The scenario that you've built can be likened to the Bulls squad that just couldn't seem to get past Detroit. The pieces were not quite right to go the distance. IMHO, Washington was not the place he should have tried that experiment. But then again, his mission was not to win a championship (so-to-speak). It was to show the team a better work ethic program to get into. Yes, the glimmer was there for the die hard MJ fan, or the underdog conceptualist. But for me, it never was a possibility. They are exactly where they should be. They're fighting to be an also ran in the race to the championship. Can they get lucky? Hmmm....
McGrady breaks several records with stellar game -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECAP | BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY | GAMECAST ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Orlando's Tracy McGrady believed there was no stopping him. Tracy McGrady scored 37 of his 43 points in the first half. "I felt like if I pulled up from halfcourt, I was going to make it,'' said McGrady, who scored 43 points -- the ninth time this season he's surpassed 40 -- as the Magic defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-98 on Sunday night. McGrady dominated the first half, outscoring Denver by himself, 37-32. He cooled a little in the third before sitting out the fourth. "It didn't matter who they were going to put on me, they were at my mercy because I was in a rhythm all night,'' McGrady said. "And once I get into that rhythm, I feel like nobody can stop me and that was the case tonight.'' McGrady headed to the bench for good late in the third quarter after connecting on 13-of-24 shots and 11-of-14 free throws. McGrady hurt Denver with a combination of penetrating drives and long-range jumpers, hitting 6-of-12 3-pointers. "There was pretty much nothing you could do because we were playing good defense and there were times he was shooting two feet from the 3-point line and making them,'' Denver's Marcus Camby said. "There was pretty much nothing you could do but tip your hat to the guy for making shots like that.'' Magic coach Doc Rivers has watched several opponents this season fail to slow McGrady when he gets on such a roll. "The worst thing in the world even for a great defender is when a great player gets it going,'' Rivers said. "There's not a lot of defenses that's been made to stop that around the league historically and he was having one of those nights.'' Orlando won for the eighth time in the past 10 games and defeated Denver for the 12th consecutive time. The Magic are 7-2 since acquiring Gordan Giricek and Drew Gooden in a Feb. 19 trade with Memphis. Giricek finished with 21 points and Gooden had nine points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. Juwan Howard led Denver with 19 points while Nene Hilario added 14. The Nuggets shot 51.2 percent from the field but were 12-for-26 at the free throw line. The Nuggets headed into the final period trailing, 88-63, and closed to the final margin against Orlando's reserves while McGrady cheered from the sidelines. McGrady's first-half performance was record-setting. He hit 12-of-17 shots, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, for 37 of Orlando's first-half 63 points. He set a Magic franchise record for most points in a half, breaking the record of 34 set by Shaquille O'Neal on April 20, 1994. McGrady's 25 points in the second quarter also eclipsed the team mark for most points in a quarter. Brooks Thompson set the old mark when he scored 21 points in a quarter on March 19, 1996. McGrady cooled considerably in the third, registering his first point at 6:34 when he hit one of two free throws to extend Orlando's lead to 75-43. He shot 1-of-7 from the field and exited the game with 1:48 left in the quarter. "We've seen this performance against us before,'' Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "Our perimeter defense at times can be very soft with starting two very young players at that position. They have to understand the importance of defense against great players. We simply allowed Tracy to raise uncontested shots and be very comfortable where he received the basketball. He did whatever he wanted to do.'' Giricek's 3-pointer snapped a 6-6 tie at 7:17 in the first quarter and put Orlando in the lead for good. The Magic led by as many as nine in the quarter and extended their halftime lead to 31 after shooting 11-for-21 in the second quarter. Orlando outscored Denver, 37-14, in the period as the Nuggets committed seven turnovers and shot 5-of-15 from the field. McGrady hit four 3-pointers in the second and was 7-for-8 from the line.
