"That was all my fault, man," McGrady (Chronicle)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/rox/3014892

Jan. 29, 2005, 1:38AM

Kings prove too much for Rockets
Webber's 3 forces OT, and victory slips away
By JONATHAN FEIGEN

Houston 111,
Sacramento 117

Jon Barry and David Wesley dove across the court, the sound of scraping skin mixing in with the screams of a crowd that had been unwilling or unable to sit. But that was not enough.

Scott Padgett scored more than he ever has in an NBA game. Tracy McGrady had more assists than has collected since joining the Rockets.

And none of it was enough.

But for all the Rockets had done, there was one thing left undone when McGrady was unable to foul Chris Webber with a three-point lead. Instead, Webber made his spinning, last-chance 3-pointer, to send the Kings to overtime where they pulled away to beat the Rockets 117-111 on Friday at Toyota Center.

Coach Jeff Van Gundy blamed himself for the Rockets' failure to put Webber on the line for two free throws. But McGrady said Van Gundy had made his wishes clear and that he had every intention of fouling — until Webber feigned a pass and began his spin.

"That was all my fault, man," McGrady said. "I let my team down. We were up three and coach stressed in the huddle to foul. We had a chance to and I didn't foul, and he knocked down a big shot. It's me not tuning into what coach wanted. (Webber) threw me off a bit. I tried my best to recover. I tried to contest the shot. I just prayed that shot wouldn't go in.

"It hurts me because I'm smarter than that. I'm better than that. I let everybody down."

The loss was made more painful in that it ended a four-game winning streak and was a send-off to a rugged four-game road trip that begins Sunday afternoon in Miami. But the Rockets did not see the loss as one player's fault.

McGrady had 30 points and 12 assists, repeatedly setting up Padgett for most of his 22 points. But once the Rockets were thrust into overtime, they seemed sapped, even after Padgett had put them ahead by three.

They were beaten to long rebounds and loose balls. They rushed shots. They were unable to match the intensity and precision of their fourth-quarter run back from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit, leaving plenty of blame to go around.

"You can always blame a game on one player," David Wesley said. "You can blame it on 15 (players). He just happened to be that one that you can look at and say, 'Well, what would have happened if you (fouled)?' But there were plays when we didn't guard the pick-and-roll well, especially early in the game. We didn't hit them first. We kind of let them do what they wanted.

"He can feel bad about that play, but by no means did he lose this game by himself."

But for whatever chances the Rockets might have had in overtime or had done wrong in regulation, they had done enough to put the game in their grasp in regulation.

The Rockets had trailed by as much as 12 in the second half and by eight with seven minutes left. They had been unable to keep Mike Bibby out of the lane early as he scored 28 points with 14 assists. Webber led the Kings with 30 to go with nine rebounds and six assists as the Kings put up more points than any team has against the Rockets this season.

But it did not seem to be enough. When Padgett dropped in 3-pointer with 2:02 left in regulation, the Rockets led 101-98. And after two Webber free throws, Padgett made his seventh shot of the night without a miss, keeping the Rockets' lead at three (103-100), with just 44.5 seconds left.

"I'm not going to create too many shots on my own," Padgett said. "Tracy's greatness was the big reason. It's hard to guard him, and they tried to close out real hard on him. He started looking for me, and when you make a couple, you give your teammates confidence in you."

Bibby went for a tie, taking his 3-pointer from 28 feet and missing with 29.5 seconds left. But when the Kings opted not to foul, their gamble paid off. McGrady ran the clock down to 5.9 seconds left before missing from 30 feet.

That allowed the Kings 4.7 seconds for Webber to catch, spin to his left and launch a 3-pointer that splashed the net with 1.3 seconds left, forcing overtime when McGrady's last heave missed.

The Rockets had a last chance after Yao Ming scored on a three-point play with 22.4 seconds left in overtime, bringing the Rockets within 113-111. But Bibby nailed two free throws and Padgett lost the ball, clinching the Kings' win.

But before the Rockets lost the game in overtime, they seemed to have it won in regulation when they were one play short.

"It would have been nice to have played a more complete game, but up three with 10 seconds (left), I mean, it wasn't probably the way it was drawn up, but we had the (game) there at the end," Wesley said. "We just didn't close it out."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


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Rockets Summary
Still explaining trade
With another game against another former Rockets player who did not want to become a former Rocket, coach Jeff Van Gundy found himself explaining the trade for Tracy McGrady again Friday.

Cuttino Mobley, traded to Orlando and then to Sacramento, said he was hurt that last season's Rockets were not kept together.

Van Gundy said again, but even more pointedly, that there was no negative feelings about the players — Mobley, Steve Francis and Kelvin Cato who were traded.

"We traded to get Tracy McGrady. We didn't trade to get rid of anybody," Van Gundy said.

"I hear a lot of people question why this guy, why that guy, why the other guy. I'll tell you: Tracy McGrady. He's better than those guys. That's how it is. We have more upside with him. If somebody can't understand that, they can't understand it."


Stojakovic sits out
For the second night in a row, the Sacramento Kings were forced to play without Peja Stojakovic. The 6-10 forward was sidelined with back spasms, forcing the Kings to adjust their game plan.

Stojakovic injured his back Dec. 31 but he played through the pain until missing Thursday's game in San Antonio. He told the Sacramento Bee the pain was so bad he barely could brush his teeth.

Stojakovic's absence leaves a major void in the Kings' lineup. He averages 20.3 points.


$100,000 donation
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander presented a $100,000 donation to the Children's Assessment Center Foundation at Friday's game. The group serves abused children and their families in the Houston area.


Press row view
While Maurice Taylor sits on the injured list (foot), Scott Padgett is doing what every reserve wants to do — make the most of his chance. There will no doubt be problems matching up defensively at times, and he surely won't often make eight-of-nine shots. But as much as he keyed the Rockets' run Friday, the threat of a long range-shooting big forward could open lanes for Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, and could earn Padgett minutes even after Taylor returns.


Inside the numbers
The Rockets had six players in double figures for the first time this season. ... The Kings did not block a shot. ... The Rockets' 31 assists were their second-highest total this season. ... Cuttino Mobley's 24 points were his high with the Kings. ... By pulling out the win in overtime, the Kings moved to 22-3 when leading going into the fourth quarter.


Did you know?
The Rockets' 15 3s were a season high and their most since matching the franchise record with 17 against the Bucks on Dec. 22, 2001.

JONATHAN FEIGEN
and MEGAN MANFULL