TORONTO — Vince Carter helped legitimize basketball here.
And they still hate his guts.
Carter spoke at length yesterday about coming to a city that was “hockey, hockey, hockey” 24/7 and watching both the sport and the Raptors grow before his eventual trade to New Jersey.
“The fans didn’t really know when to cheer, and what they were cheering for,” Carter recalled before leading the Nets in their rematch last night against the Raptors, whom they beat in an absolute thriller here last month – Carter starring – and whom they were destroyed by in New Jersey last Friday, Carter disappearing.
The love affair that Toronto and all of Canada had with Carter soured after one interview following the trade. Carter admitted there were times when he eased up on the court. That came out that he quit on the team, hated all things Canadian, and would never let his grandkids drink Molson.
So he is a regular target of the boo-birds, something he has accepted and deals with – and they don’t change his view toward his former city. After all, he knew it when.
“I remember (when) they got their first taste of the playoffs. We got swept but it was the first taste, the first opportunity to see what it was like. Now you get to the next year and we’re not only in but we get to the second round and take it to Game 7. Now you bring in great players and you get to experience the dunk contest, you get to experience the All-Star Game, playoffs, so many things,” Carter said. “And their love for the game has just grown.
“It was just ‘hockey, hockey, hockey.’ And ‘Oh, yeah, the Raptors are playing.’ Now it’s kind of like, ‘Hey, the Raptors are playing.’ The excitement, and it’s great to see.”
Carter broke the hearts of then fans who once adored him when he scored 39 points in the classic 129-127 Nets overtime victory last month. He hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force OT, then ended OT with a dunk off a lob. And he did so amid some of the harshest treatment yet from the Toronto crowd.
The Raptors exacted some revenge in New Jersey on Friday when Carter shot an inept 0-of-13, his worst shooting night ever. Raptors fans would have been so pleased to have that happen here.
“I understand a sports fan,” Carter said. “If you put me at a Tampa Bay game – I love my Buccaneers – I’m the same way. Some of these people are harsh. It’s fine and I understand it. But I love my team and I root for my team. When Warren Sapp left, it was just tough. So when he comes back, you root against a guy. You watched him grow up, you’ve done so much for him. I understand that. But you still have love for him.
“Every time I come here I still love it. It’s not like when I come here I don’t go to dinner or I don’t go meet some of my friends. I enjoy it. This place has been great for me for so many years, so why stop now?”