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[Hoops Addict] Pleasure and Pain of Tracy McGrady

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Hayesfan, Apr 23, 2008.

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Hayesfan Member

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This guy gets it, why don't our fans?

http://hoopsaddict.com/2008/04/22/tracy-mcgrady-pleasure-and-pain/

There’s a Ben Harper song called “Pleasure and Pain” I’ve always enjoyed, both for it’s simple elegance, and for the way in which the the song’s theme mirrors the way I feel while listening to it. It’s a bittersweet, nostalgic song and when hearing it, I inevitably feel a sense of my own bittersweet nostalgia, happy and sad all at the same time.

And such is the case when I watch Tracy McGrady participate in a playoff game.

Let it be known that I have no particular allegiance to McGrady. I’m not a fan of the Houston Rockets, nor was I ever a big supporter of the Orlando Magic or the Toronto Raptors. I am not a graduate of Mount Zion Academy either, I don’t buy Adidas shoes and I don’t play NBA Live 07. I simply just enjoy watching him play basketball.

Unfortunately, late spring isn’t a good time to be a McGrady fan. Or maybe it is. It depends on whether you’re looking at the pleasure or the pain of McGrady.

Consider the following:

2001 - Pleasure. In his first year in Orlando, McGrady was able to drag a brutal squad (Bo Outlaw was third on the roster in minutes played) to the playoffs, where he put up an unreal stat line, going for 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game.

2001 - Pain. Despite his individual brilliance, McGrady’s Magic were overmatched against a Bucks team that reached Game Seven of the Eastern Conference finals. They lost 3-1 in the first round.

2003 - Pleasure. McGrady was an absolute beast for the first four games against the top-seeded Pistons. He scored 43 in Game One and 44 in Game Two and had his Magic poised to pull off one of the great playoff upsets when they were up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Unfortunately …

2003 - Pain. This is the year of McGrady’s infamous comments following the 3-1 lead his Magic took following a Game Five win. In the post-game press conference, McGrady expressed his delight with finally experiencing the second round. The real story here is that the Pistons started a run of five straight (and counting) trips to the Eastern Conference Finals by throwing a young Tayshaun Prince at him and coming back to win the series. I find it amazing that people still hold this series against T-Mac … the guy nearly single-handedly beats the top seed and somehow he is remembered as a choker?

2005 - Pleasure. This series with Dallas is the best I’ve ever seen McGrady play. He posted a 30/7/6 stat line and added double-digit blocks and steals for the series, but it was the leadership, poise, aggressiveness, and - most of all - his incredible defense on Dirk Nowitzki that won me over. No one ever talks about this, but Houston’s usage of McGrady on Dirk Nowitzki was the blueprint for Stephen Jackson’s defense on the big German in last year’s playoffs. If the refs would have called moving screens fairly (this is the year that only Yao Ming could commit a moving pick, apparently), or if Houston would have any modicum of speed in the backcourt (or a legit home crowd), it would have been the Rockets jousting with Phoenix in the second round.

2005 - Pain. Brace yourself for a shocker - no one remembers any of the stuff I just wrote. Nobody remembers that after Game Five, when Houston beat the Mavs in Dallas for the third time in the series to take a 3-2 lead over a 58-win Mavericks team, the TNT guys showered McGrady with praise and adoration in the postgame interview. Nobody remembers the brilliant defense or all the incredible shots that game against triple-teams. All anyone can recall from this series is that Houston went 0-3 at home and then lost by 40 in a Game Seven at Dallas when they finally ran out of gas.

2007 - Pleasure. McGrady took the onus on himself before last year’s playoffs and his Rockets were nearly up to the challenge as they lost a seven-game war against the Jazz. Despite shooting struggles, McGrady played so well that I had friends and readers email me just to say how much they admired the way McGrady had evolved and mastered how to play the game the right way.

2007 - Pain. It ended, as always, in defeat for McGrady, as the Rockets failed to get enough defensive rebounds to hold off the ferocious Utah Jazz. This was the first time in his career that T-Mac had been on a team with home-court advantage in a series but even then, the Jazz were just one game worse during the regular season and wound up ultimately reaching the Western Conference Finals. Not exactly an easy draw.

