Tracy McGrady’s revenge on the Rockets will have to come next season — if he still is in the league.
There was no fairytale finish for McGrady yesterday. These Knicks don’t write storybooks. They just clear cap space.
The unlikely heroes in the Knicks-Rockets showdown a month after their blockbuster trade were ex-Knicks Jared Jeffries, and rookie lottery pick Jordan Hill (13 points, five rebounds).
McGrady finished with 15 points, five assists and seven rebounds, but didn’t get it done in the final minutes against the team he felt “mistreated” him. Meanwhile, Jeffries drew an astounding four charges in the fourth quarter and made two key blocks late, including one on McGrady, as the Rockets rallied for a 116-112 victory at the Garden.
“Jared won the game for them,” said David Lee, whose monster 27-point, 20-rebound, six-assist effort was wasted.
The winner of the Feb. 18 McGrady trade won’t be determined until team president Donnie Walsh takes his swings at big-name free agents this summer. Jeffries and Hill were traded to open up enough cap space for two marquee free agents. But for now, the winner is the Rockets (36-32), who came back from 15 points down after the first quarter to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
McGrady keyed the Knicks’ brilliant opening period when they took a 32-17 lead, doing a little bit of everything. McGrady had eight points in the quarter on 3-of-4 shooting and had five rebounds.
“I felt good,” McGrady said. “Some nights I don’t really feel good because I sit so long and I tighten up. But today I had it, I don’t know if it was because of the extra adrenaline, but I felt good.”
McGrady’s future with the Knicks still is up in the air, and it likely will depend if he’s sincere about not wanting a significant contract.
“That would help,” Walsh told The Post. “We’ll sit down and talk with his agent [after the season].”
The Knicks (25-45) gave back the lead in the second quarter with McGrady on the bench when the Rockets racked up 45 second-quarter points.
McGrady had logged 27:58 by the end of the third quarter and headed to his customary seat on the bench for the fourth. Though McGrady and D’Antoni have an agreement to keep his minutes to around 25, D’Antoni brought him back with 4:55 left and the Knicks up 106-104.
“Yeah told him I wanted to go back in,” McGrady said.
And the Knicks coach had no qualms pulling Al Harrington, hoping a revved-up McGrady would get his storybook finish.
“I thought I had the best five guys playing at that time,” D’Antoni said. “I got that impression he wanted back in. I gave him a chance to go ahead and do it.”
But by then, McGrady had lost his spring, and his perimeter shot was blocked by Jeffries with 3:50 left with the Knicks up 109-107.
Jeffries then drew a charge on Toney Douglas and Rockets jitterbug point guard Aaron Brooks followed with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 110 with 2:02 left.
McGrady bricked a jumper and Brooks a terrific floater over Danilo Gallinari, giving the Rockets the lead for good, 112-110.
But Jeffries was the man. The Knicks have missed his interior defensive presence.
“He does that [drawing charges] and we should’ve remembered it and kicked the ball out,” D’Antoni said.