Don’t fault McGrady for his one-and-done legacy

Photo above: SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Tracy McGrady #1 of the Houston Rockets leaves the court after loosing to the Utah Jazz in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)   NBAE/Getty Images

Photo below: SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 02: Yao Ming #11 of the Houston Rockets shows his dejection as he sits injured on the bench against the Utah Jazz in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Energy Solutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)  Getty Images

By Kelly Dwyer, Special to Yahoo! Sports 1 hour, 50 minutes ago

It has become a cruel tagline, an unfortunate addendum to a player whose living tombstone should read much better. Yet there it is: Tracy McGrady, the Guy Who Can’t Get Out of the First Round.

While that hardly summarizes his accomplishments in a manner befitting his talents, it is an easy sell and the perfect catch-all anecdote for cable television chat shows to reference without bringing up context. And, as it usually is with too-simple career summaries, it’s not at all fair.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Mehmet Okur #13 of the Utah Jazz shares well wishes with Luis Scola #4 of the Houston Rockets after Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)  NBAE/Getty Images

No, Tracy McGrady has not made the second round of the NBA playoffs, despite seven tries. Yes, basketball teams often can ride the hot hand of a certain player in order to win three games out of five or four games out of seven, and McGrady seemingly would have the talent to be that singular, driving and, eventually, winning force.

It has yet to happen, though. And that makes us wonder if the whole ideal behind a team sport that can be changed with the work of one man actually works.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Jarron Collins #31, Andrei Kirilenko #47, and Kyle Korver #26 of the Utah Jazz shake hands with Carl Landry #14 and Yao Ming #11 of the Houston Rockets after Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE/Getty Images

After all, Michael Jordan couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs for his first three seasons, and though NBA fans might remember Jordan’s historic turn in trying to take down the eventual champs out of Boston in 1986, they probably don’t remember a much quieter bow out to the Celtics in 1987 or a first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985. Jordan’s teams managed just one win in 10 playoff games over that span.

Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier (31) blocks Utah Jazz forward Matt Harpring (15) during the third quarter of Game 6 of the NBA basketball playoff series Friday, May 2, 2008, in Salt Lake City. The Jazz beat the Rockets 113-91.  (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

Kobe Bryant gave his rather limited Laker teams a fightin’ chance in the wake of Shaquille O’Neal’s departure from Los Angeles, but they couldn’t move out of the first round in 2006 and 2007. LeBron James needed seven games to down the Washington Wizards (not exactly world beaters) in 2006, and he benefited greatly from Washington’s injury woes in the two years following.

So the idea of the lone gunslinger throwing in 40 points alongside a healthy dose of rebounds and assists and saving the day doesn’t really translate in reality, much less lead to opening-round triumph. And once you throw in the context of who Tracy has taken on over the years, it’s a small wonder that we aren’t bemoaning this guy’s run of bad luck above all.

His first venture into the postseason came in 2000, as a sixth man on a Toronto Raptors team that was dealt the defending Eastern Conference champs out of New York. Further complicating matters, Raptors coach Butch Carter decided to initiate a lawsuit against the starting center of the opposing team not long before tip-off, and the young Raptors eventually were sent home. Lawsuits aside, they lost to a much better team.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 02: Deron Williams #8 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Shane Battier #318 of the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Energy Solutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
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Moving on to Orlando the next year, McGrady emerged as a star worthy of his new max contract, and he led a Grant Hill-less team to the playoffs. With Hill’s comparable contract taking up cap space, however, Orlando’s rotation beyond McGrady and his injured co-star was paper-thin, and the team lost in the first round to a Bucks squad that eventually ended their season one win away from the NBA Finals. Another loss to a much better team.

In 2002, the Magic lost to a deeper and more talented Hornets squad. McGrady’s team was good, the other team better. A pattern, you’ve noticed, already has emerged.

Utah Jazz fans hold up signs targeting the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA basketball playoff series Friday, May 2, 2008, in Salt Lake City. The Jazz beat the Rockets 113-91. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Utah Jazz fans show their support as their team takes on the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)  NBAE/Getty Images

When 2003 rolled around, the first round expanded to a best-of-seven contest and McGrady famously showed relief and enthusiasm at moving on to the East semifinals even while his Magic team was up only 3-1 to the Detroit Pistons. While that was an embarrassing faux pas, it doesn’t detract from the fact that the Pistons were a much better team than the Magic, even at that point.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 02: A Utah Jazz fan holds up sign during action against the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Energy Solutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)  Getty Images

After a trade to Houston, McGrady’s Rockets lost a seven-game series to Dallas even after shooting up 2-0 to start the tussle. While the idea of blowing yet another first-round lead may fuel the fire of his detractors, one has to realize that the Rockets – made of McGrady, Yao Ming and a whole host of aging and/or soon-to-retire parts – were not two games better than this Mavericks team.

Houston Rockets team owner Leslie Alexander, lower right, sits as the fans cheer on the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA basketball playoff series Friday, May 2, 2008, in Salt Lake City. The Jazz beat the Rockets 113-91.
(AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

This is important. It’s a team game and there will be some deviations from the norm, but let’s cut out the pretense here: Should the 2003 Magic have been up 3-1 on the Pistons? Were they even in Detroit’s league? And though the 2005 Rockets boasted some formidable talent, and while it’s easy to rip a star whose laconic nature makes it seem as if he’s sleepwalking through games, can you really compare rosters and say that Houston was at Dallas’ level – much less two games better?

