Do you long for some great throwback NBA and NCAA footage of superstars of the past featuring some of the game’s best players? Do you miss watching games in which the jump shot was an art form and not an afterthought? Longing to see some of the hardwood’s greatest grudge matches of teams wearing some of the league’s ugliest uniforms? If you are a fan of the game from back in the day, this is the series for you. Welcome to Vintage Video.
Back during the ‘02-’03 NBA season, the Orlando Magic had a 23 year old T-Mac in the prime of his career. He was really coming into his own as an NBA superstar, coming off of back to back seasons of averaging 26.8 ppg and 25.6 ppg, playing alongside the oft injured, former All-Star Grant Hill. The rest of the Magic roster wasn’t much help either, with the likes of washed up former stars like Shawn Kemp and Horace Grant, plus a bevy of unassuming role players like Darrell Armstrong, Pat Garrity, and Jacques Vaughn. Pretty much, the only true help came in the form of former ‘01 NBA Rookie of the Year, Mike Miller who averaged 16.4 ppg as McGrady’s unofficial 2nd fiddle, until he was un-ceremonially shipped mid February to the Memphis Grizzlies for Gordan Giricek and a young Drew Gooden.
So it was no wonder that T-Mac was only able to lead the Magic to an uninspiring 42-40 record and 4th place Atlantic Division finish, despite winning his first of 2 straight scoring titles and garnering a 2nd consecutive All NBA 1st Team honor. During the regular season, McGrady was flat out phenomenal, by tallying 19 double-doubles, 1 triple-double, and scored 40 or more points on 11 occasions, including a 52 point explosion against the Bulls.
But quite possibly his best game of the season came on March 9th, when he scored an amazing 37 points before halftime, including 25 points in the 2nd quarter, both setting Orlando franchise records. T-Mac finished the contest with a total of 43 points, but was nearly perfect in first half action by nailing more than 70% of his shots, including 6 treys. He easily could have reached the 50 point plateau, but played only 31 minutes since the Magic led by 25 points after 3 quarters, before cruising to a 111-98 victory.
Many fans still speculate that T-Mac took it to the Nuggets in a statement of his disapproval for management getting rid of close friend and loyal teammate Mike Miller, further depleting his supporting cast. I don’t blame you Tracy. You were undoubtedly a Top 5 player in your prime. Hope you find a spot on a roster for next season.
Part 1
Part 2
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
