34/11- Houston Rockets

T-Mac's reemergence has Rockets staying afloat.

With 6:13 left in the first quarter of the Rockets game with the Clippers December 23rd and Tracy McGrady in Waco getting his chronically gimpy back checked out, the teams other franchise player was writhing in pain on the Toyota Center floor. Yao Ming had just fractured the weight bearing bone in his left leg and was diagnosed to be out until the end of February at the earliest. It was deja vu to almost exactly a year ago, when Yao missed the first of his 21 games due to a toe injury that required surgery and allowed to Yao to return just around the All-Star break in Houston. But McGrady's back woes didnt allow him to finish the season and dooming the Rockets to a lottery bound finish.

The team now had to rely on role players such as Juwan Howard, Shane Battier, and second year sharpshooter Lutherhead to play at least .500 ball, all while not knowing when McGrady would be returning from his back injury. But McGrady returned to the team three nights later at Indianapolis and paced the team with 19 points and showing little effect or rust from missing 7 games. But probably the biggest test was the grueling back to back scheduling on the road, and the Rockets traveled to the swamps in New Jersey and blew out the Nets 96-71. Most importantly, McGrady played pain free..again. Three games later, he has the team riding a season high tying four game winning streak and looking to hold onto their current #5 seeding in the Western Conference, even though they are 3rd in their division. With Yao set to get a revised prognosis in the coming days and swingman Kirk Snyder set to return from his own injury Friday night, the team can only hope "T-Mac" continues his superhuman effort.