NBA: The craziest sequence of all time
We’ve seen a ton of crazy sequences in the NBA over the years, but Tracy McGrady’s 13-in-35 secondshas to be the craziest ever. There have been many sequences that have been truly amazing: Lebron’s 25 in a row, Miller’s 8-in-9, Klay’s 37 Points in a Quarter, the last minute of Kobe’s retirement, but T-Mac takes the prize home, hands down.
On December 9, '04 Houston were down 8 against the Spurs, with 36 seconds to go in the 4th. Most people would’ve considered the game over, but not T-Mac. He made four insane 3-pointers, and won the game for the Rockets, scoring 13 points in 35 seconds. His performance that night was against Pop’s Spurs, with Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Bowen, and Horry, who were easily the best defensive team in the NBA at that point.
His first shot, with 35 seconds left, Tracy McGrady converted by using the pick to drill home the trey. He got a switch, created some space off the dribble, and pulled up from just outside the arc against Malik Rose.
Next, down 78-71, McGrady dribbled up the court from the inbound, using Yao Ming to get a switch again. This time, the Spurs defense was awake, and Duncan switched onto him. McGrady pulled a pump-fake just outside the arc, which Duncan fell for, and jumped. Not looking to foul, he put his hands up in the air and made contact with McGrady, who made the shot anyway (and converted the and-one).
Down 5 with 12.7 to go, McGrady took the inbound at half-court and pulled up to the same spot as before. This time, Bowen was careful about not fouling, and gave him a little too much space, allowing McGrady to rise over Bowen and make yet another clutch trey.
The last play, Devin Brown (of the Spurs) lost control of the ball in the Rockets’ half, allowing McGrady to steal the ball. He rushed down the court, but McGrady rose above, 26 feet from the hoop, and sank yet another impossible three-pointer, as the Spurs defense tried to recover.
Houston 81, San Antonio 80.
Trailing by 8 points with 36 on the clock, most players would've given up straight away. Even the fans at Toyota Center had cleared out towards the end, leaving the stands empty.
"Man, to be honest with you, this really hasn't hit me yet, but what am I thinking? Don't quit. Just get the ball up, and just try to get a shot off", were McGrady's words post his historic performance.
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