"I criticize myself. I can take it from anybody, from everybody. I know my ability. And when I do get right, all that (stuff) is put to rest. So kick me when I'm down, because I swear to you, I'll be back up. And when I get back up, I'm going to sit back and I'm going to laugh, man, because I'm going to have the last laugh.

"Right now, I'm down. I'm physically down."

After making five of 15 shots against the 76ers, McGrady is hitting on just 38.7 percent this season, averaging just 15 points per game. This would be the worst shooting season of his career, and his fewest points per game since his second season, when he was still a teenager.

"There are all sorts of things I see out there," he said. "It's tough, man. You think about pretty much seven, eight years being on top, being one of the elites, and then you have a big letdown, a big drop-off, from being one of the elites to being just average, now, and people writing you off, that's frustrating."

--In the last three games before the Rockets will have to make a decision about whether to keep Von Wafer on the roster and let his contract become guaranteed, Wafer has made a strong case.

He has averaged 16.3 points per game in those games, despite playing just 12 minutes in the first of those games. With Ron Artest out of the past two and Tracy McGrady out for one of those games, Wafer has gotten the first two starts of his career.

"To be honest, I haven't even thought about that and that should tell you how I feel about it," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said of any decision about keeping Wafer. "We can't afford (to release him). There's no way. We're shorthanded. We're always shorthanded."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's changed dramatically over the years I've been here. Now, during this stretch, this is by far the worst I've ever seen as far as (team defense). -- Rafer Alston.