''被忽略'' - That means overlooked in Chinese. That was excactly what Tracy McGrady was at the beginning of the season with the emergence of his Chinese superstar team-mate Yao Ming. Yao Ming had rightfully earned the title of being the "Leagues Most Dominant Centre", while Tracy McGrady remained lingering in the shadows. The ghosts of the last season still seemed to haunt him and he started to face something that he hadn't faced since his days with the Toronto Raptors. Doubts. Questions. The critics started to ponder about if it was time for T-Mac to retire. How long was his unpredictable back going to stay unpredictable?

Unfortunately, Tracy did nothing but add fuel to the smog of doubt that was chocking him. He had a very poor showing in the first month of the season. He din't look like the scoring power he once was. Suprisingly, he looked more than comfortable not being the go-to and letting Yao do the bulk of the scoring. This two time NBA Scoring Champion averaged just about 18 points a game. However, the Rockets still seemed to be finding a way to win and were 14 and 6 before it happened. This it seemed to be inevitable for McGrady. His streaky back gave up on the Rockets. At first T-Mac shrugged the back spasms off saying that it was a one day thing and he would return for the next game. But with Tracys'history with back problems, I decided to keep my hopes down as it seemed to be too good to be true. And rightfully so, it was too good to be true. The Rockets missed McGrady for 7 straight games, and his absence was felt.

The Rockets went on to lose five of their seven games without McGrady. And just when Tracy was cleared to play for the Rockets, the mountain of diversions seemed to pile up for the Rockets. Yao Ming will after fracturing the bone under his right knee in Houston's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, was predicted to miss six weeks or more.

Fans who were looking for light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be kidding themselves. With Yao Ming gone who would they look to for offense? Tracy McGrady? But that guy just got out of an injury and hasn't looked himself for years. The season looked lost for the Rockets and many thought it would be a good idea for the Rockets to aim for the lottery.

Tracy McGrady seemed to have other plans for his Rockets. He took on the scoring load like we have seen him do so many times before as a Magic and he averaged 29.9 points in the month of January. He used all his arsenal of moves, dictating the offense and making the defense react. Apart from scoring McGrady realised that he could'nt win all by himself. He started to get his team-mates more involved. He penetrated the defense and kicked the ball out to a Shane Battier or a Luther Head for a wide open three. Tracy McGrady started to catch fire and had revived the hopes of every Rocket- fan and team-mate alike.

On one scenario in a game against the Denver Nuggets, on March 2nd, T-Mac seemed unconcious in the first half, dropping shot after shot on every single occasion, though his stast from that game will noy say much. On one play McGrady stripped Carmelo Anthony and sprinted up court drawing the defense towards him and passed it out to an open Shane Battier for the easy bucket.

All the critics say it's a rat race between Dirk and Nash for the MVP title this year. Maurice Brooks went so far as to declare the MVP race just between Dirk and Nash and exclude the rest of the four hundred and something players. I felt that was just ridiculous, because he said so just when this one man had stepped his game up and was carrying a team who had lost there leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker in Yao Ming. This one man had stepped up his game at a time when there seemed to be no hope. How Tracy McGrady is not in the MVP race came as a shock to me. Yao went on to miss 9 weeks of action and in that time the Rockets went 20 and 10 with T-Mac. The Rockets would have been a lock for the lottery had T-Mac not stepped up. He put up fantasy numbers in Yaos' absence and took it upon himself to make sure that the Rockets make the playoffs. If that is not MVP material, I don't know what is. I honestly consider Tracy as the "Saviour of Houston". They would have been lost without his ability to draw the double teams. Tracy is player that brings so much to the table that teams thrive of his knowledge of the game.

Now With Yao back in the lineup and Tracy penetrating the lanes looking for his team-mates, the Rockets are striking fear into the hearts of their opponents. They should be able to surprise alot of teams in the playoffs if they manage to keep themselves healthy.

With everything looking good for the Rockets it's time for "The Great Wall of China" and T-Mac to go and give the fans of Houston what they have been waiting to see since the days of "The Dream Shake". Sheer dominance. 

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