Originally posted at FanShots
With the NBA All-Star weekend starting tonight I’ve started getting pretty hyped up for the Sprite Slam Dunk on Saturday night. And in my excitement there are 3 things that I’ve been thinking about.
1. Blake Griffin will probably win the contest.
2. I really want to see DeMar DeRozan put on a throwback Raptors jersey with his name on it and do some of Vince Carter's dunks.
3. Vince might be the best dunker my generation has ever seen.
In 2000 when Vince won the Dunk Contest in Oakland the whole world gasped as he flew through the air and hammered down some of the best dunks in the history of the contest. I’ll be honest, I just watched the video of Tracy McGrady’s bounce pass to VC that turned into the between the legs – windmill… and it gave me chills.
As a Raptors fan I know that I was spoiled watching Air Canada fly almost every night (early in his career) but that night in Oakland was something above and beyond what we were used to as fans. That was special. It put the team and the city on the map. It got everyone out of their seats. It got Isaiah Thomas off of his judge’s chair, over the table and hugging Vince. The TV commentators were trying to figure out a way to give him more than a perfect score. And Vince busted out the “it’s over” to the camera. He was right. There was no way that either Steve Francis or his teammate McGrady were going to be able to better his performance.
So here we are 11 years later and I want it back. And I can’t be the only one who feels that way. I know that everyone has loved watching Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard over the last few years. And I know that Blake Griffin has put about 75 guys on posters so far this season. But if Vince, in his prime, were to walk out onto the floor and bust out something that he was always capable of I’m not sure any of those 3 dudes could beat him.
I’m aware that there are a lot of basketball fans that are sour on Carter because of a lot of things. The way he forced his way out of Toronto, his seeming unwillingness to play through any pain, his fear of contact and his sometimes jerky attitude. But if you can separate your personal feelings from the equation and go back at look at the Vince Carter that the NBA was privy to in the early days you will remember and have to admit that he was the best. Maybe not the best player in the league but there was no player more exciting or better dunker. And on that night in Oakland in 2000 he showed the world.
I want to see something that amazing on Saturday. I want the chills. I want the excitement. I want the energy. I want to be wowed. My fingers are crossed. Do me a favor and cross yours too.
Enjoy the festivities!
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