Rockets have no problem with McGrady's solo act

Houston's Tracy McGrady had a Delta Center performance Monday night that was eerily similar to the one that the Lakers' Kobe Bryant put on last Tuesday.

With two notable exceptions: one, McGrady's team won the game, 99-85, over the Utah Jazz; and, two, McGrady's coach and teammates didn't complain a bit.

"You just sit back and watch," said Rockets' guard David Wesley. "Get him the ball and watch him do his thing."

He enjoyed watching McGrady, then? "Who wouldn't?" Wesley said. "It makes the rest of our jobs a lot easier. He had a great game. What can I say? He did it all."

"He had great offensive energy," said coach Jeff Van Gundy, "I liked a lot of the things we did offensively."

Van Gundy didn't add much more but didn't rip McGrady for letting the rest of the players stagnate like Laker coach Frank Hamblin did on Bryant.

Bryant had 43 points, 39 of them in the first three quarters, during which he shot 14-for-17 and made nine of 11 threes, then went cold in the fourth.

McGrady finished Monday with 44 points, 37 through three quarters on 14-for-17 shooting with 3-for-4 on threes, then began initiating the draw-and-kick game and passing in the fourth. Passing up a good shot to get a better one, he said.

Wesley said he might have felt differently if the Rockets had lost Monday, the way Los Angeles did Tuesday, but, "I don't think they're a happy team. We're a happy team."

McGrady said that ever since his 31-point show against Cleveland last Thursday, he's been "in a zone" and supremely confident. He had 26 Sunday night in a 13-point loss at San Antonio. "I don't know what sparked that. Everything is just clicking for me on offense.

"When I feel that way, if my jumpers are falling, my defender is at my mercy all night," McGrady said.

He did say that he has changed his focus a little, starting games driving to the basket and gaining momentum by making shots or getting fouled. Once that part of his game feels right, the jumpers begin to fall. "In the past, I was settling for jump shots," he said.

"We tried double-teaming him right off the bat," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "and we didn't have much luck. He came at us just as hard as he could and got off to a terrific start. He seemed not to be able to miss any shots."

Sloan didn't like it that no one defending McGrady the first half was in much foul trouble. "You have to at least try to foul him, let him know you're in the building."

Utah threw Raja Bell, Kirk Snyder, Gordan Giricek and Matt Harpring at him, and even 6-foot-11 Mehmet Okur wound up guarding him a time or two.

"It doesn't matter," McGrady said. "I just feel like, whatever you do, it doesn't really matter. It was great defense on their part. It was just better offense."

In fact, when the Jazz couldn't defend him was their best defense — McGrady missed five of 16 free throws and only six of 21 total field goal attempts.

He added six rebounds, five steals and four assists.

---

E-mail: lham@desnews.com