Tracy McGrady had harsh words for James Harden after the Houston Rockets bombed out of the postseason on Thursday night. McGrady gave him no benefit of the doubt when he appeared on ESPN’s The Jump on Friday, singling out his “disinterested” performance in a 114-75 Game 6 loss.
In fact, McGrady said Harden should have to apologize for her poor play.
You can catch the full show here for a more thorough breakdown of Harden’s terrible night. McGrady said it looked like Harden “gave a damn about the game,” which sounds encouraging until you realize he means that in an entirely different way.
There’s no justification for this. I’m embarrassed for him. He should be embarrassed. He should apologize to the fan base, to his teammates, to the coaching staff, for that lackluster effort.
McGrady stole the show on a panel that a included Brian Windhorst and Mike Miller. While the other two seemed a bit surprised McGrady was so vocal about the performance, the Hall of Famer dove in further.
You have a chance to tie this series up—and Mike, you laughing—but you have a chance to tie this series up without Kawhai, without Tony Parker, on your home court and you come out like that. You can’t come out like that, I’m sorry. I love James, but today he’s got to get it because that’s uncalled for.
Host Rachel Nichols and Windhorst suggested Harden’s body language was less than ideal on Thursday night, which got McGrady going again.
He looked disinterested. He looked like he didn’t want to be there. And he showed me that he didn’t care about the game by going out afterwards. I mean, seriously.
The Jump then discussed Harden’s postgame activities, which included clubbing and a trip to a strip club, which irked McGrady even more.
This is a very bad look for the city, for the organization. After giving that performance, I know Travis Scott is your man and you cool with him and he’s with Kylie Jenner, but you cannot be seen in Houston after that.
We may never know just what happened to Harden and the Rockets on Thursday night, but when you consider how former players are taking his performance and his actions afterwards, it’s safe to say something went very, very wrong.
