Toronto Raptors: Reviewing the Vince Carter versus Allen Iverson Battle

Game 7: Toronto Raptors 87, Philadelphia 76ers 88

Look, before we get into this let’s just look at Iverson and Carter’s averages from games 1 to 6.

• Allen Iverson: 46 MP/35.8 PTS/4.5 REB/5.3 AST/ 42.0 FG% 
• Vince Carter: 44.2 MP/32.2 PTS/5.8 REB/5.0 AST/ 45.2 FG%

These guys were absolutely running on fumes and were asked to do so much for their team. They were both playing more than 44 minutes per game. That is why it was so hard for them to string more than two good performances in a row.

But in game 7 it wasn’t the battle of Carter versus Iverson. It was the Toronto Raptors versus the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the first time the whole series that both Carter and Iverson weren’t leading their team in points, and it was in the same game.

Antonio Davis led the way for the Toronto Raptors with 23 points, while Vince Carter struggled with 20 points on 6-18 shooting.

On the other side, it was Aaron McKie that was their leading scorer with 22 points. Allen Iverson only scored 21 points on even worst shooting than Vince, 8-27 from the field.

It also didn’t help that both Carter and Iverson did not go to the bench ONCE. They both played 48 minutes each and were running on fumes. The Sixers eventually won by ONLY one point, and Vince Carter missed the game’s last shot to put them ahead.

Although Allen Iverson did win this battle, it’s crazy to see that Carter was going toe-to-toe with the MVP. No one expected the Toronto Raptors to put up such a great fight against the number one seeded Sixers, but they did. Vince Carter was just exceptional, despite the loss. Sure there was a lot of inconsistency from Carter, but when you’re asked to do so much, fatigue does take a toll on you.

For now, we can only appreciate the series and the great battle both players went through. It is a series that should be talked about a lot more and one that Vince Carter should get A LOT more respect for. Just like Shrek.