McGrady-dominated Rockets aren't real contenders

Tracy McGrady and the Rockets are off to a so-so start in a season that began with lofty expectations. AP

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I watched the Houston Rockets build a 16-2 lead on the Toronto Raptors last Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. Tracy McGrady, a big small forward or a very big shooting guard -- it doesn't matter at this point -- was a free-flowing wonder, an unguardable 6-foot-8 athlete with speed, quickness, ups and perimeter shooting ability.

Then I watched it all come apart. McGrady started missing and, when it was all over, he had hit only one-third of his shots (7-of-21). None of his teammates could get in a rhythm. Steve Francis, who started at the other guard spot, took only four shots. Small forward Shane Battier didn't attempt anything but three-pointers (he made 3-of-5). Center Yao Ming, who played a team-high 38 minutes and had a size advantage on everyone (no surprise there), was just OK with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Backup power forward Luis Scola looked like he had wandered onto a basketball court for the first time in his life. And the Rockets went down 93-80.

After the game, the usually even-tempered Yao went off on his team's lack of toughness, taking care not to except himself. (He is always a stand-up guy.) "I hate this game," he told the Houston Chronicle. "I hated it. It's all on us. Us. I'm one of us."

The next night, after a 100-88 loss in Philadelphia, Yao was steaming again. "When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough," Yao said. "It's not because they are so tough. It's because of how soft we are. It's weird that we changed that quick. I never had that feeling. I feel like they traded me to another team, a new team I've never been on before."

No, Yao, it's the same old team. And the more I look at a McGrady-dominated team, the more I see one that cannot be a championship contender. I'm not basing this on one early-December road trip, of course. On Wednesday night, the Rockets beat the Detroit Pistons 80-77 despite an unimaginably horrible night from the free throw line -- McGrady missed all five of his attempts and the team as a whole was 6-of-22. The win put the Rockets at 12-11, and I fully expect that they will be battling for one of the mid-level playoff spots in the tough Western Conference.

But a championship team? I don't see it. I'll try to get beyond the fact that McGrady always -- always -- looks like he's coasting. Appearances can be deceiving, of course, and it's the worst kind of ivory-tower analysis to sit at a press table and proclaim that a guy isn't giving his all. So let's leave it at this: If I were a Houston coach or player, I would like to see the franchise player look mad enough to spit nails once in a while.

The main issue I have with T-Mac is the almost total control he has over the Houston offense. Everything is fine when he has a big night and hits, say, 60 percent of his shots, as he is capable of doing. He can get to the basket, he can hit the mid-range jumper and he can make threes, so he can beat teams by himself. But in the long run, one player doesn't beat teams by himself, certainly not other playoff teams.

The most obvious comparison for T-Mac is to the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, who, like McGrady, is either a big small forward or a very big shooting guard who dominates the offense. But James, with 7.9 assists per game compared to McGrady's 5.5, is a far better passer. And when someone dominates the ball on offense, he had better be able to get to the free throw line. James shoots 11 free throws per game, compared to McGrady's 6.7. McGrady can be creative with the ball, but far too often he makes his passes when he has exhausted every other option to score. That makes it difficult for his teammates to find their own offense.

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