“Led my team, had a chance at Game 7” – Tracy McGrady uses the 2003 series against the Pistons to silence critics of his leadership originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Tracy McGrady has made waves recently with bold claims, including the idea that he would’ve won a title playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal in place of Kobe Bryant. In a recent appearance on “Timeless Sports,” T-Mac clarified those comments while addressing criticisms about his leadership.
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According to McGrady, the 2003 first-round series against the Detroit Pistons tells a different story. The Orlando Magic team he was on was inexperienced, yet they pushed a veteran-laden squad to the limit.
“We play the Detroit Pistons, bro. They’re the number one seed,” the two-time scoring champ recalled with a smile. “Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, freaking Cliff Robinson, Ben Wallace, stacked. Scary team, stacked. They’re a physical team, well-coached team because Rick Carlisle was the coach.”
“I’m going up against this team that has been to the Eastern Conference Finals twice at this time… I got two rookies. Drew Gooden is battling his ass off against Corliss Williamson and Ben Wallace… Then another rookie, Gordon Giricek, who’s trying to check Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. Is that not showing leadership going to Detroit, led my team, and have a chance at Game 7?” added McGrady.
Magic collapse
McGrady’s point was that he had something to do with how tough Gooden and Giricek played. He believed taking a raw, untested roster that deep against a top-tier opponent spoke volumes about how he carried the team under pressure.
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Indeed, Gooden provided McGrady with some support. He averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds against an elite defensive frontcourt. Giricek, on the other hand, was fairly efficient in low volume. He averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds on a 46 percent field-goal clip, although his matchup, Hamilton, went for 22 on the other side.
However, as soon as the Pistons figured it out, they were off to the races. Detroit won Games 4 and 5 by a combined 46 points! Then, in Game 7, Orlando’s only chance was when the score was 0-0 before the jump ball. Billups and company took a 58-46 halftime lead and never looked back, winning the deciding game, 108-93.
McGrady spoke too soon, predicting he’d get out of the first round for the first time in his career. That lit a fire under Carlisle, who adjusted by putting a rookie Tayshaun Prince on the league’s leading scorer. After shooting nearly 52 percent in the first four games (48 for 93), T-Mac connected only 36 percent (26 for 72) of his attempts the rest of the way.
Former Magic GM questioned McGrady’s attitude
T-Mac may have a point about the 2003 series, but leadership is not a one-time thing. As somebody who was paid millions of dollars to lead a team, McGrady must be the Magic’s guiding presence every step of the way. It seemed like that wasn’t the case.
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“It starts with how you define a superstar. I think a superstar is defined by wins, by making the players around him better and by making the team better. On that part, my perception is a little different than most,” former Orlando Magic General Manager John Weisbrod said about McGrady.
After not making the playoffs in 2004, Weisbrod traded McGrady to the Houston Rockets for a haul. Tracy remained elite for several seasons, but injuries caught up to him. The Rockets traded him to New York in the middle of the 2009-10 season, which was the beginning of the end.
McGrady’s 2003 battle with the Pistons undoubtedly displayed will, but it stood more as an exception than the rule. While he showed he could rise to the moment, sustaining that influence over multiple seasons and situations is what separates leaders from stars.
In a league where leadership is as much about consistency as it is about flashes of brilliance, that’s where the conversation gets complicated.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.