3. 2018 Western Conference Finals – Houston Rockets
Series results: Warriors win 4-3
From the start of the 2017-18 season, everyone was watching and waiting for these two teams to meet in the playoffs. Thankfully, the series that unfolded was well worth the wait.
The 2018 Houston Rockets were built specifically to beat the Golden State Warriors. Houston had compiled a roster filled with elite shooters and playmakers. With James Harden and Chris Paul running the show, the Rockets were poised to compete with the best of the best.
The first three games of the series were all double-digit victories. Game 3 was capped off by a 41-point devastation from the Warriors. However, the Rockets weren’t going to let one blow out keep them from competing.
The Houston Rockets stole the next two games of the series to go up 3-2. Game 5 was decided by a few monstrous plays from Chris Paul in the fourth quarter. Sadly, these shots would be the last we saw from CP3, as a hamstring injury sidelined him for the remaining games.
As we know, the Warriors went on to win the next two games as they advanced to the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant led the way with an average of 30.4 points per game. Harden contributed to the Rockets efforts by putting up 28.7 points a night.
This series may be the most stacked playoff matchup to ever occur. A total of six potential Hall-of-Famers faced off. There was a total of nine different 30-point performances from a mixture of four different players.