""You play differently when you get older," Kevin McHale was saying before the game.

You can walk differently, too. Wednesday night, as McHale approached a ref with a complaint, or circled his Rockets for a timeout, he limped on the damaged ankle that sped his retirement as a player.

This time McHale, one of the best power forwards in NBA history, was talking about the best. He was saying Tim Duncan plays differently now, and this is the way it's always been.

"If not," McHale said, "Bill Russell would still be winning championships.""