The campaign is entitled March is a Brotherhood ... and I hope that the four colleges chosen do not represent the teams these four players think will win the tournament. Because that would make T-Mac a cockeyed optimist, and Garnett delusional.

Unfortunately, an earlier version of this commercial featuring Tatum Bell was deemed inappropriate.

The other two commercails can be found here.

Adidas Launches March Is A Brotherhood Spots [First Cuts]

Warriors can't hang with the Rockets. Houston's 119-108 win against a depleted Golden State team was never in doubt, thanks especially to a 24-10-9 performance from Tracy McGrady. Left with a pretty thin roster thanks to injuries and the Al Harrington trade the Warriors resigned themselves to a night of 22 jacked-up threes. Sadly they made just four of them. Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford, the team's foremost veteran scorers, combined to shoot 3-21 from the field. So yeah, Don Nelson is going to be pretty hungover this morning.

14 and counting. Boston trailed New Orleans by a point at the half, but they emerged from their home locker room intent on locking up their 14th straight win. The Hornets were held to just 35% by the stifling Celtic defense while Paul Pierce led the way on the other end with 28 points.

11 isn't bad either. Cleveland extended their own winning streak behind LeBron's 28-7-7 night at Philadelphia's expense. The Sixers out-shot and out-rebounded the Cavs, but they were done in by their 20 turnovers.

Richardson's debut. Jason Richardson was one of three Suns to score 21 points, although the two he scored on a reverse alley-oop stood out from the rest. Grant Hill added the final two for Phoenix to clinch a 113-112 win over Orlando. Dwight Howard was dominant at times, although he played just 23 minutes.

T-Mac print from Free Darko. Buy the book, it is changing lives.

The Chronicle explores the journalistic no-man's land between impartial reporting and the opinion page with their new, fun graphic: The T-Mac Injury Ticker. Now, readers of the paper's online Rockets' home page (I presume that it's in the print edition as well) can keep track at a glance of games missed and cost incurred during McGrady's lengthy knee injury hiatus. McGrady has said that he may stay out until Christmas to rest his knee, so this is just starting to get interesting. It's the Chronicle's T-Mac Injury Ticker vs. McGrady's Operation Shutdown. Let's watch the fun!

However, the Chronicle seems to be at odds with itself. On the one hand you've got the injury ticker, which in effect calls McGrady a malingerer who is stealing money. And then you've got today's Chronicle column by Richard Justice, which includes the observation: "McGrady doesn’t have to prove he’s a tough guy. He is. Anyone who thinks otherwise is clueless. Nor does he have to prove anything about how much he cares. He does care. Forget that three-week timetable for allowing his injured left knee to heal. He’ll be back when he’s back."

Of course the real fun will come in January once McGrady is back playing, when Chronicle reporters attempt to get some quotes.

Houston Rockets [Houston Chronicle]
The Houston Chronicle Seems To Dislike Tracy McGrady [Fan IQ]

Entering the camp, McGrady was a 17-year-old mystery from central Florida, unmentioned on most top-500 recruiting lists. So everyone in the gym took notice as he slowed at the top of the key to wait for the much-hyped Felton. When the big man caught up, McGrady stared him down, then took off a couple of strides inside the free throw line. Felton jumped too, but just as his fingers grazed the ball palmed in his opponent's right hand, McGrady whipped it down to his waist. In the next instant, he grabbed it with his left and windmilled it through the hoop so fiercely that it should have dented the floor. By the time the unheralded prep landed, he was the next big thing. Dozens of fans and players tumbled onto the court, yelling and high-fiving, temporarily halting the game. All Felton could do was shake his head, scratch his cheek and try not to look the victim. But the damage was done. The country's most-sought-after big had been owned. "It was one of the best basketball moments of my life," recalls Odom. "An I'm-ready-to-get-drafted type of move. I'd never seen anyone do something like that, not even in the NBA."

Feldman’s story ends sadly. McGrady goes on to be a multi-millionaire All-Star while James Felton’s life falls apart. Feldman traces their career arcs from this moment and while the construct might be artificial, the central concept, that some dunks are big enough to change the way we think, is not.

