The Houston Rockets really felt like this was going to be their year. The Rockets won a franchise best 65 games which was also tops in the NBA this season. The Rockets also had the second highest scoring offense in the NBA as they averaged 112.4 points per contest. Houston also had one of the best back courts in the league with guards James Harden and Chris Paul as they were nearly unstoppable. Paul and Harden flourished in the offensive system of Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni which also led to Houston taking two out of three games from the Golden State Warriors during the regular season. However success in the regular season doesn’t necessarily translate to good fortunes in the playoffs which is something that the Rockets just found out the hard way.
The Rockets came up short in the Western Conference Finals as they fell to the Warriors in a grueling seven-game series. The Rockets lost two games at home during the series, while they failed to close out Golden State after taking a 3-2 series lead. And once again when the Rockets needed Harden the most, he pulled a disappearing act.
After Harden averaged 30.4 points and 8.8 assists per game during the regular season, he averaged 28.7 points and 6 assists during Houston’s series with the Warriors. Harden struggled mightily during the series shooting beyond the three-point arc as he only connected on 24% of his shots from downtown which was a huge drop off from what he did the regular season when he hit nearly 37% of his three-point attempts. Harden couldn’t deliver in the clutch for the Rockets, and when Paul was lost for the final two games of the series, the bearded one could not lead his team to the NBA Finals.
This isn’t the first time where Harden came up short in the playoffs. In the 2012 NBA Finals as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden was missing in action as he was limited to just 12.4 points per game as OKC fell to the Miami Heat in five games. In 2017, Harden couldn’t capitalize on the San Antonio Spurs losing small forward Kawhi Leonard to an ankle injury during the Western Conference Semifinals. In Game 6 of the series with the Rockets season on the line, Harden was limited to just 10 points as the Spurs blew out Houston 114-75 without Leonard. And after the Rockets dominated the regular season this year which will more than likely result in Harden being named as the NBA’s MVP, he was once again unable to shed his image of folding up shop as coming down the stretch games throughout the series against the Warriors, he pulled a disappearing act.
After Houston was eliminated by Golden State, Harden was one of the first Rockets who left the court at the Toyota Center as it was a shining example of his frustration. And after the loss you have to ask yourself if Harden is “the guy”, and unfortunately the answer is no.
Harden falls into the category of being a great scorer who will put phenomenal individual stats, but he is not someone who is going to lead a team to the promised land. Last summer the Rockets went out and acquired Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers as it was deemed that Harden needed some help. Harden and Paul did form a dynamic back court, and although that CP3 was lost for the final two games of the series, that is when Harden needed to step up and taken over.
In Game 7, Harden was able to drop 32 points, but he needed 29 shots to get those points which is not efficient, and some of those buckets came when it became evident that the Warriors were going to win. Games 6 and 7 also saw the Rockets blow double-digit leads in each game after they built sizable margins in the first quarter as it was on Harden to lead the way and close out the Warriors, but each time he failed.
So now as the Rockets summer vacation has begun earlier than they wanted it to begin, team general manager Daryl Morey will be hard at work seeking to improve Houston’s chances of winning an NBA Title. The Rockets must find a way to re-sign Paul, small forward Trevor Ariza, and center Clint Capela as all three players are set to test free agency. Paul gives the Rockets the other ball handler that they need alongside Harden, while Ariza is a solid perimeter defender, and Capela gives them a presence on the boards. But it really won’t matter if Morey is able to bring all three players back, while also pursuing another star player such as Cleveland Cavaliers small forwards LeBron James who is expected to test free agency: if Harden is unable to take over when the chips are pushed to the middle of the table, the Rockets will once again experience disappointment in the playoffs, while the criticism of their star player will keep on mounting.
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