Never Forget About the 2018 Rockets (the greatest team to never make the finals)

Never Forget About the 2018 Rockets (the greatest team to never make the finals)
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[@jaygabbana6852]

As a diehard Chris Paul fan I’ll never forget that 2018 season. He was Shimmying against Curry shortly after all hope was lost

[@Tupadre97]

that shimmy on curry was one of the greatest basketball moments of the 2010's

[@emmanuelmondesir1314]

IF HE DIDNT GOT INJURED MAYNE

[@blue-phoenix115]

@@Tupadre97 Then gets hurt immediately after and watched his team brick themselves out of the game

[@pushslice]

CP is the king of “Cougin’ It” Looks great for most of season then manages to go & snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@Mrytb23]

@@Tupadre97 rockets missing 27 straight 3’s was the greatest basketball moment of the 2010’s

[@CH-uy7jq]

As a rockets fan game 6 and 7 where the 2 hardest nba games for me to watch ever, knowing that we where 1 win away from beating the greatest team ever

[@Kmon4y]

Otl the lillard buzzer beater in 2014 hurt just as much

[@CH-uy7jq]

@@Kmon4y yeah well that was when the rockets had no shot at winning the chip in 2018 whe definitely would’ve beaten the cavs in the finals had we won either game 6 or 7 vs the warriors

[@flykidddd1235]

Game 6 against the warriors in 2019 for me. No Kd and Harden 4 turnovers in the last 5 mins were the nail in the coffin for the Harden/Rockets era.

[@N2022-x5z]

Ur team is dumb for splitting up cuz as a warriors fan they gave us a run for our money and i was worried one year they would get their revenge

[@vulcanraven9701]

maybe thats proof the warriors were not the greatest team ever?

[@gideonamankwah6491]

I agree. Rockets were deep, versatile, and great on both sides of the ball. If they had Mbah a Moute and CP3 for game 7 vs Warriors, I think the Rockets go to the NBA Finals and may have won.

[@Disxreet]

Think, think, think

[@yvnggoat4739]

As a warriors fan if they beat us I don’t see how they lose to lebron and the rest

[@gideonamankwah6491]

@@yvnggoat4739 Agreed.

[@tristantyree2191]

May they would have swept Cleveland as well

[@gideonamankwah6491]

@@tristantyree2191 Possibly

[@bilindabutcher8913]

2018 Rockets really the only team that scared the warriors. It's funny because if you watch interviews from Draymond and KD you see that Draymond evokes this false confidence as if they were never scared, and KD keeps it real and talks about how the rockets really surprised them and were really a threat.

[@chaithanyachaithu5826]

How can it be false confidence when rockets didn't beat warriors even once in the playoffs?i get what u mean by draymond not expressing doubt or surprise but he explained why rockets played ISO ball more often than not and draymond didnt think warriors could be beat by playing isoball.kd on the other hand thinks ISO ball can beat a team.he made a comment too that at top tier playoffs system doesn't work as effectively.so he believes ISO ball has its place and can beat teams.thats the difference between what kd and draymond said

[@carteebrown4845]

@@chaithanyachaithu5826 They were never down 3-2 facing elimination to the Rockets. CP3 stays healthy and they would've represented the West in 2018.

[@kohsmoger1567]

@@carteebrown4845 Next year that wasn't the case even without KD. Also Iggy wasn't available in the last four games in 2018

[@bondsgoat25]

@@kohsmoger1567 not the same team at all The 2019 rockets’s defense completely evaporated Capela turned from a rim protector into a pick and roll liability Plus ariza and Mbah a moute left in free agency The rockets defense was top 5 in 2018 and for the first 30+ games or so in 2019 they were ranked LAST.

[@chaithanyachaithu5826]

@@carteebrown4845 u can make that argument but next year kd got hurt in game 5 and series 2-2 scores also down 3 but rockets couldn't win .so thats why no one believes rockets would have won.

[@beastyboy101bo]

This rockets team was soooo beautiful to watch. Every game was fun you could feel from the tv the comradery between em. They were just an amazing all around team that wasn’t reliant on gimmicks like the year after or on a one man offense. They were a TRUE unit. Breaks my heart to remember that

[@ja4309]

Not really a fan on how they ran their offense though. It essentially has Harden or CP3 control possessions where they take their shot or give their teammate an open one. Not a lot of movement to speak of and aside from CP3, everyone else avoids the mid range like the black plague. Still, it did give them an elite offense and it worked for their team (mostly) so meh

[@beastyboy101bo]

@@ja4309 basically it’s not the brand of basketball that you like got it lol honestly this was the best brand of Hardens basketball, hit the necessary balance without him being a ball hog or overly possessing the ball too much

[@ja4309]

@@beastyboy101bo Yeah I prefer an offense that moves a lot more 😂. I do have to say though, their "boring" offense did make them elite and with a good mix of 3 and D players, they were hell to be against.

[@DennisYKTV_-]

Not really even Kobe said it was a good style for regular season but the playoffs us different

[@beastyboy101bo]

@@DennisYKTV_- he said this about Harden for the following year when CP was injured and Harden was going ballistic and tied his record of consecutive 40 pt games. Harden wasn’t playing that style for THIS PARTICULAR year. That was year after after so check your facts first. That’s why I say gimmicks like the year after this one. This year alone they actually had a great balance of Hardens iso with CP floor general play and their sharing of PG duties along with a plethora of 3D guys. It wasn’t just revolved mainly on Harden but they actually played as true team. However that was sadly only for this particular year/season 2017-2018.

