Facing 3-0 deficit, Rockets 'can't quit,' have 'plenty of fight'

The Houston Rockets aren't ready to call it a season quite yet.

While every shred of history, probability, and logic suggests the 2014-15 season has come to a close for them, the Rockets came out of Saturday's embarrassing 115-80 Game 3 loss to the Golden State Warriors calling for resiliency from within the locker room.

And really, what else are they going to say? They just got run off of their own floor following two semi-encouraging performances, a stinging loss that can either sink or rally a roster.

The Rockets can lean on the fact that they've rallied once before - in the last round, they became the ninth team ever to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, ultimately beating the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. That series also included a late 19-point comeback in Game 6. This team knows they can battle, even if the odds are ridiculous.

"We got whupped pretty good," veteran guard Jason Terry said following the game. "But you're going to either run or you're going to fight. This team has plenty of fight in them."

There's nowhere to run with Game 4 tipping off Monday in Houston, where the Rockets are considered 4.5-point underdogs despite their backs being against the wall. Head coach Kevin McHale also preached a fighter's mentality, keenly aware that his team didn't just shoot poorly and run into a hot Warriors offense, but also got hammered 60-39 on the glass.

"We've got nothing else we can do," McHale said. "We've got to come out and fight. We didn't play particularly well tonight, but they out-hustled."

While the poor showing was almost a roster-wide affliction, Dwight Howard once again played well despite knee soreness. Howard had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds. And though one particular highlight could stand as the avatar for the Rockets' Game 3 effort, Howard's early performance shouldn't be forgotten in the loss.

As it seemed Saturday, Howard isn't ready to call it a season, not after fighting through injuries and taking time off in order to peak for this very opportunity.

"We've been through too many battles for it to end like tonight," Howard said. "We can't quit on each other."

Quit or fight, the Rockets face a very harsh reality: even their best efforts are only likely to extend the series rather than change its outcome. NBA teams are 115-0 all time when grabbing a 3-0 series lead, and the enormity of what would have to change for Houston to win four consecutive games against this Golden State juggernaut is overwhelming.

That's no reason not to fight.