It was like one of those surreal moments that’s only supposed to happen in nightmares. Here I am prepared to watch the last couple games of the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals and what’s the big story — should Vince Carter attend his college graduation ceremony in North Carolina the morning of the Big Game? This was like the worst of all possible bad jokes.
USA Today sports columnist Joe Saraceno put Carter’s graduation ceremonies in perspective today noting that, “All I heard was how Carter’s preparation, focus and rest might be adversely affected. But if generations of athletes who’ve been drunks, druggies and womanizers performed their typical night-before-the-game rituals, I’m pretty sure Carter could figure out how to get a good night’s rest, attend this graduation, fly 75 minutes to Pennsylvania and play basketball.”
It was understandable when the media jumped all over Michael Jordan years ago for spending the night gambling in Atlantic City before a playoff game with the Knicks, but to feed this story about Carter’s graduation merely to find more ways to question his dedication and heart (the knock on Carter is similar to Grant Hill — loads of talent, but doubts about his desire) was obscene. And, of course, Carter’s teammates didn’t help with their noncommittal “it’s his decision” responses.
Toronto ended up losing to Philadelphia when Carter’s last-second shot hit the back of the rim, but I defy anyone to watch that game and seriously argue that attending his college graduation affected his game.