Perhaps it’s safe to say the excitement surrounding Tracy McGrady’s arrival to Qingdao and the CBA’s Double Star Eagles has worn off. In his debut, T-Mac got stripped clean with 10 seconds to go in a tie game, then watched Sundiata Gaines drill a buzzer-beater on the other end. Less than a week later, his team entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead against Bayi, only to lose it and then watch China’s resident old-timer, Wang Zhizhi, hit a game-winning five-footer (controversy notwithstanding, as the game clock started late and probably gave Wang the extra half-second he needed to get the shot off).
Several games later, still-winless Qingdao welcomed Liaoning into its frigid building — a circuit malfunction cut off all heat — and proceeded to lose by 30. Could anyone blame T-Mac for sprinting off the court after a foul with 2:37 left in the first quarter?
Apparently he had the runs. “Fans were dumbstruck,” according to ifeng. A Qingdao staffer told the reporter, “His stomach wasn’t feeling very well, no biggie.”
McGrady wouldn’t return until the second half. He finished with a season-low 10 points in the 114-84 loss. No biggie. Six defeats in six games, and only two of them close. (Note: Qingdao lost yesterday in Beijing to fall to 0-7.) It’s no wonder that the home fans began chanting, “Break em up!” at its hapless squad. Youku video for those in China after the jump (T-Mac runs off the court just after the 23-minute mark).
