[The Miami Herald] T-Mac's return lifts Van Gundy, Rockets

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Posted on Sun, Dec. 18, 2005

ON THE NBA
T-Mac's return lifts Van Gundy, Rockets
By ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
igutierrez@herald.com

When Stan Van Gundy said he resigned to spend more time with his family, he by no means meant his brother Jeff.
Leaving the rigors of the NBA to hang out with the Rockets coach would be like going on vacation with a disgruntled employee.
But if he did want to catch up with little bro, now would be the time. Jeff Van Gundy is probably at his least miserable state of the season now that he has his superstar guard back and all the ridiculous talk of his team being among the biggest disappointments of the season has quieted down.
It's pretty simple to figure out why the Rockets have gone from horrendous to winning five straight (four on the road) entering Saturday's contest against the Clippers. Tracy McGrady is back.
What Stan Van Gundy never really got to do this year, play with his full complement of superstars, Jeff Van Gundy is finally experiencing. Without McGrady this season, the Rockets were 0-8, and they lost another game that McGrady left in the third quarter because of back problems.

MORE MATURE
And maybe it's because he recognizes his value to his team, or maybe it's because he's playing for a highly respected coach, or maybe it's just because he's a little more experienced now, or maybe it's because his back problems are forcing him to think about a life without basketball, but McGrady seems a lot more mature than the player who was accused of dogging it in Orlando.
His presence not only has meant points for the Rockets, it has provided the team with a leadership that was missing while he sat out.
''The biggest factor is Tracy is back and healthy,'' Van Gundy said. ``. . . You try to do the right things more of the time, like McGrady getting on the floor for loose balls and McGrady taking a charge.
``Your best players have to see things as blue-collar players, work hard, practice hard, play hard, get on the floor for loose balls, get in front of somebody going to the rim.''
McGrady's numbers are fairly similar to what he has done his entire career, averaging 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 12 games, but he's having an impact on Yao Ming's production as well. Despite less offensive responsibility with McGrady back in the lineup, Yao, who is already averaging career bests in points and rebounds this season, has put up 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in his past eight.
Since his return, McGrady hasn't been shy about putting up shots, highlighted by a 31-attempt effort against the Trail Blazers that netted 35 points for the swingman.
With the Rockets, though, the more McGrady shoots, the better their chance of winning. As long as Van Gundy is on the sideline, the team will always be among the best in the league defensively, and this year is no exception. The Rockets allow less than 90 points a game this season and give up a paltry .422 shooting percentage against. So as long as McGrady gives Houston a chance to put up points, the team's chances of winning improve dramatically.

QUALITY SHOTS
''That's a good thing,'' Van Gundy said of McGrady's high number of shot attempts. ``If he and Yao are getting quality shots, no matter how early in the shot clock, that will be good offense for us. Tracy obviously is a huge part of all we do. When he's playing as well as he played and as aggressive as he played, we play better offensively. That's why I wasn't worried offensively when he was out.''
That the Rockets are surging now only means better things for the future, because not only will Rafer Alston eventually return from injury, but it's likely the team will tweak its roster to make at least one more improvement at the perimeter positions.
And with the Western Conference featuring only two apparent sure things in the Spurs and Mavericks, maybe this is the year McGrady finally makes it out of the first round of the playoffs.
It's only fair that one Van Gundy get there.