Rockets' Special 2017-18 Team Was Recently Remembered Again for Special Reason

The Houston Rockets are still searching for that first NBA Finals appearance since the 1995 back-to-back championship season. It's been a long time, and the Rockets have gotten very close on a multitude of occasions.

There has been no shortage of talent in the various eras of Rockets basketball, and unfortunately some very poor injury did not help their chances at all. The closest chance the Rockets had to getting back to the NBA Finals and winning it was back in 2018.

That special 2017-18 team will live forever in all Rockets fans minds. It was arguably the best season the Rockets had since the championship days, and it just seemed like that was the year. The Rockets already had one of the best scorers in the game and the face of the franchise in James Harden, and put together a more than formidable supporting cast to get it done.

The Rockets made the trade for veteran superstar point guard Chris Paul as the highlight of that offseason, and it looks like an incredible move. It was a huge trade of seven players and a first-round pick for the All-Star point guard, and it was looking completely worth it.

Houston had been looking for a running mate alongside Harden, and this worked really well that season. The main point of this team was specifically to beat the Golden State Warriors, who had just come off their second championship, and first with Kevin Durant. The Warriors were the biggest obstacle, and the Rockets had them until they didn't.

Every now and then, there are reminders of the team on social media and some of the incredible achievements that were accomplished with the group. One of those statistics made its way back to the limelight.

Rockets' Insane Record in 2017-18

Feb 28, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) embraces guard Chris Paul (3) after the Rockets defeated the Miami Heat at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

When Harden, Paul and center Clint Capela all played together that regular season, the Rockets had a remarkable 42-3 record. This team was almost unbeatable during that period. Head coach Mike D'Antoni's modern and unique offensive system did wonders for this group, and no one was able to handle it.

The Rockets eventually went 65-17 that season, and that was the best record in the NBA by a long shot. They were six games ahead of the next best record. Houston also had a 17-game win streak in that, which was one of the longest in franchise history.

After the Rockets wnet up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals over the Warriors, a championship seemed in their destiny until devastating news. Paul suffered a hamstring injury at the end of a special Game 5 win at Toyota Center. The Rockets weren't able to close out the series, and lost Game 7 at home in infamous fashion after missing 27 straight threes.

It took a huge statistical outlier of the Rockets missing that many shots in a row for them to lose to a superteam Warriors team without CP3. One hamstring away, as they like to call it in Houston. This team will be one of the best to never win a title. Any other team in their way besides Golden State, 2018 might've been even more special.

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