[ESPN]The best and worst put-up-or-shut-up moments in sports

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090917

ESPN
By Jemele Hill

Tracy McGrady
Put up: How many times can a man set himself up for failure with a false fearlessness?



For McGrady, who hasn't advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs in eight tries, the answer is infinity.



• 2002: With Orlando trailing the Charlotte Hornets 2-1 in their opening-round best-of-five playoff series, T-Mac did the honorable thing and guaranteed his Magic would never ever let the Hornets take Game 4.



• 2003: The No. 8-seeded Magic were ahead 3-1 on the top seed, the Detroit Pistons. McGrady was so confident the Magic would eliminate the Pistons, he told reporters how good it felt to "finally be in the second round."



• 2007: T-Mac's Houston Rockets entered their opening-round playoff series versus the Utah Jazz after having a 22-game winning streak that season. "If we don't win this series, it's on me," McGrady said.



Shut up: McGrady's disappointing postseason career only proves how much the universe hates unsubstantiated cockiness.

• 2002: Baron Davis -- not McGrady -- was the star, posting a triple-double and helping the Hornets clinch the series 3-1.



• 2003: McGrady counted his basketballs before they were racked. In the last three games of that series, the Pistons beat the Magic by an average of 20 points and became the seventh team in NBA history to advance after facing a 3-1 deficit.



• 2007: McGrady has perfected not only the art of the first-round exit, but also sarcasm. "It's my fault," McGrady said after the Rockets lost to the Jazz in seven games. "It's my fault we missed free throws. It's my fault we lost both games. Blame me. It's my fault we fouled to tie the game up. That's my fault. It's my fault they get easy layups. It's my fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

 

Please lock.