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[Tracy McGrady] I could've won championships, I just never had the pieces around me.

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by H. Christopher, Jan 21, 2022.

  1. Patience

    Patience Contributing Member

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    88 PPG. Yeesh, sometimes I forget how brutally low-scoring the games were in the late 90s and early 2000s.

    People complain about the current rules and style of play, but watching slow, sluggish 85-79 games every night back then was not much fun. Try watching a full game replay from that era, it looks like a different sport. Very static and mechanical. It took the Steve Nash-era Suns to really shake the NBA out of its malaise.
     
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  2. Tuckankhamun

    Tuckankhamun Member

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    A real dark age for offense when the NBA removed the illegal defense rules yet everyone was still playing 90's offenses operating under the assumption that you couldn't hedge or play the passing lanes.
     
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  3. riko

    riko Member

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    Jeff Van Gundy ball
     
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  4. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    And yet Mac averaged essentially identical playoff stats to Rockets-Harden. I'm just sayin.... sometimes the data hurts.

    People shouldn't wonder why we majorly appreciated Morey in comparison to late-era Dawson.
     
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  5. TEXNIFICENT

    TEXNIFICENT Member

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    [​IMG]


    Damn TMac, Just don't go there Man.

    SMDH
     
  6. Tuckankhamun

    Tuckankhamun Member

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    On one hand, McGrady never lost a series to a lower-seeded team, Harden did, twice.

    On the other hand, Harden got the rockets to high enough seeds to where we beat up on mediocre teams in the first round (Mavs in 2015, Thunder in 2017, T-Wolves in 2018, Jazz in 2019, OKC again in 2020).

    I'd argue none of those teams were as good as any of the teams Mac faced in round 1, but the whole point of the regular season is avoiding awful 1st round matchups by getting a good record.
     
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  7. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    I loved both guys as Rockets and wanted them to succeed.

    They are both otherworldy talents who were too aloof and passive during key moments and didn't have that "it" factor that guys like Kobe, Duncan or even Chris Paul have. But in the end when we finally put contending teams around them someone broke.

    Sadness.
     
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  8. Zboy

    Zboy Contributing Member

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    I could've have gone past the first round if I had the right pieces around me.

    Oh wait. my pieces went past the first round without me.
     
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  9. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    He needed to and should have gotten out of the first round at least once but (some of) these are absolute dogshit rosters...


    1997-98(Age 18) -- Raptors (McGrady 64 games, started 17)
    16-66
    Coach(es): Darrell Walker, Butch Carter
    Notable players: Damon Stoudamire, Doug Christie, John Wallace, Walt Williams, Dee Brown, Gary Trent, (2nd year) Marcus Camby, (Rookie) Chauncey Billups

    1998-99 (19) -- Raptors (McGrady 49 games, started 2)
    23-27
    Coach(es): Butch Carter
    Notable players: (Rookie) Vince Carter, Doug Christie, John Wallace, Dee Brown, Kevin Willis, Charles Oakley

    1999-00 (20) -- Raptors (McGrady 79 games, started 34)
    45-37; L First Round Knicks 3-0
    Coach(es): Butch Carter
    Notable players: Vince Carter, Doug Christie, Antonio Davis, Dee Brown, Kevin Willis, Charles Oakley, Dell Curry, Muggsy Bogues

    2000-01 (21) -- Magic (McGrady started/played 77)
    43-39; L First Round Bucks 3-1
    Coach(es): Glenn "Doc" Rivers
    Notable players: Grant Hill(played 4 games), Darrell Armstrong, (Rookie) Mike Miller, Pat Garrity, John Amaechi, Bo Outlaw, Michael Doleac, Andrew DeClercq, Dee Brown, Monty Williams, Troy Hudson

    2001-02 (22) -- Magic (McGrady started/played 76)
    44-38; L First Round Hornets 3-1
    Coach(es): Glenn Rivers
    Notable players: Grant Hill(played 14 games), Darrell Armstrong, Mike Miller, Pat Garrity, Bo Outlaw, Andrew DeClercq, Horace Grant, Patrick Ewing, Jaren Jackson, Monty Williams, Troy Hudson

    2002-03 (23) -- Magic (McGrady 75 games, started 74)
    42-40; L First Round Pistons 4-3
    Coach(es): Glenn Rivers
    Notable players: Grant Hill(played 29 games), Darrell Armstrong, Mike Miller, Pat Garrity, Andrew DeClercq, Horace Grant, Shawn Kemp, (Rookie) Drew Gooden, (Rookie) Gordon Giricek, Jacque Vaughn

    2003-04 (24) -- Magic (McGrady started/played 67 games)
    21-61
    Coach(es): Glenn Rivers, Johnny Davis
    Notable players: Grant Hill(missed season), Andrew DeClercq, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Deshawn Stevenson, Drew Gooden, Gordon Giricek, (Rookie) Keith Bogans, Rod Strickland, Shammond Williams, (Rookie) Zaza Pachulia

    2004-05 (25) -- Rockets (McGrady started/played 78 games)
    51-31; L First Round Mavericks 4-3
    Coach(es): Jeff Van Gundy
    Notable players: Yao Ming(played 80 games), Jim Jackson, Mike James, David Wesley, Bob Sura, Juwan Howard, Mo Taylor, Jon Barry, Tyronn Lue, Charlie Ward, Scott Padgett, Dikembe Mutombo, Ryan Bowen, Clarence Weatherspoon


