1. Game Where Kobe Elbow Landed On T Mac's Back Pain
2. Game Where Kobe Elbow Landed On T Mac's Back Lyrics

Dec 10, 2012  Tracy McGrady throws elbow, knocks down opponent who scored on, taunted him during Chinese game (VIDEO) Dan Devine Ball Don't Lie December 10, 2012, 8:50 PM UTC. Apr 13, 2016  Watch: Kobe honored in final All-Star Game Retiring Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was introduced last at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game and received. Does T-Mac's desire match his game? It's all a ruse to disguise the fact that T-Mac's really just a small-town kid at heart. Who played with Kobe in 2000-01, and knows the full intricacies.

In recent weeks there's been much hoop-dee-doo about the hottest NBA question:

Who's better: Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady?

So, as long as we're debating comparatives, I'd like to toss up a couple more that have puzzled me for lo these many years. Who's better: Superman or Captain Marvel? Peter, Paul or Mary?

You get the idea. Most debates of this kind are all about taste -- and hype. Which is better: chocolate or vanilla? At the same time, in any dialectical investigation of comparative athletic prowess there's one additional vital consideration that either levels the scales or obviates the entire discussion: function!

For me, the question of Kobe versus T-Mac is artificial and even fatuous, simply because both players are required to perform vastly different functions with their respective teams.

Because Shaq is the most dominant pivotman in the league, the Lakers are best served by playing inside-out basketball. Once Shaq has the ball in the shadow of the basket, few teams can risk having him operate one-on-one. That's why Shaq is routinely doubled-teamed before he receives an entry pass, or else on the 'catch' or the 'first move.' The result of this defensive scrambling is that Shaq's teammates are now playing 4-on-3.

Since 75 percent of the Lakers offense is initiated with an entry pass into Shaq (or the threat thereof), the big man is the deliverer and Kobe functions primarily as a receiver. Only in an open court, or with certain favorable matchups, and also with the shot clock running short, is Kobe encouraged to play one-on-one basketball and either create an open shot for himself or deliver a cunning pass to an unguarded teammate.

Lacking a big man with exquisite post-up moves, the Orlando Magic are forced to play drive-and-kick basketball. Here, the ball is dribbled hoopwards, then passed out to a shooter when the defense collapses. In the Magic's scheme, McGrady's primary job is to flat-out score. Under duress, he becomes responsible for delivering the ball to his teammates.

In the unlikely event that McGrady and Bryant ever switch teams, then their offensive responsibilities would likewise switch.

So forget about who has the quickest first step, who's longer, who's the better shooter -- because function supercedes talent. In truth, comparing Bryant and McGrady on an absolute level is like comparing apples and oranges. If a comparison is what you are looking for, better to isolate each player and evaluate how well he fulfills the demands of his team.

Since I'd already analyzed Bryant's functioning (and misfunctioning) in the Lakers' triangle (see 'Trouble in Paradise' -- 11/1/02, and 'Like Father, Like Kobe' -- 11/4/02), I was anxious to scout McGrady when the Magic visited New York on December 4. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that McGrady was unexpectedly down and out with a twisted ankle suffered two nights before in a home game against the Celtics. So, with McGrady getting intensive treatment and off-limits in the trainer's room, I touched up several friendships and acquaintances with the rest of the team.

Which was a true pleasure. As presently constituted, the Magic will not win the championship this season, but they do lead the NBA in all-around nice guys. The coaches, as well as several veteran players, gush about the joys of working with this group. Also, the players are genial and comfortable not only with each other but with the media as well.

McGrady came to Orlando in August 2000, traded by Toronto for a future first-round draft choice, and Magic coach Doc Rivers' first up-close look at McGrady was a little disconcerting. 'We work really hard in training camp,' says Rivers, 'and Tracy was overwhelmed. He said that they never worked that hard in Toronto. From the get-go in Orlando, playing with intensity has always been a big problem for Tracy, both in ballgames and in practice.'

Two seasons later and McGrady's work ethic remains a work in progress. 'Last year,' says Rivers, 'I'd estimate that Tracy had 50 high-intensity games out of the 76 he played. It's still an up-and-down kind of thing, but he is getting better. Maybe he's up to speed in about three out of four games these days, and he's also working hard in most of our practice sessions.'

Because almost all of the Magic's offense goes through McGrady, the vim and vigor he brings to his game is crucial for the team's success. 'Tracy is our power source,' says Rivers. 'It's up to him to energize the rest of us.'

Orlando's most veteran player is Horace Grant, and he agrees that McGrady's energy level is sometimes inadequate. 'The thing is,' says Grant, 'that Tracy's still only 23, and his competitive nature is still maturing. And, yes, a young player can learn to play with greater intensity. It's a technique, just like good footwork or making an outlet pass. But time is running out. If Tracy doesn't learn to play all out all the time within the next two years, then it'll be too late. Nothing gets unfixable as quickly as bad habits.'

Another teammate has a much more critical scouting report: 'Instead of busting his butt on defense, Tracy likes to take short cuts. He gambles and cheats so much that he puts the rest of us in jeopardy.'

