標籤: McGrady

The Boston Celtics were expected to have a turnaround season, with Jayson Tatum out due to a ruptured right Achilles tendon he suffered in May 2025. However, the script has been flipped in more ways than one, with the Celtics currently sitting in second place in the East with a 47-24 record and Jayson Tatum slowly getting back to his best once again.

So much so that Tracy McGrady branded Boston as the only team in the East he believes can win a championship during his appearance on the Cousins ​​Podcast.

“Do we really think about Cleveland and New York? I think Boston is coming out of the East. I think they can win the championship. I don’t think there’s any other team out of the East, no matter who they play coming out of the East, I think the West is going to win. The only team I have confidence in to win is the Boston Celtics,” he said.

“The only team I have confidence in winning a championship in the East is the Boston Celtics.”

“I don’t think any other team, no matter who they play, if they come from the East, I think the West will win.”

👀🍀 @Tmac_213 pic.twitter.com/pVWzFifBCR

– Cousin of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) 25 March 2026

Of course, in addition to the talent they have despite the fire sale before the campaign, the Celtics also benefit from Joe Mazzulla’s system.

“Being proven, you have not one but two guys that can lead the team. MVP candidates, up front, and you have a system that understands who they are, whether it’s the regular season, preseason, or postseason. So they don’t have to change, how they’re playing now is the way they’re going to play, nothing is going to change,” McGrady concluded.

Tracy McGrady praises the Celtics

He talked about Derrick White and praised the 31-year-old player’s versatility. McGrady claimed that White was able to defend the opponent’s best player, rebound at a high level, and score 20 points and assists to win any game for Boston.

“He can give you exactly what you need to win,” McGrady said.

In the eight games since his return, Tatum has averaged 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting nearly 47% from the field. And while there is room for improvement, McGrady believes there won’t be room for improvement until the playoffs arrive.

“Tatum is coming back, looks really good. He’s playing aggressive basketball. By the time he gets to the playoffs, I think we’ll be (saying)…Boy, he looks like his old self,” he concluded.

While Boston has the experience, personnel and system, McGrady may have gone too far in giving the other top teams in the East a discount. For example, the Detroit Pistons have a 52-19 record this season, while the Cavaliers add James Harden to a team that finished last campaign 64-18. Additionally, the Knicks also have a lot of talent, allowing many teams to emerge from the East, at least on paper.

Tracy McGrady is one of the best scorers in NBA history and obviously one of the best players in Orlando Magic franchise history.

It was with the Magic that McGrady became one of the best players in the NBA, leading the league in scoring twice (2003, 2004), while leading Orlando to three consecutive playoff appearances.

Fast forward to the present day, the Magic have a new franchise face in Paolo Banchero. The 23-year-old hasn’t even reached the prime of his career yet, but he’s already shown his potential by earning an All-Star bid during the 2023-24 season, a year after winning Rookie of the Year.

The Magic have been an annual playoff team in the Banchero era, advancing to the playoffs each of the last two years. However, this year’s team – especially after the addition of Desmond Benn – was expected to make the jump from a marginal playoff team to one of the very elite teams of the East.

Despite serious injuries to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum – he recently made his season debut – and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, the Magic are still sixth in the Eastern Conference and trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Entering Saturday’s game, Orlando is 38-31 and just a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.

McGrady believes Banchero has ‘superstar’ potential

Banchero is having a good season, but hasn’t really taken the next step up to the elite level. McGrady said “it will come” for the young star.

“It will come,” McGrady said in Banchero’s one-on-one interview. “He’s young, he’s trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of pressure on a young player, and he’s learning. Not having a real, true vet to really teach him and help him understand and guide him on how this thing works, I’m sure it’s very hard for him.

McGrady – who was a superstar himself and is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame – said Banchero has the “tools” to become a superstar player.

“But in terms of tools, size, I think he has what it takes to be a superstar — not All-Star — superstar player,” McGrady said. “I think it’s up to him how he approaches the game and the information he’s consuming, and how you apply it when you’re on the basketball court? Are you reaching out to vets, people who have been in that situation? Are you getting that advice? How are you taking that advice? Or are you pushing it? Are you implementing it? I think there’s a lot of things he can do to help him get to that level. But his Has the size, has the tools, I think he can definitely get there.”

McGrady – who has played against LeBron James several times in his career – said Banchero should be at “LeBron status” in terms of what his stat line should look like. For perspective, James is one of the greatest players of all-time and has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game during his career.

Banchero is currently averaging 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

“That stat line should be on LeBron’s situation in terms of what he should look like every night,” Banchero’s McGrady said.

When McGrady was asked to make a comparison to the fourth-year player, he said he didn’t, because no one reminds him of the 6-foot-10 Banchero and what he is capable of doing on the court.

