Greatest non-Finals teams to never win the NBA title this century
3. 2017-18 Houston Rockets
Chris Paul. P.J. Tucker. Even Luc Mbah A Moute. The 2017-18 Houston Rockets were constructed with a singular goal: to dethrone the team that had elevated itself beyond its league-wide contemporaries, the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors may have been the defending champs, but the Rockets’ hunger led them to a league-best 65 wins.
They possessed the No. 1 offense and a seventh-ranked defense, a surprising mark under the more offensively-minded Mike D’Antoni. Paul and James Harden meshed better than expected, leading the latter to win MVP.
Houston’s offense had a Hall of Famer running the show at all times. Tucker’s physicality and defensive versatility gave them the answer to the similar traits Draymond Green brought to Golden State.
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A playoff matchup between Houston and Golden State seemed inevitable. When the bracket held to form, the two best in the west were pitted against each other with a spot in the Finals on the line.
If only in the closing seconds of Game 5, on the verge of taking a 3-2 series lead, did it look like a series victory was in the realm of possibilities for the Rockets. After Chris Paul came up clutching his right calf, the joy of a crucial victory was simultaneously met with the concern of Houston’s chances to close the Dubs out for good.
Game 6 was never a possibility at Oracle Arena. Even after building a lead as high as 15, the absence of their crafty floor general was something Houston’s homecourt couldn’t fully overcome in Game 7.
The Warriors went on their patented third-quarter surge. Houston’s reliable 3-point attack failed them to historic proportions, and everything the Rockets built in preparation for the moment that wound up in front of them disappeared the moment Paul’s calf did.