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“If Chris Paul doesn’t get hurt, we win a ring, we would’ve beat Cleveland pretty easy, we were special”:  Gerald Green believes the Rockets would have beat the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James in 2018

Arjun Julka
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"If Chris Paul doesn’t get hurt, we win a ring, we would’ve beat Cleveland pretty easy, we were special":  Gerald Green believes the Rockets would have beat the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James in 2018

Former NBA player Gerald Green believes the Rockets would have beaten the Warriors juggernaut in the 2018 WCF hadn’t Chris Paul got injured.

The Houston Rockets were the no.1 seed in the NBA during the 2017-18 season. It was veteran guard Chris Paul’s first season with James Harden and co. Considering their ball-dominant nature, many had doubts about them co-existing. However, the superstar backcourt created franchise history.

The 2017-18 Rockets became the first roster in franchise history to record 60+ wins. The same season would see Harden win the league MVP. Since the 2015 playoffs, the Warriors stood like a roadblock in the Rockets ticket to the NBA Finals, eliminating them each time they faced.

However, the Rockets did come close once, but fate had other plans. The 2018 western conference finals saw the Rockets face the Warriors. However, this time the Houston team looked in complete control, one win away from making the NBA Finals since 1995.

Also read: “Shooting slumps don’t matter to us, man!”: Warriors’ Klay Thompson speaks on his incredible dagger against the Nets and why his cold night didn’t matter

Unfortunately, CP3 getting injured in Game Five would spoil the party for the Rockets. According to former Rockets player Gerald Green, the Rockets were winning a ring hadn’t Paul been injured.

James Harden and Chris Paul would have had a championship on their respective resumes hadn’t the latter injured himself in 2018.

The Rockets were coming off an extremely successful season and had the arsenal to beat the super-team Warriors. The Houston team led the Warriors 3-2 in the WCF and were on their way to creating history when Paul injured his hamstring in Game Five.

However, the Rockets would win the game, giving them a 3-2 lead. Sadly, Paul wouldn’t return to the series, making it a mammoth task for Harden to carry the team against the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

Former Rockets player Gerald Green believed they would have won the championship hadn’t CP3 injured himself, as Green was confident of defeating LeBron James’ Cavaliers pretty easily.

“If Chris Paul doesn’t get hurt, we win a ring,” Green said. “Easy, we would’ve beat them. We were the better team. We was ready for them. We would’ve beat Cleveland pretty easy. We were special.”

Also read: “How was this old a** dude killing me in practice like this?!”: Donovan Mitchell shares his first experience with Joe Ingles following unfortunate ACL tear

The fact that the Rockets had home court in Game Seven gave them a big boost. Recently, Draymond Green stated that the Warriors were the only team that could defeat the Rockets during the former’s dynasty years.

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka

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Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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