The Houston Rockets “Played The Whole Season” To Prepare For The Warriors; Chris Paul
In the 2017–18 NBA season, the Houston Rockets, led by Chris Paul and James Harden, dominated the Western Conference. Despite this, there was one club that they were unable to defeat.
In the 2017–18 NBA season, the Houston Rockets, led by Chris Paul and James Harden, dominated the Western Conference.
In the 2017–18 NBA season, the Houston Rockets, led by Chris Paul and James Harden, dominated the Western Conference. Despite this, there was one club that they were unable to defeat.
Paul, a 12-time All-Star with 18 years of NBA experience, talked about his two seasons in Houston and why he thinks they didn’t win a title despite having an abundance of skill.
During a recent episode of “The Hoop Collective Podcast,” Paul remarked,
“To be real honest with you, that first year in Houston might have been top two, top three, or the best team I’ve ever played on.”
“Like seriously, we were so connected defensively, offensively. And when I talk about basketball, I talk about it because those years I was in Houston, we played the entire season to get ready for one team: the Golden State [Warriors]. We played the entire season, our defensive game plan, our offensive game plan—every single game was to get ready for Golden State because there’s a certain way you had to play in order to beat those teams.”
In his first season in Houston, Paul averaged 18.6 points on a 46% shooting clip, 5.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.7 steals, while Harden averaged a then-career-high 30.4 points on a 44.9 shooting percentage, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.8 steals.
As the top playoff seed, the pair took the Rockets (65-17) to the Western Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the team that, according to Paul, they had spent the entire year preparing for. The Houston Rockets lost to the Warriors in Game 7 of the conference finals because Paul suffered a hamstring injury in Houston’s victory over Golden State in Game 5.
For the first time since the 1994–195 season, they were only one win away from making the NBA Finals. The Rockets reached the conference finals three seasons previously, but the Warriors again dashed their hopes of making it to the NBA Finals.
However, the 2017–18 season was Paul’s best chance yet to win his first NBA championship ring. Paul ultimately parted company with Harden in 2018 and is still looking for his first championship ring.