[@warwick802]

So early the Rockets didn't blow a 3-2 lead yet

[@josegarcia-xd6lt]

@Raytheslay hahahaha 🤣🤣🤣

[@tristancampbell4941]

Paul hurt his hamstring right after you said this

[@ayooooo8191]

@Raytheslay hell no

[@zackkkk121]

@Raytheslay u must be a 10 year old kid in 3rd grade😂😂

[@IvanDiaz-fl6ff]

@Raytheslay you don’t know basketball

[@divinemattress]

As a rockets fan, the amount of pain I feel is insane. I remember I used to lie to myself saying bron was gonna come in the following off season. Basically did everything I could to cope. It hurts so bad

[@shastealyomeal]

LOL

[@tylergary5953]

That was a rumor too. Not that it was very likely but I think that would’ve been crazy. I was disappointed at the time when bron chose the lakers. I thought the move was boring and predictable

[@ReDsOxFaN4LiFe1]

we all knew he wasn't coming. But Copium was in high demand after that legendary season.

[@ajanalysis7742]

bron should have came to houston, he would have won way more championships with harden and cp3, then AD

[@Chef_curry_30.]

Lol 💀

[@hassanromulus1476]

Watching this WCF as a rockets fan hurt in a way that I cannot describe especially looking back now since everything blew up. I remember game 6 & 7 being up at half and both times just being flattened in a way I don’t know I’ll experience again lol

[@johnnymarin5035]

Game 5 was such an amazing high. My whole family was screaming at the TV. It was a bittersweet win, with cp3s injury right at the end that ultimately cost them the series.

[@DaxSports1]

@@johnnymarin5035 yall people like to talk about cp3 being injured but if igoudala wasn't injured that series would've went 5 warriors win anyways

[@johnnymarin5035]

@@DaxSports1 We also had Mbahmoute injured. He was an immediate x factor in the regular season. He made clutch threes and clutch defensive moves all year. They were a worse team without him.

[@RiceQube21]

As a fellow Rockets fan, I will never forgive the Rockets for trading CP3 for Westbrick after he had one off year. If we had CP3 at the level he was playing at on the Thunder in 2020 I think we give the Lakers a run for their money in the bubble. Not saying we win for sure but it’s sure as hell going longer than 5 games

[@Uchawibeatz]

@@johnnymarin5035 He wasn't injured in 2019 and KD (best player on the Warriors )was. Can you remind us what happened that year?

[@samwoods22]

As a Houstonian this year really felt like our best shot at a title… this series was just a final heartbreaker from some seriously underrated rockets teams. Dope vid!

[@pRANOOB2-bm2rb]

bruv really forget about hakeem

[@troyrountree4924]

I was obsessed with the 2017 rockets offense lol straight shooters until the Collapse vs Spurs

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

that 2017 spurs team with kawhi were very good, so don't blame them

[@troyrountree4924]

@@theonlygoodonehere2259 Kawhi didn’t even play game 6 which made it worse 😂

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@troyrountree4924 harden apparently went drinking at the club before game 6, so they performed bad ultimately, so yeah thats enough to expose how bad that game was

[@angelgamer5005]

Can't be mad at that because I honestly believe that spurs team would have won the chip if kawhi didn't get hurt

[@eugeneaduku7102]

Make a whole video about the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings please. They were so close to dethroning the kobe shaq lakers in the 2002 western conference finals.

[@jakebuchsbaum3348]

I believe if the officiating wasn’t poor in game 6 Sacramento would have won it all in 2002. They would not have been a dynasty but I believe they would have won at least one more championship

[@GreenEnvy.]

Game 6 was rigged. I watched it live. As far as I'm concerned, Kobe is 4x champion.

[@caduceus2256]

Surely Rig. One of the referees of that game was proven guilty of game fixing. Tim Donaghy. And what's worst is he admitted it in front of the jury.

[@joeyportia6476]

@@caduceus2256 Tim Donaghy didn’t ref the 2002 WCF. The refs for Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt.

[@nathanhosea489]

They SHOULD have dethroned the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. That series was rigged

[@rohangupte3545]

I was rooting so hard for them to make the finals that year it was all coming together until the CP3 injury

[@doctorsam5771]

Wouldnt really have mattered much even if CP3 wasn't injured since he is a generational choke artist, I'm willing to bet my grandma's house on the fact he'd have a game like the game 7 against Mavs against the Warriors as well had he not been injured

[@dumbassdude8372]

@@doctorsam5771 Imagine being so broke that youre willing to bet your grandma's house

[@simple45679]

@@doctorsam5771 far too many times Cp3 has come short. Just has a a curse of losing, apparently

[@simple45679]

@Jordan Sharpe up to 2-0 against the bucks. Up 3-2 against the Mavs. He had the talent, Cp3 just tends to disappear from the team

[@rohangupte3545]

@@doctorsam5771 Nah but Cp3 played consistently well for that series putting up 20,6,5 in the Mavs series after Game 2 he was awful and turning it over 4-5 times

[@bobbysmoove4796]

Great vid as always💯 here’s some suggestions on who you can do next: 2004-05 Heat: Wade rib injury costed them a finals appearance 2008-09 Cavs: Dwight prevented a Kobe and Bron Finals matchup 2015-16 Thunder: Russ and KD choked away a chance for a Bron rematch in the finals

[@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope]

The pistons were still the better team even with healthy Wade

[@ace2nice]

@@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope If dwade was healthy, the Heat would of smoked the pistons in 05

[@Kzmotivo]

The 09 Celtics…

[@jomm7671]

2007 Suns!

[@rjmacready9828]

@@ace2niceabsolutely no chance, this tells me your very uneducated. Wade only missed 1 game.... and the pistons were great facing elimination. Pistons >>>

[@Late2Hoops]

BRO thank you for making this. This team is going to go down as one of the biggest what if's just because of the fact that they almost dethroned the 4 headed monster, technically 5 if you count boogie. You really inspired me to make video swish, I appreciate you for that.

