The rest of the NBA finally got to see last weekend what many Orlando Magic fans already knew: Not only is Tracy McGrady one of the game's most dynamic dunkers, but he also is on par with the best players in the game.

Kobe Bryant won the Most Valuable Player award, but McGrady stole the show with one highlight-worthy play after another. He drained jumpers, slashed to the hoop and almost single-handedly got the East back in the game in the third quarter with his do-everything play.

But the play that still has the basketball world buzzing was McGrady's pass-off-the-backboard dunk. Leading the fastbreak in the second quarter, McGrady lulled Dirk Nowitzki to sleep by underhanding the ball up toward the backboard. Only, McGrady kept charging down the lane, caught the self-pass and dunked the ball to the delight of the crowd.

Again, it was not a surprise to Magic fans. If you will remember, he used a similar move in the preseason last year in Boston, dunking over Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker.

"Once I hit my first shot in the game, my confidence rose and I was going to try anything out there,'' McGrady said. "They thought I was throwing a lob, but I had that dunk planned all the way down the court. Once the defenders turned their heads, it was lights, camera, action.''

So how much can one dunk do for McGrady's stature as a superstar? In essence, he already is every bit the equal of Bryant -- minus the 350-pound bodyguard in the lane named Shaquille O'Neal. And it is not even close when stacking his game up next to that of Vince Carter. So when the game's best players are mentioned now, McGrady is sure to be included.

"We already knew that he was great, but I think that game cemented the idea in other people's minds,'' Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "Before, a lot of people thought he MIGHT be one of the best players. But in that All-Star Game he showed that he is very capable of being the best player in the game.''


They once booed Santa Claus, Mike Schmidt, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Darren Daulton's kid during a father-son game and a frisbee-catching dog at halftime. They even cheered a motionless Michael Irvin and were so rowdy last June that the NBA moved the Los Angeles Lakers championship celebration into the locker room. So why should we be surprised at the pettiness and boorish nature of the Philadelphia fans that mercilessly booed hometown boy Bryant?
Philly fancies itself as a basketball hotbed and home to some of the most knowledgeable fans in all of sports. But their tough-guy attitude and treatment of some of sports' top stars is just a joke. The City of Brotherly Love? Gimme a break.


Speaking of the Curse of Philadelphia, consider this: Theo Ratliff, George Lynch and Tyrone Hill have played a combined three games since getting traded by the Sixers.

Larry Bird took time off from playing golf in Naples last week and weighed in on several topics in the NBA. In a nutshell, Bird told ESPN.com that the Celtics are not a serious threat until they land a center, that he wouldn't mind returning to the NBA in a front office capacity so he could build his own team -- are you listening Jerry Reinsdorf? -- and how he is irked by the league's poor shooting. "They never seem to get any better, though they keep shooting,'' said Bird, a career 50-percent shooter. "That's what turns me off the most."

What can $85 million buy you? Apparently, it can get you an underachieving basketball team that can't finish out games.
The New York Knicks already have blown double-digit leads in eight losses. They led Indiana by 20 before losing 103-95; the L.A. Clippers by 18 before losing 112-110; Detroit by 16 before losing 100-97; Orlando by 16 before losing 94-90; Cleveland by 15 before losing 98-88; Washington by 14 before losing 87-86; and Boston by 10 before losing 90-81 and Philadelphia by 10 before losing 97-89. Ouch!


Michael Jordan just might win the league's MVP award, but he says that he is not even the MVP of his own team. That honor, Jordan stressed, would go to Washington power forward Popeye Jones.
Jones has become Washington's top rebounder (7.9) after being penciled in as a backup to Christian Laettner and No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown prior to the season. But when Laettner got hurt and the youthful Brown proved to be overmatched, Jones stepped in and provided toughness and veteran leadership in the middle for the surprising Wiz kids.


Don't look now, but Rasheed Wallace is flipping out again. Wallace was whistled for four technical fouls in a five-game span just before the All-Star break to push his season total to 17. Wallace now has been called for 96 technical fouls during the past 21/2 seasons.
Remarkably, Portland rookie coach Maurice Cheeks said last week that he does not mind his power forward showing emotion on the court. But doesn't he realize that Wallace has become little more than a circus act now, overshadowing his tremendous basketball skills? Think Dennis Rodman with one hair color.


Add Marc Jackson and Danny Fortson's names to the long list of players who have publicly demanded a trade out of Golden State, the Devil's Island of the NBA. In case you are keeping a running list, the others are: Chris Webber, Tim Hardaway, Rony Seikaly and Latrell Sprewell.

With numerous injuries along their front line, Houston has been playing skinny rookies Terence Morris and Eddie Griffin at center and power forward lately. They are being calling the Thin Towers.

Denton's top 10: 1. Lakers; 2. Nets; 3. Kings; 4. Mavericks; 5. Bucks; 6. Spurs; 7. Timberwolves; 8. Raptors; 9. Pistons; 10. Celtics.