Was Vince Carter more of a hero or villain for Toronto Raptors fans?

The returns: Carter’s emergence as Toronto’s greatest villain

Carter’s exit was messy and painful for Raptors fans. His return trips to Toronto over the coming years only rubbed salt in the wound. Those games were arguably even worse for fans. The hurt was tangible; it could be felt in the voices of Raptors play-by-play announcers Chuck Swirsky and Matt Devlin.

There was the time when Carter baited Morris Peterson into getting ejected. Later in that same game, Carter hit a backbreaking three-pointer to win it with one-tenth of a second remaining. “Are you kidding me?” Swirsky cried, on behalf of the entire fanbase.

Carter averaged 28.1 points in his first six games against Toronto, over two seasons as a Net. Then, when the Raptors finally made it back to the postseason in 2007, they faced none other than Carter’s Nets. Toronto had homecourt, but Carter led the series in scoring at 25 points nightly, compelling New Jersey to the series victory.

He continued to torch the Raptors over the years, most notably with a game-tying three-pointer followed by a game-winning dunk in overtime early in the 2008-09 season. “Carter, oh…no!” Devlin shouted as the crowd buzzed in shock. “Devastating,” he said, in anguish, after the final buzzer sounded and Toronto had lost.

Carter finished that game with 39 points, nine rebounds, and six assists – a vintage performance in the face of his former fans. He seemed to revel in the boos, always upping his game to meet the crowd’s intensity. Carter was the perfect villain. He had all the talent in the world, yet he withheld it for only the most special occasions: Namely, any chance to break the hearts of Raptor fans.