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Good thing Vince Carter found that jump shot again. He's going to need it.
When Philadelphia made the Dikembe Mutombo trade, admittedly, the team had Shaq, Duncan, Webber, etc. on its mind. In other words, big men.
Along comes Carter, with a vertical leap that deserves a countdown, an arsenal of twists, adjustments, jukes, double-clutches, fades and poster shots -- all in the air -- and he can hurt the rim with a finish.
It's that finish that's key. Once Carter gets by McKie, Mutombo will be waiting for Air Canada somewhere near the landing strip. Brace for impact.
That means Carter's perimeter shot better be falling. After an embarrassing 1-for-5 start against the Knicks, Carter made five of his last seven 3-pointers in the first round.
He also must make foul shots. Another perk from the trade: Mutombo's known for the incidental hard foul or errant elbow.
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Allen Iverson will get his 32 points. But the Answer begs another question: Who else on Philadelphia will score at least 20?
It should be Aaron McKie. His points have gone from 11.7 per game in the regular season to 17.3 in the playoffs. That number needs to increase, if only a little.
This could be a throwback series, circa 1985. The Raptors' and Sixers' run-and-dunk, chuck-it-up-if-you're-open style could mean plenty of fast-break chances, open looks and the occasional, "I know you're standing right here, but I'm going to shoot it right over you anyway" kind of shots.
That's how Iverson plays. Vince Carter, too.
Will McKie be able to knock down perimeter shots consistently? If he can, this series could be over quickly.
It's not like Carter is a defensive stopper.
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