The Golden State Warriors once again sent the Houston Rockets home this postseason, with the James Harden-led franchise coming up short on a legitimate opportunity to topple this era’s NBA dynasty for a second consecutive year. Harden and Chris Paul have come the closest of anybody to defeating the Warriors in the Western Conference over the past two years and have been their stiffest rivals in the West. But this summer, as team officials such as general manager Daryl Morey have said publicly, Houston is set to do some soul searching.



Harden’s playing style — so dangerously lethal and effective in isolation — has led to tremendous individual success over the past two seasons. For the most part, it has been productive for the organization too. This season, the Rockets needed Harden to go on historic scoring binges amid injuries over the course of the season and amid fluctuating play from his co-star, Paul. Now, after that style of play failed to get...