It’s one of the biggest sports chokes I’ve ever seen. Even if the rockets played dead average in the second half, and not a tick above or below, they Win that game. Instead they miss *27* consecutive threes
Don’t you thinks it’s interesting how every team just COLLAPSES against GSW ? Maybe box Golden state are so disciplined and the way they run their plays leave oppositions confused, but u know what in this society we live we never give underdogs the recognition instead of acknowledging how good someone is you’d rather say the opponent was trying hard enough
@ogsellout1897 naw bruh the Rockets sold. You can't chalk 27 missed consecutive threes to a disciplined opponent. Even taking into account the called off made shots, that's a generational fumble
@@ogsellout1897that game was so rigged, even with how bad the rockets played in the second half (which cant be attributed to the warriors, stop tripping), the refs won that game for the warriors
they tried but the fix was in. the sport never calls it evenly it's all about the dynasty and or big market team. kings 02, mavs 06, suns 07 for example
Another overlooked somewhat minor blow to the Warriors was Patrick McCaw. He played 17 minutes per game before a hard fall in Sacramento and even played in a few playoff minutes the previous year as a rookie. The Warriors' wing depth was so shorthanded after Iguodala's injury that KD's minutes went from 37 to 41 before Iguodala returned to the lineup.
My God I remember this happening like it was yesterday. Man the league is changing so much, please keep making these great videos to keep my nostalgia flowing
The only true contenders that had a legit team that had a chance of beating the warriors throughout that Time frame were the rockets. Dame's blazers and ADs pelicans weren't any real threat to beat GS bro
@@joel8692problem with Portland was they couldn’t hold a 15+ lead against golden state for shit, Dame is 0-10 against curry in head to head postseason games and in 5 of those L’s Dame had a 15+ pt lead and they still lost😅😂
@@somregularguy The west seemed weak only because of how good the Warriors were. Just because no one else could beat the Warriors doesn't tell you anything - no one in the East could beat them either. If you look at team records for each of the five straight years the Warriors made the finals, the West had better teams at the top of the conference and more 50-win teams (2019 is the exception).
Rockets vs Warriors was definitely a one sided rivalry but the Rockets always made it interesting even though they lost to the Warriors Harden was peak here with good teams revolving around him and when Chris Paul joined the team
Warriors vs Rockets is as much of a rivalry as Bulls vs Knicks, Lakers with Shaq and Kobe vs Jailblazers, Lebron vs Raptors. Those are competitive series, but when one team consistently beat another, can it be called Rivalry?
Such a dumb comparison. The Rockets actually made it interesting and competitive fairly often. You're seriously comparing them to the Cavs vs Raptors? Also, that's not how a rivalry works. Its not based on competitiveness. Rivals are teams who hate each other and are hyper-focused on beating each other. Doesn't matter if one side always wins, it's still a rivalry.
@@jonahrodriguez1101they’re exactly the same. Neither is a rivalry. You have to WIN and not lose to the same team every time it matters for it to be a rivalry.
There’s a lot of people who don’t like to blame Harden for being ringless because of how he had to go up against this team, which to a degree is fair. But on the other end if Harden and CP3 were together in 2020, they would’ve very likely made the finals and would’ve had a great chance of winning it all. But the reason CP3 and Harden wasn’t a duo by that time could also be argued, but I’ll always think back to that timeout huddle when CP3 was trying to talk up Harden and just give him some simple “hey we’re good let’s do this” inspiration, only for Harden to not reciprocate it at all and smack his hand away like a frustrated child who was done with everything.
Lowkey disagree. LeBron had his deepest team ever assembled that year and it just felt like he was unstoppable regardless of what Houston did. Just look at Mahomes this year and imagine double the motivation because he finally has a normal path to a ring
I remember this rivalry. Even though it didn’t last too look, this was one of the greatest and most entertaining rivalry in NBA History. I am humbled, blessed, and honored to have been able to witness such greatness.
bro i was a huge harden fan since middle school and year after year of sad playoff exits (especially when dame sent us home in his first playoff appearance) that 27 straight missed 3s was the most painful thing
As someone who hates Golden State and picked Houston in every single playoff series, still disappointed that Houston couldn't beat them. I freaking hate Golden State so much and always will
Idk what the fuck the idea of a rivalry having to be close comes from. Like it literally doesn't matter, it can still be a rivalry, one sided rivalry but still.
I think it’s a rivalry, yeah they couldn’t beat the Warriors for 4 games in a series but they were still competitive against them than most of the teams that got swept by them.
I love it. As a massive Warriors fan, I remember watching that game 7 like it was yesterday. And I DEFINITELY remember us being down at halftime. But I also knew that we were known to be lethal in 3rd quarters. After that game, I was celebrating like we'd just won the chip, because we basically did after that series.
