Lets discuss T-Mac Glad we won tonight, I think Yao and Rafer were really amazing, along with wesley. So T-mac was 3-20 tonight, shot two airballs, got his shots blocked twice, and just scored 7 points tonight. This is a concern for me because his last few games, he has really struggled, even though yesterday he had 25 points but still was 9-22. Its a concern becasue we face two better teams this week with L.A. clippers and the Suns. T-mac admits himself in the chronicle that he doesnt know why he has lost his shot (not the exact words). I would like to hear the other fans take on this.
yeah it is unfortunate.. i did notice before half time that tmac was not following through all the way, and then next time around after half time when he made his shot, it was a perfect full follow through... wonder if it has anything to do with that, but doubt it... its harder on him than anyone so hopefully he is able to get out of it soon... i am really happy that the fans at the toyota center did not boooo him though, that would have just discouraged him.. good luck tmac! lets go!
Yes Tmac is in a shooting slump, no doubt about it. But just his sheer presence in the game makes the life of all other Rockets much easier. I don't believe the last two games would have been as easy for Yao if Tmac didn't play. Yao and Tmac need each other to flourish.
after yao come back, his mind adjusted for that and relaxe himself. Maybe we need ask his wife and his new kid. do they make him not have good sleep? Hope he can come back to his 30+ every game soon. We need you Tmac.
As long as it is just a shooting slump I'm not worried. It can't last long. I just hope his back isn't stiffening up too much again.
I would live with 9 of 22, that isn't far off from his usual shooting percentage... His shot form worries me, it's not the same, the elevation and the follow-through is not there...I don't know why, but I think it has more to do with him thinking too much about making the shot instead of just taking it with confidence. McGrady is a confidence player, we all know that, that's why he can come up in a stretch of any game with pressure on and he just makes shot after shot, because he has confidence that he will make them. I think McGrady needs to try to overcome this mental slump first...I know it's easier said than done.
McGrady isn't getting many easy shots. The vast majority of them are 20 footers with defenders all around him. He needs to get more shots a little closer in -- like 10 to 15 feet. McGrady also has a bad habit of taking bad shots to try to get himself out of a shooting slump. He misses a few difficult shots, and he tries to get himself out of it by hitting an even tougher shot which is the opposite of what he needs to do. I think mentally, maybe on a subconsious level, he's hesitatant to drive inside and get shots because he's worried about aggravating an injury.
I agree. The double teams still come and will continue to come. The moment they stop, is the game he breaks out. I noticed he missed two alley oops. I really couldn't tell if they were bad passes or not, but he doens't have the elevation. Hopefully his back gets back to normal soon
Defenders like Q Richardson and Devin Geroge completely shut him down... have to credit their defense.. they stay very close to T-mac the whole time and give him a lot pressure, they were all over him... these type of defenders really give him trouble from my observation.. On the other hand.. a different type of defender such as T-prince and Rashard Lewis, including Kirileko, they keep distance from T-mac and try to use their longess to defend him.. t-mac is a rhythm shooter and he is very long.. so he doesnt have problems with this type defenders because he can get a comfortable dribble and find his rhythm shot... so he had great success against them this season. right now he needs to find a method to overcome defender type 1.. i think he needs to have someone set pick for him off the ball then catch and drive right to the basket.. or post them up..
He's having trouble getting any separation from his defender. He's not moving as well as he should. He also has given up going to the basket. He did it twice tonight, and set up guys for easy scores, but he does not really look to score himself while driving. The biggest indication to me that it's a physical problem is the fact that he can't even catch an alley oop and finish a layup recently.
I never followed Tracy Mcgrady before he came to the Rockets, I just remember seeing his highlights on sportscenter, but that was it. After seeing him for two seasons, i believe he does not possess the speed like other swingmen do, which is vital in breaking off from double teams and driving to the basket. But I understand that is just how T-Mac plays and that is his game, but am I right? Or was he quicker on his feet in Orlando?
I give defenders very little credit for T-Mac's struggles. We've seen McGrady destroy any type of defenses no matter who is covering him. I' am really not that worried though. He'll come around and hopefully in these next 2 games he'll start getting back into form.
He was very quick and had a killer first step in Orlando, he was just much more athletic and quick, which enabled him to go inside a lot more and beat those constant double teams that he got. McGrady is a shell of himself (athletically, that is) from his Orlando days...injuries have really taken a toll on him (not just back, but knees also).
No, there is a reason why he was so successful playing at the 2 guard in orlando. He did not just shoot over the smaller guards. He drove on them consistently and more than a few times a game. This means he should be very quick and he was. His back is probably bothering him and slowing down his speed and athleticism. Not to mention he is a few years older now too.
T-Mac is an elite superstar. The guy knows what he is doing. If he wants to shoot himself out of this slump, let him, because he's probably been through it before. He was 2/19, but did that stop him from coming out and nailing that 17-footer towards the end of the 4th to really flatten any Knicks attempt that was even being thought of? As to the reason why he isnt' taking it inside so much? 1) His back, knee, nose, etc. The guy isn't feeling too chipper right now. 2) He's playing SF now, he can't just drive in on SGs (who are smaller than him) and man-handle them down-low. If you watched his Orlando days, he had a lot of dunks, layups, and alley-oops, etc. He still does a good job taking it in when he has to. 3) JVG and whoever was coaching him then's offensive set is just different.
Even injured, T-Mac is quicker than prince, lewis, and kirilenko. he can shoot over them no problem, or take it to them, no problem. the reason the other type of defender, that you mentioned, give him trouble is because he's hobbled. he's injured. he doesn't have the strength and speed he once had, well he doesn't have the speed. he can't resort to his quickness to try to open himself up to allow him to use his length/height on him. whether he wants to or not, he CAN'T deal with these types of defenders anymore. i'm not saying he will never do it again, but as of now, he's pretty f***ed up. He needs some rest. Even injured, he was playing elite. remember that 9-or-something game stretch where he avergaed like 38 ppg? He was injured then too. Yes, T-Mac is a rythym shooter, but if you are trying to say he's a streaky shooter, that's extremely incorrect. he can still hit shots (at a decent pct.) when he's not in the "zone". but if he does get in the zone, you'd better give him the damn rock .
