Rafer just needs to stay focused and not get cought up in all the trash talking. ( KG is still the king of trash talking )
Was T-Mac a little more explosive during his Magic days? Probably, but I think that is overblown. There's no real difference in T-Mac's physical abilities. When he was on a bad team, he relished the role of scorer, and there was no one else to do it. He's much more interested in winning now and his game has evolved. The past injuries probably have caused him to be more tentative going to the basket, but he never was exactly the most driven player. You can't just look at PPG and determine he was a better player in Orlando. Most NBA experts who have dealt with this question all believe he is a better player now I am not saying his defense is something to write home about now, but he is part of the fourth best defensive unit in the NBA! That might also mean the defensive stats (steals and blocks) are going to be spread around a little more. Maybe T-Mac had to be a more assertive one-on-one defender in Orlando, because there was no team defense. Whatever the case, T-Mac probably has to pace himself a bit on defense, because let's face it...he doesn't exactly have an endless supply of energy! He was much less of a team player in Orlando and much more one-dimensional. He is a much better player with the Rockets, but the expectations were so high that many feel that he's declined. He hasn't declined in his overall game. The fact that he's a wus has never changed.
tmac was not just a little more explosive, he was MUCH more explosive. tmac is still a superior athletic talent even at the nba level, but its not even a question that his athleticism has diminished considerably. tmac circa 2002-2003 would get vicious and think about dunking everytime once he got within range. now he's much more selective about taking off and throwing it down. also the sheer volume of shots he took back then is a testament to his superior physical conditioning, because it takes a lot of energy to put up 32 points a night for a whole season. i also think he's always been a good playmaker, even in orlando; he's not getting significantly more assists now than he did before, its just that he's enjoying team success now. tmac was unfortunate enough to have a crap team so every time he scored 30 and lost people just assume he was hogging the ball. he's always had great court vision and set his teammates up for easy scores. he's certainly a smarter player now but the scoring champion mcgrady was a beast of a basketball player.
So, what would be a obvious reason why T-Mac's shot attempts would be down in Houston OTHER than the fact his explosiveness has diminished? The answer is obvious, but I will let you contemplate it.
Watch this http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xXOqXmUKg His first step was ultra explosive. He still has a lot left in the tank. BTW, Jordan wasn't nearly as explosive either during his last 2 championships either. Most of Jordan's highlights are jumpshots from the last championship.
i didn't say his decreased shot attempts came solely because of decreased explosiveness. i simply said the mere fact that he took and made as many shots as he did throughout the season was a testament to the high physical ability he had back then. i pointed to that fact as a piece of evidence to consider along with the wealth of other evidence that tmac is not as explosive as he used to be, the most obvious of which is simply the way mcgrady moves around the court now compared to how he used to. i'll let your eyes contemplate that, assuming you've seen mcgrady play before he became a rocket.
With McGrady, even within this season he's at times looked very athletic, and at other times he's looked very old and hobbled. I remember there was a stretch of 3 or 4 games earlier this month when T-Mac looked as athletic as he's ever looked as a Rocket. Early in the season, he looked very quick with that first step and getting to the basket. For whatever reason, it seems to come and go with him, physically and mentally.
Just when I thought my respect for McGrady couldn't get lower... "Sorry?" Hey jackass, while you were struggling to get minutes on twenty-win Craptor teams, Chuck was carrying us on his back and grabbing every rebound that came his way. When you take a paycut so the team can bring in other quality players or man up against Shaquille O'Neal, maybe then you can talk smack.
that's certainly true. i thought tmac looked excellent to start the year but of course he got hurt and took some time coming back. then he looked good during much of the streak before he played like he was geriatric starting with the lakers game and carrying on to the celtics game. he is still explosive but the difference is very noticeable, and its not just a matter of how often he dunks or where he takes off from when he does dunk. its the number of times he attacks and how hard he attacks, things that he used to be absolutely deadly about.
Well, we are both arguing for the same thing...balance. I am suggesting that his supposed diminished athletic ability is not the ONLY reason his shot attempts decreased. I am saying the most obvious reason is that he's on a team with other scorers, including one rather notable one down low (when he's not laid up for the year). I don't believe McGrady's problem is physical primarily, but mental. He demonstrated some amazing athleticism in the streak. When he believes he is "putting his will on the game" (aren't we all tired of that phrase?), then all of the sudden he is exploding from all areas of the court. Only McGrady can stop McGrady, which he does quite often. So, all I am saying is I believe T-Mac is a better player in Houston than Orlando and that a lot of the statistical analysis ignores obvious changes in going from one team to the next. I am also suggesting that the supposed "loss of step" is overblown and is more in T-Mac's mind. Beyond that, we will just have to agree to disagree and hope that T-Mac turns it up for the stretch run and the playoffs.
T-Mac 2007-2008 mix: http://youtube.com/watch?v=l8OPlFnEGBQ As you can see, before the knee injury he looked as good physically as he has since 2002-2003. He was averaging 24/6/5 on 45% shooting pre-knee injury. When he is healthy, what benefits most is NOT his drives to the rim, but it's a mix of getting more air under his jumpshots as well as his confidence to take it to the rim a bit more. When he is hobbled, even if he is still explosive, he gets hesitant in taking it to the rim. Not to mention his jumper also is flatter when he is hobbled, thus the likelihood of it going in diminishing.
exactly, people don't understand that point. dude's injuries have been DURING the season that messes up his rhythm. dude was on his way to first-team all-nba before the knee injuries.
Could never quite get over the hump against Seattle. Barkley was brought here to get us past them. Mission accomplished. McGrady was brought here to get us past the first round. Oops.
Well even after that knee injury (when he was 100%) he showec what he can, he had had some great dunks (against Denver, Wizards) Not only that, he showed several times he is clutch
