He couldn't attack the rim like that because of how defenses had changed. The allowance of zone, especially last season, changed a few things for those on man star teams. Teams would have 3 players guarding Carter, his man, and 2 other guys playing off their man and in a minizone to prevent penetration. In previous years, Carter could just curl around, getting the ball at about the free throw line, take on dribble and dunk, he couldn't do that anymore.
