Vince Carter retires: Looking back at Philadelphia 76ers’ 2001 playoff series

Game 7

On May 20, 2001, Vince Carter was slated to play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. That morning, though, he was not in Philadelphia, nor was he even in the state of Pennsylvania. Carter flew to North Carolina to attend his college graduation ceremony. Raptors owner Larry Tanenbaum provided Carter his jet and Vince was back in time for the team walkthrough.

The game was the closest one all series — as all Game 7s should be. Carter scored 20, Iverson scored 21. Both players never even thought about taking a seat. Carter nearly had himself a triple-double, finishing with nine assists and seven rebounds. Iverson, despite shooting less than 30 percent, made his presence felt, dishing out 16 assists.

Philadelphia led most of the way until late in the third quarter when the Raptors grabbed their second lead of the game, their first since the early stages of the first quarter. From that point on the gap never got wider than six. The fourth quarter was a brutal, grind-it-out affair. With :05 seconds left Alvin Williams grabbed a defensive rebound following a missed Eric Snow jumper. Toronto had the ball, down one, inbounding on Philadelphia’s side of the court.

With :02 left on the clock, Morris Peterson set a screen for Carter on the opposite elbow. They got the switch they wanted, and Carter found himself being guarded by Tyrone Hill. Carter ran towards the inbounder, Dell Curry. He caught the ball with :02 left on the clock. After a quick pump, Carter unleashed a 19-foot jumper for the win. The ball hit the back of the rim and the Sixers were on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This series remains one of the greatest in recent memory. Every game, something amazing happened. Vince Carter and Allen Iverson went back and forth like only two legends can.

The NBA will not be the same without Vince Carter and, probably, there will never be another Vince Carter.