Rockets missed 27 straight 3s vs Warriors OTD in 2018; set new, unwanted NBA record: Watch

The Houston Rockets faced the Golden State Warriors for the 2018 Western Conference Finals. During the Rockets vs Warriors Game 7, the Rockets missed 27 three-pointers, making a new NBA playoffs record. The game took place on May 28, 2018 and the Warriors defeated the Rockets to advance to the NBA Finals.

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Rockets vs Warriors Game 7 2018 Western Conference Finals: Rockets miss 27 3s

Today marks two years since Houston missed a record 2️⃣7️⃣ straight threes against the Warriors in Game 7.

Here’s each one… pic.twitter.com/dq2nWQQVgb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)

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The Rockets vs Warriors Game 7 could have gone either way, but the Warriors won with a 101-92 score. The Rockets were leading the first half by 15 points, but the Warriors were able to make a third-quarter comeback due to the Rockets missed three-pointers. Two years ago, FiveThirtyEight, an analysis website, calculated just exactly how unlikely were the 27 missed three-pointers.

As per their analysis, the chances were 1-in-72,000. They used Quantified Shot Probability (qSP) data which 'could weigh the likelihood of a shot going in depending on who’s taking it, how close the nearest defender is to the shot, and how quickly that player is closing out -- from Second Spectrum and NBA Advanced Stats, which use high-level cameras to track on-court movement'. James Harden went 0-from-10 during the span, while Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza missed 7 and 6 shots respectively. That regular season, Harden shot 36.7% from deep, Gordan shot 35.9% and Ariza shot 36.8%. 

In a post-game interview, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni admitted that he thought their team had 'good looks'. He added that while not many on their team were good, the Warriors did not perform well either. However, they managed to play the basics and percentages game better.

In the first half, the Rockets had a 15-point lead, but they missed 25 straight three-pointers and the Warriors caught up by making 11-of-21 shots. Their 15-point deficit increased to a 13-point lead in the third quarter. The Rockets started missing shots towards the end of the second period as Gordon missed while trying to extend their 42-28 lead. They expanded their lead to 48-33, but the Rockets ended up missing six consecutive threes as the first half came to an end. 

Their game worsened in the third quarter as the Warriors outscored the Rockets 33-15. The Rockets missed 14 shots from the deep, while GSW went 7-for-11 and took a 76-69 lead before the final period. The Rockets then missed their next four three-pointers before PJ Tucker finally made a shot for them. During his interview, D'Antoni said that their team was attempting threes as they wanted to keep the Warriors at bay, but could not connect the shots.

For the game, the Rockets shot 7-for-44 from the three-point line. During the press conference after the game, Harden added that they did not have the same amount of energy they did during the second half and had various opportunities to overtake the Warriors. 

Fans react to the Rockets vs Warriors game 7

This was a beautiful game to watch LMAOO!! Harden fails again & his fanboys was hurting ... if he’s not getting bailed out by fouls he’s a not able to do much in the PO

— (Raquel) KOBE 🖤🐍 (@SOULbeautifulme)

The Rockets have never recovered from this. They’ve slid further and further into analytics as their championship window continues to shrink.

— Thicc Man Inc. Podcast (@ThiccManInc)

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Rockets miss 27 3s during the Rockets vs Warriors Game 7

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(Image source: NBA official site)