In a year that featured everything from dramatic game-winners to multiple double-digit winning streaks, the 2017-18 Houston Rockets put together a season to remember. Here’s a look back at the top 10 moments from Clutch City’s phenomenal run.
Despite coming into the 2017-18 NBA season with a myriad of questions surrounding how their star-studded backcourt and new insertions would fit alongside of one another, the Houston Rockets managed to take the next step in their climb towards contender status under head coach Mike D’Antoni, playing arguably their finest stretch of basketball and setting several records in the process.
In an 82-game slate that managed to play out in the form of a fairy tale, Houston proved to be opposing teams’ kryptonite all night long in the regular season, dominating teams en route to a franchise-record 65 wins. All the while, they catapulted themselves to the top of the standings for the first time ever in franchise history, as Clutch City finished the campaign with the best record in the league.
They also became just the sixth team in NBA history to ever record three double-digit winning streaks in a single season, prior to putting together a playoff run that nearly landed them a trip to the NBA Finals.
After signing a max contract extension to remain in Houston last summer, James Harden put together yet another MVP-caliber season to remember, becoming the first player in Rockets history to capture the league’s scoring title, averaging a career-high 30.6 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game through 72 contests.
Fourth-year center Clint Capela put together his finest season as a pro, averaging a career-high 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for Houston through 74 games alongside of veteran point guard Chris Paul, whose on-court presence and leadership, combined with his playmaking ability late in games, helped the Rockets win games at a nearly unprecedented rate when healthy.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/999125090838040576
Chris Paul led the NBA in Real Plus-Minus this season.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) May 29, 2018
The Rockets were 53-7 (regular and postseason) in games in which Paul, James Harden and Clint Capela all played. They were 23-16 in all other games.
They were 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals with that trio.
Paul — who averaged 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in his first season with Houston — proved to be a pivotal component for the Rockets throughout the course of the playoffs, averaging 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists through 15 games.
Prior to falling injured with a right hamstring injury late in Game 5 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the 33-year-old helped the Rockets defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz through the first two rounds. Unfortunately, he would miss the final two games of a series that managed to come all the way down to the wire.
Despite holding home-court advantage throughout the postseason, the Rockets fell short in their quest to capture their first NBA title in 23 years, losing at the hands of the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in seven games.
However, the team that nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the decade did not go down without a fight.
The Rockets’ 2017-18 campaign was filled with a series of highlights and exciting moments that helped set the tone for what would become a season to remember for fans across H-Town. Here’s a look back at the top 10.