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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Many wonder why the Raptors would even bother celebrating their modest 20-year history.

It's a reasonable thing to ponder. Certainly, there hasn't been much to get excited about after two decades of basketball in Canada.

In many ways the manufactured nostalgia has served as a reminder. Paying homage to glorified role players of the past, former staffers, as they've done and will continue to do throughout their anniversary campaign - the bar has been set low.

But to fully appreciate what makes the Raptors' existence worth commending consider their most recent opponents, the league-leading Memphis Grizzlies - a franchise that shares an origin story with Toronto, one that barely made it a half decade in Vancouver before relocating to US.

And then there's their eldest player, Vince Carter - the single most important figure in Raptors' history and one of the primary reasons why Canada's lone basketball club is even around to celebrate its 20th birthday.

Midway through Wednesday's first quarter, nearly 10 years after their messy breakup played out, the Raptors took the first step in repairing a fractured relationship with their greatest player, making the controversial decision to publicly express their gratitude on the way to an emotional 96-92 comeback win. Sure enough, most in attendance would follow suit.

During the game's first timeout, a video tribute with Carter's Raptor highlights played on the big screen hanging above centre court at the ACC.

Carter had said he learned of the Raptors' intentions to honour him the day prior and, like the rest of us, he had no idea what to expect.

"I'm going to enjoy the moment regardless," Carter had said before the game - he had been greeted with boos in each of his first 16 visits to the ACC (including playoffs) since being traded. "[I'm going to] block that out, because it's just a special moment that you probably won't get again. I'm going to enjoy it."

Moments after the montage began, the sellout crowd - still filing in at the time - rose to their feet. If there were boos they were drowned out by an overwhelmingly positive ovation. Carter stood and watched from the visiting bench. He used his warm-up shirt to wipe the tears running down his face as he pointed to his heart and waved to the fans in appreciation.

"It was a great feeling," said the 37-year-old, who played in 403 games over six and a half seasons with the Raptors. "I couldn't write it any better. I'm extremely thankful for it."

"They asked me earlier how you would feel, how you would react and you can't prepare for that, whether that was a surprise or you knew it was coming. It's just an amazing feeling, amazing just to be in the moment and to see it, and to kind of relive it as it was happening. You see all the stuff and you see all the people that you played with and as each play was happening, I can remember all that stuff as if it was yesterday. It was awesome."

Toronto's current players were among those standing for Carter.

"It was dope," DeMar DeRozan said. "It was definitely amazing because all of us here watched everything Vince did here in Toronto, especially myself with Vince being one of my favourite players of all-time."

"He deserved it," the Raptors' guard continued. "He deserves everything, honestly, because he was the one who I think pioneered the whole thing with the Toronto Raptors. So you have to give him credit for everything he brought to the city. He made me a fan at an early age."

DeRozan was not blowing smoke. He, like many of his teammates and the league's young players - both from Canada and the United States - grew up watching Carter, and by extension, the Raptors. At the most crucial point in their existence, with both Canadian franchises reaching a crossroads, Carter hit the NBA by storm and became the hottest ticket in the association. 

The Raptors were coming off a 16-win season and, like the team in Vancouver - winners of 19 games that same year - their future was hardly stable. Isiah Thomas, the club's first general manager and chief ambassador, had left and Damon Stoudamire, their first star, was next out the door. 

Then Carter was acquired on draft night and their fortunes turned in a hurry. He was as marketable as he was good. The team began to win and suddenly the NBA was paying attention. The Maple Leafs would buy the Raptors and open the Air Canada Centre, their shared home, on Feb. 21, 1999.

There's a banner hanging in the rafters of the building to commemorate that night. It's the first thing Carter looks for as he steps onto the court as a visitor.

"It's weird," he said Wednesday morning. "They move this flag every time, so I struggle finding it. But when I walk in here and see February 20th, 1999 (the night the Leafs opened the building), that's the first thing I think of, is when this building opened. I just remember getting the opportunity to make history, making the first shot. So that's one of the things I think of and you can't take that away."

Fittingly, they played the Grizzlies that night. Carter, just eight games into his NBA career, scored 27 points on just 16 shots, grabbing six rebounds and adding five assists with four steals. Toronto won by 15.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies continued to lose. Plagued by poor management, the NBA's restrictive rules for new franchises and, most importantly, the lack of a true star, they played out their final years in Vancouver before leaving for Memphis.

If not for Carter, could the Raptors have shared a similar fate? We'll never know, hence the cause for celebration.

20 years after entering the league together, both franchises are finally on solid footing, though they have taken different paths to get there.

Attendance in Memphis has been rising in recent years as the Grizzlies have qualified for the playoffs in four straight seasons. They're off to their best start ever, sitting atop the Western Conference with the league's best record.

On Wednesday, Toronto handed them their second loss of the campaign.

With a 9-2 record, the Raptors lead the East and finally, their fans have a semblance of closure. Finally, there's legitimate cause for optimism and excitement in a city that has been haunted by the past.

Carter was still booed every time he touched the ball as if to say, 'we'll forgive, but we don't forget'. But for just a minute, the first since he turned his back on the franchise he once saved, the past didn't seem so bad. Without it, the future wouldn't look so bright.