Eric Gordon makes audacious claim about 2018 Houston Rockets

What could have been will haunt you. If you're a Houston Rockets fan, that rings true. Just six years ago, something that almost happened - well, did not occur. It's still haunting Rockets fans.

In fact, it's still haunting former Rockets. In case the same cataclysmic event does not torture you, we're referring to Chris Paul tearing his hamstring in the 2018 Western Conference Finals. A lot of fans feel that the Rockets could have won the NBA title if Paul had been able to stay on the floor.

Eric Gordon is quick to concur

Former Rockets guard makes bold claim

"I truly believe that if CP didn't get injured we would have won that year, I really do"
- Eric Gordon

At times, we've seen championship-caliber teams that don't win a championship in the NBA. Think of the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings. They were a beautiful orchestra of ball movement and player motion. The Kings built an all-time offense around Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby. With excessive frontcourt passing and elite (relative to their era) shooting, the Kings were nearly unstoppable.

They still couldn't overcome the star-studded Lakers.

The Rockets are another example of a title-caliber team that came up short. Where the Kings made music, the Rockets were a brutal efficiency machine. With two of the league's best playmakers in the backcourt and a cache of play-finishers, the Rockets ran pick-and-roll into the ground - and had tremendous success.

The Warriors were the Lakers to their Kings. That said, the Kings didn't lose Bibby halfway through a Conference Finals against the Lakers. They don't have that excuse.

Do the Rockets win a title if Paul stays healthy?

Gordon is (probably) right about 2018 Rockets

Hindsight may be 20/20, but you can't see the unknown with superhuman vision.

We don't know if the Rockets would have won the 2018 NBA title with a healthy Chris Paul. They were up 3-2 against the Warriors when he went down. The Rockets were on their way to a series win, but they'd still have had to overcome LeBron James and his Cavaliers in the Finals.

Still, the numbers like the Rockets' odds. Simple Rating System (SRS) is a stat that essentially measures a team's Net Rating while accounting for schedule strength. The Rockets' SRS of 8.21 led the league by a long shot. The Raptors were second at 7.29, and the Warriors ranked third at 5.79.

Pick a stat. It's going to tell you that the Rockets were the best team in the NBA in 2018. Historically, that type of regular season success portends a title run. It seems likely that Gordon has a point:

Hopefully, someday, we'll all stop thinking about it.