A strained right hamstring kept Chris Paul out of action for the final two games of the Western Conference Finals, and now the Rockets are left wondering what could have been, while the Golden State Warriors prepare for their fourth straight NBA Finals appearance.
Following last night's 101-92 loss to the Warriors, Rockets' guard Eric Gordon told reporters that he and his teammates would be the ones preparing for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night if Chris Paul had been able to play.
"It sucks because you know you could win this series if we just had one more playmaker," Gordon said after the Rockets' Game 7 loss, according to ESPN. "If we had Chris, if he was out there, we'd have been playing on Thursday. It's just tough."
Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni specifically mentioned how Houston failed to combat the Warriors' third quarter surge without the nine-time All-Star point guard in the lineup.
"That's what C.P. was so good at in two [of the] games we won," D'Antoni said. "They'd make a little run, he'd hit a 3. They make another run, and he makes another play. And you have to have those momentum changers and stoppers, and the last two games, we didn't have them."
"Mostly, I hate it for him," D'Antoni said. "He's probably more devastated than anybody."
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey added, "We should have won tonight. "I don't have much else to say."