[@AG30]

Boogie wasn’t even on this team…. Also if iggy is healthy y’all would’ve forgotten this team no lie but whatever

[@silas6663]

@@AG30 boogie was on the roster in 2018…

[@kingofthe313]

Boogie was the 2019 warriors not the 2018. Seriously google exists and yet y’all still giving out false information

[@forgottenson3411]

@@silas6663 Boogie was on the 2019 Warriors 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@silas6663]

@@forgottenson3411 he signed July 6th 2018

[@banjo3364]

The 94-95 rockets were a great team, had one of the most difficult roads to a championship ever.

[@randomguy6152]

i wasnt alive for that shot bro i cried when cp3 got hurt if god turned injuries off we woulda beat the warriors

[@iceycinco]

Actually Jordan was retired this year ! If he was there and the rockets beat them then it was the most difficult championship the rockets ever won

[@speakinfaxonly21]

Nobody will ever say that except for you Houston fans lmao. Jordan was literally out of the league during that time. Not happening pal.

[@spacetradez9780]

it was so sad to see CP3 go down in that game bc I do really think if he doesn't get hurt Houston doesn't lose their momentum and Harden and CP3 both have a ring and possibly run it back a couple more years.

[@gabybaby3387]

As a rockets fan, that cp3 injury will forever traumatize me 😭😭😭

[@tonj02]

1988 pistons. Should’ve been their first in a three peat but the refs gave la the infamous phantom foul on the last shot of game 6 which extended it to game 7. And even with isiah Thomas being injured and being pretty much ineffective, LA still only won by a couple points. Without that call and the injury, Detroit would’ve won 3 straight

[@jit1709]

ye let me just punch my defender rq

[@ceebee312]

FACTS

[@henryviiifake8244]

🖨🖨🖨

[@tarmaskhalifa871]

Facts. Harden n co choked. Never won a chip. Was watching him at Philly. No movement without ball. Just a statue. Can't win anywhere. Unfortunate.

[@woo_shynen8805]

What a time to be alive in houston in 2017 and 2018. God I wanna go back to those harden & astroworld album days😪

[@alexchoi5835]

Loving the beginning of this series! Teams to recommend: the 04-05 &06-07 Rockets. The 2013 Pacers. 2008 Spurs. 2008 Lakers Keep up the great work!

[@2KCustomerService]

That pacers team would be a good video

[@abdessamadelmessaoudi2066]

08 lakers ??

[@Mrballerize]

08 Lakers made the finals, they just didn't win it. Ngl tho, had they had won it, and the Lakers completed the 3 peat in 2010; whether it's correct or not, many people would have argued that Kobe was at least top 3 all time.

[@profesorMilic]

17 spurs?

[@alexchoi5835]

@@profesorMilic yeah, almost forget about that Kawhi team. Gave the warriors the business in the 2017 west conf finals. For all of one game. Would have loved for that series to have played out with Kawhi healthy

[@aaronhxu2026]

I used to love playing as them in 2K18. Still hoping they become a classic team eventually.

[@captainsimp8864]

Don't you mean a classic team

[@aaronhxu2026]

@@captainsimp8864 yeah my bad

[@elegant4027]

I used to spam pick and roll with clint he had 20+ every game

[@captainsimp8864]

@@aaronhxu2026 It's fine

[@JColeGlazer754]

@@captainsimp8864 yeah

[@dj2k460]

The warriors dominated all my time in Highschool from 2016 to 2019 and I'd say that pre and post kd there were only 2 teams I believe could've stopped the warriors 1. My San Antonio Spurs with Kawhi ( ik we suck now lol ) but I genuinely believe if kawhi hadn't gotten hurt we could've beat them in 7 because we played good defense and kawhi and Aldridge were on fire in 2017, we took it to the kd warriors and had them beat alot that season and we were both competing for the west 1 seed, maybe with a few free agent moves warriors vs spurs would've been the rivalry 2. The 2018/2019 Houston Rockets. They're match ups with the warriors was literally a gun show to see who was gonna out shoot the other, but tbh I compare the warriors vs Rockets to the first fight between goku and vegeta in Dragon Ball Z, for Those who know goku wasn't as strong as vegeta but when he used kaioken he closed the gap in the fight and pushed him but ultimately vegata won that because he was superior. Similarly the Rockets could box with the warriors and their "live by the 3 die by the 3" nothing but offensive style helped them get far and they gave the warriors their hardest fight, but when the shots didn't fall they're falls gor exposed, they made their non stop offense their defense, but when they're offense wasn't working they literally had no defense

[@dj2k460]

@Raytheslay same with the Clippers and blazers

[@AJ-nf3bn]

Yeah no the spurs are not beating GS because if a super team is so good then how are they getting beat like that makes no sense

[@dj2k460]

@@AJ-nf3bn I just believe we had a shot if healthy I don't think we would've won easily but they are my team and before kawhi got hurt in game one we had them down by 25 points half way through the third quarter

[@AJ-nf3bn]

@@dj2k460 oh ok

[@itszirvah]

rockets were a great defensive team , that’s what made them a possible threat to the warriors. Obv their offense was great too, but that defense was there as well

[@angelofeliberty9258]

Man I always think about how much I would have loved and was rooting for that 2018 rockets team.

