Tracy McGrady underlines how Kobe Bryant helped Shaquille O'Neal win 2000 NBA championship: "I was like this mf arrived"

Tracy McGrady recently disregarded the narrative that Kobe Bryant was just the second option or Shaquille O’Neal’s sidekick during the LA Lakers’ three-peat run. McGrady pointed to a specific moment from the 2000 NBA Finals.

“When I'm watching the NBA Finals and Shaq fouls out of that game, and Kobe took over, I'm running around my house going crazy watching my dude take over this game,” McGrady said on Wednesday, via "Gil’s Arena." “That's when I was like this motherf***er arrived, he is that dude.

“So when I'm watching him at that time, I'm not looking at him to be a sidekick or a second option. I'm looking at him like he's that dude.”

McGrady referred to Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers. O’Neal was dominant throughout the game, but with 2:33 left in overtime, he fouled out.

Bryant stepped up, scoring eight of the team’s 16 points in OT, and knocked down three of his last four shots. He finished with 28 points, leading the Lakers to a 120-118 victory.

The win prevented Indiana from tying the series 2-2 and change the momentum of the finals. LA went on to finish the job in six games, capturing its first of three consecutive championships.

Tracy McGrady reflects on the opportunity to put up a better performance than Kobe Bryant’s 81 points

Tracy McGrady put on a show in the Orlando Magic’s game against Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2004. McGrady scored 62 points but he was not satisfied despite his career-high performance.

The Hall of Famer admitted on Arenas' podcast on Wednesday that he didn’t feel like he was at his best. He added that he could have topped Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game that came almost two years later.

“I remember going back to the locker room and I was like, ‘He wasn’t even on fire,'” Arenas said, via "Gil's Arena." “He was supposed to have like 80, 90 here.”

“This was before the 81,” McGrady said. “If he had the 81, man, I probably would have locked in a little bit.”

Even though he scored 62, McGrady wasn’t as efficient as he would've wanted. While he shot 54.05%, he was just 35.7% from beyond the arc and 65.4% from the free-throw line. If he was sharper late in the game, he could have crossed the 80-point mark.