http://www.boston.com/sports/basket.../questions_injuries_still_nag_mcgrady?mode=PF There are some T-Mac quotes in here that will probably make a lot of Rockets fans grimace. Maybe he's just trying to pay it cool on the outside when talking to reporters for other teams. I hope he cares more than he let's on. [rquoter] ... But even with all that, Tracy McGrady was fixated instead on a TV on a yacht last spring as the Celtics clinched their first NBA championship in 22 years. And when his good friend Kevin Garnett screamed, "Anything is possible!" the Houston Rockets star felt the same way. "I felt all of it. I felt every minute, every second of it, absolutely," said McGrady, whose teams have never advanced past the first round of the playoffs. "K is my man. We're both with Adidas and I'm around him a lot. We talk. I just know some of the things that he's been through. I'm kind of in those shoes. "I can only imagine when that time comes. You take so much criticism through the years. It's your fault. But when your time finally comes and you shut everybody up, it's your time. You let the emotions out." ... McGrady was overcome with emotion when the Rockets were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs two years ago, and again last season when they were missing Yao Ming. "I'm pretty content with what I've accomplished to this point," he said. "I wish there could be some things that could be different, but it is what it is." Now the Rockets are hoping to blast off toward the franchise's third championship, as they acquired talented yet troubled forward Ron Artest via trade in August. The addition gives them their own version of "The Big Three." ... "Injuries have affected his whole career," Rivers said. "I remember a day we were practicing and he took his shirt off, and I said, 'Boy, you are going to have a bad back.' It's the curvature in his back. He started laughing and, I swear, about a month later, his back went out." While the 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pounder said he feels fine now, he acknowledged that his body has a tough time making it through an entire season. "When people talk about my injuries, it's not like I go out there and miss a month or two out of the season," McGrady said. "It's just nagging injuries. My body is really not built for 82 games. I have a slight case of scoliosis in my back. With that, it triggers a lot of things in my body. "But when my team needs me, which is down the NBA stretch and in the playoffs, I never missed a playoff game. I'm always there when they need me." ... [/rquoter]
Great article, thanks for the link. Goes to show what a good guy Tracy really is and we as fans need to stop questioning him. He does what he has to do to get it done. Let's hope the team can get Tracy to the 2nd round instead of the other way around.
As we all know the back problem isn't the issue it was now that he gets proper treatment. 6'8" 230!? If that's so please lose 10-15 lbs. It would really help that knee. He's right though. He's never missed a playoff game and not only is he always there, he steps the game up among the highest levels of the league.
he also has a massive PPG average in the playoffs. I really dislike him saying those things about KG though. The problem with TMAC is he cannot mix busness and friends. Artest can be friendly off the court but is a killer on the court. I wish TMAC had that personality.
I defend T-Mac a lot. But when he says he's "content" with what he's accomplished, that bothers me. To me, that's not something a real competitor would say. And, I understand he's just being frank, but when he says that his body isn't built to withstand an 82-game schedule, that's worrisome also. I mean, I agree with that assessment -- but I'd rather he not be so accepting of it.
I see where you are coming from. I agree with you, and on the other hand, he follows that up by saying he wishes things could have happened otherwise, but it is what it is. Now, that can be interpreted diffferent ways. I read it as that he gave his all, and certain things were out of his control. I also read it as, if his career were to end right now, he's be content with what he's done in the league. Not happy, but content. To him, he knows he's done all that he could. To many people, including myself in my personal life, that's all that matters. You give your all, and what happens, happens. As a Rocket fan, and a McGrady one, I know he cares a lot about winning here. I say this a lot, but you cry when you care a lot. Garnet finally wins and his emotions just come out. Man...I REALLY hope McGrady gets to experience that. "I can only imagine when that time comes. You take so much criticism through the years. It's your fault. But when your time finally comes and you shut everybody up, it's your time. You let the emotions out." I really hope...
Nothing outrageous about what he said. When he said he is content about his body of work, he's just trying to dissuade people from coming to the conclusion that all his playoff failures have gotten into his head. When he said his body is not made up for the grind of a full season, he is saying what many other superstars have already realized. You don't think Shaq or Lebron any of the Spurs or the Celtics Big Three last year had times where they coasted through the regular season or missed games with phantom injuries just to keep themselves fresh for the playoffs? The guys all know that if their team is good enough to get a high seed without having to go all-out then they'll save as much as they can for the playoffs. Tracy just vocalized it, which was probably a mistake, but a minor one.
Great read, hopefully this season will be different and he will play at least 71-75 games without any serious injuries. We need you T-Mac!
I have to disagree with your interpretation as well, durvasa. I think it's clear what he's trying to say: while the lack of playoff success has been painful, he does not have any regrets as far as what he has done so far in his career. It's hard to disagree with him there -- even though he has never made it out of the first round, it certainly hasn't been for any lack of effort. He has done his darnedest every year to lift his team upon his fragile back and take them there. Furthermore, I think any suggested implication that he is content to retire without having playoff success is in direct contradiction to his previous statements of empathy with KG and Pierce and their emotional outbursts...he wants to win just as badly as those guys wanted to win, and he wants to experience that feeling too. Hopefully this is the year all that changes for him as well.
