Take off the blinders, my friend. McGrady didn't play his best, but I doubt that he should shoulder most of the blame for the game 7 loss. How about the fact that he accounted for most of the points during that game by either scoring the basket or making the assist? Considering how much he did that game, I wouldn't be so quick to place most of the blame on him. It was more of a team collapse than anything else. Yet, because of his past failures, you're so quick to delegate majority of the blame on him. Selective perception at its finest. T-Mac should just be silent? He shouldn't say that he feels great, he should just act nonchalant after a great offseason when the regular season hasn't even started yet? I'm pretty sure that you'd be pissed that he's not showing enough emotion or something like that. Personally, I'm glad that he's showing some signs of vigor after his morbid comments early last season. Again, as other posters have pointed out, he did not guarantee anything, he merely stated a vision and gave an opinion of how he feels personally. I don't know what else you'd want him to say in that situation. Oh, perhaps, "the proof is in the hotdog!", right?
Can't wait till next Tuesday (yeah.. 7 more days.. ), so we can focus our energy on the game itself rather than bickering on each other ...
It's beyond my comprehension how people get so worked up towards T-Mac. He's been a great team player and done a lot of charity work, but people always want to get upset over something. In interviews, he's generally tactful, but tries to give his honest thoughts as much as possible, which makes him interesting. I guess some people would prefer the same programmed mechanical statements you get out of political candidates. Thankfully he doesn't do that and put us all to sleep. All he said was that their goal should be higher than just getting out of the first round. He's not saying they'll make it there or that they'll even make it out of the first round. He's just saying they should set other goals. I cannot understand why T-Mac setting high goals is upsetting anybody.
Whoever still got worked up by yao_fan_207 is just dumb, dumb and dumb. Isn't it obvious enough by now that this fool is just a fake Yao fan and he's just here to flame the other posters. Isn't it very obvious that he is trying to be as outrageous as possible in what he says? Doesn't it really take a smart person to see it??? Be wise and ignore the troll. He's laughing out now at your anger. You guys are being played.
You play to the win the games. How can you go all the way if you don't think you can actually do it? Lets go Rockets!
Geez, people, he's actually finally said something that any NBA player should be thinking, and he's being excoriated for it? I'm glad he's not simply settling for "I wish I could get out of the first round..' What the heck kind of thinking is that? Some of you need to really actually R-E-A-D before you comment. Then again, maybe it's better karma if we keep hatin'. "T-Mac, shut up! How dare you say that your goal is a championship? Loser!"
I don't know what team you were watching, but Tracy McGrady played like an MVP last year. Day in, day out he was great. That team had no business winning 52 games with Yao out half the year and Chuck Hayes and Rafer Alston starting. McGrady put the team on his shoulders and they lost to a deep team in seven games. I like his confidence.
I don't know much about MacGreat, but I do about Doublehh03 and blazer_ben. I do not think they're doin' the same as yao_fan_2007. Of course they Tracy's fans more but come on. I have not seen a lot of posts by them when they're b****in' Yao.
T-Mac wears his heart on his sleeve and is an emotional guy. As was evidenced by his "its on me" comments and then his tears after game seven. That's just the type of person he is, he doesn't hide behind stoic statements and says what's on his mind. Do I wish he chose his words more carefully? Sure, but the guy is playing at the very highest levels of competition, it's easy to get carried away. Biggio and Bagwell were on the other end of the spectrum. Their interviews were boring and you could pretty much predict their, "it is what it is," statements. Do I wish they were a little more passionate in their statements? Sure, but again, that's just the way they were. Come on y'all, is this really that big a deal? Why can't we just appreciate the talents we have without dissecting every little statement made. It's not like T-Mac said something horrendously stupid either. He's just confident about the upcoming season and is wanting to win a championship. Isn't that what we ALL want?
Tmac is a moron when it comes to talking to the media. He's been making idiotic statements since he got into the league. Coming from a guy who once said 'it feels good to be finally out of the first round' when he still needed to win one more game, this is really nothing. I just hope he doesn't end up eating his words again this coming season.
To those asking, how else could he answer the question, he could have said "We have a lot of talent on this team, but we have to take it one game, one opponent at a time, we have to believe that we control our own destiny, and believe we can win every game" or some crap like that. However, I applaud him, because as the leader, he is setting the expectations for the team. With him and Yao never seeing second round success, the media throws around "the second round" like it is the end all be all promised-land that will elevate their careers. These guys should never be happy unless they have a championship. They should not aim any lower or settle for any less. This is true of any team in the league (unless you're tanking for an Oden or LeBron), and it is especially true for this particular team with the coaching and talent that we have.