Now it is 2008 and we are seeing more of the same. The Rockets have suffered through their annual Yao Ming injury and are in another playoff gunfight with a bunch of pocketknives. They managed to win 55 games but all it got them was a date with the 54-win Utah Jazz, a team projected by many (including yours truly) to win the Western Conference. Meanwhile, McGrady is out there doing everything humanly possible to win games and to no avail. He drives and dunks in traffic and we hear “never made it to the second round.” He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls and how does the AP story read? “Tracy McGrady disappeared again …”

That’s why I experience pleasure and pain when watching McGrady. The pleasure comes from observing this immense talent play so hard and so unselfishly, year after year. It comes from watching a guy with a pattern of injuries go out and play in every postseason game his team has ever been a part of. It comes from seeing him mature and learn how to lead and take on the burden of responsibility. It comes from watching one of the true good guys in the league play the game beautifully.

Then there’s the pain. The pain of knowing that somehow, someway, the fates will conspire to bring McGrady down. That his team will draw the worst matchup or get the worst calls or the most unimaginable breaks. The pain of knowing that for all his grace, skill and poise, McGrady himself will wear down, or even break down. Most of all, the pain of knowing that he will be the fall guy and that the snarky journalists and experts will barely glance at the box score, let alone watch the game, before labeling him a failure.

Come to think of it, watching T-Mac play hoops in the spring is really just painful.
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I bolded the part I thought was most insightful... and scary.

Come on boys.. pull off the miracle!!

#1 Hayesfan, Apr 23, 2008

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Great article. I have tears in my eyes reading this because I feel exactly the same way.

#2 jgreen91, Apr 23, 2008
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Sigh!

Will Tmac demand a trade this summer?

After all, his contract is only two years left. If another team can extend his contract, he might consider it. Espeically, Yao will play in Olympics games. No one can guarantee Yao can keep healthy next season. If Tmac cannot see the hope for the next season, he might want to leave.

#3 abc2007, Apr 23, 2008
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He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls
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So true

#4 playlife, Apr 23, 2008
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He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls and how does the AP story read? “Tracy McGrady disappeared again …”

Then again, maybe we should be talking about how Scola and Battier came to play in game 1 and watched Tracy blow the game by going 7 for 21 with nothing in the 4th quarter?

This is the most annoying thing about the Tracy only fans. Obviously there's nothing wrong with their god, so the reason behind the losses is everybody else on the team. Guys like Scola and Battier aren't even real NBA players apparently. They belong in the D-League.

Give me a break...
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#5 badgerfan, Apr 23, 2008
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ohh man everyone remembers the series vs mavericks tmac was just unbelieveble has anyone got game 2 or 1

#6 yyaass, Apr 23, 2008
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Nope, trade him for Manu. He's not a superstar, and he opens up a can of quit whenever he gets a chance. None of this is true. At least that's the judgement you would draw if you read 85% of this board, listened to TNT, or even listened to our own talk radio MORONS....John Lopez and Ted DeLuca.

#7 yobod, Apr 23, 2008

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badgerfan said:

He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls and how does the AP story read? “Tracy McGrady disappeared again …”

Then again, maybe we should be talking about how Scola and Battier came to play in game 1 and watched Tracy blow the game by going 7 for 21 with nothing in the 4th quarter?

This is the most annoying thing about the Tracy only fans. Obviously there's nothing wrong with their god, so the reason behind the losses is everybody else on the team. Guys like Scola and Battier aren't even real NBA players apparently. They belong in the D-League.

Give me a break...
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Did you not read the article? Do you no remember his performances with the Magic? Do you not remember 2005 when we was unreal against Dirk and the Mavs? The Rockets are in a knife fight with one sharp knife and a bunch of spoons.
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#8 jgreen91, Apr 23, 2008
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badgerfan said:

He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls and how does the AP story read? “Tracy McGrady disappeared again …”

Then again, maybe we should be talking about how Scola and Battier came to play in game 1 and watched Tracy blow the game by going 7 for 21 with nothing in the 4th quarter?

This is the most annoying thing about the Tracy only fans. Obviously there's nothing wrong with their god, so the reason behind the losses is everybody else on the team. Guys like Scola and Battier aren't even real NBA players apparently. They belong in the D-League.

Give me a break...
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game 1 he disappeared? WTF? Were you even watching? THEY friggin doubled him everytime he touched the ball! What do you want him to do? Ram into people by driving blindly to the basket?? The problem is not with us TMac fans, its with you TMac haters and Yao only fans. You look at only FG% which is friggin idiotic. If that were the case, Dwight Howard is the best player in this league right now. Come to think of it, insetad of always slighting TMac why don't we bash Yao (who all **** says is the best Center in the league) yet Dwight is the one who is averaging 20/20 while Yao gave us 6 friggin rebounds in game 7 against Jazz. 6!!!!
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#9 Rockza, Apr 23, 2008
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I'm glad he added that TMac guarded Nowitzki in '05 (Ryan only did a little of it.)

