"My adrenaline was flowing so fu—ng high" - Tracy McGrady lit up Durant-Harden-Westbrook led OKC in his Knicks debut while playing on one leg

“My adrenaline was flowing so fu—ng high” – Tracy McGrady lit up Durant-Harden-Westbrook led OKC in his Knicks debut while playing on one leg originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady did not have a great stint with the New York Knicks. However, McGrady’s February 20, 2010, debut with the Knickerbockers was one for the ages.

Playing for a team that was mediocre at best, the 30-year-old McGrady bucked an injured knee and put on a show at Madison Square Garden while taking an up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder team to its limits in a thrilling game that was decided in overtime.

“You know what’s crazy, bro? Adrenaline is a motherfu—er. I just got traded, right? So my knee is jacked up, I’m not really healthy. My first game with the Knicks, my adrenaline was flowing so fu—ng high. And we’re playing against KD, Russ and them boys. And I’m feelin’ good out there, have 26, giving them the work, all on one leg,” recalled McGrady.

T-Mac turned back the hands of time

The 2009-10 NBA season was the beginning of the end of T-Mac’s NBA career. He was coming off a year where he averaged just 15.6 points per game on 38.8 field goal shooting and began the current campaign on the injured list. After playing just six games, the Houston Rockets shut down McGrady again and ended up trading him to the Knicks.

Two days after the trade, McGrady made his Knicks debut at Madison Square Garden against the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC entered that game with a 31-21 record and a seven-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Knicks were 19-35 with a 12-18 home record.

Feeling the Garden crowd and challenged by the quality of opposition, McGrady turned back the hands of time with a virtuoso performance. T-Mac shot 10-17 from the field and finished with 26 points, four rebounds, and five assists. The Thunder won it OT 121-118, but McGrady created a lot of buzz with that impressive debut. However, it was short-lived.

“Man, that next game I tried to play, that motherfu–er adrenaline wore off. I was trash, bro,” added T-Mac.

It turned out to be his last hurrah.

McGrady scored 15 points in their next game, a 67-83 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but as he said, he was trash as he shot just 5-14 from the floor in 29 minutes of action. T-Mac averaged 14.0 points per game in his first five games with the Knicks and then it kind of just went south from there. He ended up playing 24 games for them that season, finishing with averages of 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

For the first time in a decade, he entered free agency during the 2010 offseason. After working out with the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Clippers, McGrady ended up signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons. After Detroit, he also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs before calling it a career.

McGrady’s post-Houston career had more injuries than big scoring games. But for just one night, the feeling of wearing a Knicks jersey and playing at The Garden brought out the best in him. T-Mac had a few more 20-point scoring games after that special night in New York, but he never scored more than 26 in a game after that.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.

“My adrenaline was flowing so fu—ng high” – Tracy McGrady lit up Durant-Harden-Westbrook led OKC in his Knicks debut while playing on one leg

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