You can forgive Rockets fans if it's felt like a lifetime, but it wasn't so long ago that Houston stood as a legitimate contender for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The current Western Conference cellar-dweller nearly dethroned the Warriors in 2018 and 2019, and even after the franchise's 21st century peak, the team led by James Harden still eyed a championship throughout the 2019-20 season. Those dreams were dashed during the playoff portion of the NBA bubble late in the summer of 2020, and in hindsight, the Western Conference semifinals loss to the Lakers appears to be a catalyst for Harden's departure from the franchise in early 2021.