Delete if this is old, but here's a recent T-Mac interview translated by Pryuen. http://news.fjii.com/2005/10/31/347451.htm It is around noon in Toytoa Centre, October 28, local Houston time. The Houston Rockets just completed their morning shoot-around practice, and the players had finished their shower and ready to leave. A listless Tracy McGrady was seen walking slowly in the corridor with his dazzlingly eye-catching "Astros" baseball cap. The television in the corridor was replaying some of the highlights of the last World Series match (between the Astros and White Sox); that image of Palmeiro (?) failing to capitalize on an interior high fly ball (?) must have left an everlasting scar in the hearts of all Hosutonians. The White Sox players were hugging each other and celebrating like crazy, leaving the whole of Astro City and Tracy McGrady in eternal pains and sorrow. Maybe it is still in the relatively relaxed preseason, or perhaps TMAC never expected to meet a reporter from the East that can talk baseball with him. Our interview/chat just clicks off from here (starting from baseball). Reporter: It is truly a pity to lose like this. The Houston Astros just lost 1 to 2 points in each of the World Series matches. TMAC: Well, this is competition; there will always be winners, and the losers can only cry. 50 years from now, when people recalled this year's MLB, everyone will just say the White Sox won the World Series after 88 years, and nobody will remember the Astros had made it to the World Series Final after 43 years. Reporter: You sound so brutal. TMAC: If you play this sports just for making money (to earn your living), all these do not matter to you. But if you love the sport, it is something you just cannot bear. Reporter: So which are you ?? TMAC: If I do not love basketball, then back in 2004 I would not have demanded to be traded here. I chose Houston because of the NBA Championship. Reporter: But you (and the Rockets) got eliminated in Round 1 last season. You did not do better even when you were with the Magic. TMAC (laughed): So you also remembered that ? Not too many people now remembered my performance in those playoff series. You are definitely my fan. Reporter: You're correct. I've been infatuated by your game ever since you were a Raptors. I still think you were playing your "purest" basketball then in 2000 (at the Raptors). TMAC: Well, back then, I was playing basketball for myself; I just like to showboat my skills on the court. But now I play basketball for the team. Reporter: Well does that mean you have to make some self sacrifice ? TMAC: Exactly. You see, the coach even asked me to play point guard. As a matter of fact, I really don't mind playing in any positions. Just like during the playoff series last season, I was asked to defend against Dirk Nowitzki. That was a hell of a daunting job that extremely exhausted me. But I like that kind of feeling, because I felt I was helping the team to win. Reporter: Well you don't need to do that kind of work in the new season, beacuse the Rockets had signed Stromile Swift. TMAC: Ya.... that guy is a genius. Really. If (we turned back the clock to) 2001, whichever team had the 2 of us, you absolutely needed not worry about the gate receipts/attendance. Even if we lost 82 games straight throughout the season, I guarantee that at least 10,000 basketball fans would have turned out to watch our dunking game day in and day out. Yeah, we had not won any dunking competitions, but I guarantee our dunks during competitions are the most awesome and entertaining. Of course that fellow, Vince Carter, is a hell of a dunker as well. Reporter: Well if you guys lose 82 straight games in the new season, I can guarantee you that even if the Houston fans do not object, it will not be tolerated by the Rockets fans back in China. TMAC: I guarantee we won't. We are now all more mature. We know what we are looking for. If we are only looking for the pleasure (of the game) or for money, he (Stromile Swift) would not have joined Houston this summer. Definitely, he could easily earn US$ 5 Million anywhere else in the league. Reporter: So, actually what has Stromile Swift brought to this team ? TMAC: We have an exceptionally good and traditional power forward in Juwan Howard. He did great on those low post one-on-one in offense, and his mid range jumpers are so consistent. Yet, regretably, his untimely illness and injury had changed it all, or else, we would have advanced deeper into the playoff last season. Of course, we might not have the absolute ability to become NBA Champion yet, but now we have Stromile Swift. Some people said he is not tall enough, but his explosiveness (and athletism) has actually made it up all. We just need this kind of power forwards for our rebounds and defense. We cannot expect every power forward to be a Duncan or a Garnett. All we need is someone that can share the workload for Yao Ming on defense, and I think we had found one. We cannot be too extravagant in our demands, or else Yao Ming will be Shaquille O'Neal; no (I need to correct it), I mean a Super Shark !!! Reporter: Talking about Yao Ming, what aspects of his game do you think that Yao Ming needs to improve, his offense or defense ?? TMAC: If Yao Ming is only required to focus on one area on the court, then he can accomplish it perfectly. If you want him to focus on offense, he can give you 100% FG%; he has so many weaponries on his offense regardless of who is guarding on him. If you only require Yao Ming to focus on defense, then I believe he can dominate any of his opponents and control every match. Just think about his height and weight, and you will know he is actually astonishingly fast and quick. But the current issue is we need a Yao Ming that can contribute at any time while he is on the court. He is not just a role player. He is our klutch guy. Reporter: Now since the Rockets has a Super Centre, a perfect partner in the power forward position, and the best young small forward/swingman in the entire NBA league, (TMAC gleefully smiled upon hearing this), do you think the Rockets now has the best frontline combination in the league ? TMAC: Why not ?? Who do you think is better than us ?? Reporter: What about the Pistons ?? TMAC: They play better defense than us. When we meet each other, perhaps they can limit the 3 of us to only 50 points combined. But their offense is so-so. We won't let them score more than 40. Reporter: Then (do you mean) the Houston Rockets is really a NBA champion calibre team ?? TMAC: Well, we cannot say it that way yet. At least we never made it beyond the semi finals of the conference. We have the future 8 months to prove ourselves. Right now, we ain't anything yet. Reporter: Eight months? Well it seems you want to play until June next year. That means you guys will fight to become the NBA Champion ??"
