NBA Playoffs: The Tracy McGrady Awards
26.0 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 54.7 FG%
Full disclosure from me on this one — I’m a believer in Howard. I think his time with the Los Angeles Lakers was marred by the supporting cast as opposed to anything Howard didn’t accomplish. With this Houston team, he was overshadowed for most of the season by James Harden, but this playoff series showed that Howard is still worthy of top billing.
The fact is, Howard was terrific in this series. He was a beast in the paint and only shot under 50 percent in Game 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s not known as a great foul shooter, so shooting over 64 percent in four games (and over 52 percent in the two others) is something that should be viewed as positive.
The fact that Howard was extremely consistent is also worth noting. He scored between 22 and 32 in every game, had between 11 and 15 rebounds and between two and four blocks in all six games of the series. Sure, he’s not going to bust out and give you a 40-20 game ala Shaquille O’Neal, but he was awesome in what he did this series and because the Rockets lost, nobody will care.