    2005-06 (26) -- Rockets (McGrady started/played 47 games)
    34-48
    Coach(es): Jeff Van Gundy
    Notable players: Yao Ming(played 57 games), Rafer Alston, David Wesley, Juwan Howard, Jon Barry, Derek Anderson, Stromile Swift, (Rookie) Luther Head, (Rookie) Chuck Hayes, Keith Bogans, Dikembe Mutombo, Ryan Bowen

    2006-07 (27) -- Rockets (McGrady started/played 71 games)
    52-30; L First Round 4-3 Jazz
    Notable players: Yao Ming(played 48 games), Rafer Alston, Juwan Howard, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, Kirk Snyder, John Lucas III, Dikembe Mutombo, Scott Padgett, (Rookie) Billy Spanoulis, (Rookie) Steve Novak

    2007-08 (28) -- Rockets (McGrady 66 games, started 62)
    55-27; L First Round 4-2 Jazz
    Coach(es): Rick Adelman
    Notable players: Yao Ming(played 55 games), Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, (Rookie) Luis Scola, Bonzi Wells, Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo, Bobby Jackson, (Rookie) Carl Landry, (Rookie) Aaron Brooks, Steve Novak

    2008-09 (29) -- Rockets (McGrady started/played 35 games)
    53-29; L 2nd Round 4-3 Lakers
    Coach(es): Rick Adelman
    Notable players: Yao Ming(played 77 games), Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, Brent Barry, Dikembe Mutombo, Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry, Von Wafer

    2009-10 (30) -- Rockets (McGrady 6 games, started 0)
    42-40
    Coach(es): Rick Adelman
    Notable players: Yao Ming(missed season), McGrady only played in 6 games and was later traded to New York

    2009-10 (30) -- Knicks
    2010-11 (31) -- Pistons
    2011-12 (32) -- Hawks
     
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  10. lionaire

    lionaire Member

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    On one hand, Harden never lost a series to the j*zz, McGrady did, twice.
     
  11. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    McGrady up 2-0 in the 1st round against the Mavs

    Rockets up by 5 heading into the 4th quarter of game 3…T-Mac proceeds to score 5 points with 3 of those coming on a meaningless 3 pointer with 16 seconds left as he went 1-5 from the field and 2-4 from the line

    if Rockets win game 3, the Mavs are done…they’re gonna get swept

    now we head to game 4 and they’ve got a little bit of confidence, but the Rockets are still in the driver’s seat

    game 4, we’re tied heading into the 4th quarter…T-Mac proceeds to score a whopping 2 points and go 1-5

    2 close games we end up losing

    I don’t even want to talk about what happened in game 7…I remember watching that game in the hospital while visiting a friend…game gave me anger issues and an attitude problem that night
     
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  12. Tuckankhamun

    Tuckankhamun Member

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    Imagine Carter, Billups, and McGrady all on the same roster. Mid 2000s dynasty.
     
  13. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    the teams McGrady was facing pale in comparison to what Harden was dealing with, and Harden’s chokes like game 5 against GS or game 6 against San Antonio were at least in the 2nd round or conference finals…T-Mac was choking away 1st round games to good, but nowhere near great, teams
     
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  14. bloodwings19

    bloodwings19 Member

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    This guy played on a championship-caliber team with Tim Duncan, Manure Ginobli, Tony Longoria and Hawaii Leonard.....and he still couldn't win. The more he talks, the more I like Robert Horry.
     
  15. Tuckankhamun

    Tuckankhamun Member

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    Charity case. I don't think he ever saw the floor as a Spur.
     
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  16. HorryForThree

    HorryForThree Member

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    I know a lot of people hate T-Mac, but I don't. And on this point, he's right. That first year against the Mavs we were lower ranked and exceeded expectations by taking it 7 games, even if the last game was a blowout. Even by 2005 standards, Yao and T-Mac with Sura, Wesley, and Padgett was an uphill battle against Dirk, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, and Jason Terry.

    The one series we should have won and didn't during his tenure here was 06-07 vs. the Jazz. Even though we were lower ranked, I really felt we were better than them. The thing is, no one looked at analytics back then, and the Boozer/Yao mismatch was weird where Yao would score on one end but then having him as a slow tall big man created all sorts of matchups on the other. Boozer dominated Yao in that series, and Yao just couldn't keep up. In hindsight, we might have been better off going with Chuck Hayes at the 5 for longer stretches, but again, no one really thought that way back then.

    2008 T-Mac was on his own in the playoffs vs. the Jazz and almost pulled it off, and then after that he wasn't healthy. It was sad because as his health declined, we actually starting accumulating some good pieces. Landry, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, etc. but by that point, T-Mac's knees were shot.
     
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  17. rhino17

    rhino17 Member

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    Start with winning 1 playoff series..
     
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  18. lnchan

    lnchan Sugar Land Leonard

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    He is polishing his championship ring
     
    #78 lnchan, Jan 22, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2022
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  19. lnchan

    lnchan Sugar Land Leonard

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    Doesn't low scoring games mean that it was the offense that couldn't adapt...?
     
  20. Tuckankhamun

    Tuckankhamun Member

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    That's what I just said.

    Offenses kept playing like the Illegal defense rules were still in place, except now they weren't.
     
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