The Rockets didn't make this a good rivalry because their system was not made to win. D'Anthoni had tried that same system in PHX with Nash in the mid-2000s. Game 7 choke in 2018, and game 6 choke in 2019 really highlighted the "live by the 3, and die by it" mantra he was very famous for. Also, HOU really underestimated how good Steph and Klay were as a backcourt. They thought that KD was the only reason why GSW was on top. Im pretty sure the 2015 and 2022 seasons proved us otherwise. Should have never kicked Steph off the court. This was fun to watch 😂😂
I mean it helps Kerr being a tutelage under Popovich, who’s all about Defense … add that with an explosive offense and a recipe for success… Plus, Pop always got the best of D’Antoni in their matchups
This was supposed to be Curry vs Lebron. Which is why people still hate KD. I don’t see how it’s Rockets vs Warriors. Rockets never beat them. Harden is a forever choker. CP3 is a forever injury in crunch time.
Ppl make so much about that fateful game 7, but I was at game 6 and I’m sure you’ll atleast touch on it, that was it: Houston was busting their ass. They fully imploded and made the hope to come back AGAIN in game 7 even possible. It’s a lot like Buckner’s game 6 between the legs error. Not series ending but showed the rockets were breakable. Houston had no business losing game 6 and failed to stop an enormous second half from the warriors. Playoff basketball you CAN NOT allow 60+ second half points especially after an ice cold first half
"Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets were no strangers to competing for championships." Awfully bold statement for a team that never got to the Finals and the conference finals only twice in Morey's tenure with the Rockets. The Warriors eliminated the Rockets 4-0 during Harden's time. That isn't a rivalry, that is big brother picking on little brother. A rivalry was Lakers/Celtics in the 80s.
I wonder, if the Rockets had beaten the Warriors in 2019 when KD was out with his calf injury and Cousins was out with his quad strain, would the Rockets have beaten Toronto in the NBA finals?
Not to throw shade to others but dylandoesbasketball for me is the better version of GOAT. The way your commentary drives the narrative of the video so flawlessly is very satisfying to listen to.
Chris Paul and James Harden once formed one of the most feared and respected duos in the NBA. As members of the Houston Rockets, the pair enjoyed immense success - at one point pushing the Golden State Warriors to the brink in the 2017-18 Western Conference Finals. Despite the good run they had together in Houston, Paul and Harden parted on bad terms. It was a huge shame that Harden and Paul couldn't win a championship with the Rockets.
U might call this a hot take but I don’t consider this to be the NBA’s greatest rivalry, greatest recent rivalry? Yes. But best rivalry in general? No. In my opinion that goes to Magic vs Bird, the guys set up an era and helped build the leagues global foundations that MJ would then build a skyscraper onto. That’s just my opinion.
@@anthonycoon6955 The Warriors had too much depth and they were a very cohesive unit even without KD. Not to mention, Cleveland was going through some turmoil with what happened to Kyrie Irving and Cleveland was a trainwreck that shouldn't have made the Finals in 2018
This was an amazing video reminding me of my favorite team’s downfall. I would like to say in the beginning you said the warriors came out of nowhere. They definitely didn’t, it was pretty clear since 2013 season that the warriors were going to be a problem
Thanks dylan for doing a video over this era of Rockets. Any Rockets-Harden Fandom will tell you a rose-tinted shaded of history ofc riddled with unluckiness, and bitter injuries. But there were key points and moments that led to Harden’s true exit as a rocket. That last year with harden wasn’t even a good last dance to us, so this video is solid. Let the discourse begin, and let the regression actually settle, bc the new era of Rockets keeps on pushing even with history not on our side.
That team tried to beat fire by fire, but was extinguished by being too bright too fast, running out of steam by the end... BUT DAMN, WHY DID THEY CONTINUE TAKING THREES?!
Great video, but I would have to disagree on the greatest rivalry take. When you think of rivalry, you’d think of teams that have played each other so many times in the playoffs that each team understands they’re going up against heavy competition. Lakers v Celtics, Heat v Celtics, Spurs v Rockets, and Warriors v Cavs for instance. If we’re talking about the same core seeing each other so much, you could argue say Magic v Bird, Curry v Lebron, or Bulls v Jazz. Again great video, but I wouldn’t consider 1 amazing hyped up year the greatest rivalry
In terms of modern day rivalries, I would for sure put the 2020s Heat vs. Celtics and even the pre-Durant Warriors vs. Cavs over the Rockets vs Warriors. You have to pull off the playoff win at some point for the rivalry to work
Best decade NBA rivalry’s (players) Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell. (60’s) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Walt Frazier (70’s) Earvin "Magic" Johnson vs. Larry Bird. (80’s) Michael Jordan vs. Isiah Thomas. (90’s) Kobe Bryant vs Allen Iverson. (00’s) LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. (10’s) Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Nikola Jokić (20’s)
The warriors beat the Cavs every finals except for 2016 and they swept them . That's not a good rivalry compared to the Lakers, Celtics finals series from the 60s, 80s , 2000s
I remember a moment late in that Rockets season, a couple weeks away from the postseason. I completely forgot who they were playing against that night in Houston. But I remember there was a smart defensive play, ball goes back to James Harden. Harden nails a step back jumper and Toyota center erupts. And a timeout is called on the opposing team. Everyone clears the court except for James Harden and the Rockets erupting alongside the fans for about a min in a half. Right there I truly believed the 2018 season was theres. Unfortunate.
