I wish I were on one of my Las Vegas trips last weekend. I think I'm the only person that called for the Houston Rockets losing the Utah Jazz, despite the fact that the home team has like this ridiculous 80% winning percentage. And there is one reason, and one reason alone that made me believe that Houston was going to lose.
Tracy McGrady.
He has become, basically, the Marty Schottenheimer of the NBA. Meaning, he just can't win in the post-season. Any team with McGrady on it is destined to lose in the NBA Playoffs.
I can't remember off the top of my head, but the furthest a McGrady team had ever advanced in the playoffs was I think the 2001 NBA Playoffs, when the Toronto Raptors went seven games with the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia 76ers, but the argument from my end is that the team was hardly McGrady's - it was helmed by his more talented, more successful cousin, Vince Carter, whose 50 point explosion duel with Allen Iverson in the series was one of the most exciting scoring duels in post-season history.
Even when McGrady bitched his way out of Toronto and tried to be the second coming of Penny Hardaway in Orlando, he made it into the playoffs, and got bounced out by the Charlotte Hornets, 3-1.
The next year, and with the introduction of the best-of-seven in the first round, the Magic got a 3-1 series lead on the Detroit Pistons. They proceeded to choke the next three games, and allow the Pistons to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, or it could've been the year they won it all.
A few years ago, the Dallas Mavericks stormed their way into the post-season. Houston jumped all over them, and took a 3-1 series lead against them. Despite the fact that they only had to win one more game, they lost the next three, and losing the pivital game seven by FORTY POINTS. If that doesn't sound like having your heart ripped out and danced over, I don't know what does.
So it's pretty clear why I knew Houston was going to lose this year's opening round as well. When ESPN reporters asked McGrady if it was going to be the most important game of his life, and he responded "nah, I don't think so," I knew he was ready to lose. Not even retracting that statement three hours prior to tip off did little to put out the chances that an choke would be inevitable. The guy just lacks a killer instinct, or leadership skills to drive and inspire his teammates to want to actually destroy their opponents.
Dirk Nowitzki could possibly be capable of holding this title, but he's at least made it past the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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