Tracy might sit out when the schedule gets easier?!

Man, he has been playing better, he is getting better. just watch his games during this road trip. He is taking few shots, making something around 50% fg, 50% on 3s. He is playing within the offense.

Sorry DD, I said I respect you, but there is a little bit of 'hating'.

Yeah, the team is starting to come together and the big 3is starting to click. McGrady has been playing better lately.

But I agree with your previous post that maybe he tries to make something out of nothing. He needs to men up a little bit. He can obviously play through that and the knee will get better. He just needs to stop worrying.

 

Yao wanted to play, the doctors said no.

Tmac wants to sit, the doctors say play.

See the difference?

DD

 

No, but he keeps barking about it.......that is the point....the team is starting to gel, has played better offense and the chemistry is working with Tmac playing fewer minutes, and what does he do?

"I need more touches"

"I may have to sit"

That is the problem, he needs to shut up and play........and quit whining , he is like a little spoiled brat.....just shut up and play already.

DD

 

Say What? You, as a Rockets' fan tell me that HCA matters? Gotta be kidding.

Ok, last year we were full of injuries. That iw why we lost to Utah. But year before that? Wasn't it like 3-4 losing game 7 in Houston?

If you are Rockets, you DON'T CARE about the regular season. You just need to get to the playoffs. Of course HCA once again would be good, but like I said....

If you're gonna win something in the playoffs you HAVE TO win on the road. That's it.

 

You have to admit, he does bring it on himself. Tmac needs to learn some tact. His PR skills are not good.

 

Key difference: When Yao sat out, it was on the advice of doctors. Not him.

So far, the only person suggesting that T-Mac should sit out is himself.

 

He said after the game that when he heard at halftime that Rafer wouldn't be available, it was deflating. I think that's the word he used, or something like that.

And, frankly, that's how he played in the third quarter. He had some baskets in the 4th quarter when the game was already out of reach. But in the 3rd, when the game was close and we had a chance to pull ahead, he played passively. It's like he said to himself, "We'll never pull this series out without Rafer. Oh well, maybe next year."

 

The number one excuse we've been using for our playoff failures the last couple years is how good our opponents have been. The Mavericks. The Utah Jazz, twice. Those are damn good teams, arguably more talented than we were. Well, guess what. If we took care of business in the regular season, maybe we'd have a higher seed, and maybe we'd be playing an easier opponent.

You better believe that's a focus for the Rockets this year. We need a top 2 or 3 seed. If we settle for anything lower than that, our chances of advancing past the first round plummets.

 

So now look at the West and tell me who is worst than Utah and Dallas. He should have beaten Dallas but we all know the story.

We should have beaten Utah as well.

Do you think it would be better to face Spurs or Suns in the playoffs? I'd say hell NO.

 

The problem here is you don't understand how good those teams were. Those were even matchups. Historically, there's little advantage either way in a 4/5 first round matchup. The Rockets want to play a lower seed in the first round, obviously. Regular season matters.

 

yea the dude is obvously injured he should sit out. its hard to swallow the fact taht if we hadnt lost against the spurs (a game we shouldve won) and against the trailblazers we would be 11-3

 

No more excuses....none...they are all used up.

DD

 

DaDakota-

In every thread you ALWAYS side with the view of the "organization" regarding T-Mac's health rather than from the man himself. Last year, the team thought he should have played through the initial knee pain in December, and he didn't want to but did anyway since the "organization" wanted him to. What happenned? The X-rays they took initially didn't show the bone bruise which T-Mac was playing with, and T-Mac ended up re-injuring the knee and sat out nearly a month. That same injury is what forced him to get surgery and why he is playing the way he is now.

If nothing else over the last few years, the one thing we should know about T-Mac is he knows his body VERY well. For all the back, knee, elbow, and shoulder problems, the man has always fought through it all despite the criticism, produced at least 20/5/5 and came up huge in the playoffs. Where as Yao gets all the credit for being "tough", he is also the one who always fu*ks himself over by not telling doctors when he is feeling pain, ad thus he hasn't played more tahn 57 games since 2004-2005.

It is grossly clear that T-Mac simply trying to fight through the pain hasn't worked since he has got progressively worse as the season has gone on, with less and less FTA per game and more jumpshots (along with less rebounds and assists). Let the man sit against some bad teams, and most importantly allow him to gain confidence in HIMSELF. When T-mac has the swagger, he is unstoppable even if injured.

 

And the big C word (Confidence) ie. mental toughness. They should just sit him out when Battier comes back and try and see if they strengthen his leg and get him to a sports psychologist. The poor guy just lacks alot of confidence.

 

Confidnce isn't just about being "tough"...it's about seeing your shots going in and knowing you are healthy enough to perform at a usual level. When you see that you are limited in playing the way you have been playing for 12 years, it makes you less confident to go out there and try to play at your highest level.