Vince Carter’s Best Games As Member of Atlanta Hawks

Remembering Vince Carter’s three greatest games as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

When the Atlanta Hawks were excluded from the NBA’s 22-team return to play, the 42-year-old Vince Carter saw his career end. The future Hall-of-Famer made it clear throughout the year that this season – Carter’s 22nd in the NBA – would be his last.

Picked fifth overall back in June 1998, a few months before Trae Young was born, Vince spent seven years with the Toronto Raptors. Although his tumultuous exit from the team nearly ruined his relationship with the franchise and its fan base, Vince has been heralded “the Father of Candian Basketball” and was a key aspect of the Raptors’ franchise staying afloat in the late-nineties.

He teamed up with Jason Kidd in Brooklyn before starting to bounce around the league. He spent the second half of the ’09-’10 and first half of the ’10-’11 season with Orlando, then suited up in Phoenix for a short time.

Carter found slightly longer-term homes in Dallas and Memphis, spending three years with each of them as he slowly transitioned from an All-star to a bench piece. He spent his age 41 season with Sacramento, before deciding to spend his last two in Atlanta.

The ring-less Carter could have easily taken an end-of-the-bench spot from a contender but valued playing time with the young Hawks and Vinsanity quickly became a fan favorite in the ATL, even if his play on the court wasn’t always terrific.

He certainly did have his moments as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, and here we’ll be celebrating his career with the team by looking at his three best games in Atlanta.

#3 – February 27th, 2019: OT Win over Wolves

Box Score

This game was mostly remembered for Trae Young and John Collins combining for 70 points, but Vince was the team’s unlikely third option all night, scoring 17 points off the bench.

Carter posted a great plus/minus of +21 in the overtime win, making six of his eight shots. VC gave a truly vintage performance in Atlanta, skying to perform two of his most memorable Atlanta Hawk highlights.

First, he nearly dunked on Karl-Anthony Towns, before turning back into the 42-year-old he was and hitting a cute little floater:

https://twitter.com/usatodaynba/status/1100944487554187264

Then just a few minutes of play later, Carter decided he missed his old friend, the rim, gliding past Andrew Wiggins to finish with one hand and rev the motorcycle upon landing.

It was as close to “prime Vince” that the Hawks saw from the eight-time All-Star.

The Hawks got the win in OT, with Carter playing all five minutes of the fifth period, showing the trust coach Lloyd Pierce had in the vet, even if he didn’t do much in OT.

He finished with 17 points (on 6-8 shooting), four assists, two rebounds, and a block in just over 26 minutes of play.

# 2 – December 9th, 2019: Season-high in Charlotte

Box Score

Carter’s second season with the Atlanta Hawks wasn’t as successful as his first, with the 43-year-old finally showing signs of his age. He averaged the fewest minutes (14.6) and the second-worst field goal percentage (35%) of his career.

He did still have a few solid games but they were few and far between compared to his first year in Atlanta.

His best game came in Charlotte in early December. The Hawks defeated the Hornets with one of their biggest margins of victory of the season, with Vince chiming in for a season-high 17 points in 20 minutes of play.

While no dunks in this one, Vince did have a few lessons up his sleeve to teach the young Hornets, sending P.J Washington into the spin cycle in the third quarter.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1203826438555799558

It was not only his best game of the season, as it was also one of the Hawks’ best team performances of the season as well. With Carter working as their glue guy, he gets to take some credit for that as well.

# 1 – December 29th, 2018: 21 points in 23 minutes

Box Score

Carter scored 20 or more points twice in his Hawks career, both 21-point performances. One took place in Miami and featured a less efficient Carter in a loss, while another, in late December, saw the Hawks win with Carter making over 63 percent of his shots. We’re picking the latter to be his best game.

Vince turned back the clock in the second half of this one, playing 16 minutes across the final two quarters, with Carter out-scoring Trae Young, John Collins, and everyone else in the arena with 17 second-half points.

He was the definition of a clutch player in the game and this baseline slam helped the Hawks grow their lead in the fourth quarter:

Carter made seven of his 11 attempts from the field (4-7 from three) and added four rebounds and a steal.

He had many games as a Hawks showcasing his ability to be a solid bench piece, but this was one of the few games wherein he really felt like the best player on the court. Not bad at all for a 41-year-old participating in a matchup between two of the youngest teams in the league.

Conclusion

Vince Carter is a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer and one of the most accomplished players ever to not win a ring. While he likely won’t be remembered as an Atlanta Hawk by many, Hawks fans will always root for half-man, half-amazing as he enters the next phase of his career: broadcasting.

What was your favorite memory of Vince Carter with the Atlanta Hawks?