[@Pearlspersona]

As a die hard rockets this was undoubtedly my most favorite sports team off all time this was just a major moment for everyone Chris Paul James rockets and nba we showed that it was possible to beat the warriors I sadly cried when it didn’t happen

[@BingoNamo-gb8pz]

If KD went to Houston instead of GS then Rockets would have stolen the Warriors dynasty & KD would arguably be the GOAT. I never understood why KD picked GS over Houston.

[@kinggiannis8562]

I completely agree swish, but I also believe this team and the 2019 Sixers team were legit contenders and should have made a finals run

[@bperez003]

Hahhahahahah ok sure, sure😂😭. On paper they had all the superstars but they had no chemistry

[@housesuns-kings8480]

@@bperez003 which one, 2018 rockets or 2019 sixers? the 2019 sixers were a kawhi shot away from getting to ecf and since the raps beat the bucks the sixers for sure could cause remember jrue wasnt a buck at this time. the rockets were a possibly cp3 injury away from making the finals and a game away

[@saz19s8]

What if Kawhi didn’t make that shot

[@michealbanksjr.3630]

@@saz19s8 they go into overtime and I still believe the raptors win in OT.

[@nostalgiacorner1999]

2019 sixers team is a good one. Lots of talent

[@Wallyworld30]

2001 Bucks Squad was so good it's crazy they didn't get to finals. Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell made a lethal trio!!

[@diocletian607]

Refs

[@MaulRisen131]

As a diehard rockets fan, this was THE year we should’ve won. I will die on the hill that if cp3 never got injured we would’ve beat the warriors. Even if we missed the amount of 3’s we did, CP would realize that and start to play a different way knowing that that wasn’t working. Watching this video made me nostalgic because that was my favorite rockets team ever lol

[@macabree5856]

No one disagrees with you brother. I watched "every" game of that series in full. That was the Rockets year for a finals appearance and most likely ring. I remember so many gasps when Chris Paul got injured. And i will never forget the record reaching "most missed consecutive 3 pointers in NBA history". I always remember being completely speechless what I was witnessing. It is as if no one knew what to do like a deer in the headlights but continually following up with shooting 3s. Most likely a documentary will be released about that Rockets season

[@regalhunt8496]

If Iggy is completely healthy that series would've been over with a gentleman sweep 😞

[@jacksonbashiri8118]

@@regalhunt8496 if both teams were completely 100 rockets win either way

[@gideonamankwah6491]

@@jacksonbashiri8118 Agreed. People overhype Iggy but ignore that Mbah a Moute was injured too and can do the things Iggy does. Even if Iggy played, he doesnt make KD and Curry hit shots when the Rockets had multiple defenders throwing at them. Also, Rockets could foul Iggy and he isnt a good free throw shooter. Warriors still had multiple defenders and playmakers even without Iggy so the Iggy excuse isnt valid compared to CP3 and Mbah a Moute because Gerald Green isnt a good defender, Ariza and PJ were older. If you have CP3 and Mbah a Moute on the court, those are 2 extra defenders, CP3 can playmake and create his own shot, Mbah a Moute can also hit the 3 and set good screens to get guys open.

[@TradingandSI]

As a Rockets Fan looking back at this Team I have so many good Memories it’s so sad that CP3 got injured we would’ve won it all

[@anthonytrevino3191]

That was such a juggernaut team. No question when you push KD warriors to game 7. Everything felt like starrs aligned but then injury and game 7 … kinda feels like a curse at that point .

[@jlui21]

-- YES. CP3 has choked before including '22 playoffs. BUT he also has shown up more times than not. This hamstring injury really took the wind out of his GOAT status. I hate that he flops, but he is still an incredible player. This HOU victory would have washed away any hint of his choking status.

[@Chef_curry_30.]

real 💯

[@henryviiifake8244]

I think the tream making a historical record of *27 **_consecutive_** missed threes* (that's a potential of 81 points) made more of an impact tha missing Chris Paul in game 7. The Rockets were stupid to shoot themselves out of an elimination game against one of the most stacked teams in history.

[@ELITE5DGOD]

I agree this team was underrated one of my favorite things ever.

[@Ace-lc1lg]

james harden my favourite player. just think about how many miles he put on his body for houston he really was the entire team

[@carterwinters4360]

@Raytheslay 💀

[@DaffyTaffy93]

@Raytheslay nah that’s dame time 😂

[@chieflingco]

I will never forget this roster. The energy in Houston was amazing around this time.

[@blublublublubluh]

Real talk swish I was rooting for Houston hard af during that GS conf finals lmao

[@lightyagim5010]

I cried and cried that was peak Houston rockets being a fan from 2013-2020 after that down hill from there but as of right now it’s fun to watch them again

[@karimgreen8732]

Great series! I’d love to see a breakdown of the 2016 Warriors. To me they were the best team to NOT win a finals and I still think they should have.

[@jdapaul1351]

Greatest team what if in NBA history.

[@Depressedwarriorsfan6238]

If they won KD prolly wouldn't have signed with gs. The course of nba history would be heavily changed.