GAME DAY RECAP Sunday, March 09 Jordan scores 39 points in final game at Garden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECAP | BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY | GAMECAST NEW YORK (AP) -- Even though he didn't beat them, Michael Jordan proved he can still rattle the New York Knicks. Michael Jordan, right, picks Shandon Anderson's pocket in the first quarter Sunday. Jordan finished one point shy of 40 in what was likely his final game at Madison Square Garden as New York blew all but one point of a late 15-point lead and came away with a 97-96 victory Sunday. "We were throwing the ball all over the place. We weren't executing the trap,'' Latrell Sprewell said. "When you're up, you have a tendency to not be as focused. That was the case with us.'' The sight of a certain player wearing No. 23 probably had something to do with it, too. Recent Knicks history is littered with examples of them falling short of their goals every time Jordan got in their way. There were the five playoff defeats at the hands of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the famous double-nickel game when Jordan returned from his first retirement in 1995 and scored 55, along with many other instances in which Jordan got the best of New York. A compelling final chapter would have been added if the Wizards could have pulled this one out. "I didn't know how that would transpire,'' Jordan said. "Perfect endings happen if you play hard and do all the necessary things you need to do, but I wasn't trying to come up with something that would be a perfect ending.'' Jordan was brilliant in the first half, scoring 26, and quiet for most of the second half until the game went down to the final minute. That's when the Knicks nearly had a complete collapse, with the NBA's leading free-throw shooter, Allan Houston, missing a pair from the line with 18.8 seconds left and Shandon Anderson making only one of two with 5.4 seconds remaining. That left Washington trailing 97-94, but the Knicks wouldn't let Jordan go for the tie. Sprewell fouled Jordan immediately after he received the inbounds pass, forcing him to shoot two from the line. Jordan made both with 4.2 seconds remaining, and the Knicks were able to run out the clock with some quick passing off the inbounds play. Jordan shot 13-for-22, with a dozen of his field goals coming from outside, and 13-for-15 from the line for 39 points. He got little help, however, as Larry Hughes and Juan Dixon scored 13 each and Jerry Stackhouse was held to five. The victory pulled New York within two games of ninth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Knicks are 3½ games behind eighth-place Milwaukee. "It's very disappointing when a 40-year-man has more desire than a 24-, 25-, or 23-year old, diving for loose balls, busting his chin and doing everything he can to get his team into the playoffs, and it's not reciprocated from the other players on the team,'' Jordan said. "Until guys let go of that macho, cool attitude and do the necessary things that it takes to play the game of basketball, it's going to be tough for Washington to make anything.'' Houston scored 28, Sprewell 20 and Anderson 17 for the Knicks. Jordan re-entered the game with 10:29 left in the fourth quarter and Washington trailing by eight. Just 25 seconds and two jump shots later, Jordan had the crowd cheering for him and the deficit down to four. But Anderson scored the next five points to start a 13-2 run that put the Knicks ahead 95-80 with 5:19 left. They didn't score again until 30 seconds remained, and many in the crowd cheered for Washington during the comeback. "It was really bizarre, a strange feeling,'' Houston said. "You're fighting so hard for the playoffs and it's almost like you're on the road. But you know what? It's Michael.'' Unlike the last time he played his "last game'' at the Garden, Jordan did not dig deep into his closet for a pair of original Air Jordans. Instead, he wore the updated gray version of his signature shoes and let his game, rather than his footwear, be the focus. After missing his first two shots, Jordan sank seven of his next eight -- all jumpers -- while the expression on his face turned from annoyed to animated. Jordan exchanged barbs with Anderson as the Knicks' small forward tried unsuccessfully to stop him. "I didn't want to try to do too much, just work my way into a rhythm,'' Jordan said. "That's kind of what happened until Shandon Anderson and I had a conversation about back in the Utah days and kind of kicked it up a notch, then we were in a battle.'' It was Jordan's 43rd appearance at the arena where he scored 30 or more points 25 times. Barring a meeting of the teams in the playoffs, which is highly unlikely, it also was his last.
I was at the game last night and the amazing thing was it didn't even seem like he was scoring that much....he didn't even play the majority of the 3rd period....He makes it look very easy and routine.
BTW...anybody see KG's performance friday night against the lakers? 15 points, non factor.......KG is a really good player but he disappears in the bigger games and against the better teams...he had a triple double last night against Phoenix, but for me to seriously consider hima MVP candidate he has to be able to do it when it counts!....right now is when the pressue is on and the best of the best will step forward.....and right now SHAQ has the diesel revved up
It is a curse of the talent. Even in a losing cause he has an awesome effort to give. If only the rest of the team would exhibit the desire, determination and hustle. But that ain't gonna' happen. And he's 40 something!