Half Man Half Amazing: Looking back at the best moments of Vince Carter’s career

Co-Stat Stuffers

On April 7, 2007 Vince Carter and Jason Kidd did something the league had not seen in over 18 years. Kidd and Carter were the first pair of teammates since Jordan and Scottie Pippen to post triple-doubles in the same game. Carter posted a line of 46 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and three blocks.

Something about playing against his old college pal, Antawn Jamison, and with his erstwhile running mate, Jason Kidd, brought the best out of Carter and this game was a shining example. Kidd and Carter needed this game to spark the season in the final stretch.

After this game the team was 36-40 but would win five of their next six contests to enter the playoffs as the six seed. They would upset the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs before falling to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This would be Kidd’s last full season with the team and Carter’s last playoff appearance with the team.

To say that the best pair performance put a cap on their time together in New Jersey may be slightly hyperbolic, but it encapsulated what their pairing meant to the organization. They made each other better, even though Kidd had made the Finals before Carter arrived. Matching something that Jordan had done had to feel sweet to the guy who had given him his final All-Star start.