This was Vince Carter, the eight-time All-Star, the pioneer of the forearm dunk, the man who made hoops cool in Canada. He deserved better than a hastily arranged uncontested three-pointer in the closing seconds of a defeat in a uniform few will remember him in... didn’t he?
He deserved a fitting send-off—a highlight montage, a chance to address the crowd, a prolonged standing O, maybe a rocking chair—before his final game, which was to be in Atlanta on April 15. And it’s not just the fans who missed out on a chance to honor a man who has influenced a generation of players.