I’m from Houston and have to say I am sorely disappointed in the Rockets’ performance in the Western Conference (WC) finals. The loss of Chris Paul and possibly biased referees were bad enough, but the Rockets simply could not hold out when all was said and done. Houston has been waiting to see the Rockets go back to the championship finals since 1995. Unfortunately, after what was an incredibly upsetting game, they’re going to have to wait a little longer.

What went wrong?

If you ask any Rockets fan, you’re gonna hear that the referees rigged this game.

The team has gone 0-6 in playoff games that Scott Foster has refereed. Fans are convinced that it is no coincidence the Rockets keep losing with this particular referee on the court. However, looking back at this game as a whole, you cannot confidently say the Rockets lost strictly because of bad calls. Another factor that has clearly had an impact is the loss of Chris Paul. His hamstring injuring two games ago put him out of commision for the rest of the WC finals. His addition to the Rockets played a major role in the success they had this season. Sadly, his absence turned out to be a harsh blow to the Rockets when facing the Warriors.

Excuses aside, the Rockets handed this game over on a silver platter

James Harden is the top pick for MVP this season in the NBA. The fans in Houston put hope and faith in Harden to deliver in this last game, but he didn’t show up. Usually, his performance is fantastic, but the pressure of the WC finals seem to have gotten to him.

His field goal percentage this game was .414 which is lower than what he averaged the past 10 games. Not only him, but the rest of the Rockets’ offense could not land those three-pointers.

This team is typically known for their success when it comes to shooting from downtown. However, they made history in Game 7 by missing the most three-point attempts in a row of any playoff game.

Starting in the second half, the Rockets missed 27 three-pointers consecutively attempted. It goes without saying, that their performance was definitely not up to par.

Had CP3 played, and had the referees not been so out-of-line, the Rockets may have stood a chance. But even with those factors in play, they choked in Game 7 and lost their chance to play in the Championships against the Cavs. They were close, but couldn't quite clutch it. Looks like we’ll see a rematch between the Cavaliers and the Warriors for the fourth year in a row after all.
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