Does Harden have the potential to be better than T-Mac in his prime?

Here is the first game of the winning streak.

By Gene Duffey PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Houston Rockets couldn't overcome the loss of Yao Ming in Sunday's home defeat to Utah. But Tuesday night, with him back in the starting lineup, they beat the Golden State Warriors without Tracy McGrady.

The Rockets blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling behind by a point before Yao carried them to a 111-107 victory over the Warriors.

Yao tied his season high with 36 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, scoring nine points in the final 2:30 to hold off the Warriors. He just missed the fourth 20-20 game of his career.

"We were able to get the ball to Yao and he made his free throws," Houston coach Rick Adelman said of his 7-6 center, who was 14-of-15 from the foul line in the game. "When he got fouled, we were in business. Yao is money."

Yao missed Sunday's game with the flu, the same problem that kept McGrady sidelined Tuesday.

"I'm 100 percent," Yao said. "At the beginning, I felt a little down. As the game got going I got warmed up."

The Rockets looked for him consistently down the stretch.

"We had a better variety (offensively), so it's tougher on (Golden State's 6-9 Al) Harrington to keep the ball away from him," Adelman said.

Yao scored nine points in a row for Houston after Golden State scored seven straight to close within 100-99 with 2:55 left to play.

"Yao was just too much for us," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We dug too big a hole and it was just too tough to climb the ladder."

Adelman started Luis Scola at power forward instead of Chuck Hayes to give Houston more offense without McGrady available. Scola scored eight points in the first quarter.

"Luis Scola gave us a lot of help early in the game and they were not able to double team as much," Yao said. "Why we can get me the ball on the post was our four man (Scola) was very aggressive today. This team has more experience (now) how to play without Tracy."

McGrady missed his 15th game of the season.

Scola helped the Rockets just off to a 23-6 lead and they held their biggest bulge at 52-31 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half.

What did Yao think of Adelman having so much confidence in him at the foul line?

"We need to hire a Chinese free-throw coach," he laughed. "I'm available."

Golden State had beaten Houston soundly in the first two meetings this season, winning by 19 in Oakland, California and by 17 in Houston.

"You've got to keep scoring against this team," Adelman said of the Warriors. "They're hard team to guard."

Harrington made two 3-pointers and Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis one each in a 4:50 span in the fourth to bring Golden State back from a 90-76 deficit earlier in the period.

Rafer Alston scored 17 points and added 11 assists and Luther Head chipped in with 20 points for Houston.

"They try to make you figure out their game and match up (to) them," Alston said of the Warriors. "It's hard to do since we have a big guy on the floor. On the flip side, they have to match up with Yao."

The Warriors briefly took the lead at 102-101 with 2:11 to go on Davis' 3-pointer, but Yao went back to work.

"We got back into the game, but Yao hit all his free throws and that killed us," said Jackson, who led the Warriors with 25 points. "He's a big boy and he was a handful. We couldn't stop him."

The Rockets were 26-of-32 from the foul line, with Head making all five of his free throws.

"They're real good in the backcourt," Head said of the Warriors. "Baron is a load and Monta Ellis is arguably the fastest player in the league end to end. We just tried real hard to keep those guys out of transition."

 

T-mac missed the first game of the streak... That's all he missed. Look at the gamelog.

 

Never mind, count me as a Tmac hater.

 

T-Mac is among the top 3 best natural talent of the last decade. The other 2 being Kobe and Lebron.

 

T-mac was a fraud who didn't work hard off the court like all the other stars he is compared too, that's why he was always hurt

 

What about his streak of not ever leading a team to a playoff series victory ever, in his entire nba career and maybe his chinese basketball career?

 

another hater. i guess him being hurt had nothing to do with his body type?

how do you go from being a defensive stopper to the greatest offensive guard in the NBA? handles and vision of a point guard in a 6-8 frame who could get his shot off against anybody on the perimeter or the post? from either block, anywhere on the floor? he had a post game before kobe or lebron did. could play in the post, pick and roll, pass cross court to the other corner in mid-air, or pull up from 3 feet behind the 3 point line? he was unguardable one on one.

how do you get that skilled without hard work?

 

its unfortunate that in his prime his teams sucked. and by the time his team got good, his body broke down....and yes this includes Yao Ming, who got b**** slapped by Josh howard and Mehmet okur all day long? It amazes me how some ppl blame TMAC for not beating some of these play off teams...he was the sole reason we were there in the first place.

 

It was primarily natural talent. Even Jeff Van Gundy has commented on McGrady's poor work ethic.

 

This makes me miss Yao, on and off the court. The guy was all class.

 

All world talent, dime store toughness and work ethic. If his talent is to be compared w Kobe, then lets talk about how far Kobe could have taken Tmac's teams.

I bet he could have advanced past the first round. And then some

 

well maybe by that time...but those skillz just didn't fall out of the sky...you have to learn how to shoot, how to dribble, how to post. he wasn't simplly athletic, he was skilled

 

Those are skills that all NBA wings have. Natural talent is what separates McGrady from role players. And work ethic is what separates McGrady from players like Kobe.

 

The thing is Tmac had all the ability in the world but no work ethic, where as Harden has great ability and great work ethic. Harden at only 23 with an all around better skill set than TMac. TMac was a better scorer but Harden has playmaker and more hustle than TMac.

 

Kobe didn't do squat when Odom was his second best player along with smush parker, luke walton, etc....it wasn't until they got Paul Gasol that they got out of the first round again, after being completely out of the playoffs one year and then losing first round two years in a row...basketball is a team game..

and if i remember correctly he was crying like a baby at one point, even wanting to be traded.

 

You sir must be Tmac's biggest fan.

If you tell me that Kobe couldn't have taken the rockets past Dallas or Utah in those seven game series, I don't think we can have a productive discussion about this.

 

My problem w Tmac's is that he was a giant espn highlight, and he appeals to the fans that care about style points. He had lots of flash, but was waay short on substance and winning.

 

Sorry my friend, not all wings can play on the perimeter and in the post. TMAC could essentially play the 1,2, or 3 on offense. not every guard can do that and its not all athletiscm, its skill. and to say he didn't work for it is ridiculous. There are seven footers who have no post up. Not every wing can cross you over twice, and then stop on a dime raise up and nail a 3. To say you're born with that is just not correct. I suppose that once you hit your ceiling, there's not much better he could have gotten. But i'm pretty sure he maxed out his potential.

 

So what about those series was TMAC's fault?

 

Tmac was a monster.