In much less maudlin terms the story left me thinking about the dunks I remember most from my life as a sports fan. We all have these moments stored away in our minds but we remember lots of them from television viewings. Which, to be honest, is not the way a dunk was truly meant to be experienced. With a catchphrase or an attempted witty quip from a desk-bound anchor. It strips away the primordial fury of the dunk. The soaring through the air, the unexpectedness of it, the sheer power. When you’re watching highlights on television you’re expecting to see the otherworldly. Watching a game in person when something spectacular happens, that’s when the true impact of the dunk is felt. So here are the three dunks I remember most.

The first wasn’t during a game or any particular athletic event. We’d just come back from summer break and were freshmen in high school. My best friend, Ian, had spent the summer refining his dunk attempts but none of us had seen him be successful so far. Then, during lunch break, he took a basketball and dunked. Having a friend your same age who could dunk suddenly makes you realize that you’re getting older. An actual friend who could dunk? Wow. Sex was sure to come soon. Even if, you know, it wasn't. I know the first guy able to grow a mustache gets a lot of pre-adolescent tail, but the first guy who could dunk in your high school? All of a sudden the sky was the limit for Ian. Chicks dig big verticals.

The second also happened in high school. My school, Martin Luther King, was playing Shawn Marion’s team from just up the road in Clarksville. During warm-ups Marion’s head almost touch the rim on the lay-up line. He was very thin and gangly and his arms and legs seemed a bit disjointed from the rest of his body. Even now when you watch Marion play on television there’s something a bit awkward about the way his body moves. So imagine this same movement during his junior year. It was a summer league game and a guy on the team, Jamie, was supposed to have the back side of the rim covered. Then, out of nowhere, it happened so quickly I could barely tell what was happening, a lob was in the air and Marion came soaring from what seemed like the roof of the gym. It was unbelievable. The most explosive athletic move I’d ever witnessed up to that point. Jamie never saw it coming. Which was probably fortunate because at least this way he only ended up with Marions nuts on the back of his head instead of his face. Marion hung on the rim and straddled him for a moment before coming back to earth. Every player on both teams just stopped playing. Except for Jamie who was trying to run back up to the court.

During the next timeout he said to my friend D.J., “How come you didn’t yell backdoor?”
And D.J., whose mouth was still agape, said, “Because I wanted to see what happened.”

From that day forward everyone knew that there were good athletes and there were great athletes and there was a tremendous line between the two.

Finally, during my sophomore year at George Washington University, GW and Xavier were locked in a very tight game that would decide the outcome of the A-10 West. There was a breakaway and then-sophomore James Posey of Xavier got the ball. Only GW’s 6’7 brute Spaniard, Antxon Iturbe, stood in the way. Iturbe had a vertical leap of about 24 inches on a good day so he had no hope to challenge Posey at the rim. Instead of fouling him as hard as he could, Iturbe decided to set up in the middle of the lane and take a charge. Only Posey never slowed down. Instead Posey took flight just inside the free throw line, cocked the ball behind his head, slammed into Iturbe and never stopped going. It appeared he might float all the way into the white retaining wall behind the basket. Instead he reached the rim and slammed the ball with such force that a raucous Smith Center crowd went completely silent. You could hear a pin drop all of a sudden. Even the white kids from parochial high schools who had been taught to take charges their entire lives didn’t speak. There was no foul called because I think the referee was too shocked to call the charge. But I’ll never forget that moment of complete silence that followed the dunk. I’d never before, and never have heard again, a home arena go so silent in an instant, all in awe over the awesome power of a dunk. To this day, every dunk I’ve ever seen is compared to that one single dunk that doesn't even exist in cyberspace anymore. And all have been found lacking.

The Wrong Side of Great [ESPN]

With the Rockets down 2-0 and now playing in Utah, it's not looking like McGrady is gonna make it out of the first round this year either. And he's joking about it, kind of.

"It's my fault," McGrady said. "It's my fault we missed free throws. It's my fault we lost both games. Blame me. It's my fault we fouled to tie the game up. That's my fault. It's my fault they get easy layups. It's my fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault. Everything is my fault. It's my fault. It's T-Mac's fault. Everybody's blaming me. The Suns (for being down 2-0 to the Spurs). I mean, everybody. That's what it seems like. It's my fault. I'm out there by myself."

At this rate, in 2011, when a McGrady-led Atlanta Hawks fail to get past a Shaq-captained New York Knicks squad in the first round, he will take responsibility for the ongoing Democratic presidential nomination battle as well. (Which will still be going on then.) And everyone will believe him.

