Today in Rockets History: Houston Sustains Historic Game 7 Loss to Warriors

Six years ago on Tuesday, the Houston Rockets had one of the worst postseason performances in NBA history. In Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Rockets missed 27 consecutive 3-pointers against the Golden State Warriors, which led to a 101-92 loss inside the Toyota Center.

The horrific shooting night ended the Rockets' chances of returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995. The loss also marked a disheartening end to the best season of the James Harden era.

Harden led the Rockets to a franchise-best 65 regular-season wins. His success made him the third player in team history to win MVP honors, joining Moses Malone (1979 & 1982) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994). Harden averaged 30.4 points across 72 games.

However, his greatness did not overshadow the importance of Chris Paul, who the Rockets landed in a blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers 10 months prior. Paul played a vital role in the Rockets' success and helped the team take a 3-2 series lead over the Warriors with a Game 5 victory. Unfortunately, Paul was unavailable for the final two games due to a hamstring injury.

In the Game 7 loss to the Warriors, Houston shot 7-of-44 from behind the arc. Harden finished with 32 points while shooting 2-of-13 from deep. Trevor Ariza missed all nine of his attempts from behind the arc. It also marked his final game as a member of the Rockets. Ariza signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Phoenix Suns in July.

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COTY M. DAVIS