Since the All-Star break, Vince Carter has been back to his old unstoppable self, turning himself into the most potent scorer in the NBA.
Question is, how long can he keep this up?
As long as it takes, Carter and his Nets say – all 25 games if that’s what it takes to get them into the postseason.
Carter – named Eastern Conference Player of the Week – says that’s what his red-hot binge is about – nothing to do with surviving the trade deadline without being dealt, and everything to do with lifting his Nets into the playoffs.
“I’m just doing what I need to for my team, let it all hang out,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury of taking off nights.”
How long can he maintain this pace?
“Hopefully 25 games,” he said.
That’s asking a lot. He came into the break 13th in the NBA in scoring at 24.7 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting. He’s at a league-best 37.3 ppg since, on torrid 55.9 percent shooting, with nearly doubling his free throws made (5.3 to 9.7) just underscoring how aggressive he’s become.
“Oh, Vince is very capable [of keeping this up],” said Jason Kidd. “For him to do what he’s been doing is something we’d like to see him do every night.”
Said coach Lawrence Frank: “The way that Vince looks at it, on April 18, do we want that to be our last game? If not, we need everyone to do their part.
“It’s no different from a Broadway play: You have lead actors and supporting actors. Vince and Jason are our lead actors, and they set the tone for everything we do. It’s a lot of responsibility, yet that’s what it’s going to take for us to be in the postseason.”