[@jdapaul1351]

@@Depressedwarriorsfan6238 yea, but I think its a good what if as well. Warriors might've signed PG13 in 2016 if they won.

[@stretch3744]

They only lost cuz injuries rigged series and lebron crying to Adam silver

[@Lunar-if3bb]

@@stretch3744 you only wanna talk about injuries for 2016 and 2019 right? Not 2015

[@62jayb]

As a James harden fan the 2018 playoffs really hurt we was so close

[@trapmontana9440]

I loved this team back in the day this was my go to team in 2k

[@argc]

they got robbed by refs so many times had cp3's hamstring not exploded, they might have pulled off the greatest feat of all time

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

there was a ref that came out and said they had to rig it for warriors, because lebron vs kd and steph does better for ratings

[@almightyyeezydab5149]

People love to claim Harden can’t win as the best player but tend to forget this year where they were ONE GAME and ONE INJURY away from the NBA Finals 😂😂

[@supersaiyangodvegtio9590]

Ehh

[@miles_morales215]

Unrelated, but you’re one of the best basketball KZbinrs out here. Unbiased opinions, no cringe clickbait or takes, great in depth analysis, and fire visuals. Also great taste in music with the background instrumentals. Great content.

[@slimmortal213]

this really could have been an all time great team, they just had the massive misfortune of playing the single best team to ever exist that can describe harden's entire career, his prime matched perfectly with the warriors dynasty

[@whodat787]

That Warriors team being the "best team to ever exist" is HIGHLY debatable

[@jacksonbashiri8118]

@@whodat787 the warriors team is at worst a top 3 team ever

[@whodat787]

@@jacksonbashiri8118 maybe

[@jacksonbashiri8118]

@@user-dr8nc6jq3y bro what? i said they were a top 3 team oat

[@jonathanwashington9199]

@@whodat787 That Warriors Team Would've Been Another Of Michael Jordan's Victims In The 90's There's No Stopping Jordan

[@skylerwilson5378]

Was so hyped this year for my rockets. Cried at the end of the journey

[@beastyboy101bo]

Ppl wanna argue, yourself included, they have so many great co stars to Harden yet he couldn’t get it done but only that one year were they able to actually give a great contending team around Harden. The next year they loose Trevor Ariza, and Fertitta went stupid cheap so we couldn’t get good player then the momentum was lost from the year prior along with CP3 missing 40+ games. That damn hamstring

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

you guys also lost mbah a moute, so important

[@TheParanoidDucky]

Great video man! Im a Rockets fans and unfortunately for me I remember every minute of game 7. Fml we were so close. I’ll never forget that team and it’ll always haunt me forever… the one that got away.

[@danielvasquez3758]

I still can’t believe they were that close with that team mostly fully healthy!! Two chances to eliminate that dynasty!!

[@simple45679]

beatable team, don't let the lebron apologists say otherwise

[@manuprasad5354]

@@simple45679 another commenter said maximizing durant was limiting steph, klay and draymond. While I disagree, and spacing the floor for Durant was probably the best way to play with that team, especially when you could still hunt steph on defense...in 2018 we also saw kd try leading the warriors without steph, and they were hanging around .500 I guarantee you d'antoni and the rockets noticed that and made sure they targeted steph. It almost worked, and I think we agree it should've. Those warriors weren't immortal, and clashing egos became a thing the very next year for them too.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@manuprasad5354 you guys should have known they were not immortal when spurs with kawhi and no tony parker had them down 25 in game 1 with healthy warriors at their homecourt, mind you, kawhi came back from an injury, and they had undersized patty at starting pg, and an important fact is, warriors were down by that many in their homefloor in a game 1 playoff series before like that, that was enough to raise my eyebrows whether this team was really as unbeatable as people say

[@2020mademeagamer]

Feels like this team was slept on. I thought this team was better then the kyrie kd harden nets. These rockets were the only team that gave us hope the warriors could still be beaten.

[@RaidenNexus97]

As a Rockets fan that was the most painful playoff exit. The Rockets were world beaters that year they had GSW nearly beaten, but had an epic collapse. 😔

[@jonathanwashington9199]

Hell The 1995-96 Bulls Would've Done Something The Rockets Couldn't Do Which Was Beat Those Warriors

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@jonathanwashington9199 we all know 96 bulls would beat 2018 warriors, but we wanted to see a team from our era with 2 top superstar guys with bad reputations do it

[@joeyrulz86]

This video brings back the pain and misery being a Rockets fan. This was our chance at a ring and we just gave it away. It was a fun year though for us to enjoy and it just didnt happen. Great video man but dammmmmn.... the pain to relive it. It hurts

[@danielvasquez3758]

To me, that was his best chance at winning a ring!! They were that close to being there and him getting injured!!

[@bayenkg]

I mean he was 2-0 in the finals last years

[@jonathanwashington9199]

@@bayenkg And Then Giannis Antetokounmpo Happened

[@dannydonvito]

Gerald green was the home town hero. One of my favorite if not my favorite role player ever

[@SoberBob559]

Maybe I am a bit bias cause I am a Kings fan (I know suprising we exist). But I would say the best team to not make the finals would be the 2002 Sacramento Kings. You had an overall great team, a good floor general in Bibby, a 3 and D player in Doug Christie, a 3 point specialist in Peja, an amazing athletic PF in Webber, and a good traditional center in Vlade, and the bench was amazing with Bobby Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Scott Pollard, and a young Hedo.