With Wink And Nod, T-Mac Takes Blame [Houston Chronicle]

Admist the wreckage of Houston's two-game deficit stands McGrady, one of the league's best through-three-quarters superstars, a guy who seems doomed destined to be remembered as the greatest player never to make it out of the first round. He had a great game — 23 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots — and Doug Collins repeatedly praised his brilliance while constantly reminding viewers that, should the Rockets lose this series, it won't be Tracy McGrady's fault. Yet T-Mac scored one point in the fourth quarter on 0-for-4 shooting. Mostly 'cause he was exhausted.

Said McGrady: "I had no legs. I was on empty. Banging with Matt Harpring, trying to rebound, trying to make plays for my team, trying to score, playing 43 minutes. That's a lot."

Yeah, it is. But still ... can you imagine Bird, or Jordan, or Magic, or hell, even LeBron or Kobe saying something like that? It's vintage McGrady: He did everything he could possibly do win, yet his team still fell a little bit short ... through no fault of his own. Just ask him.

Meanwhile, Utah continues to hand-feed all those "They can't win on the road" rumors to their critics. Deron Williams — despite a sore ass — had 22 points and 6 assists, the Turkish Assassin added 16 points and 16 boarded, and the rest of the Jazz continued to do what they do: Bump, bang, defend, pick, roll, and win. The mercy killing continues on Thursday on TNT.

Regret is a hard thing to live with. I wonder if DeShawn Stevenson is starting to realize that right about now? Mr. Overrated shelled the Locksmith (again) by going off for 30 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 blocked shots. And unlike Game 1 — which the Wizards lost by only 93-86 despite playing poorly — there were no moral victories in Game 2. It was 116-83 blowout that represented the most lopsided win in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 112-game playoff history.

And what about Gilbert Arenas, who said, "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round" and "We don't think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight"? Do you s'pose he'd rather be playing, say, the Hawks or Raptors? I do. Especially after last night's 7-point, 2-for-10 shooting performance.

Washington's plan for the series has been pretty obvious: Invite LeBron into the butcher's shop and then work him the hell over. Turns out that was the worst plan since, well, Plan 9 From Outer Space. King James rose to the challenge, scoring 14 in the third quarter and helping the Cavs blow the lead up to 25 points despite the thuggery of Brendan Haywood, who got the big bronze boot after sending Bron-Bron out of bounds with a flagrant foul. LeBron was pissed — and rightfully so — but all the outrage probably has Kurt Rambis doing gymnastics in his grave. (The McHale/Rambis clothesline has been taken down by the YouTube Nazis, by the way.)

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 points and 9 rebounds to Cleveland's cause, and Wally Szczerbiak said "Suck it, Larry Hughes!" by scoring 15 on 6-for-9 shooting. Stevenson and Caron Butler scored 12 a piece and Antawn Jamison had 9, but the three combined to shoot 12-for-33 from the field. The series is now 2-0 and heading back to Washington.

We were pleased to see former Illini Deron Williams and Dee Brown advance to the Western Conference semifinals with the Jazz's win over the Rockets on Saturday night, but it brought us no joy to see the likable and seemingly doomed Tracy McGrady fail once again to push his team out of the first round. Free Darko muses on McGrady's slow march of anguish.

There are many ways to dampen the tragedy of T-Mac, but none of them can wish it away. After all is said and done, and no matter what people make of it, he still tried, tried, and has nothing to show for it. ... Here's why McGrady is different: at this point, his story is just plain sad. The injuries, the numerous lost loved ones, the depression, and the playoff woes—all of it together will get you down even if you're not looking for it. While Iverson or Garnett certainly take losing seriously, to some degree they leave that angst on the court. With McGrady, though, there's no separation between what we know of his personal life and the miserable cliche his career has become. ... If there's no reassurance to be found, it's because the ballad of Tracy McGrady is immune to sports. See him on the streets, and you'd probably try to hug him. And on some level, I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

For the record, though, we wouldn't recommend trying to hug McGrady if you see him. The guy has enough problems.

The Color Of Pigeons [Free Darko]

(Associated Press photo.)

Tracy McGrady assumed full responsibility for the outcome before Houston's series against Utah, then went out in Game 7 and did the Yeoman's work and still came up short. Then, in the postgame press conference, he couldn't run from the responsibility and ended up walking away in tears (thanks to TheHype at the FanHouse for the video).

