For all the electric moments Vince Carter has produced over his 14-year career, not enough have come in the postseason. When the playoffs begin this weekend, Vinsanity will enter just his seventh playoffs and he's never gone deeper than 14 games with Toronto, New Jersey and Orlando.

That's why he signed as a free agent with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the offseason after missing out on the postseason last year with the Phoenix Suns.

What's it like not to make the playoffs?

"Boring," Carter said. "There really wasn't much to do."

Since making the playoffs three consecutive seasons with Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets, Carter's played past the regular season just once in the last four seasons.

After the Suns made an unsuccessful charge but fell short of the top eight in the Western Conference, Carter had little interest in keeping tabs on the playoffs.

"I didn’t really watch the playoffs until about the second round," Carter said. "You’re removed form it, so you don’t really want to watch it. We made a push for it but we were just a little short. I just kind of got home and just tried to get away from it. But more than anything I’m just excited about the opportunity to get back into the playoffs and make a run for it again."

Carter will have to be an integral part of the Mavs' attack if they're going to advance to the second round and potentially beyond as this revamped championship begins its title defense.

Carter's role has changed since Lamar Odom was banished from the team after the April 7 game at Memphis. The 35-year-old shooting guard is now playing more small forward and he's made it a very smooth transition. His scoring his up and he's averaged 29.1 minutes in the last nine games, including increased time in the fourth quarter.

"For me, I’ve just been trying to just get my rhythm, be aggressive and try to get in the playoff mentality," Carter said. "I think everybody’s going to approach it the same."