Yao Ming delays McGrady? Pierce makes amazing remarks. What is the real situation? The answer is given by two data

For Chinese fans, many people's love with the NBA comes from the Rockets. After all, there is Chinese player Yao Ming there, and the stage that makes fans feel most reminiscent is undoubtedly the Yao-McG combination composed of Yao Ming and McGrady. During the cooperation between the two, the Rockets won 22 consecutive victories that created team history at that time. If it weren't for the injury, the Rockets they led should have had better results.

However, Celtic legend Pierce has a completely different view. He believes that Yao Ming has completely delayed McGrady. If McGrady cooperates with other league stars, McGrady's career success will be very high.

This amazing remark came from a podcast show that Pierce participated in, in which he said: You can imagine McGrady joining forces with other superstars, such as he and Garnett, or O'Neal. Some people would say that he had partnered with Yao Ming, but Yao Ming was injured at the time and the game was also a stop. Think about it if McGrady and James join forces? What kind of picture will it be?

So is everything really as Pierce said? Let’s start from the data and see what the actual situation is!

2004-05 season

Regional season record: 51 wins and 31 losses (fifth in the West)

Playoff record: 3-4 Mavericks (first round)

The cooperation between Yao Ming and McGrady began in the summer of 2004. At that time, the Rockets and Magic wanted to make a deal with the Rockets and Magic, who wanted to make changes, and the Rockets sent out the then boss Francis, and got McGrady, whose condition had declined due to injuries. In the first season of cooperation, both of them maintained good attendance rates. Yao Ming played for the team in 80 games, and averaged 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in 30.6 minutes per game. McGrady played in 78 games, and the average time per game was directly full. In 40.8 minutes, he was able to hand over 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets encountered the Mavericks who own Nowitzki. As a result, under the situation of leading the score, the Rockets suffered a defeat in G7 and were finally eliminated 3-4. Yao Ming performed poorly in G1, with only 8 shots in the game, scoring 11 points and 8 rebounds; McGrady contributed the highest 34 points in the game, helping the Rockets win away.

G2 Yao Ming directly ushered in a complete rebound. He showed his terrifying inside dominance, making 13 of 14 shots in the game, scoring the highest 33 points in the game, helping the Rockets take a 2-0 lead.

In the entire playoffs, McGrady averaged 30.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game; Yao Ming contributed 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks, and both of them played the level and performance they should have.

2005-06 season

Regular season record: 34 wins and 48 losses (12th in the West)

In the second season of the cooperation between the two, Yao and Mai suffered injuries in different situations. With the injury of the two main players, the Rockets naturally could not perform well enough in the season and eventually missed the playoffs. In terms of data and attendance, Yao Ming played in 57 games, averaging 22.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game; McGrady played in 47 games, averaging 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

It is not difficult to see that Yao Ming has played longer than McGrath this season, and his offensive performance and data have improved significantly compared to last season, while McGrath has a clear downward trend.

2006-07 season

Regional season record: 52 wins and 30 losses (fifth in the West)

Playoff record: 3-4 Jazz (first round)

Yao Ming was seriously injured this year and only played 48 regular season games throughout the season. However, he still played efficiently enough, averaging 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. McGrady played in 71 games, averaging 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

The Rockets encountered Jazz in the playoffs, and Yao Ming encountered various tactical targets, but he would still be able to pass 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. On the other hand, McGrady has a low offensive efficiency, with less than 40% shooting percentage, and has averaged 25.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.

2007-08 season

Regular season record: 55 wins and 27 losses (fifth in the West)

Playoff record: 2-4 Jazz (first round of the game)

This year, Yao Ming suffered another serious injury and was directly reimbursed for the season. McGrady directly pulled the ball in the playoffs, and he averaged 27.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, but he couldn't beat the Jazz with both fists. In the end, the Rockets lost 2-4 again at the Jazz.

2008-09 season

Regular season record: 53 wins and 29 losses (fifth in the West)

Playoff record: 3-4 Lakers (stopped in the semi-finals)

When Yao Ming returned with full health this year, McGrady was reimbursed due to injury and played in only 35 regular season games. The Rockets are united in this season, and there is always someone who can stand up at critical moments. In the first round of this playoffs, the Rockets met the young Trail Blazers, and Yao Ming performed super well, scoring 28 points with a 100% shooting percentage. With his outstanding performance, the Rockets defeated their opponents 4-2 and finally passed the first round level.

Facing the powerful Lakers in the semi-finals, the Rockets are still brave enough to fight. Yao Ming's return to the arena after struggling in the player channel has been extremely moving. In G1, he scored 28 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Rockets win away. Unfortunately, Yao Ming was troubled by injuries and performed poorly. He even said goodbye to the arena after G3. The Rockets fought hard for seven games and finally lost.. In the time after

, neither Yao Ming nor McGrady were able to continue playing for the team even for a relatively complete season. Finally, Yao Ming officially announced his retirement during the offseason in 2011. McGrady was sent to the Knicks by the Rockets in the mid-season trade in 2010.

During the entire Yao-Mao combination, the team's best record was the 22 consecutive wins in the regular season and the semi-finals reaching the playoffs. Both of them missed many games in the team due to injuries of varying degrees. But in terms of attendance time and data performance, it is obvious that Yao Ming is not the player who is dragging his feet. Therefore, what Pierce said is not valid at all.