For the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, 2015 must have looked like the start of a bright new future as recently as two weeks ago. Long mired beneath more talented and established teams, both found unexpected levels of success during the regular season and the playoffs' first two rounds.
And yet, with the NBA Finals still days away, both organizations must be wondering how they could accomplish so much and face such a gloomy future.
Projected as a low-level playoff team at best, Atlanta soared to the East's best record while playing in a critically lauded, decentralized system. Houston, meanwhile, earned the brutal Western Conference's No. 2 seed behind its long-sought-after stars, even signing Josh Smith mid-season in the kind of ring-chasing pickup champions often make.
Furthermore, both teams overcame second round adversity that could have felled their advances.Atlanta overcame Paul Pierce buzzer beaters, both near and actual. Houston fell behind 3-1 to the Clippers before roaring back to dominate in Game 7. Both teams earned their chances at a conference title.
And then they ran into the wall.
Unfortunately for both, the landscape suggests 2015 might have been a best-case scenario. The Rockets face a constantly churning and reloading Western Conference in which Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers did not even make the playoffs, Portland suffered a brutally timed injury to Wes Matthews, and the Spurs never crossed Houston's path. Dwight Howard, while effective in concentrated bursts, may have bumped into the ceiling of his effectiveness. And while James Harden elevated himself to MVP contention, significant holes in his game have been magnified in the process. The Rockets, as currently constructed, seem to be a player short of the league's top level.
Meanwhile, the Hawks also face questions. Demarre Carroll and Paul Millsap are free agents who will return at higher salaries or maybe not at all. And while Thabo Sefolosha should return to health next season, Kyle Korver faces recovery from a nasty ankle injury and Al Horford will start the season with another seven months of big-man-miles on his odometer.
Most of all, though, their vanquishers don't appear to be going anywhere. Golden State will have to pay Draymond Green quite a bit to stay, but their core seems likely to remain in place for several years. And despite predictions of demise this winter, LeBron James will remain a pretty compelling starter kit for an Eastern Conference championship.
No loss is encouraging, but some season-ending losses thud louder than others.
A recently unemployed sports media pioneer often cited this premise, and Atlanta and Houston represent it well.
Some losses at least portend better things in the future. The 2009-10 Thunder lost in the first round to the Lakers, but man, you knew they would get better. Other losses, like the one suffered by this year's San Antonio Spurs, at least signify the possible end of a glorious road.
But Hawks and Rockets fans have to leave this season feeling disappointed and nervous. Both franchises experienced compelling highs only to fall completely flat in their conference finals. Once they arrived, their moments on the big stage were short and dull. And the odds of their return seem pretty long.
The modern NBA is built around potential. Teams sacrifice middling seasons in the name of fielding a team capable of being the best in the league one day in the undefined future. Most teams have to consciously try to time their rise, and the penalty for a misstep is years in above-average purgatory.
Both have smart GMs who have painstakingly setup the chain of dominoes that got them this far without spending years stockpiling lottery talent.
But the gap between both teams and the NBA Finalists looks vast, especially in a season where the league was clearly in transition. Perhaps their progress may have had as much to do with the context of a particular year than joining the league's elite.
June 1, 2015
Neal:
This article is pure rubbish, the Rockets were in the playoffs without two starters and Atlanta was hurt by injury as well, How can you even think that the fan base would be nervous or disappointed about the future? I know you need to write about something, but this is not article on point. Yes, Golden State and the Cavs had great play off success but lets remember the last time they were in the finals or when they will appear again?