Interesting TMAC said this. TMAC: If Yao Ming is only required to focus on one area on the court, then he can accomplish it perfectly. If you want him to focus on offense, he can give you 100% FG%; he has so many weaponries on his offense regardless of who is guarding on him. If you only require Yao Ming to focus on defense, then I believe he can dominate any of his opponents and control every match. Just think about his height and weight, and you will know he is actually astonishingly fast and quick. But the current issue is we need a Yao Ming that can contribute at any time while he is on the court. He is not just a role player. He is our klutch guy.
What T-Mac said is right on. Yao would be an unstoppable offensive power if he had to only focus on offense and the same could be said for the defensive side. For him to be a great player though, he has to excert as much energy on the defensive end as he would on the offensive, thats why he gets so winded...b/c he hangs out around the paint and out at the wings on the defensive side. I think Yao is improving on both facet of the game and knows how to distribute his energy on both side equally as indicated by T-Mac.
Somethings not right about that interview. It just doesn't sound like any other TMac interview Ive read. There is the translation factor, but somewhere along the line I think someone changed it up. Just a hunch. A nice read though.
I dont know about you guys, but the wording everything just doesnt sound right. Could it be fabricated? I know it's translated, but I also checked the original, just doesnt seem right. Maybe partially fabricated.
Man, you read my mind or what? 100% agree with you. It's like a poster here putting all the things talked about here together.
by his answers you know he plays for JVG the fact that he concluded by "we aint anything yet" just oozes JVG yet as a player he did mix in his own sense of confidence just let the season begin
b.s. article. No athlete would ever say anything like that. At all. "you are truly my fan because you remember that a few years ago I played for the magic" that's some revolutionary questioning man.
I don't know why people are accusing the article of being BS. It's only an interview. And it's not like there's a bunch of controversial quotes. What's the point of faking a humdrum Q&A. It just sounds weird because like most athletes, T-mac speaks in the language of sports cliches. It's even more idiomatic than normal speech, so you can't really translate it directly, so the writer changes a lot of the phrases around to wording that his audience is going to recognize. They keep the gist the same, but it'll definitely look awkward. Besides, this article has been translated twice. That makes a big difference. People that watched NewsRadio know what I'm talking about.
yeah i completely agree. i personally liked the way that the perceived language/culture barrier influences the interview. it seems like tmac is explaining something to a person he thinks doesnt know basketball, so his answers provide a lot more background into the way he approaches the season, and his teammates. Its pretty cool to think he thinks the same things about the team that we do. Cant wait for the season to start!!!!!!!
It's hard to make a judgement because the interview has been translated from English to Chinese then from Chinese back to English. It's rash to say it is fake.
B.S. article!!!!!!!!!!! Lock it up. t-mac would not say "cannot" like a thousand times. Even the most articulate of NBA players have to use "can't" every once in a while. Please. My English Lit professer even uses can't when he speaks.
Like we said, it was translated to Chinese and then translated back to English. Do you really expect it to sound natural? I thought that was a really interesting interview. TMac makes a great point about Yao not being able to focus 100% on offense or defense. Ben Wallace might not be the defensive player that he is if he had to fight for position against double teams on offense all of the time and try to score as well as rebound and defend.
You mean, at least it doesn't read like this... "I had a small house of brokerage on Wall Street… many days no business come to my hut… my hut… but Jimmy has fear? A thousand times no. I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey strong bowels were girded with strength like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo… dung. …Glorious sunset of my heart was fading. Soon the super karate monkey death car would park in my space. But Jimmy has fancy plans… and pants to match. The monkey clown horrible karate round and yummy like cute small baby chick would beat the donkey."
