Friday April 4, 2008 2:29 PM


McGrady looking to heat up down the stretch


Houston at L.A. Clippers, Sunday, 8:30 p.m.


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer


HOUSTON -- During his 10-plus seasons in the NBA, Tracy McGrady has never seen a tight playoff race like the one that he's involved in with the Rockets.

He's relishing it.

"There's going to be a team that wins 50 games (in the Western Conference) and doesn't make the playoffs," McGrady said. "So it's a battle out there. I love it."

He's hoping to heat up just in time for the final stretch run.

Despite dealing with more defensive attention and a sprained left shoulder, McGrady is hoping that he's regained his rhythm heading into the final two weeks of the season.

The Rockets' All-Star guard had been struggling with his shot, sinking 36.8 percent of his attempts over the past nine games.

But he's shown signs of heating up over the last two games thanks to huge second halves. McGrady cranked up his game after a pair of slow starts, scoring 26 of his game-high 35 points in a win over Portland and netting 18 of his 25 points in a victory over Seattle.

With the Rockets visiting Elton Brand and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, McGrady is well aware that his team is counting on him in a crowded race for one of the West's top playoff seeds. The Rockets (51-25) are tied with the Phoenix Suns for fifth in the West.

"Before the road trip started, I said we needed to win three out of these five games," McGrady said. "Every night is a competition. One day you're in the fifth spot, the next day you're in the third spot. It's crazy, man."

Since Yao Ming has been out, the Rockets have been relying on McGrady.

Though the team has shared the ball better than previous seasons, McGrady is still the one star in the lineup who can consistently create for everyone else and score at will.

With that being the case, McGrady has been gaining more and more attention on the perimeter as he comes off pick-and-rolls. That's been part of the reason why the guard hasn't had some of his largest scoring outbursts of late.

But given that McGrady is used to drawing a crowd, that's not the lone reason. The guard has also been dealing with a sprained left shoulder.

McGrady has been receiving a pain-killer injection before most of Houston's games to loosen it up.

"I usually take a couple of shots before the game to get that medicine in there so I don't feel it before the beginning of the game," McGrady said. "But for whatever reason, I didn't take it (before the game against Portland) and I was paying for it early."

McGrady was held in check in early by the Blazers and Sonics.

But in the second half, the Rockets' All-Star shooting guard was unstoppable. He drilled pull-up jumpers and had little trouble getting to the basket.

"He just took over the game," Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge said.

McGrady is hoping to do it more in the tighest race he's ever been involved in.