.:SHOE REVIEWS:.

NIKE     [ Air Max Duncan II ] [ Air Futuristic ] [ Air Hyperflight ]
[ Air Jordan XVII ] [ Air Kidd ] [ Air Payton IV ] [ VC Shox ]

ADIDAS     [ ClimaCool ] [ KOBE TWO ] [ T-Mac ]

AND 1     [ Kg Select ] [ Silky Smooth ]

REEBOK     [ Answer V ] [ X-Beam Franchise ]

ADIDAS T-MAC

T-Mac, that's who. This year Tracy McGrady gets a new ride that's made for him and bears his name. And like T-Mac the player, T-Mac the shoe delivers on the court.

by Professor K, posted January 16, 2002

It's uncanny how some things manage to stay the same. Flash back to the 2000 - 2001 NBA season when the Orlando Magic's hopes were dashed by Grant Hill's season-ending surgery, Doc Rivers was getting an undermanned Magic team to overperform on an almost nightly basis, and Tracy McGrady was quickly making himself a household name. Jump forward to 2002 and the only thing that's changed is that Tracy McGrady, voted the NBA's most improved player of the year for the 2000 - 2001 season, now is a household name and he's bringing it to all comers in his own signature ride, the adidas T-Mac.

Unlike last year, when McGrady's shoe, named the adidas Mad Handle, bore a clear familial resemblance to the adidas The KOBE, this year's adidas T-Mac stands apart, while still staying true to adidas' roots. The primary visual element in the T-Mac's design is the modified shell-toe element that covers the toe of the shoe and then wraps around and into the midfoot. This is an interesting riff on adidas' classic shell-toe design as seen on shoes like the adidas Superstar 2G and Promodel 2G. A modified shell-toe design is also integrated into the KOBETWO, but in a completely different way. It's nice to see adidas' designers play with this classic design element and apply it in bold new ways.

But the shell-toe is not simply a design element. It also provides a functional benefit in that it protects the wearer's toes from getting crushed by the wayward feet of other players. The shell-toe design also makes the shoe more durable, which is a big plus for people who play both indoors and out. The toe area of a hoops shoe sees a lot of wear-and-tear during outdoor play and the tough rubber cap will take a lot more abuse than a traditional leather toe would. Finally, the extension of the rubber material of the shell-toe around the lateral side of the shoe and into the midfoot provides an added measure of lateral support, which is a good thing for players who do a lot of cutting and slashing to the basket.

One other design element that distinguishes the adidas T-Mac is its hidden midsole. The T-Mac does have a midsole, but the material of the upper covers it. This sort of hidden midsole design is becoming increasingly popular, particularly for high-end hoops shoes, because it allows for a cleaner, less "technical" overall appearance. The hidden midsole also gives the adidas T-Mac a low-profile look, as though your feet will almost be touching the court.

The potential downside of a hidden midsole design is that, without an exposed midsole to wrap up along the sides of the foot, lateral support and stability can be compromised. But, in the case of the T-Mac, the adidas team has done a great job of enhancing lateral support and stability through the use of the extended shell-toe at the forefoot through the midfoot, adidas' trademark TORSION system at the midfoot and a solid heel counter at the heel. The end result is a shoe that feels more supportive and stable than the majority of shoes with traditional, exposed midsoles.

Perhaps it was the due to the psychological effect of the hidden midsole design, but one of the things that I immediately noticed and liked about the adidas T-Mac on my first wearing was its low-to-the-court feel, particularly at the forefoot. By placing the foot closer to the ground the adidas T-Mac provides a very responsive feel -- as though your foot is directly connected to the court. Players who do a lot of cutting, slashing and driving will be big fans of the court-feel provided by the T-Mac.

The next thing that I noticed and liked about the T-Mac was its cushioning. It felt much more springy or reactive than previous adidas hoops shoes that I've tested. This seems to be due to the particularly dense foam sockliner employed in the shoe. In addition to its more reactive feel, the sockliner in the T-Mac is also different from those found in most other adidas hoops shoes in that it is not removable. This could be a problem for people who use custom orthotic insole inserts, but everyone else will only notice the sockliner's great cushioning feel. One thing I should note, though, is that even though the sockliner appears to be made of a dense foam, it will almost certainly breakdown before the midsole, meaning that the T-Mac will probably lose its extra-springy feel well before it loses its ability to provide cushioning and impact protection.

Speaking of cushioning and impact protection, the adidas T-Mac provides plenty of it via what I'm fairly certain is a compressed EVA (CMEVA) midsole augmented with adiPRENE + at the forefoot. The dense CMEVA should prove to be very durable and the adiPRENE + at the forefoot should continue to provide responsive cushioning at the forefoot, even after the foam in the sockliner has broken down. This trifecta of a springy sockliner, dense CMEVA midsole and adiPRENE + at the forefoot works very well and I did not feel any degradation in cushioning performance through my five test wearings of the T-Mac.

Moving up to the upper, the adidas T-Mac provides good fit and very good comfort. The T-Mac has a squared off toe-box, which provides plenty of room at the toes. The shoe is also quite wide at the forefoot, which is a big plus for people with wide feet. I was a bit concerned at first that the shoe might actually be too wide up-front and be unable keep my feet locked in place. But somehow adidas has managed to provide very good fit at the forefoot while also accommodating a wide range of foot widths.

And, though the T-Mac is cut relatively low, the densely padded ankle and the lacing system that runs nearly to the top of the shoe combine to provide a surprisingly good amount of ankle support. Together with the solid heel counter the adidas T-Mac is a shoe that provides confidence inspiring amounts of support and stability. During my first test wearing I experienced some heel-slip, but once the synthetic leather upper was broken-in that ceased to be a problem.

Finally, the inner of the T-Mac is very nearly stitch-free and any areas where chafing could have been a problem are completely stitch free. It's clear that adidas put a lot of thought into both the visible and non-visible parts of the T-Mac, something that my feet very much appreciated.

To sum up, the adidas T-Mac is a shoe that delivers on all fronts. With good fit, very good comfort, very good cushioning and plenty of support and stability, the adidas T-Mac provides an accurate reflection of the versatility of Tracy McGrady's game. As such, it is a very fitting signature shoe for him and a great choice for any players who play an all-around game. That it offers so much and yet costs a very reasonable $90 makes it easy for me to recommend the adidas T-Mac. If you're in the market for a new pair of shoes this is one to put on your short list.




Who's Worn It
Tracy McGrady (G- Orlando Magic)

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