Daryl Morey Says He's 'Still Processing' Rockets' 2018 WCF Collapse vs. Warriors

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he's "still processing" his team's seven-game Western Conference finals loss to the Golden State Warriors last season. 

Morey made the comments on First Things First on FS1 Wednesday:

"Still processing," Morey said according to a transcription from Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area.

"Anytime it's late at night and it's quiet, it comes back. It's just rare to win the title. The reality is, when one team wins three of the last four, when one team wins six like the Bulls, there aren't a lot of opportunities. Our odds were above 50 percent at one point to win the title last year. After Game 5, we had two games to win, one at home. And so, it's tough. But you move on and focus and we feel like we have a good shot this year."

The 65-17 Rockets cruised to the West's No. 1 seed last season and lost just two playoff games before the conference finals. They led the series three games to two, but Rockets point guard Chris Paul suffered a hamstring strain in Game 5 that forced him to miss the rest of the series.

Houston could not overcome the loss of Paul, who averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 boards, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals against Golden State in the playoffs. With him in the lineup, the Rockets beat the Warriors five of eight times, including the regular season.

Still, the Rockets had a chance to put the Warriors away at home in Game 7 and did not close them out. Houston led by 13 early in the third quarter before the Warriors went on a 35-13 run. Golden State won by nine.

Houston has to do a little extra work for a potential rematch with the Warriors this year. The 33-14 Warriors look like they are going to cruise to the NBA Finals, but the 26-20 Rockets are in fifth place. Still, that's an accomplishment in itself given that Paul has missed 20 games this season. Center Clint Capela has been out for four with a thumb injury, and Eric Gordon sat for 11.

With 2017-18 MVP James Harden looking invincible of late, the Rockets could certainly make a run back to the conference finals when everyone is back healthy. The Western Conference competition is tougher this year, however, with the 31-14 Denver Nuggets looking particularly tough to beat.

Still, the Rockets took the Warriors to the limit last year, which is a lot more than most teams can say during Golden State's championship era.