[@almightyyeezydab5149]

2002 Kings were a great team but the 2018 Rockets were just different sorry 🔥

[@bperez003]

2002 kings had a slower pace than the rockets, but like 12 times the defense

[@almightyyeezydab5149]

@@bperez003 and Rockets had 20x the offense

[@ky6632]

@@almightyyeezydab5149 It was well documented that the Kings got cheated out of the finals by the refs. Not even a Kings fan, but they truly deserved to go. If you weren't alive during that time, you wouldn't know.

[@SoberBob559]

@@almightyyeezydab5149 I will say the rockets had an amazing offense for the time now, but I do believe the Kings offense was pretty great especially with the motion and getting everyone involved. I do respect though the offense and how well they adapted of the Rockets.

[@Cesar1492Enjoyer]

As a Rockets fan this hurts to watch, game 5 of the west conference finals was so hype I was convinced we were actually going to beat the warriors. Harden gets so much hate but we miss him in Houston.

[@jacques7430]

2019 Raptors, one of the most underrated TEAMS in NBA history. Because everybody only talks about Kawhi (yes in that Sixers series, he carried). But that team was ELITE, produced a lot of talented players that are still hooping today and it was built without a single lottery pick.

[@tj-23]

Overrated

[@jacobswiney9977]

And always will be because you beat a injured warriors team

[@dtowndtown9232]

@@jacobswiney9977 just like how the warriors beat an injured cavs team in 2015, injuries are apart of the game deal with it

[@accountant3847]

FR...yeah kawhi was a beast...even compared to mj in that run...but real ones know the team is like almost 10 man deep

[@ReDsOxFaN4LiFe1]

I remember this series far too well. Thank you for talking about all the supporting guys on the team also. Its going to be a while before we get a team like that again.

[@sheezy3962]

It's always something. We took Shaq and Kobe to 7 games without Yao and TMac and then we take the Warriors to 7 games without CP3 in game 7 and missing the most 3s in NBA history.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

rockets are very unlucky, lol, they used up all their luck in their hakeem the dream era

[@MichaelCantu-pc9bv]

Shaq and Kobe ?? Shaq wasn’t on that lakers team in 09

[@omargordon1249]

Great video, I would like to see one about the 2016-2017 Spurs, Tim Duncan had retired it's now Kawhi's team. They won 61 games and they made to the WCF and were smacking the Warriors with KD in game 1 and up by 20+. Then Kawhi sprained his ankle and I just watched the wheels fall of that game and the rest of the series.

[@gravedigger3830]

as a rockets fan this hurts … we shoulda won this year.

[@henryviiifake8244]

Not surprise Chris Paul left after that. Imagine having a team that was capable of taking out one of the most lethal squads *ever* assembled in the 2018 Warriors and throwing it all away because you forced 27 consecutive threes... which ALL bricked?! That's tough. 💀

[@BingoNamo-gb8pz]

And now Harden & CP3 are playing like scrubs. Should have stayed together. 2020 could have been the year esp with the Covid BS.

[@henryviiifake8244]

​@@BingoNamo-gb8pz Great point. The Lakers had great defense, but with all that offensive firepower, they had a good shot if making it out of the West.

[@jmfd966]

Man I would have loved to see a rockets-cavs final tho...

[@reggiestewart6976]

Great vid g brought back so many memories as a rockets fan

[@YoItsJRDN]

This season is what made me a James Harden fan and start watching basketball forreal

[@regalhunt8496]

Casual

[@YoItsJRDN]

@@regalhunt8496 Do you really think I really care? Its just basketball this shit not paying me or my bills

[@londonwontstopcalling]

Im very excited to see how the 76ers look this year with so many of the guys back together

[@tylergary5953]

Harden taking a pay cut was a big move too. Not even a sixers fan but I would root for y’all if my Celtics fall in the playoffs because I’ve always liked harden.

[@russellwestbrookyellingatw9381]

The real best team that never won a championship

[@colinwolf13]

I love the way you phrased, "went to call Houston's bluff next" that's fire

[@boxxboy13]

I'd actually like a nuanced video, not a wolves clowning or that Jimmy practice story, of the Wolves from 2018-2020. Or more specifically, the arrival of Jimmy until the day he left and how spectacularly little the wolves got for him

[@verward]

16:37 haha that's a nice bluff by Draymond Green. He recently talked about how they had been battle planning the Rockets for months. Hilarious that he trash talked the Rockets by saying he wasn't thinking about them.

[@ricardiocavalia31]

Please do a video on the 2018-19 Philadelphia 76ers. That team was a shot away from the ECF, and if the Warriors had the same injuries, a NBA Finals Championship.

[@jdapaul1351]

I agree with you on this. If Kawhi missed that shot, the Bucks might've gone to the Finals, and GS would win it all and three-peat.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@jdapaul1351 76ers beat bucks, and beat warriors

[@wait7547]

Most tragic part is that they weren’t able to keep it together for the two Warrior down years. Very likely to be back to back finals appearances with a potential back to back championships. As a Warriors fan the ‘18 Rockets were a scary matchup cause of their length. Sucks that injuries were the biggest contributor to that year’s playoffs.

[@BingoNamo-gb8pz]

When KD chose to go to GS instead of Houston that was a wrap. If KD went to Houston instead of GS then the Rockets would have stolen the Warriors dynasty & KD would arguably be the GOAT. I don’t know why he chose GS over Houston because now his legacy is being a free loader. There’s no way GS would beat KD + Harden Rockets. KD is the only reason they beat the Rockets in 2018. Imagine instead KD was playing for the Rockets. Would have been a clean sweep.