And just to pile on the Rockets, the New York Post's Peter Vecsey is reporting that Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy is done in Houston, too. JVG is walking away from the job, says Vecsey's source, in order to "distance himself from the stress of the sidelines." That's odd, he certainly doesn't look like a stressed-out guy.

It's a parade of sadness in Houston right now.

Van Gundy Retires - Again [New York Post]
Tracy McGrady Tears Up During Press Conference [NBA Fanhouse]

"I was definitely 'AK-47' tonight," he said, smiling.

Sure, dude, whatever. Anyway, the Jazz win sets up the playoffs' first Game Seven matchup, Saturday night in Houston. And, more than anyone else, Tracy McGrady will be the center of everyone's attention. If the guy can't make it out of the first round this time, with the Jazz vulnerable and Golden State sitting there, tantalizing, in the second round, then Mr. McGrady is going to have almost as much explaining to do as Mr. Nowitzki.

Kirilenko Saves The Day, Jazz [Salt Lake Tribune]
It's On You, Tracy McGrady? Then It's On You [The Fanhouse]

If you ever wondered how Tracy McGrady would do in a sheep-tossing contest, this new commercial for some Vitamin Water thing finally provides you with an answer. It's not every day you see an NBA superstar in a kilt.

Get That Weak Sheep Out Of Here [You Been Blinded]

McGrady has famously never won a playoff series, but if the Rockets can outlast the Jazz — the win last night puts them up 3-2 in a series in which every game has been won by the home team — it will be entirely because of him. He scored 26 points and dished out 16 assists in the pivotal series game; his extra gear is the only thing that separates the two teams. It's kind of amazing to watch, though if the Rockets somehow blow this series, you'll never be able to peel McGrady off the ceiling. Time to finish it off.

Anyway, in the other games last night — it's all precursor for the Warriors-Mavs series anyway — the Cavaliers finally put the Wizards out of their misery and San Antonio made everyone forget their series with the Nuggets was ever tied. But the story from last night was McGrady, who might just finally get out of the first round, thanks entirely to himself.

Tracy McGrady Takes Responsibility [The Fanhouse]

• The Night Chicago Died. Tracy McGrady is drinking the happy powder, as his 31 points on Monday marked his sixth straight game with 30 or more, Houston beating Chicago 84-77. But it took him awhile to ignite; 15 of his 31 came in the fourth quarter. It was the sixth straight 30-point performance for McGrady. Chicago went 30-for-82, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range. Ben Gordon led Chicago with 24 points.

• Attention Loge Section: Can Anyone Here Defend The Post? It was Depleted Roster night in Denver on Monday ... seriously, they were grabbing people from the snack bar line to play. Fortunately Marcus Camby had returned from a finger injury to score 19 points and grab 15 rebounds, leading the Nuggets over the Bucks 104-92. The Bucks were missing guard Michael Redd (strained left knee), guard Mo Williams (sprained left shoulder during the game) and forward Charlie Villanueva (injured right shoulder). The Nuggets were without Allen Iverson, who sprained his right toe. The team said X-rays were negative and listed him as probable for Wednesday night against San Antonio. Denver was also missing Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith (suspended for brawling with the Knicks last month).

• One Small Step For A Man, One Giant Leap For The Clippers. Sam Cassell took the court for the first time since mid-December and scored 31 points to lead the Clippers over the Hornets 100-90. Cassell had missed seven games with — say it with us — plantar fasciitis in his left heel.

We'd like to thank We Are The Postmen for directing us in the general direction of this set of pictures from Rockets star Tracy McGrady's wedding, which took place in Las Cabos, Mexico. McGrady, when not shirtless in the pictures, looks pretty sharp, but it's his wife Clarinda who steals the show, as brides tend to do at these things.

She's got a busty dress, but she also poses for some tastefully done nude shots and features a close-up of a G-string, which did not happen at our parents' wedding, as far as we know. (Not that Dad didn't wear his fair share of G-strings, but the site of them caused blood to pour out of the photographer's eyes.) By the way, McGrady's friends kind of seem like dorks.

Clarinda And Tracy [Our Soiree] (via We Are The Postmen)

(UPDATE: Turns out, The Big Lead was all over this a bit ago. Nice work, anonymous folks of leisure!)