“No, he doesn’t really remind me of anyone,” McGrady said. “He’s 6 foot 10 inches, brother. He’s a big man. When I talk to him when I’m down there, if I go watch a game or something, and I’m around those guys, I have a conversation with him. But other than that, I don’t have any kind of relationship with him. But he’s a big man. Man, he’s a big man. Man, 6-10, heavy and just talk about mass. If he wants to, he should be Average of 30 points in this league.”

The Charlotte Hornets resumed their winning ways with a blowout win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday evening. The win allowed Charlotte to hold on to the No. 10 position in the East, and LaMelo Ball was dominant, scoring 30 points with 13 assists in the win.

After the game, the NBA on NBC crew detailed some of the team’s successes and Tracy McGrady called Ball “Melo”. One guy who wasn’t involved was Carmelo Anthony Also a part of the broadcast.

“LaMelo.*”

Carmelo Anthony had to correct T-Mac after calling LaMelo Ball Melo. ??? pic.twitter.com/7JmoREL3lV

– NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) 18 March 2026

Older fans in the NBA have long sought to stop younger fans from referring to LaMelo Ball as simply “Melo”, noting that Carmelo Anthony’s name was shortened during his Hall of Fame career.

While he may need a new nickname, Ball has certainly taken his game to another level this season, continuing to extend his shooting range, showing more commitment on defense, and taking advantage of the plethora of weapons that Charlotte has put around him on offense, including Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Nueppel.

Now that all of these pieces are starting to fall into place, the Hornets are playing some of the best basketball in the NBA, and head coach Charles Lee has done an impressive job of helping bring everything together.

Nevertheless, due to their struggles early in the season, it will be difficult for the Hornets to climb out of the play-in zone in the Eastern Conference, and it is looking increasingly likely that Charlotte will have to win two straight elimination games to make their first playoff appearance in ten years.

The Hornets next face off at home against the Orlando Magic on Thursday evening.

Ask any fan who the greatest player in Orlando Magic history is. The answer is usually limited to just four players: Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard.

Although he’s still a long way from those legendary names, Desmond Benn is slowly making his mark in Orlando.

In his first stint with the Magic, Ben has already made game-winners and scored explosively, silencing critics who turned up their noses at the team’s decision to trade for him in the offseason.

In Wednesday’s 128-122 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Kia Center, Ben had another impressive performance. He scored a game-high 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. He had no turnovers.

According to ESPN Insights, the 27-year-old guard became only third player O’Neal and McGrady set a team history record of 35 points, five assists and zero turnovers in a single game.

Desmond Benn is the third different player in Magic history with 35 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers in a game.

He joins Tracy McGrady (3 times, last in 2003) and Shaquille O’Neal (1994) 🗒️ pic.twitter.com/AJzQvVvebA

– ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) 12 March 2026

Not bad at all for someone who is on his first visit to Orlando.

The Magic won their fifth consecutive game and went up 36–28. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, fell to 40-26.

The Magic dropped their last two meetings against the Cavaliers.

Many eyebrows were raised when the Magic acquired Benn from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four unprotected first-round picks. The consensus was that the Magic gave up too much.

However, Bane has shown his worth. He got off to a slow start as he was still adjusting to his new team, but has since found his rhythm, showcasing the two-way talent that has made him one of the more dependable players in the NBA.

The budding partnership between the Toronto Raptors and Buffalo Bills continues. During the 2025 season, the Raptors expressed their support for the Bills on social media. Now, both teams are taking the next step as Toronto hosts Bills Night 2 this Tuesday.

The architects behind this collaboration are two former Raptors players: Hall of Famer Vince Carter and his cousin Tracy McGrady. During the event, Carter and McGrady talked about the rationale behind the collaboration.

According to Josh Levenberg, he said, “Why not bring the two sports together to support each other rather than against each other?”

Carter says the Bills and Raptors fan bases are very similar in their passion for supporting their home teams. Both Toronto and Buffalo have some of the most passionate fan bases, even earning their own nicknames (Jurassic Park for Toronto, Bills Mafia for Buffalo).

“Seeing what Jurassic Park is like, especially when they’re on the road during the playoffs and things like that. Seeing what the Bills Mafia is, if you’ve never had that opportunity, I recommend it, if you’re not a part of it, just to see it. It’s just something special and (we want) both sides to collaborate and do it together.”

How are Carter and McGrady tied to the Bills? In 2024, the two Raptors alumni, along with Toronto FC forward Joey Altidore, were part of a private equity group that purchased a minority stake of the team. Both Carter and McGrady are now part-owners of the Bills, prompting this collaboration.

The relationship between Toronto and the Bills goes back even further. From 2008 to 2013, the Bills played home games in Toronto as part of a series. Discussions have resurfaced about the Bills playing home games in Toronto following the MLSE partnership between the Bills and Raptors, but Buffalo is focused on opening their new stadium first.

The Raptors lost to the New York Knicks 111-95 on Tuesday night. Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points, while Immanuel Quickley had a double-double of 13 points and 12 assists against his former team.