A year ago, the Rockets hated to see the season end. They longed for a few more games, or even a few more weeks. They wished for chances to make the playoffs, and even failing that, just for a few more nights to play basketball together.

A year later, when the season mercifully ended in Portland on Wednesday, the Rockets were down to seven healthy players and could give thanks largely that a miserable season was finally over.

They had followed the best season ever to end without a playoff berth with the franchise's worst season since 1983. Along the way, they suffered through a 15-game losing streak, humiliating losses to the Bulls, Nuggets and Grizzlies and a never-ending and frequently maddening succession of injuries and illness from the offseason to the season's last game.

Clearly, this season or last was an aberration.