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Utah Jazz fans taunt Tracy McGrady #1 of the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The same goes for Houston’s opening-round loss to Utah last season. Yes, the series went seven games (something that denotes equality, usually), and yes, the Yao-less Rockets took the Jazz to six games this year, but there’s no way Houston’s roster was anywhere close to being on the same level as Utah’s last season.

Anomalies in a short sample size shouldn’t force us into abandoning common sense, and common sense (as well as a good look at all the teams in question and the rotations at hand) tells us that McGrady’s teams never have lost to an inferior squad in the first round. Far from it.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Tracy McGrady #1 of the Houston Rockets shoots over Kyle Korver #26, Mehmet Okur #13, and Andrei Kirilenko #47 of the Utah Jazz in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)  NBAE/Getty Images

There haven’t been any upsets, McGrady hasn’t let anyone down, and critiquing him for not making it out of the first round is akin to ripping on Pau Gasol for failing to make it to the second round with the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies in the face of competition out of San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas. Save that vitriol for the top-ranked tennis pro bowing out against an unheralded opponent in the opening rounds. This is a team sport. Treat it as such.

HOUSTON - APRIL 29: Tracy McGrady #1 of the Houston Rockets is interviewed after the Rockets 95 to 69 win over the Utah Jazz in Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center on April 29, 2008 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)  NBAE/Getty Images

That said, McGrady hasn’t exactly put himself or his team in position to pull off the upset because his offensive arsenal is lacking at times. The third quarter of Houston’s Game 6 loss to the Jazz on Friday was the perfect example – while the Jazz defense swarmed, McGrady was unable to contribute offensively by making himself a decoy off the ball. When he did get the ball in the low post, far from his comfort position, he missed a series of shots that other great wing scorers would have connected on.

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 2: Carlos Boozer #5 and Kyle Korver #26 of the Utah Jazz fight for a loose ball against Shane Battier #31 and Dikembe Mutombo #55 of the Houston Rockets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on May 2, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
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It’s that way of scoring, far from pretty but awfully effective, that separates McGrady from the best of the bunch. Outside of driving to the hole, or if he’s not crossing over and pulling up for the 20-foot jump shot, McGrady is pretty lost. And that’s why he consistently has been unable to put points on the board late in games, once his tired legs fail him.

SALT LAKE CITY - APRIL 24: Dikembe Mutombo #55 of the Houston Rockets blocks the shot of Mehmet Okur #13 of the Utah Jazz in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Energy Solutions Arena on April 24, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
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That’s a blown recipe for overachievement, however, and it’s hard to consistently criticize a guy for not playing over his head. The fact remains that, seven times since the year 2000, Tracy McGrady’s teams have lost in the first round to outfits that were better than his own. And though an individual can have a big hand in taking down another team in this league, it still is a team game.

And this guy hasn’t had the team. That’s a shame, and that shouldn’t be a reflection on McGrady.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-mcgradylegacy050308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Report: Kobe Bryant wins first MVP award

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant soars back to the bench after hitting a basket against the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter in Game 4 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series Monday, April 28, 2008, in Denver. The Lakers beat the Nuggets 107-101 to sweep the series.   (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer  13 hours, 56 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant has won the NBA’s MVP award for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Friday night, citing anonymous sources familiar with the outcome of voting by media members.

The newspaper reported that commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.

DENVER - APRIL 26: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes a shot against the Denver Nuggets on April 26, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
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“We have not been told anything by the league,” Lakers spokesman John Black told The Associated Press.

Bryant, who entered the season as the league’s two-time defending scoring champion, had finished third in the MVP voting twice—after the 2002-03 campaign, when he averaged 30 points for the first time, and again last season, when Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki won the award.

In this Feb. 26, 2008, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, top, drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during the second quarter of the basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bryant has won the NBA's MVP award for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Friday night, May 2, 2008, citing anonymous sources familiar with the outcome of voting by media members.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, file)

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing in all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie finger in February. A hand specialist recommended surgery, but Bryant decided to put it off until after the Olympics this summer.

He led the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference and a sweep of Denver in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers open the second round Sunday against Utah at Staples Center.

LOS ANGELES - APRIL 4: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up for a shot against Devean George #40 of the Dallas Mavericks during their game at Staples Center on April 4, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind Cleveland’s LeBron James, will be the first Lakers player to win the MVP award since Shaquille O’Neal was a near-unanimous choice in 2000. Other previous Lakers to win the award dating to 1956, when it was first presented, were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, who each won it three times. Abdul-Jabbar also won three with the Milwaukee Bucks.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Amry1Y7q5cq1jD4nXFBHa5mLvLYF?slug=ap-mvp-bryant&prov=ap&type=lgns

Bryant to win first NBA MVP awardNBA MVP award

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will be named the NBA's MVP for the first time in his career, according to a report published Friday night.