The 2017-18 season remains arguably the biggest “what if?” in Houston Rockets history. They finished 65-17 in the regular season, by far the best record in the NBA that season and in franchise history. But they did not win the title after falling to eventual champion Golden State in a dramatic seven-game series in the Western Conference finals.
The Rockets were one game from advancing to the NBA Finals. The reason they did not? Take your pick. For starters, those Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led Warriors were one of the most talented teams in NBA history, and they went on to win a third championship in four years.
There was the ill-timed Chris Paul hamstring injury in the final seconds of Game 5, ending his series. There was the historic outlier of an 0-for-27 cold shooting stretch from 3-point range in a competitive Game 7. And who can forget the poor officiating in Game 7, which graded out terribly.
