5 heartbreaking "what if" moments in Houston Rockets history

What if Chris Paul hadn't torn his hamstring?

We don't want to talk about the 2018 Western Conference Finals. We don't like to think about the 2018 Western Conference Finals. Yet, here we are.

Specifically, we don't like to think about Game 5. Sure, the Rockets won that game, but it came at a cost. Chris Paul tore his hamstring in the dying moments, and he wouldn't return for the remainder of the series.

The rest is history. The Rockets would lose the next two games. They'd miss a particularly painful 27 threes in a row in Game 7. Could Paul have helped?

We think so. Paul was the Rockets' safety valve. When James Harden and Mike D'Antoni's Moneyball approach was failing, they'd turn to Paul. He'd generate some quality midranges in the pick-and-roll and reset the offense.

Without Paul there, the Rockets kept going to a dry well. They ended up dying of thirst. Nobody can guarantee they would have beaten the Warriors or LeBron James' Cavaliers with Paul healthy, but it's certainly an agonizing "what if".