As long as Tracy McGrady was living his Magic Johnson childhood fantasy or at least the November version he thought he'd go all the way.

So while piling up assists, he pump-faked Memphis forward Hakim Warrick out of his sneakers, drove toward the middle then slid a behind-the-back, no-look dish to Yao Ming for a dunk.

McGrady then practically danced his way back down the court, grinning along the way as the Rockets, unable to take one of their commanding leads to an easy rout, found another way to enjoy themselves in an 85-76 win over the Memphis Grizzlies before 16,707 at Toyota Centre on Saturday night.

"That's playing with chemistry," said Yao, who had 28 points and blocked three shots. "That's really fun basketball.

"We thought this basketball game is not just a job for us at that moment. It's something very fun, like playing a video game or something."

McGrady, the NBA Live '07 cover boy, had 19 points and matched a career high with 13 assists.

But he had his assists so easily that on a night the Rockets did not shoot well from 3-point range (8-of-27), they still led by as many as 15 points.

"It's fun, especially when you're winning," McGrady said. "To see your teammates scoring the ball, it's fun. I take a lot of pride and passion in doing that. I'm trying to make these guys better. We're winning ballgames. Any time you're making plays and winning, it's always fun."

More than fun, it was effective and came with some flair, with the behind-the-back pass to Yao.

"Oh, that's sweet," Yao said, making up for the alley-oop McGrady tried to give his earth-bound centre.

"He just forgot I'm not Stromile (Swift). I can only jump this high," Yao said with his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I play on the ground, not in the air."

On a night the Rockets defended well enough for the Grizzlies to make just 26 of 69 shots, even with a second-quarter run, the Rockets needed just enough offense to push them through their tendency for a late-game slump.

"They're confident in themselves," McGrady said. "Those guys are shooting the ball with great confidence. It's great to draw two guys to you and see those guys wide-open. They can sit out there and read all the labels on the ball, count up all the laces on there and still have time to shoot the ball.

"You got to score the ball. When I pass the ball, they're making shots. Why do I have to score the ball? It's all about making shots. If they don't make the shot, I'll make the shot."

But after leading by as much as 11 quickly, the Rockets broke down when they went to the bench in the second quarter and trailed by two heading into the second half.

As soon as they went back to what worked, with McGrady triggering the offense and Yao finishing it, the Rockets spent much of the night threatening to turn the game into a blowout.

Yao made all five of his shots in the third quarter; McGrady seemed to especially relish life as a playmaker.

Avoiding letdown

The Rockets have spent much of the month demonstrating that no lead is safe. McGrady sat for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, then immediately fired a pass to Luther Head for a 3-pointer that pushed the lead back to 71-59.

McGrady followed that with a drive, passed to Chuck Hayes for a layup and then blew past Rudy Gay for a slam. The Grizzlies didn't close within single digits until the final minute.

For a change, instead of hanging on at the end, the Rockets went after McGrady's personal assist record, never quite getting the last one. But for all the grief McGrady gave Hayes for missing a first-half layup, no one really seemed to mind.

(China Daily November 27, 2006)