When a deal at the trade deadline sent Mark Jackson to the Knicks, it left an inexperienced Alvin Williams as Toronto's starting point guard. And while many criticized the deal for leaving the Raptors without a veteran leader, Vince Carter quietly celebrated Williams' arrival. "He's a guy who just needed the opportunity to shine, and for people to realize just how good he is," Carter says. "I should be his publicist. I'm a big Alvin Williams fan."

Now everyone's getting a chance to see why VC's been a fan. Williams' 23 points and fearless approach to the postseason helped the Raptors' notch their first playoff win in franchise history and even the series with the Knicks going back to Toronto.

That Williams is so vital to the team now is amazing, considering Toronto wanted to deal him to the Celtics during the 1999-2000 season. Two days after the deal, the trade was rescinded -- seems the Celtics found something wrong with Alvin's knee.

So he returned to Toronto. And after surviving the near-trade, the 6'5" Williams thought he'd have a shot at the starting point guard spot this season. But then the Raptors acquired Jackson in the off-season.

Williams, to his credit, handled the news with maturity. "They called me before the deal to let me know," he says. "I decided to look at it as an opportunity to learn from one of the greatest point guards to ever play."

And when Jackson's stay in Toronto ended abruptly, Williams finally got his opportunity. He started Game 1 at point guard, Toronto's lone bright spot in defeat. For Game 2, he made a smooth transition to shooting guard, hitting 10 of 18 shots on offense, and playing aggressively on Allan Houston on defense. And most importantly, he's been fearless in taking big shots, averaging 21 points and making the Knicks pay for their double-teaming of Carter.

Now the Knicks, who thought their ticket to the second round was punched as long as they stopped Carter, are forced to adjust their defensive game plan to limit Williams. As well as the Knicks play defense, they are extremely vulnerable to quick guards -- which makes the Raptors pretty happy they hung on to Williams after all.

Jerry Bembry covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at jerry.bembry@espnmag.com.