
and 1.09 blocks while turning the ball over 2.23 times. T-Mac also had
a good line: in 40.1 minutes a game, T-Mac managed 26.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.6
apg on 45.7% shooting, 35.5% from the land of 3 and 73.3% from the stripe.
He also managed good defensive numbers with 1.51 spg and 1.53 bpg while
coughin up the rock 2.57 times a game. Those numbers are extremely close
across the board and with benz0's reasoning T-Mac should have much better
numbers than VC in the playoffs right? Wrong again.
VC did not
dissapear in the playoffs. He rose to the occasion and brought T.dot to
within 1 point of the conference finals. His playoff numbers were excellent:
27.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.7 apg on 43.6% shooting, 41% from the big arc and
78.4% from the freebie line. He also posted 1.52 spg and 1.67 bpg in 44.9
minutes a game. If you compare those numbers to his regular season line
you will see that they actually get better in primetime. T-Mac also had
good numbers but they don't compare to what he was doing all year. In 44.5
minutes of action per game in the playoffs T-Mac's line reads like this:
33.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.3 apg on 41.5% shooting with a disastrous 20% from
deep and a solid 81.6% from the line. His steals increased to 1.75 while
his blocks slipped marginally to 1.25 a game. Benz0 mentioned VC's shooting
against the Knicks, but if you look at the FG% of the playoffs, VC beats
T-Mac 43.6% to 41.5%. So he accomplished nothing with that stat. Look at
the numbers and wins; how can you articulate that VC has no mental toughness?
The "author"
also points out that T-Mac scored 20 consecutive points in a game. Where
was the mention of VC dropping 9 straight 3's? Seven more than T-Mac managed
altogether. T-Mac was voted to the All-Star team, yes, but VC has garnered
the MOST votes 2 years in a row, has beaten T-Mac in the Dunk competition,
and has lead his team to a playoff series victory. But I guess you think
winning the Most Improved Player cancels all that out.
"Sorry Vince
it's OVER?" How is it over? After all the evidence I have provided, how
can anybody think that Vince is not at the same level or above T-Mac? They
are BOTH great players, but to say Vince is behind, and flaming out? It
doesn't make sense. Let's not forget that even though T-Mac is a little
younger, he has been in the league a litttle longer.
Don't hate
VC15 because he can dunk over you, me and the whole InsideHoops staff while
we twiddle our thumbs under the basket. Hate him because he will be the
one man keeping your dude McGrady out of the NBA finals for years to come.
Peace and love
to InsideHoops.com in 2001, year of The Assist machine's comback: Yinka
Daré.
