Tmac Benched (UPDATE - his lower back stiffened up on him)

Utah is notorious for 'come from behind' wins. We saw that first hand in Houston the other night, although we certainly did more than our share to choke the game away.

 

to make up 3 games in the loss column isn't impossible, but it would be difficult to say the least. the best case scenario would be 1 game up, tie, rox are still going to UTah for the first game.

if anything people should be pissed about losing that game to utah at home, that was a back breaker

 

Tmac - benched, or back?

A poll, no need to continue the debate, and if Clutch wants to combine it with the other thread it would be fine by me.

DD

 

you really don't know anything about back injuries, do you?

stretching isn't a surefire cure for a stiff lower back.

 

BROKE BACK?

 

We were .5 games behind Utah before our game vs. Jazz. After the loss, we are 1.5 games behind. Factor in that they own the tie breaker, give that an extra game. But also consider the fact that the have tougher schedule with games vs. Dallas, Phoenix, @ Golden State. We were pretty much still in this thing before tonite's loss.

 

Benched.

Sadly.

 

his management quit on him first.

 

For the record, I think he MAY have been stiff, but that JVG benched.

DD

 

That was my point, the Jazz game was the last REAL shot at overtaking them, so that's that.

On a personal note, I hate the TC as a home court because I don't feel like it's an advantage at all, and if anything these guys tend to focus more and play more alert on the road.

My personal preference was starting on the road against Utah, so I am pretty content with where we are right now.

Besides, I am still holding out hope that GSW will sneak into the eighth spot, but that's looking more and more unlikely since the Clippers are dominating the Lakers now and they've been really on as of late.

 

hurt

but I do like the idea of JVG benching him for playing passively. But I think it was because his back was bothering him

 

Exactly. If you win one on the road before you come home, you are in better shape than having the homecourt to begin with. But I forget, is it 2-3-2 or 2-2-1-1-1??

 

since you want the other one locked up ... copying post.

of course he's faking. he's just jealous of how great the team does without him so he's pouting. f'n whiny baby loser. only one on the team that hasn't been past the first round ... he's holding us back.

hopefully that's what you're looking for.

 

2-2-1-1-1

 

People dont think long term. they want him to play with a stiff back and turn a possible ry for the sake of wining a single game. it's stupidity.

 

if so, i hope tmac gets an idea about how to get out of this shoot from 30 feet mentality.

dunno, but i don't see this changing anytime soon, because he's been doing it all year. i guess rox will live and die by tmac's touch on a given night

 

Hey, isn't it interesting that he sits out with a stiff lower back this game yet he went to Waco the day before but Bill and Clyde say it's only a "tuneup"???

I'm not going to defend T-Mac's settling for jumpers nor his lackadaisical play, nor his coasting, but if you ask me, I think the only reason he went to Waco yesterday is because he NEEDED it, it wasn't a tune up. It doesn't make sense to go for a tune up. His back has been hurting so he went to go fix it. It didn't quite get fixed as it still stiffened up on him.

He drove all game against the Lakers but very little against the Jazz. Maybe he got hurt during the Lakers game? It was almost a week ago...

 

There is so much that we don't really know. So many things go on behind the sceens. Who really knows what happens out there. I read this stupid forum all the time and two people will watch the exact same scenario and one will claim that TMAC is dogging it while one will claim that Tmac has no heart while one will say that TMAC is waiting for his teammates to run a play while one will say something totally opposite to everything else. I'm not saying that everyone is wrong, I'm just saying that the difference in opinion on what happens out there just shows that we really don't know and we should just STFU. Saying blind statements about how JVG feels about TMAC is rediculous. People just need to learn to keep their mouths shut. Period

 

utah is as inconsistent as us. look at how they play v. portland.

why? sloan and JVG essentially are some pricks who can't motivate their team.

the good thing? we have superstars while they don't. which is why homecourt doesn't matter.

 

First they said this:

For those of you who are wondering, yes, Jonathan and I have inquired numerous times already if there was something physically wrong with McGrady. Trainer Keith Jones keeps saying there's nothing at all ailing him. During one timeout early in the second quarter, McGrady started to take off some of the towels and wraps that he keeps on his body to stay warm and was ready to re-enter the game. But JVG never gave him the nod.

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then this:

These games have meaning. They are three games back, counting the tie-breaker. Utah has games at Dallas and Phoenix and still has to play the Rockets. If this means JVG has given up on the race and tossed in the towel, he should be fired tonight. I don't think that's the case. I think he's pissed about something that happened.

Then this !!!

They're saying it is a stiff back and they're holding him out for precautionary reasons. There was no sign of him limping and when asked three different times in the first half, they told us that there was nothing wrong with him.

Then even more

It's hard to say at this point. Nelson Luis of the Rockets asked Keith Jones at least three times during the first half if there was anything wrong with McGrady. He was always told no.

Then they came back from the locker room and said his back had stiffened up.

Then this......

This is what happens when you try to keep secrets, when you sit on information.

When Tracy McGrady came out of the game after playing just 6:46 of the first quarter, the official statement should have come that he had a stiff back and was questionable to return.

Instead, we were all told he was healthy for the rest of the half.

Now the hornets' nest is stirred up with both sides of the T-Mac debate in a dither. It was unneccessary. And the Rockets are to blame.




and finally this

Swingman Tracy McGrady left the Rockets' game Wednesday against visiting Golden State with a stiff lower back.

McGrady, plagued by back problems the past two seasons, missed his first three shots and went to the bench with 5:14 left in the first quarter.

The Rockets initially said McGrady wasn't injured, then announced at halftime that he would sit out the rest of the game.

McGrady missed seven games in December with back spasms and one more in January with soreness.

The seven-time All-Star missed 34 games last season because of recurring back problems.

DD