TMac was also our inspirational defender in the Monday game 2 against Utah. He was all over the place.

What makes this a bad match-up is the same thing that made Detroit a bad matchup...when they finally put Tayshun on him. Utah uses a tag team of Brewer, Kirilenko and (occassionally) the brute Harpring on him. Only the Spurs have a defender for TMac...not counting Kobe and the Lakers, because it's a good thing to make Kobe play defense all game. Suns, NO, and Denver don't have the ability to hound TMac. He can rip them apart.

#10 heypartner, Apr 23, 2008
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jgreen91 said:

badgerfan said:

He goes for 23-13-9 and then watches Luis Scola blow the game on a series of missed layups and dumb fouls and how does the AP story read? “Tracy McGrady disappeared again …”

Did you not read the article? Do you no remember his performances with the Magic? Do you not remember 2005 when we was unreal against Dirk and the Mavs? The Rockets are in a knife fight with one sharp knife and a bunch of spoons.
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You have got to be joking me. Let's go back to the last series against Utah. Yes, maybe the Rockets would have won if Yao had pulled down a few more rebounds. But it's just as legitimate to speculate that they would have won if McGrady had shot over .400 for the whole series. Ultimately it makes no sense to single out an individual scapegoat in a team game. What's the point of trashing Scola when McGrady didn't score a single point in the fourth quarter? How the hell does Scola deserve that? He had a bad game. Who cares? Everybody has bad games, sometimes even a bad series. But he consistently comes out every game and plays his guts out.

Now you're here calling the rest of the Rockets a "bunch of spoons". T-Mac had a great game in game 2. But he was completely mediocre in game 1. By that standard Battier and Scola were the knives. If you seriously think Battier and Scola are rejects from the D-League then you've got serious judgement issues.

If the only way you can find of making T-Mac look good is running the rest of the team down then there's a word for you. You're obviously not a Rockets fan. I'm going to utter the infamous, banned words: TEE OH EFF.
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#11 badgerfan, Apr 23, 2008
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We never had a 3-2 lead against Dallas in '05. We lost 3 in a row and went down 2-3 before winning game 6 at home to force a Game 7.

#12 thacabbage, Apr 23, 2008
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I disagree this author's comments on Scola too, but that is not Tmac's fault. It is unnecessary for you to attack Tmac because of that.

badgerfan said:

jgreen91 said:

badgerfan said:

You have got to be joking me. Let's go back to the last series against Utah. Yes, maybe the Rockets would have won if Yao had pulled down a few more rebounds. But it's just as legitimate to speculate that they would have won if McGrady had shot over .400 for the whole series. Ultimately it makes no sense to single out an individual scapegoat in a team game. What's the point of trashing Scola when McGrady didn't score a single point in the fourth quarter? How the hell does Scola deserve that? He had a bad game. Who cares? Everybody has bad games, sometimes even a bad series. But he consistently comes out every game and plays his guts out.

Now you're here calling the rest of the Rockets a "bunch of spoons". T-Mac had a great game in game 2. But he was completely mediocre in game 1. By that standard Battier and Scola were the knives. If you seriously think Battier and Scola are rejects from the D-League then you've got serious judgement issues.

If the only way you can find of making T-Mac look good is running the rest of the team down then there's a word for you. You're obviously not a Rockets fan. I'm going to utter the infamous, banned words: TEE OH EFF.
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#13 abc2007, Apr 23, 2008

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badgerfan said:

This is the most annoying thing about the Tracy only fans. Obviously there's nothing wrong with their god, so the reason behind the losses is everybody else on the team. Guys like Scola and Battier aren't even real NBA players apparently. They belong in the D-League.

