McGrady likely out

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

T-Mac will not make trip to Boston

By Tim Povtak | Sentinel Staff Writer 
Posted January 26, 2003 

    
    
BOSTON -- The Orlando Magic went into their light workout Saturday afternoon 
wondering how they could reduce the playing time for Tracy McGrady and ease 
the offensive load he has been carrying.

They found their answer halfway through practice -- at least for today's 
game.

He won't play.

McGrady left in a rush midway through the workout at the RDV Sportsplex and 
raced home after receiving word that his fiancC)e had just gone into labor a 
week earlier than expected.

Fatherhood was upon him.

When the Magic (23-22) face the Celtics (25-18) today in Boston at 1 p.m., 
McGrady likely will be at the hospital with ClaRenda. He was still awaiting 
the birth late Saturday night, according to a Magic spokesperson.

Although they made a private plane available for him to join the team this 
morning, no one expected him to be on it. They arrived in Boston without him, 
and didn't expect to see him.

"It's going to be up to him [if he comes to Boston],b said Magic Coach Doc 
Rivers. "His family comes first.b

Without him, the Magic lose their only consistent scorer this season, leaving 
them extremely vulnerable.

McGrady leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 30.2 points. And recently -- 
since the departure of Grant Hill and the sprained ankle of Mike Miller -- 
they have relied more heavily than ever on his scoring and leadership.

"I told our guys after he left practice that we've been a find-a-way team all 
season. We'll just have to find another way to win [today],b Rivers said. b
If he isn't here, we'll still compete, and what a great gift to him it would 
be if we won.b

The Celtics will be without Antoine Walker, their No.?2 scorer and most 
versatile player. Yet they still will have Paul Pierce, their most explosive 
scorer (26.3 ppg).? Pierce had 45 points? Friday night in a 77-58 beating of 
Denver.

"We do get a break, one of their two big guns will be gone, but taking two of 
our guns out [McGrady and Hill] doesn't help our chances,b Rivers said. "If 
Denver can hold them to 77 points, maybe we can do the same, score 78 and win.
b

McGrady has scored 30 points or more in five consecutive games,? of which the 
Magic have won three. He also has led the team in scoring for 16 consecutive 
games, since he returned from a two-game absence with a sore lower back.

More troubling to the Magic, though, is the increased playing time he has 
seen recently. Although he is averaging 39.6 minutes, which is only 19th in 
the league, he has played 40 minutes or more in 11 of the last 12 games. In 
the last five, he played 45, 42, 43 and 47 minutes.

"Somehow, we have to find a way to cut those minutes back,b Rivers. bWe rely 
so heavily upon him. All he does is everything for us.b

McGrady's effectiveness often slips late in games when fatigue sets in. 
Friday night against Phoenix, for example, he missed four of his last five 
shots. The Magic also are worried about the accumulative wear and tear when 
he's playing so many minutes.

Rivers, ideally, would like to rest him for four or five minutes at the end 
of the first quarter and beginning of the second, then another four or five 
minutes near the end of the third and beginning of the fourth.

But often that plan goes awry if the Magic are trailing, which is what 
happened Friday against Phoenix. Without McGrady in the game, the Magic have 
difficulty finding any scoring punch.

"Other guys who come in are playing all right, but they just aren't great 
scorers,b Rivers said. "We have to be perfect defensively when he's off the 
floor. And that's not always possible.b

Without McGrady on the floor, Mike Miller usually has to create the scoring 
opportunities. Against Phoenix, though, Jacque Vaughn actually led the Magic 
effectively when McGrady was resting.

The Magic are expected to continue increasing the offensive load of Shawn 
Kemp, who scored a season-high 22 points in just 28 minutes. Kemp, though, 
does not have the explosiveness anymore to score in traffic around the 
basket.

Tim Povtak can be reached a tpovtak@orlandosentinel.com.