Vince Carter turns back the clock, dunks on Rudy Gobert
Long before he morphed into a respected veteran reserve (against the odds), Memphis Grizzlies wing Vince Carter was the NBA’s foremost dunker, both in the dunk contest and in games. A week wouldn’t go by without Vinsanity posterizing an opponent, to the point where his official website could put together a “Top 100 Vince Carter Dunks” YouTube video and have plenty of material left on the cutting room floor. He earned the “Half Man Half Amazing” nickname.
Such moments are few and far between for the 37-year-old these days, but every so often VC comes through with a moment that recalls the exploits of his youth. That’s exactly what happened in Monday night’s home game against the Utah Jazz. Carter exploited some gaps in the Utah defense in transition and jammed on 7-2 center Rudy Gobert:
The dunk is notable not just for its quality but also the dunkee’s country of origin. Gobert is French, just like former Knicks draftee and very famous VC victim Frederic Weis. This one doesn’t really compare to full-on jumping over a guy, but perhaps Gobert acknowledged the historical connection. It’s possible he even watched that Weis dunk as a youngster, dreaming of the day when he might be dunked on by the very same man.
Dunk aside, the Grizzlies weren’t so terrific overall in this one, losing 97-91 to a markedly inferior team at home. Since beating the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs on successive nights last week, Memphis has lost three in a row to the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the Jazz. They’ll try to reverse their fortunes on Friday vs. the visiting Houston Rockets.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
