TODAY’S SPORTSTAT — Will Rockets’ devastating loss be too much to overcome?

By JERRY TAPP

Not that the Houston Rockets needed any more bad news after their 126-85 drubbing at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in Game Three of their Western Conference Finals series, but suffering a 40-point loss in the conference finals did not bode well for previous teams which suffered such a classic beatdown.

The Rockets’ 41-point loss to Golden State was the sixth time in conference finals history that a team has been defeated by 40 or more points. And in four of the previous five times, the team that lost that blowout also lost the series.

Here’s a look at the six conference finals games where there was a 40-point differential in the score.

1958: St. Louis 145, Detroit 101 (44-point difference)

1973: L.A. Lakers 126, Golden State 70 (56-point difference)

1982: Boston 121, Philadelphia 81 (40-point difference)

1985: L.A. Lakers 153, Denver 109 (44-point difference)

2017: Cleveland 130, Boston 86 (44-point difference)

2018: Golden State 126, Houston 85 (41-point difference)

The only team to lose a conference finals game by 40 or more points and still win the conference finals series were the 1982 Philadelphia 76ers. Boston defeated the 76ers 121-81 in Game One of the series, a 40-point whupping, but the 76ers ended up winning the series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals that year.

Will the Rockets fall in the series, or will they be able to recover from this historic loss and win the series against the Warriors?

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp