When Tracy McGrady (hereinafter referred to as Maddie) received an invitation from the Spurs in 2013 and then joined the team that allowed him to perform the miracle of "35.13 seconds", he found that the only people who witnessed his miracle were three people left, and of course, the Popovich who called him.
The Spurs only cut Captain Jack on April 13 and signed Maddie on April 17, before coming to the Eastern powers to play a season in the CBA and was named the All-Star ticket leader that season.
It is enough to prove how big Maddie's coffee position is in China, he kills all over the CBA league, can gain a wave of popularity everywhere, and is the only player who can play an average of "25+5+5" per game that season.
The Spurs certainly know he's past his prime, or he wouldn't have left the Rockets and then moved to the Knicks, Pistons, and Hawks, or even the NBA to play in the CBA.
His peak began with the Magic in 2000 and ended with the Rockets in 2008, a talented high school student who entered the NBA with the 9th overall pick, and chose to stand on his own in Orlando because he was unwilling to succumb to the aura of his cousin Carter.
In his first year away from his cousin, he recorded 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists, and won the scoring title for two consecutive years from 2002 to 2004.
Among the several "Jordan successors", he is also a well-known existence, but unfortunately he is always alone in the Magic, he does not have a reliable helper like O'Neal like Kobe, so even if he leads 3-1 in the playoffs, he will still be turned over by the opponent 4-3.
In 2004, he came to the Rockets and formed the "Yao Mai Group" with Yao Ming, and the Rockets began to set off on the road to a strong contender for the championship, and the famous "35.13 seconds" was staged in December of that year.
However, Maddie was plagued by injuries the following season, playing only 47 games, and the Rockets only achieved 34-48 and missed the playoffs.
In the 2006-07 season, Maddie recovered, this time playing 71 games, averaging 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and a career-high 6.5 assists, and with Yao Ming with the Rockets to a 52-30 record, successfully squeezed into the playoffs.
This time in front of them was the Utah Jazz.
Facing the new Utah duo, the Rockets played 3-2 after a 2-0 start, once giving hope of promotion, who knew that Sloan Sr. was not vegetarian, and finally eliminated the Rockets again 4-3 after two consecutive games.
In the 2007-08 season, the team's coach was replaced by Adelman, the boss who once led the Kings to play a flashy offense, Maddie averaged 20+ performances per game, Yao Ming only played 55 games, but he was able to contribute 20+10, and the team also played a 22-game winning streak in the middle of the season, setting the second-longest regular season winning streak in history at the time.
However, when they met the Jazz again in the playoffs, Yao's season reimbursement made it difficult for the Rockets, an opponent like a mountain in front of the Rockets, no matter how they turned over, they couldn't get over, this time, the Rockets were eliminated again 2-4.
Injuries came to Maddie again in 2008-09 and this season was even worse, playing just 35 of his first 52 games before being reimbursed for the season in mid-February.
At this time, Maddie, frequent injuries have made his fighting spirit also decrease, sometimes we don't know whether he is really injured or other reasons, we only know that the original top level of the player gradually weakened in the continuous injury, and became lazy on and off the field.
Coupled with his eyes that never seem to wake up, at that moment we even feel that the once radiant teenager has slowly faded away.
Maddie's conflict with the Rockets finally broke out, and in 2009, he played only 6 of the first 53 games, after which the team traded him to New York, and he played a total of 24 of the next 29 games, and at the end of the season, New York did not keep him.
At the age of 31, after the Pistons and the old devil have each stumbled for a year, Maddie has become a big deal, averaging 8 points and 5.3 points per game that are very inconsistent with his former "Jordan successor" label, and his physique is out of shape, which also makes him what we call "fat wheat".
Coming to play in the CBA is also a helpless thing, he needs to maintain his form, he firmly believes that he can still have a world in the NBA, Maddie, who is only 33 years old, does not want to succumb to fate.
Before the start of the 2013 playoffs, the Spurs gave him a position, and he has always liked the veteran Spurs, hoping that his rich experience will bring some help to the team, however, he has not played in the NBA for too long, and he has made a total of 7 shots in 6 playoff games, including 3 three-pointers, and none of them can hit.
With Ray Allen's sword sealing his throat and Duncan's slapping on the floor, Maddie was so close to his championship that he still couldn't touch it after all - in fact, he had already retreated when he left China, and it was the Spurs' recruitment that left him with a trace of the championship.
A superstar who used to be so dazzling, in the limelight, at the end of his career, put down his body and gamble on the championship again - he really loves basketball, but he doesn't want to huddle when he is young, he just wants to win it by strength, but fate is not good.
Finally came to the Spurs, not a group to warm up, although it has long been far from the peak, but there is still a contribution, but there is no state.
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Reference: airalamo