So Just How Good Was Tracy McGrady in (02-03)

[Clifton]

"Kobe was lucky to have a great coach and great teammates and stay healthy"By Phoenix :roll So that applies to all the greats too? they were just lucky they had good teammates and good health? Tracy just didn't had the tools to be one of the greats and thats the truth, sure he was amazing in 02/03 but he i bet you that he didn't have the desire to be one of the greats like kobe did.

You have absolutely no ground to stand on to make that claim. How do you know which causes the other? Prime Tmac never underachieved, he never failed to show up in the playoffs, he made his teammates better, was an all around threat, clutch... always lost to superior teams.

Charles Barkley gave up several series he should have won and never won a ring, but you don't see anyone hesitating to call him top 20 all-time, and it's because HE WAS HEALTHY and had teammates who allowed him to be seriously competitive.

[goldenryan]

McGrady was playing with Yao... didnt get that any accomplishments

imagine a motivated t-mac, a healthy grant , and howard. you wouldn't pay to see that team?

[Bigsmoke]

imagine a motivated t-mac, a healthy grant , and howard. you wouldn't pay to see that team?

sure!

[J23]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZljhMFWUFAo
Video from him in Orlando. His dunks were ridic.

[Big#50]

Better than anyone in the league but Duncan.

[phoenix18]

"Kobe was lucky to have a great coach and great teammates and stay healthy"By Phoenix :roll So that applies to all the greats too? they were just lucky they had good teammates and good health? Tracy just didn't had the tools to be one of the greats and thats the truth, sure he was amazing in 02/03 but he i bet you that he didn't have the desire to be one of the greats like kobe did.

First of all, learn how to quote. Secondly, watch more sports. Look at Barry Sanders, arguably the best football player ever. He never had good teammates. Did that mean he wasnt great? No, he just got a raw deal. Now, look at Walter Payton, arguably the greatest football player ever, he had one of the greatest teams ever. Was he lucky to have those teams? Yes. He could have easily played with mediocre teams, having to have to produce every game for his team to have a chance. That is what I meant by being lucky to have a great team. Now, lets look at the injury side of the argument. Look at Grant Hill. Great talent and was one of the top players in the league at a young age. Then his ankle gave up over and over. Was it his fault? No, he was unlucky and just had a bad break. For you to say that Tracy didnt have the tools to be great is absurd and I can tell that you dont see greatness unless ESPN and ABC shove it down your throat. T-Mac is a great player that could guard anyone from PG to PF and a scoring machine. Good passer and a good rebounder and a genuine will to win. He hasnt been out of the first round you are going to say. Do you remember that many of the times he had reached the playoffs, it was because of his incredible play why they were there? He made his teams in Orlando way better than we ever thought they were going to be. In Houston, just look at the roster, that should tell you the story. They have made the bench much better and a lot of players have gotten confident which propelled them to a 7 game series against the Lakers. It seems that if some players last name doesnt look like James,Wade or Bryant, they get slighted and disrespected day in and day out.

[Rockets(T-mac)]

I don't get where the whole McGrady has no heart thing comes from, is because he never made it out of the first round? I guess Grant Hill has no heart either.

Is it because he was injured so much? I guess Hill, Penny, Yao have no heart either.

Go look at his playoff games, and tell me that he didn't give it his all every time. People just go along with the "he has no heart" thing, without looking at the facts. IMO he "choked" in the playoffs twice, in the series against Detroit and the series against Dallas, even neither were entirely his fault.

[phoenix18]

I don't get where the whole McGrady has no heart thing comes from, is because he never made it out of the first round? I guess Grant Hill has no heart either.

Is it because he was injured so much? I guess Hill, Penny, Yao have no heart either.

Go look at his playoff games, and tell me that he didn't give it his all every time. People just go along with the "he has no heart" thing, without looking at the facts. IMO he "choked" in the playoffs twice, in the series against Detroit and the series against Dallas, even neither were entirely his fault.

I agree. I can sense that most posters here dont really watch basketball at all. Now about Mcgrady choking, didnt they get ripped off against dallas? Also, you cannot expect someone to carry a team all season long like he did in Orlando.

[Rockets(T-mac)]

I agree. I can sense that most posters here dont really watch basketball at all. Now about Mcgrady choking, didnt they get ripped off against dallas? Also, you cannot expect someone to carry a team all season long like he did in Orlando.

Yeah there were some shady calls and that series was in that investigation last summer. But when you're up 3-1 no matter what you are expected to win, I don't really blame McGrady too much, but in that situation you are going to get the blame.

And come play monopoly.

[el_locoteee]

He was also up 3-1 on the Pistons that year and stank it up in the next 3 games. Kneeslack has absolutely no excuse for that one and those 3 games were blowouts.

Let me refresh your memory.

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/series_phxlal.html

[sirkeelma]

Injury Injury Injury.

That explains it all.

[Lebron23]

Injury Injury Injury.

That explains it all.

+1

[clayton]

better than Kobe..

Better than the guy MJ rank as #2, right behind him? No.

[brantonli]

That isn't the point. Point is great players find a way to win. McGrady couldn't and he didn't even show up. It's one thing that the star player shows up and the supporting cast doesn't. McGrady didn't show up himself so you can forget about winning the series. Detroit was the better team on paper. No doubt about it. But, when you're up 3-1 and lay an egg on the court, you'll get bashed for it. You're the star player and take the most blame for it. Heck, I remember kneeslack talkin about how he was finally about to advance to the second round yet he totally disappeared late into the series. Man that couldn't up back up his words. There is no excuse for that series. None. You would have a point if McGrady actually showed up but he didn't.

Unless my memory is failing me, wasn't Kobe himself up 3-1 against the Suns in a similar situation....and....oh, what happened next? He got eliminated.

[Indian guy]

He was VERY good, but I'd still easily rank that 02-03 version of his below Kobe, LeBron and Wade's best seasons this decade. The problem with T-Mac was that he was never a high intangibles guy. He didn't contribute much beyond the boxscore.