Give me a break...
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No one ever says those 2 belong in the d-league but its hard to say exactly how much of our playoff losses are his fault when half of our active roster has been in the d-league, 6 players from the development league is ridiculous.
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#14 pmac, Apr 23, 2008
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badgerfan said:

jgreen91 said:

badgerfan said:

You have got to be joking me. Let's go back to the last series against Utah. Yes, maybe the Rockets would have won if Yao had pulled down a few more rebounds. But it's just as legitimate to speculate that they would have won if McGrady had shot over .400 for the whole series. Ultimately it makes no sense to single out an individual scapegoat in a team game. What's the point of trashing Scola when McGrady didn't score a single point in the fourth quarter? How the hell does Scola deserve that? He had a bad game. Who cares? Everybody has bad games, sometimes even a bad series. But he consistently comes out every game and plays his guts out.

Now you're here calling the rest of the Rockets a "bunch of spoons". T-Mac had a great game in game 2. But he was completely mediocre in game 1. By that standard Battier and Scola were the knives. If you seriously think Battier and Scola are rejects from the D-League then you've got serious judgement issues.

If the only way you can find of making T-Mac look good is running the rest of the team down then there's a word for you. You're obviously not a Rockets fan. I'm going to utter the infamous, banned words: TEE OH EFF.
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Man, settle down. In the first 2 games, which Rocket other than McGrady has played well?

And sorry, Scola is not a scrub, but he has absolutely SUCKED the last 2 games.
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#15 MayoRocket, Apr 23, 2008
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abc2007 said:

I disagree this author's comments on Scola too, but that is not Tmac's fault. It is unnecessary for you to attack Tmac because of that.

badgerfan said:

I'm not attacking T-Mac, I'm criticizing the minority of fans on this board who feel compelled to make excuses for his shortcomings by portraying the other Rockets as D-League rejects. Give me a break.

Trashing Scola like that just showed zero class. It doesn't even make sense in a game where T-Mac scored ZERO points in the fourth quarter. It makes even less sense when there's a good argument to be made that Scola played better ball in game 1 than McGrady.
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#16 badgerfan, Apr 23, 2008
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I hope T-Mac doesn't leave but I hope we get better players to surround McGrady and Yao!

#17 TheGreat, Apr 23, 2008
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That's not true!

But, I don't think Scola sucked either. Scola is a rookie, and this is his first playoffs. Espeically, he is the only offense weapon in the low post for the rockets. I think he did ok, and he will do better in future playoff games.

badgerfan said:

It makes even less sense when there's a good argument to be made that Scola played better ball in game 1 than McGrady.
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#18 abc2007, Apr 23, 2008

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Rockza said:

...
game 1 he disappeared? WTF? Were you even watching? THEY friggin doubled him everytime he touched the ball! What do you want him to do? Ram into people by driving blindly to the basket?? The problem is not with us TMac fans, its with you TMac haters and Yao only fans. You look at only FG% which is friggin idiotic. If that were the case, Dwight Howard is the best player in this league right now. Come to think of it, insetad of always slighting TMac why don't we bash Yao (who all **** says is the best Center in the league) yet Dwight is the one who is averaging 20/20 while Yao gave us 6 friggin rebounds in game 7 against Jazz. 6!!!!
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lol. can you bring something new to the table? 'cause i've seen you post this for months now.

"what? wanna blame #1? what 'bout #11 in game 7 last year?"

"what? wanna blame #1? what 'bout he's doubled all the time? what you want him to do?"

"what? wanna blame #1? what 'bout all the other scrubs on the rockets team? or the orlando teams?"

"what? wanna blame #1? kobe didn't do that either."

"what? wanna blame #1? what 'bout this thing he did 3 years ago or that thing 6 years ago..."

arguments like this only hold water when #1 is the only one who gets doubled or the only one who has superior talent.

5-year-old's logic, really. and i'm not even just repling to this specific post.

#19 ibm, Apr 23, 2008
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MayoRocket said:

badgerfan said:

jgreen91 said:

Man, settle down. In the first 2 games, which Rocket other than McGrady has played well?

And sorry, Scola is not a scrub, but he has absolutely SUCKED the last 2 games.
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I am ticked off. Singling out individual players and scapegoating them for losing a game is just lame and immature. What's truly pathetic is when the author is doing that to try and make excuses for another player.

Over the entire series T-Mac's had one very good game and one mediocre game. I'd say that Battier and Scola had a very good game 1 and a mediocre game 2. It balances out.

Finally, Scola had a double-double the first game and got to the foul line 10 times in the second. Maybe it isn't clicking for him but it's obvious he's playing his heart out. Adelman refused to criticize his team in the post-game press conference. He said he could always count on them to come out and leave everything on the floor. That's all you can ask for.
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#20 badgerfan, Apr 23, 2008

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