[@samwilliams4726]

The 06-07 suns team. The bump by Robert horry caused two suns players to get suspended and they never gained momentum after that

[@DBMthe1]

The 2019 raptors will always be worth talking about

[@Richking213]

If CP3 didn’t get injured, the Rockets would of won the chip. Crazy

[@aduad]

The one thing I'll say is the Warriors made hard work of that Houston team even as great as they were...that was when KD and Steph started to ISO a lot more and not move the ball as much....First season KD Warriors would have spanked them with ease....but as it turns out injuries did that...

[@MrLp1980]

You’re right. But the 2001-02 Kings and 2010-11 Bulls are right there.

[@persistentlypathetic6820]

Miami Gentleman swept the Bulls... You might as well add the 2017 Cavs to the list they at least made the finals

[@MrLp1980]

@@persistentlypathetic6820 but the video says greatest teams to not make the finals. That eliminates the cavs. It doesn’t matter if they were swept. That Bulls won 62 games and was deep. “They had the mvp of the league. IF” they won it all we would talking about them being one of the greatest teams ever. But they just ran into Lebron, Wada, and Bosh.

[@TheKushtonSlayter]

Thank you for this video, I talk about this team all the time! Especially the underrated impact Luc Mbah Moute had on that squad.

[@hanschristopherson8056]

This is probably the closest James harden will ever be to winning a championship

[@zach_hillary1646]

Ahhhh the 2018 Houston Rockets one of my favourite teams of all time...

[@ArizaNumber1]

Really hurts as a die hard Rockets fan that they could not do it, probably will hurt for a long long time. So so much respect for CP3

[@niqowyd]

Being a rockets fan hurt so bad this year, I know we could of beat GSW and got a title but CP3s hamstring is less reliable than a Russell Westbrook pull up jumper.

[@nav9867]

😂😂😂😂

[@beastyboy101bo]

Man the worst part is he decides to focus on conditioning after he leaves us 🙄🙄

[@DaffyTaffy93]

Or a Damian Lillard block lol

[@Chef_curry_30.]

nah 💀

[@niqowyd]

@@Chef_curry_30. were up on them TWICE before cp3 injuries, ain’t a coincidence. We were the only team giving them issues

[@kylegough936]

Never forget Gerald green’s rocket hairstyle. That was fire

[@davidduenes7512]

As die hard Rocket 🚀 fan i miss 2017- 2018 season Coach Mike D'Antoni did great job i still believe confident positive Rockets will win 3rd title Clutch City 4life 🚀

[@VerdeBoy13]

This should not be lost or over stated enough. Iggy getting hurt during the game where the Warriors blew Huston out by 40+ was pivotal. Rockets won the next 2 games by a combined 7 points with a healthy CP3. Iggys injury was the reason Huston overachieved in that series in the first place

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

mbah a moute also didn't play in that series, so it cancels out in my opinion, and if you consider 2018 iggy being similar to 2019 iggy, you can see that in 2019 with kd on the floor, iggy was a non factor guy, as rockets defense was still built to stop any version of kevin durant warriors, but with kevin durant out, warriors move much faster and the ball around

[@r-6-j294]

That playoff run shows how the sport isn't always fair

[@dmitriisarapkin3137]

game 7 was rigged by scott foster. Rockets are 2018 champions

[@moetyb883]

Love that you got J. COLE in the background! 10/10 vid

[@edwardcui7535]

a couple of things about this team always gets under my skin. number 1, whenever any rational basketball fan says the rockets would've won if cp3 didn't get hurt, warriors fans keep saying if iguodala wasn't hurt the warriors would've won. I've never seen any fan base make as many excuses about a role player being hurt than warriors fans make about iguodala. laker fans don't talk about bynum being hurt in 2008, celtics fans don't make excuses about perkins being hurt in 2010, i can go on. second, if you think the 2019 rockets losing to the warriors without KD disqualifies the argument about how the warriors would've won in 2018 even with a healthy chris paul, you don't understand basketball. 2019 was nothing like 2018, that's like the 2011 lakers when they got swept vs 2010 when they won the finals. the chemistry completely fell apart because cp3 was hurt most of the year and harden got used to doing 90% of everything and forgot how to play with another star

[@gideonamankwah6491]

