For the second straight year, Houston fell to Golden State in the playoffs.
This time it hurt a lot more. They dropped Game 6 at home even though Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins were injured and (this year) Chris Paul wasn't.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reports Paul and James Harden had a tense verbal exchange after the game.
But Harden and Paul had tense moments with one another throughout Game 6, culminating in a verbal back-and-forth postgame that went into the locker room, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. Sources said the verbal exchange between Harden and Paul was regarding the ball distribution throughout Game 6. By the time the remainder of the locker room was ready to talk, Paul and Harden had gone their separate ways, with Paul swiftly making his way to the postgame podium. The Rockets dispensed with exit interviews this year, so the media hasn’t been able to ask Paul or Harden about the disappointment.
Chris Paul just turned 34 and will make $144 million over the next three years. So he's probably not going anywhere, and he and Harden will need to work out whatever issues they have to be successful going forward.