In basketball, talent and chemistry are probably the two things that have the biggest impact on a team’s success, but health is also just as important.
In last year’s Western Conference Finals, the Rockets weren’t at full strength. Luc Mbah a Moute was still recovering from his second separated shoulder injury of the season, and as a result had very little impact on the last Rockets-Warriors playoff battle, scoring just five points total in the series.
Of course, Chris Paul also suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5 of that series, which forced him to miss Game 6 and Game 7.