Though he wouldn't be playing against the Knicks, McGrady showed up for the player introductions in his game sweats, and then took a seat on the bench. Say what? Turned out that the young man anticipated that he'd be playing and came to the Garden wearing blue jeans. When the team doctor evaluated the ankle injury and said nix, McGrady was too embarrassed to sit on the bench wearing down-home duds, so he climbed into his uniform.

Even without their (and the league's) high scorer, the Magic beat the hapless Knicks, 98-97.

I caught up with McGrady after the game and was surprised once again. Of course, I've seen the kid on TV numerous times, and his oncourt body language suggested that here was another self-congratulating dunk-o-maniac, just one more run-of-the-mill NBA bonehead. That's why I was delighted by McGrady's soft and humble manner. Forget his post-dunk yowlings, and his smug superstar smiles ... it's all a ruse to disguise the fact that T-Mac's really just a small-town kid at heart.

So what does McGrady think about the critiques of his defense? 'I know that I have to get better,' he says. 'I think I'm OK guarding somebody straight-up, but I'm too slow recognizing when I have to rotate to the ball. In this league, it's very easy to get embarrassed out there if your defense is lame. Hey, I know, because I've been on both ends of the deal. But I'm starting to take pride in my defense and I'm working hard to improve it. Someday, I hope I'll be good enough to make the all-defensive team.'

OK, but what about the Tracy vs. Kobe controversy? Is it just a media-inspired frenzy, or does it really mean something to the players involved?

According to Horace Grant, who played with Kobe in 2000-01, and knows the full intricacies of the triangle offense, 'Kobe is totally into proving that he's better than Tracy. Last week, when the Lakers came to Orlando, Kobe was breaking plays left and right, just forcing shot after shot, trying to outscore Tracy.'

And McGrady? 'Well,' he says, 'to tell you the truth, as late as last season, I did get caught up in trying to prove that I was better than Kobe. But not any more. It's a huge compliment that people even consider me to be one of the best players in the league. But I've learned to focus on winning.'

OK, OK … but, besides Shaq, who is the NBA's premier player?

'There's no question about it,' says McGrady. 'It's Kobe and he's got three rings to prove it.'

In other words, the ultimate function is to win championships.

Charley Rosen, a former coach in the Continental Basketball Association, has been intimately involved with basketball for the better part of five decades -- as a writer, a player, a coach and a passionate fan. Rosen's books include 'More Than a Game,'The Cockroach Basketball League,'The Wizard of Odds: How Jack Molinas Almost Destroyed the Game of Basketball,'Scandals of '51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball' and 'The House of Moses All-Stars: A Novel.'

Remember the days when the Los Angeles Lakers walked on rarefied hoops air, when all the breaks seemed to go their way and the rest of the NBA (save for the rival Boston Celtics, of course) was envious of their charmed existence?

The halcyon times have turned hellish, all right. And Thursday was the latest proof.

Game Where Kobe Elbow Landed On T Mac's Back Pain

Just as Kobe Bryant was working his way back into form from his April Achilles tendon tear and his undermanned, under-.500 (10-11) team was trying to make the best of an already-bad situation, an MRI revealed a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of point guard Steve Blake's right elbow that will keep him out at least six weeks. Now Blake will never find his way onto a Hall of Fame ballot, so this is not quite the same as the Lakers seeing big man Dwight Howard skip town like he did as a free agent last summer. But the ripple effect of the injury is brutal for Bryant, as it means he'll be forced to play point guard at a time when he had made it abundantly clear that he wanted to do nothing of the sort.

And how's this for timing? On this four-game road trip which follows the Lakers' 0-2 start with Bryant back in the fold, the 35-year-old who has been wearing a heat pad during games on his left ankle because of continued tightness will have both ankles tested by the likes of relentless All-Star Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) on Friday, young waterbug Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats) on Saturday, slithery scorer Jeff Teague (Atlanta Hawks) on Saturday and superb talent Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) on Tuesday.

'Unfortunately, yes,' Bryant, who recently signed a two-year, $48.5 million extension, told news reporters when asked if he was the team's new starting point guard. 'We'll have some adjustments to make.'

It's good, old-fashioned bad luck, and that's an entirely new concept in Laker Land.

Game Where Kobe Elbow Landed On T Mac's Back Lyrics

To wit, the surprising acquisition of point guard Steve Nash two summers ago was seen by even the most discerning critics as a boon, but his two-season long struggle to stay healthy continues in the most unfair of ways and he last played more than a month ago (nerve root irritation). Offseason pickup Jordan Farmar was playing good basketball before he tore his left hamstring on Dec. 1, and he remains at least a couple weeks away from a return.

Everything that can go wrong is for coach Mike D'Antoni and his crew, and the sliver of hope out there on the horizon may only be reachable if things continue to get worse.

If the Lakers' fortunes spirals so far South that they wind up as one of the worst teams in the NBA, now is the time to do it. They have their draft pick for this coming June, and the forthcoming crop of talent is widely seen as one of the best in a long, long time. If Bryant and a free agent superstar of his choice can be joined this summer one of the young elites, then maybe this will all be worth it in the end.

For now, though? The Lakers aren't enjoying this comeuppance very much.