Thank you. Warriors still had Nick Young, David West, Quinn Cook, Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston, and etc... Besides, GS was 12-6 without Iggy so they had enough depth to win anyway. Also, Curry, Dray, Klay, and KD were inconsistent in the series so Iggy doesnt change that. Besides, Warriors won games 6 and 7 without Iggy for a reason because they already had enough playoff experience to win. I dont respect that opinion that had Iggy played, Warriors win earlier. Warriors still had enough talent to win the series earlier even without Iggy. Plus, Iggy isnt a great shooter so it is likely he doesnt consistently hit outside shots in that series. Plus, Rockets didnt have Luc Mbah a Moute for certain games and he does the things Iggy does except playmaking and athleticism. Rockets did win by 22 in game 2 and Iggy played so it wasnt like Iggy is this superstar player. Also, Curry, Klay, and KD were struggling for most of the series so Iggy doesnt change that series if the Warriors were being careless and missing open shots in games 2, 4, 5, and parts of game 7. Also, CP3 could have figured Iggy out by hitting midrange, getting steals, and get Iggy in foul trouble. If Mbah a Moute and CP3 were healthy, the Rockets win that series in 7 because Mbah a Moute would have set proper screens to get Harden and CP3 open and play lock down defense and hit the 3. Iggy is good but he was older in 2018 and wasnt the same player that year. Also, great teams like the MJ Bulls, Kobe and Shaq Lakers, Big 3 Heat, and etc.. had to go 7 games in certain years to win it all so at some point, a team was going to push the Warriors 7 games and the Rockets were equipped to do that. Plus, 8th seed Clips took the Warriors with Iggy 6 games and won 2x in GS in 2019 so the Rockets would have at least pushed the KD Warriors 7 games even if Iggy was healthy because Warriors lacked depth off the bench while Rockets had depth. Even, Capela could have protected the rim even if Iggy played and Tucker, Ariza, CP3, Mbah a Moute would have closed out on shooters and closed out on Iggy too. Without Mbah a Moute and CP3, Rockets rotation was messed up worse because you lose 2 key defenders in CP3 and Luc. Also, CP3 can exploit mismatches and get guys involved. Mbah a Moute can defend, hit the 3, and set good screens to get guys open shots.

[@gideonamankwah6491]

Warriors talk about Iggy being out in 2018 but Mbah a Moute was out for the Rockets in 2018 and Raps didnt have OG Anounby in 2019 when the Raptors won. Mbah a Moute and OG does the same thing Iggy does but Warriors fans ignore that. Warriors fans make some of the dumbest excuses I ever heard.

[@gideonamankwah6491]

I agree with you. Also, Rockets lost Ariza and Mbah a Moute in the same offseason and got Rivers and Faried so the Rockets were totally different in 2019 and lost defensive players.

[@michealbanksjr.3630]

@@gideonamankwah6491 Iggy was a starter though before he got injured. West, cook, looney, and Shaun were reserves and there were games were cook and west didn’t even play.

[@gideonamankwah6491]

@@michealbanksjr.3630 I get that but Iggy is reserve too. Yes, he can start but my point is that Warriors had productive role players and they were already had great defenders in KD, Klay, Green, West, Looney, McGee, and etc. Also, Harden was inconsistent anyway and Warriors did a great job containing him even without Iggy. Yes, Iggy is a good player but he is only a role player and they had other good playmaker too in Curry, Dray, KD, and Livingston on the team. Mbah a Moute was our for the Rockets and he was key for them too.

[@TheTubeDude]

Top shelf production and story. Thank you for such fine off season work.

[@richhrite88]

No sir. The best team to never make the finals is the 2002 Sacramento Kings.

[@BingoNamo-gb8pz]

There’s a few. Like Steve Nash Suns. D-Rose Bulls. Even this year’s T-Wolves.

[@aminuabdullahi5922]

Outstanding videos man

[@crypto40]

The fact that If cp never got injured in that series they would of ended up going to the finals imo

[@mexicanwootwoot]

As a Houstonian, this hits home every time.

[@lovelingo3380]

Never forget " OKC vs Grizzlies" amazing playoff battles

[@sakamoto8354]

Legit. Those two teams battling each other are so fun to watch.

[@rjmacready9828]

The refs were really bad in game 7. Rockets definitely choked but some of those calls they didnt get were ridiculous

[@smoovetm4220]

I had severe depression when when cp3 got injured and we lost the western confer finals 😭😭

[@mr_w_9647]

I’m not neither a warriors or rockets fan but boy I was hoping you took them out lol

[@kingrob8278]

Ight first things first. Fire your editor. Because you need better transitions. Those ackward cuts of silence be throwing people off. Get rid of those plain black screens in between clips.

[@Dahn.Baern.]

Being a Houston fan might be the toughest. They’ve gone on long stretches where they dominated but never went anywhere since Olajuwon

[@monkeyfather27]

I love how draymond always brings up his championships like he was the best player on those teams when he was a top 3 or 4 player on the team on all of them

[@nodefense]

Remember watching game 7 in science. Genuinely ruined my mood for a week. Probably the most exciting Rockets team I’ll ever watch, absolute shame it didn’t with a ring for 2 legends of the game

[@gideonamankwah6491]

In your opinion, do you think had Mbah a Moute and CP3 played in game 7, do you think the Rockets would have beat the Warriors and Cavs and won it all? I think they would have.

[@nodefense]

@@gideonamankwah6491 Absolutely lmao but I think I'm a bit biased. Love Swish's point, thought I was the only one who rememebered Mbah a Moute being so impactful back then

[@gideonamankwah6491]

@@nodefense People talk about Iggy being out but Mbah a Moute was injured too and does the things Iggy does. Both teams fully healthy, Rockets win due to tough gritty defense and clutch shooting.

[@nodefense]

@@gideonamankwah6491 fax

[@bol9332]

I feel like since James Harden is not playing in Houston anymore, everybody feels nostalgic about him

[@Abaines2222gaming]

Great video! Love the intro & breakdown. As a Houston Rockets fan it hurt me to watch this. The city was devastated. We was so close. Anyway keep up the great content! 🏀🔥

[@jonathanhighsmith9289]

The fact that we stayed so close without hitting those threes says a lot

[@macabree5856]

Says alot. A lot. Record reaching most consecutive missed 3 in NBA history and the game was still close. Whoa

[@manuprasad5354]

@@macabree5856 as a warriors fan, they deserved a ring that season. clearly. they even put their egos aside and everything. They commited to win. They were winning. And then they lost.