The emotion seeping through the face of Vince Carter had been evident from the start, from the fourth question of a news conference hours before his jersey retirement ceremony, from the long pause — and the watering eyes — that followed an innocuous inquiry into how his four-plus seasons with the Nets solidified a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Brooklyn Nets legend Vince Carter explained prior to Saturday's game against the Miami Heat how playing for the Nets set him up for the Hall-of-Fame.